Page 171 of The Last Hope

“You’re willing to start a war over a kid who isn’t even your blood, Grigori?”

“Rafael is my son. I don’t give a damn about his blood, and I care even less about the war I’ll fight to keep him. But let me be clear,” I said, locking eyes with Marino, “Rafael will never return to the Rasili family. Even if I die in this war, he will never again live under the same roof with a Rasili. He will grow up with his mother and his brothers.”

Marino exchanged glances with his men, then slowly shook his head.

“Antonio may have acted without our authorization, but he was still a Rasili. He was the heir of his family. His unjustified death must be punished,” he declared, standing. “And since you refuse to hand over the culprit, we will have to settle this through war—”

“There will be no war,” a voice interrupted sharply, cutting through the room like a blade.

Gasps echoed as Sienna burst in, ignoring the guards’ startled protests.

“What the fuck, Sienna ?!” Sasha exclaimed, rising to meet her, but she raised a hand to stop him.

“I am a witness. And I have evidence justifying Antonio Rasili’s death,” she said, stepping forward with unwavering resolve. She positioned herself between Grigori and me, while Sasha and Roman moved protectively behind her.

“What the hell are you doing ?” I hissed, my eyes never leaving the Italians, who had begun whispering among themselves.

“What I should have done eight years ago,” she replied, folding her trembling hands over her stomach.

“My name is Sienna Floros. I am Selina Floros Ivanov’s younger sister. And… it’s because of me that she was forced to live under Antonio Rasili’s control.”

Sasha stepped closer to her, but she continued.

“I was sixteen when I met Emilio Rasili, Antonio’s cousin. He promised me an internship at a tech company. I was naïve enough to believe him. He arranged a meeting at a hotel, saying I’d meet my supervisor there. But when I arrived, he was the only one in the room.”

Her voice trembled, but she didn’t stop.

“He threw himself at me. When I tried to push him away, he hit me. Knocked me to the floor. Then he… he started crushing me. I panicked. There were scissors on the coffee table. I grabbed them. And then there was blood. So much blood. I don’t know how long I sat there, frozen. Then my sister arrived. I hadn’t called her—Antonio had. He used what happened to blackmail her. He threatened to show you the video he had recorded unless she obeyed him.”

She stood tall now, her chin high.

“So if you want someone to punish for Emilio Rasili’s death, punish me. But do not go after my sister for Antonio’s death, because this asshole deserves it. And don’t you dare think of separating my nephew from his mother.”

“No one is punishing you,” Sasha said firmly, pulling her back into the protective circle he and Roman formed around her.

“Do you have the video he used to blackmail your sister ?” Marino asked, now seated again.

Sienna shook her head, “no. I don’t know where it is. But I have a recording of Antonio.”

She pulled a small phone from her pocket and handed it to Sasha, who placed it on the table and hit play and Antonio’s furious voice filled the room.

“Your sister should’ve shut up and satisfied my cousin instead of stabbing him with scissors! Although… that video served me well, didn’t it? All those years she submitted to me, just so I wouldn’t reveal that her sister was the murderer. My cousin—an heir of the Rasili family. Do you know what they’ll do to her when they find out, Cara mia? Tortures you can’t even imagine. But let me show you…”

The recording ended, leaving the room in heavy silence.

I wished Antonio were still alive—just so I could kill him again. Judging by Sasha’s murderous expression, I wasn’t the only one.

“I believe we now have enough evidence to justify Antonio Rasili’s death,” Grigori said, turning to Marino.

The two men locked eyes.

And now… we waited for the verdict.

War or peace?

Death or survival?

Selina

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