Location: Cascella – Vincent Blaire's Estate, Underground Tunnel System
Damien moved silently through the narrow passage, every footstep calculated, every breath timed. The tunnel reeked of dust, oil, and betrayal. The deeper he went, the more obvious it became—Vincent had designed this place not as a hideout but a tomb for anyone bold enough to follow him in.
Still, Damien wasn't here to survive. He was here to end it.
His comm-link buzzed faintly. "Team Alpha in position. Secondary breach in five minutes," Logan's voice echoed through the static.
"Hold back," Damien whispered. "We stick to the plan. No movement unless I stall."
He reached the end of the tunnel, where a steel door loomed. A biometric scanner blinked red, then turned green. Vincent wanted him inside.
As the door opened with a hiss, Damien stepped into the lion's den.
---
Location: Main Control Room – Same Time
Vincent stood before a panoramic display of camera feeds. He watched Damien enter the room beyond the tunnel—an opulent chamber with steel-paneled walls, a single black chair, and nothing else.
"Lock the chamber," Vincent ordered. "Scramble all frequencies except ours."
Harold hesitated. "You're trapping him?"
Vincent gave a hollow laugh. "He trapped himself."
He tapped a button on his remote. A gas nozzle appeared from the ceiling, releasing a slow, transparent mist.
---
Inside the Chamber
Damien scanned the walls. "Predictable," he muttered.
The gas hissed softly, nearly invisible. But he'd anticipated this. From his inside coat pocket, he retrieved a miniature oxygen filter, fitting it quickly over his nose and mouth. At the same time, he pulled out a jamming spike and stabbed it into the chamber floor. A faint pulse disrupted the room's internal comms and monitoring systems.
Back in the control room, Vincent's screens flickered. "What—?"
"He's cutting the feed," one of his men shouted. "We've lost visuals!"
Vincent's jaw tensed. "Open the chamber now."
But before they could input the override code, the wall beside the chamber exploded.
Logan's team breached from the southern tunnel—smoke and gunfire erupting in an instant. Chaos tore through the estate.
---
Location: Blaire Estate – Surface Level
Nora stormed through the hallway with a team of operatives, her pistol drawn. She moved like a storm—lethal and precise.
"He's underground. Move fast!" she ordered. "Secure the eastern hall. No survivors if they shoot first."
She turned a corner—and ran straight into Harold.
Their eyes met. For a second, silence reigned.
"Nora," he breathed, guilt washing over his face.
"You," she said coldly, aiming her gun at his chest. "You betrayed your own blood."
"Niece, please—listen to me. Blaire used me. I thought I could outplay him, protect you from the inside."
"Save it for your trial," she snapped.
Before he could reply, Logan's voice rang in her earpiece. "Blaire's escaping. West corridor. Now!"
---
Location: Western Exit – Blaire Estate
Vincent raced through the narrow hallway, two guards flanking him. A private helipad awaited at the end. But as he turned the final corner—
Damien stood there. Bloodied. Bruised. But unyielding.
"You're not leaving, Vincent."
Vincent's guards moved first—Damien dropped both with two clean shots.
Now it was just them.
"You destroyed families. Bought governments. Played gods with people's lives," Damien said, stepping forward.
Vincent raised his weapon. "And I'll do it again if I must."
Damien fired.
Vincent fell.
---
Location: Tavara – Lane Estate, Hours Later
Nora sat beside Damien in the East Wing, her fingers interlaced with his. A moment of silence, finally earned.
"Harold's in custody. The council's voting to revoke all of Blaire's assets. It's over," she said softly.
Damien nodded, though his eyes remained distant. "No. It's just begun. We may have won this battle... but the war for Tavara's soul still brews beneath the surface."
Nora leaned in, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Then we fight. Together."