The Devil Who Claimed Me

Matteo looked completely different from the broken, desperate man who had been pacing inside the Bellini headquarters only days ago. Now he looked confident, proud, and arrogant. It was as though capturing Dominic had somehow restored his power.

He walked toward him slowly. "You thought you could deceive the Bellinis and no one would find out. You thought you could take over the company. But you forgot something."

He stopped directly in front of Dominic. "The Bellinis never forgive traitors."

Dominic said nothing. He kept looking at him. A faint sneer appeared on his lips.

Matteo’s expression hardened as he saw him smiling. "What are you smiling at?" he barked. "Do you understand where you are?"

Dominic glanced around the dungeon. "Oh, I remember. This place is hard to forget."

His calmness was beginning to irritate Matteo.

"Is this funny?" He grabbed him by the collar and yanked him forward. "Your life is in my hands."

His voice rose with each word he uttered. "I can kill you right now."

Dominic continued to smile. That smile enraged Matteo more than any insult could have. He thought Dominic was mocking him.

It was humiliating.

"You bastard." His fist slammed into Dominic’s face.

Pain exploded across Dominic’s cheek. The corner of his lip split. Blood trickled down his chin.

Dominic slowly turned his head back. He ran his tongue over the wound. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. Then he looked directly at Matteo.

"Go ahead and kill me," he provoked. "But even if you kill me, you still can’t save the company."

Matteo scowled.

"I already have the majority of the shares," Dominic continued. "The directors have lost faith in you. They will never accept you as their leader again. They will overthrow you."

"Shut up," Matteo yelled.

Dominic didn’t care. He went on, "The investors are leaving. The suppliers have lost confidence in you. Your criminal allies are abandoning you. Your men are defecting."

"Stop..."

"And your board has already chosen someone else."

Matteo’s breathing became heavier. "I said shut up."

He swung his fist again. This time, it struck Dominic in the stomach.

Dominic’s body jerked against the chains. Another punch landed against his ribs, then another.

Matteo kept hitting him. His fists slammed into Dominic’s chest, stomach, and face. The chains rattled violently with every blow.

Dominic tightened his grip around the shackles, forcing himself to remain steady as pain shot through his body. He didn’t give Matteo the satisfaction of hearing him cry out.

Finally, Matteo stopped. His chest heaved. His knuckles throbbed from the beating.

But Dominic still looked at him. His breathing was heavier now. His whole body ached. Yet that faint smirk remained as though Matteo’s attack had accomplished nothing.

Matteo stared at him in disbelief. His face scrunched with fury. He grabbed Dominic by the collar again.

"No one can go against me. No one." He shook Dominic violently. "If anyone dares to stand against me, I’ll destroy them."

His voice echoed through the dungeon.

"I’ll regain control of the company," Matteo continued. "I’ll force those directors back into line. I’ll take back every share. I’ll rebuild everything."

Dominic looked at him with something close to pity. "You still don’t understand the gravity of the situation. You think killing me will solve everything. But I’m not the reason your empire is collapsing."

He leaned forward as far as the chains allowed. "You are."

Matteo clenched his fists, his nostrils flaring.

"Your board doesn’t trust you." Dominic’s voice remained steady. "Your investors lost faith in you. Your partners don’t think you are capable enough to run the company. Your men doubt you."

He snorted. "And you think killing me will make all of that disappear?"

Matteo gave a cold look.

"You can’t restore the supply chain by killing me. You can’t unfreeze the accounts. You can’t bring back the investors. You can’t force your former allies to return."

The more he spoke, the louder his voice grew. "And you certainly can’t make the board suddenly believe you are capable of leading the company."

Matteo’s entire body trembled in rage.

"Accept it, Matteo. You’ve already lost."

Matteo’s eyes turned bloodshot. "I’ll kill you."

He suddenly wrapped both hands around Dominic’s throat.

Dominic’s head jerked backward.

Matteo squeezed hard. "You ruined everything. I’ll finish you right away."

Dominic struggled for breath but didn’t look afraid. Instead, he stared directly into Matteo’s furious eyes.

The assistant rushed forward. "Sir, calm down. Let him go."

Matteo didn’t listen. His fingers tightened around Dominic’s throat.

"Sir, we can’t kill him yet." The assistant grabbed Matteo’s arm and tried to pull him away. "We need him alive."

Matteo resisted for several seconds before finally releasing Dominic.

Dominic’s body slumped against the wall. He coughed, drawing in a deep breath.

The assistant stepped between them. "Sir, killing him now will accomplish nothing."

