Welcome back my sexy readers to another chapter of Tyrant's Debt.
Enjoy
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The red dot danced over Dante's heart like a mocking eye.
Sniper.
In the original novel, The Tyrant's Debt, this was the pivotal moment where the plot descended into chaos.
Dante was supposed to take a bullet to the shoulder, a wound that would fester, weaken his grip on the Commission, and force him to rely on the treacherous Lucca during the gang war.
It was the Tragic Hero arc.
But Lucca was already in a cell screaming for mercy, and I had no intention of letting my golden ticket get punched full of holes.
Not on my watch.
Time seemed to warp, stretching into a slow-motion nightmare.
My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird, but my mind was icy cold.
The System overlay flickered frantically in my peripheral vision.
[ SYSTEM ALERT: LETHAL THREAT DETECTED ]
[ SOURCE: NORTH BALCONY, 300 METERS / ELEVATION 20 ]
[ CHANCE OF EVASION: 10% ]
Ten percent?
I didn't like those odds.
I couldn't outrun a bullet, and I couldn't push a man of Dante's size fast enough to clear the kill zone.
I needed a distraction.
I needed a miracle.
My eyes snapped to the waiter standing three feet away, paralyzed by fear amidst the dust of the fallen chandelier.
He was clutching a large, polished silver serving platter against his chest like a shield.
"Dante, move!" I screamed.
Instead of diving for him, I lunged at the waiter.
I didn't ask; I snatched the silver platter from his trembling hands.
With a grunt of exertion, I hurled it into the air, angling it desperately toward the balcony lights where the laser originated.
For a millisecond, the polished silver caught the beam of the red emergency strobes, creating a chaotic, blinding flash directed at the upper level.
Bang
The gunshot cracked through the air like a whip, louder than the chandelier crash.
But because of the flash, the shooter flinched.
The bullet didn't hit Dante's heart.
It smashed into the marble pillar inches from his head, spraying us with razor-sharp stone dust.
"Get down!" Dante roared.
His reaction was instantaneous.
His arm wrapped around my waist, lifting me off my feet as if I weighed nothing.
He threw us behind the heavy cover of the overturned buffet table, shielding my body with his own.
We landed in a tangle of limbs and ruined silk. My breath came in ragged gasps.
Dante was on top of me, his heavy frame pressing me into the floor, his gun already drawn and pointed at the darkness.
"You..." he growled, looking down at me. His eyes were wild, the pupils blown wide with adrenaline and rage.
"You just blinded a sniper with a fruit platter."
"I improvised!" I panted, clutching the lapels of his suit to steady my shaking hands.
"Are you hit?"
"No." He checked me, his rough hands patting down my sides, checking for blood. The intimacy of the touch was lost in the violence of the moment.
"Are you?"
"I'm fine. Just... expensive dress, remember?"
"Screw the dress," Dante hissed.
He looked over the edge of the table. "Marco!
Suppression fire on the North Balcony! Now!"
Chaos erupted.
The ballroom, previously filled with screaming aristocrats, turned into a war zone.
Dante's men, who had been stationed at the perimeter, unleashed a hail of bullets toward the upper levels.
Glass shattered.
Wood splintered.
"We need to move," Dante commanded.
He didn't wait for my agreement.
He grabbed my hand, his grip bruising. "Stay low. Run when I say run."
We moved in a crouch, weaving between overturned tables and terrified guests.
I saw Victor Valetti near the exit, surrounded by his bodyguards.
He wasn't looking at the sniper; he was looking at Dante.
And he looked... disappointed.
[ NAME: VICTOR VALETTI ]
[ CURRENT EMOTION: FRUSTRATION / CALCULATING PLAN B ]
"It was Valetti," I whispered to Dante as we paused behind a statue of a weeping angel. "He's not surprised."
"I know," Dante replied, his voice grim.
"And tonight, he dies."
"No!" I yanked his arm.
"Not here. If you kill a Boss at the Commission Gala, the other three families will turn on you.
That's what he wants, Dante!
He wants you to lose control."
Dante looked at me.
The violence in his eyes was terrifying, a churning sea of gray ice.
But slowly, the logic of my words penetrated the bloodlust.
"Smart girl," he muttered.
"Let's go."
We burst out of the side exit into the cool night air.
The black SUV screeched to a halt in front of us, the tires smoking. Marco was already out, holding the back door open, his other hand clutching a submachine gun.
"Boss! Miss Serena! Get in!"
We dived into the backseat.
The heavy door slammed shut, sealing us in the bulletproof silence of the vehicle.
"Go," Dante ordered.
"Back to the mansion. Lockdown protocol."
As the car sped away, leaving the sirens and chaos behind, the adrenaline crash hit me like a physical blow.
My hands started to tremble uncontrollably.
I slumped back against the leather seat, closing my eyes.
I had done it.
I had survived the chandelier and the sniper.
[ MISSION UPDATE: THE BLOOD GALA ]
[ STATUS: COMPLETED WITH HONORS ]
[ BONUS REWARD: SAVED MALE LEAD (x2) ]
[ REWARD RECEIVED: 500 SYSTEM POINTS ]
[ SKILL UPGRADE: SHARP EYE is evolving into TACTICAL VISION ]
I felt a warm weight on my thigh.
