Page 78 of Beneath the Shadows

I force a chuckle, shaking my head. “I’m just thinking about how valuable this bottle is. Perhaps we should save this for?—”

Valentino waves me off impatiently, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. “Enough with the hesitation, Antonio. I didn’t come all this way for you to play coy.”

He presses the call button on the wall. Lena’s voice interrupts the silence, slipping into the room like a cold draft.

“How may I help you?” she asks, her tone smooth, concealing the disgust I know is festering.

“We need two glasses,” Valentino says, not taking his eyes off the bottle. “And I’ll take mine with ice.”

“Yes, Mr. Comiso.”

“You’re sure you want ice?” I ask, my voice light, as if merely suggesting a refinement. “This whiskey is meant to be savored. Diluting it would be a waste.”

He laughs, the sound harsh and grating, sending a chill up my spine. “You and your constant caution, Anton. A little ice won’t hurt.”

I nod, forcing a smile to my lips as if I agree, but inside, my thoughts are racing.

Valentino busies himself with the bottle, uncorking it with reverence, as if he’s in the presence of something divine. The rich scent of whiskey fills the room, and he inhales deeply, a satisfied sigh escaping his lips.

The door opens, and Lena steps inside, moving with the grace of someone who’s mastered the art of hiding her pain. She sets the tray down avoiding eye contact with either of us.

Valentino’s gaze locks onto her. “Ah, Lena,” he purrs, leaning back in his chair, smirking. “Just in time. After I’ve savored this whiskey, I intend to partake in my second favorite indulgence.” His hand snakes up her inner thigh, a possessive touch that makes my skin crawl.

Lena pulls away, but not before I catch a flash of fear in her eyes.

“Do you still think you have the option to say no?” Vigo’s words are venomous and filled with dark promise. “Didn’t you learn your lesson last time you tried avoiding me?”

I grip my glass tightly, my knuckles whitening with the effort to stay calm. The urge to wipe that smug grin off his face claws at me, but I know I have to stay composed. This is all part of the plan. He’ll get what’s coming to him.

Lena doesn’t respond, keeping her gaze fixed on the floor.

Valentino takes a slow sip of his whiskey, the ice clinking against the glass as he swirls it around. He turns back to me, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. “I’ve got to hand it to you, Anton. I didn’t think you had it in you. But this is exquisite.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.”

He laughs again, that cruel, hollow sound bouncing off the stone walls. “Oh, I will, cousin. Believe me, I will.”

Lena steps back, her movements measured, deliberate, as if she’s trying to make herself invisible. Before she can leave, Valentino calls after her.

“Don’t go too far, Lena,” he warns, his eyes narrowing. “I’ll be needing you very soon.”

Lena pauses, her back to him. She’s holding herself together by sheer force of will. For a moment, I think she might break, might turn on him, but she only nods, a barely perceptible dip of her head, before she slips out of the room.

As the door clicks shut behind her, the air grows heavier. But Valentino is too wrapped up in his own twisted fantasies, too consumed by his power, to sense the impending danger.

He takes another sip of whiskey, savoring it with a satisfied sigh. “This is the life, Anton,” he says, his voice dreamlike. “Power, wealth, women—it’s all mine.”

I force a smile, nodding as if I’m still part of this sick game. But inside, I’m counting down the moments, knowing that with each sip, the ice is already doing its job.

With every swallow, he’s sealing his fate.

Antonio

Valentino tips his head back, finishing his drink in a single, smooth motion. His eyes are dark with hunger, one that has nothing to do with the whiskey. He sets the empty glass down with a sharp clink and stands, brushing invisible dust from his expensive suit. “I think it’s time for the main event,” he says, his voice thick with anticipation, a cruel smirk playing on his lips.

“Of course,” I reply, keeping my voice steady despite the pounding in my chest. “Right this way, cousin.”

I lead him back through the narrow hall. The shadows seem to close in like the encroaching darkness of a tomb. Valentino is too lost in his own sick fantasies to notice the subtle shift in my demeanor—the way my movements become more deliberate.

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