Matteo glared at Dominic.

The assistant nervously glanced at Dominic and then looked back at Matteo. "We need to make him transfer all the shares he has."

Dominic slowly lifted his head. His eyes met Matteo’s. The faint smile was still there.

Matteo came to his senses.

The assistant was right.

Dominic had acquired the majority of the Bellini Group’s shares. He would eventually take complete control of the company.

Matteo could never let that happen. His jaw clenched, his fists slowly tightening at his sides.

"Yes. I need the shares."

The assistant immediately stepped forward and produced a folder. "The documents are ready. We only need his signature."

Dominic’s fingers tightened around the chains. For the first time since waking up in the dungeon, impatience crept into his expression.

He had spent weeks acquiring those shares. He had planned every move carefully. And now, he couldn’t afford to lose them.

’Why are they taking so long?’

He glanced toward the heavy iron door. He had expected his men to arrive by now.

They should have tracked him to this place already. Yet there was still no sign of them.

’Where are they?’

He couldn’t remain here much longer.

"Take his signature." Matteo’s voice rang through the dungeon, snapping Dominic out of his thoughts.

The assistant approached with the documents in his hand. But as soon as he met Dominic’s lethal gaze, he stopped. His knees almost buckled.

Something in Dominic’s eyes made his entire body go cold. He didn’t dare move any closer.

"What are you waiting for?" Matteo growled. "Take the signature."

The assistant swallowed hard. He wanted to run. Every instinct in his body told him to stay as far away from Dominic as possible. But he couldn’t abandon Matteo.

’He is chained,’ he reminded himself. ’He can’t do anything.’

Gathering his courage, he stepped forward slowly. He reached for Dominic’s hand.

Dominic’s eyes narrowed. A deep, threatening growl escaped his throat. "Dare to touch me, and you will regret it."

The assistant froze.

"Shut up," Matteo thundered. "You are at our mercy. You should be begging us not to kill you. Instead, you’re threatening us."

He stepped closer. "It won’t be us who regrets this." He pointed at Dominic. "It will be you."

Matteo snatched the documents from the assistant’s hand and lunged toward him.

"Tonight, I’ll take your signature."

He pulled a small knife from his pocket.

Dominic’s eyes immediately dropped to the blade.

Matteo grabbed his hand and tried to force his thumb open. But Dominic clenched his fingers into a tight fist. No matter how hard Matteo pulled, Dominic refused to loosen them.

"You bastard." Matteo punched him in the stomach.

Dominic’s entire body jerked against the restraints. The shackles rattled violently. Pain shot through his abdomen, but he kept his fist clenched.

Matteo glared at the assistant. "Don’t just stand there. Do something."

The assistant hurried forward. He tried to pry Dominic’s fingers apart.

But Dominic’s grip was like iron. His fingers dug tightly around the shackles until his knuckles turned white. He could feel the metal cutting into his skin. Still, he refused to release his grip.

He wouldn’t let them take what he had fought so hard to obtain.

Matteo’s frustration quickly turned into desperation. He had convinced himself that getting Dominic’s signature would solve everything.

With those shares, he could regain control. He could force the board to recognize him again and could save the Bellini empire. He couldn’t afford to fail.

His eyes burned with fury. "You made me do this," he hissed.

The next moment, Matteo raised the knife and drove it down into the back of Dominic’s hand.

The blade pierced flesh. Blood immediately spilled, trickling down Dominic’s wrist.

"Ugh..." A guttural groan escaped Dominic.

Pain tore through his hand. His fingers finally loosened involuntarily.

Matteo’s face lit up with triumph. He grabbed Dominic’s thumb.

Dominic tried to pull his hand away, but the chains held him in place.

Matteo quickly sliced the tip of his thumb. Blood welled up. He pressed Dominic’s injured thumb toward the documents. But before he could stamp the bloody fingerprint onto the papers, an earth-shattering explosion rocked the dungeon.

BOOM

The walls trembled violently. Dust and fragments of stone rained from the ceiling. The old iron door rattled in its frame.

Both Matteo and the assistant froze.

"What the—?"

Another deafening crash echoed from somewhere outside.

Matteo’s face drained of color. The assistant turned toward the door in panic.

Dominic remained still. Blood continued dripping from his wounded hand. Yet a slow smile spread across his face.

Finally, his men had arrived.

Dominic lifted his head and looked directly at Matteo.

The smugness was gone from Matteo’s face. For the first time that night, uncertainty flashed in his eyes.

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