I opened my eyes.
Dante's hand was resting on my leg, his fingers gripping the torn fabric of the Widow's Weave dress.
He wasn't looking at me; he was staring out the window, his jaw clenched so hard a muscle feathered in his cheek.
"Twice," he said, the silence of the car amplifying his low voice.
"What?"
He turned to face me.
The interior lights of the car cast shadows across his face, making him look like a fallen angel.
"You saved my life twice in one hour, Serena. First the chandelier.
Then the bullet."
He moved closer, sliding across the seat until his thigh pressed against mine.
The scent of gunpowder, expensive cologne, and male sweat filled my senses.
It was intoxicating.
"Most women would be screaming right now," he murmured, reaching out to brush a stray lock of hair from my face.
His touch was surprisingly gentle, a stark contrast to the violence of the last twenty minutes.
"Most men would be screaming as well.
But you... you analyzed the sniper's position and created a counter-measure in less than two seconds."
He grabbed my chin, forcing me to look him in the eye.
"Who trained you?
And don't tell me it was your gambling addict father."
My heart skipped a beat.
This was the danger zone.
If he suspected I was a spy, all the lust in the world wouldn't save me.
"Survival trained me, Dante," I lied, leaning into his touch rather than pulling away. "When you have nothing, you learn to protect the one thing that matters.
And right now... that's you."
"Me?" He raised an eyebrow.
"You are my shield, Dante.
If you die, I'm just a debt payment again.
I prefer being the Queen."
Dante stared at me for a long, agonizing moment.
Then, a dark, possessive smirk curled his lips.
"The Queen," he repeated. "You certainly acted like one."
His hand moved from my chin to the back of my neck.
He pulled me forward, crashing his lips against mine.
It wasn't a soft kiss.
It was a release of tension, a claiming. He tasted of champagne and danger.
I kissed him back with equal fervor, my hands tangling in his hair.
His hands went to my boobs kneading them softly through the clothes.
Slowly he started sucking on my neck.
The System points pinged in the background, but I ignored them.
For a moment, the game didn't matter.
The heat radiating off him was real.
He pulled back, breathless, his forehead resting against mine.
"When we get home," he whispered, his voice rough, "I'm going to strip that ruined dress off you and see if there are any other surprises hiding underneath."
"Is that a threat, Mr. Moretti?" I breathed.
"It's an inspection."
The Moretti Estate was a fortress by the time we arrived.
Armed guards patrolled the perimeter with dogs.
The gates slammed shut behind us with a finality that made me shiver.
We walked into the grand foyer, disheveled and covered in dust.
I kicked off my heels, holding them in one hand.
"Dante!"
The sharp voice cut through the air. Standing at the top of the grand staircase was Cassandra Moretti.
She was wearing a silk dressing gown that probably cost more than my life, her silver hair pulled back in a severe bun. She has left the party before the attack.
[ NAME: CASSANDRA MORETTI ]
[ DANGER LEVEL: 85/100 ]
[ CURRENT EMOTION: INDIGNATION / SUSPICION ]
"Mother," Dante said, his voice flat.
He didn't let go of my waist.
"I saw the news," Cassandra said, descending the stairs like a storm cloud.
"An attack at the Gala?
A sniper? This is humiliating, Dante.
The Moretti family looks weak."
She stopped at the bottom step, her cold eyes snapping to me.
She took in my torn dress, my messy hair, and the way I was leaning against her son.
"And I see you brought the stray back," she spat. "I told you, Dante.
She is bad luck.
Ever since she arrived, the sky has been falling.
First Lucca, now this.
She is a curse."
Dante stiffened.
I felt his muscles coil, ready to defend me. But I didn't need him to fight my battles.
Not this one.
In the book, Serena had lowered her head and cried when Cassandra insulted her.
That weakness was why Cassandra never respected her.
I stepped away from Dante.
I dropped my heels onto the marble floor with a loud clatter.
I walked right up to the Dowager Queen, drawing myself up to my full height.
"Bad luck?" I asked, my voice echoing in the silent foyer.
"Mrs. Moretti, with all due respect, you need to get your eyes checked."
Cassandra gasped.
"Excuse me?"
"Your son is alive because of me," I said, pointing a finger at Dante.
"The chandelier? I saw it.
The sniper? I blocked it.
If I hadn't been there tonight, you would be planning a funeral right now, not a lecture."
I took a step closer, invading her personal space.
"I am not a curse, Cassandra.
I am the only person in this house who was actually doing their job tonight while your expensive security team was busy eating shrimp cocktails."
The silence that followed was deafening. The guards by the door looked like they wanted to vanish into the wallpaper.
Dante watched me, his expression unreadable, though I caught a flicker of amusement in his eyes.
Cassandra stared at me, her mouth slightly open.
She looked from me to Dante, then back to me.
The Danger Level above her head fluctuated.
[ DANGER LEVEL: 85... -> 60... -> 75 ]
"She has a sharp tongue," Cassandra said finally, turning to Dante.
