**Chapter 12**
The tension in the room was palpable as Gabino, with a cruel smile, looked at Isabella. "Ah, I forgot," he said, his tone contemptuous. "I am not loyal to rivals." And with that, he fired his gun, the sound of the shot echoing like thunder in the darkness of the basement.
Don Alessandro watched in horror, helpless, as Isabella's body fell, the life draining from her in a cruel instant. The scream he let out was a deep wail, an expression of sharp pain that echoed in his soul. The world around him disappeared, reduced to a single moment of despair.
Before he could react, his own men turned on him. Gabino's soldiers, who had infiltrated his team, aimed their weapons, ready to act. "Sorry, Don Alessandro, but it was time you knew the truth," one of them said, as others prepared to attack.
A swift, accurate blow to the back of his neck knocked Don Alessandro unconscious, darkness enveloping him before he could even process what was happening.
When he finally woke up, the first thing he felt was the heat, intense and suffocating. He was tied to a chair, the room around him in flames, the flames dancing like demons in a macabre ballet. The smell of smoke and blood filled the air, and amidst the chaos, he saw what awaited him.
In front of him, the bodies of his children were tied up, their heads already missing, their state of decomposition evident. The sight was unbearable, and the agony in his heart intensified. And there, in a corner, lay Isabella's body, also lifeless, a scene of horror he had never imagined he would witness.
Tears streamed down Don Alessandro's face, as despair took hold of him. The heat of the flames enveloped his body, and he knew that death was near. The brutality of the war he had endured, the fight for his family's survival, was now culminating in a cruel and tragic end.
"This is what you did, Gabino," he whispered, his voice filled with pain. "You destroyed everything I loved." Fury and sadness mixed in his heart, the pain of losing his family turning into an insatiable desire for revenge.
But as the fire drew closer, Don Alessandro realized there was no more time for plans or retaliation. The brutal war that had consumed his life was coming to an end, and he was about to be engulfed in flames, a fate he had never wanted but which now seemed inevitable.
He closed his eyes, remembering the happy times with Isabella and his children, the life that could have been. And with a final breath, he let himself be carried away by the darkness, the heat of the flames enveloping him like a deadly embrace. The story of Don Alessandro and his fight against Gabino was coming to an end, a tragic conclusion to a war that should never have happened.