"She's insolent."
"She's right," Dante said simply.
He walked over and wrapped an arm around my shoulders again.
"She saved the family tonight, Mother.
You will treat her with the respect due to the woman who stands at my right hand."
Cassandra's eyes narrowed.
She recognized the tone.
It was the tone of the Don.
"Very well," she said stiffly.
"But luck runs out, girl. See that yours doesn't."
She turned and swept back up the stairs.
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. My legs felt like jelly.
"You have a death wish," Dante murmured in my ear.
"Talking to my mother like that."
"Someone had to do it," I muttered.
"She reminds me of my high school principal.
All hairspray and judgment."
Dante chuckled...a low, rumble in his chest. "Come. Upstairs.
I need a drink, and you need a bath."
The Master Bedroom was exactly as I remembered from before dark, masculine, and imposing.
But this time, I wasn't entering as a prisoner. I was entering as a victor.
Dante locked the door.
He went straight to the crystal decanter and poured two glasses of amber liquid.
He downed his in one gulp, then brought the other to me.
"Drink," he ordered.
"It will steady your nerves."
I took the glass. "My nerves are fine.
It's my feet that hurt."
Dante watched me.
He began to undo his tie, pulling the silk strip from his neck and tossing it onto the floor. Then he unbuttoned his cuffs, rolling his sleeves up to reveal his forearms.
"The sniper," he said, changing the subject abruptly.
"When we were behind the table, you said it was Valetti.
How were you so sure?"
I froze. I couldn't tell him I read the book.
"Because he was the only one not looking at the chandelier when it fell," I said, improvising rapidly.
"And when the shooting started, his bodyguards were already in a defensive phalanx before the first shot was fired.
They knew, Dante."
Dante nodded slowly.
"Valetti... He's getting bold.
He must have a backer.
Someone feeding him resources."
He walked toward me, the predator returning to his eyes.
He took the glass from my hand and set it on the nightstand.
"But that is business for tomorrow.
Tonight... we celebrate survival."
He reached out, his hands finding the zipper at the back of my ruined dress.
"Turn around," he whispered.
I obeyed.
The zipper hissed as he pulled it down.
The heavy fabric pooled at my feet, leaving me in the silk corset and underwear that Gianluca had provided.
The air in the room felt suddenly electric.
Dante's hands were hot on my bare back. He traced the line of my spine, his touch sending shivers down to my toes.
"You are a puzzle, Serena," he murmured against my neck.
"Every time I think I have you figured out, you change the shape of the pieces."
He turned me around.
His eyes dropped to the corset, darkening with desire.
"And you are beautiful," he admitted, almost reluctantly.
"Dangerous and beautiful. A lethal combination."
[ RELATIONSHIP STATUS: OBSESSION LEVEL 40% ]
[ WARNING: PHYSICAL INTIMACY IMMINENT ]
I placed my hands on his chest, feeling the steady, powerful beat of his heart.
"I'm not just a pretty face, Dante," I whispered.
"I'm the partner you need.
Valetti is going to come for us again.
You need me."
"I know," he groaned.
He picked me up, his hands gripping my thighs, and walked us toward the massive bed.
"But right now, the only thing I need is to make sure you know exactly who you belong to."
He laid me down on the cloud-like mattress. He hovered over me, his massive frame blocking out the light, blocking out the world.
"The contract said one year," he rasped, leaning down to kiss the hollow of my throat. "But I think we need to renegotiate the terms."
"Oh?" I gasped as his hand slid up my thigh. "What terms are you proposing?"
"Life," Dante said, capturing my lips.
"No parole."
As the night consumed us, I let myself get lost in the sensation.
I had won. I had survived the assassins, the mother, and the gala.
But as I closed my eyes, a new blue screen flickered into existence on the ceiling, unseen by Dante.
[ MAIN STORY UPDATE ]
[ THE PLOT HAS DEVIATED 15% ]
[ NEW ANTAGONIST UNLOCKED: THE WHITE KING ]
[ WARNING: THE ORIGINAL HEROINE IS MOVING UP HER ARRIVAL DATE. ]
[ TIME UNTIL HEROINE ARRIVAL: 7 DAYS ]
My eyes snapped open.
Seven days?
The True Heroine wasn't supposed to arrive for months.
She was the one woman who could strip me of everything...my protection, my status, and Dante.
I tightened my arms around Dante's neck, pulling him closer, deepening the kiss until he groaned in surrender.
Let her come, I thought fiercely.
She might be the Heroine written by the author.
But I was the one in his bed.
And possession was nine-tenths of the law.
Author's Note:
Phew! What a chapter!
Did you see that coming with the silver platter? Our girl Serena is not playing around! 💅
But wait... who is "The White King"?
And the Original Heroine is coming in ONE WEEK?
😱 Things are about to get messy.
Question for the my dearies: What do you think Serena should do to prepare for the Heroine's arrival?
* Try to befriend her?
* Set a trap?
* Make Dante fall so hard he doesn't even look at another woman?
Let me know in the comments!
Don't forget to drop those Power Stones and collections if you want Chapter 7 tomorrow!
Let the grind begin.