Played II

Present day

Cara's POV 

"For some reason, the word 'amore' was beginning to get on my nerves."

My face flushed red, and my shoulders slumped in relief. I sent a glare to Luca. 

"If you were on our side, you should've said so. Why did you make me worry for nothing?"

He stuck his tongue out at me.

"You never told me of your plans too." 

Ignoring the big baby in front of me, my eyes looked down to address Antonio.

"I warned you not to call me amore (love)."

"Let him be Bel." Adonis took a step forward.

"Today's his last day alive anyway."

His venomous gaze never once left the man clutching his thigh in pain as blood seeped through his trousers. 

The previous Cara would've been shaking in fear, but I'd seen my fair share of gruesomeness, and this was nothing compared to it. 

Antonio must have shared the same sentiment with me because despite the pain, his hard stare didn't leave Adonis, who took another step towards him.

"Thank you for making it easier for me. Do you know how long I searched for you? If you wanted to steal my crown, you should've seen it to the end. Why run?" 

"You all are cowards! If you knew of my plans, you should've said so. Why pretend?" He sneered.

"To make you do all the work?" Luca piped up with a look that said, 'Are you dumb?'

"You're the coward. You couldn't come at me openly and thought to recruit my persons. You had Natasha steal from my safe, yet you couldn't achieve a thing. You're not just a coward; you're a failure." Adonis spat. "You're a failure just like your father."

A sarcastic laugh went through him.

"What? You thought you could win Luca over with old news? His grandfather is the reason my grandfather didn't kill your father on the spot when he started the coup. Old Romano had the same dream as yours. To take the family to the next level. Don't we all share the same dream? But it shouldn't be through the way you're going about it. Nonno killed him off the moment he began to turn the men against each other. He almost ruined his family in the quest to become a leader. You should've read through the file if you wanted to use it against me." He hissed in one breath. "We decided to give everyone a choice, and look where it brought you!

I intently listened in their exchange of words. And from what I gathered, Luca and Adonis's relationship ran deeper than friendship. I made a mental note to find out later as Antonio snarled.

"What choice did you give to us? Anyone should be given the opportunity to wear the crown!"

Adonis took another menacing step towards him.

"The fact that you're alive to see this day is a choice. The fact that your father and brother lived after the coup is a choice. Nonno didn't want to rule with an iron fist anymore." He chuckled darkly. "But bad guys never change. I should know that."

He tipped his head condescendingly.

"There's no need to panic. I'm not my grandfather. My reign is more brutal." 

And then, he brought out a knife.

"Thank you for showing me my allies and enemies."

His gaze held so much promise as it met a worried looking Natasha, and then he nodded at Luca, who smiled in return.

I felt giddy. Their gazes said it all. It was showtime, and the fact that I assisted in making this happen made me feel a mixture of both fear and excitement.

"Mario?" Luca boomed.

"Yes, boss Romano?"

"Now." 

At that precise second, not an extra one later, a series of gunshots echoed around the mansion, and I immediately knew that Antonio's men were down.

A gasp left my lips as my eyes caught Natasha slipping up the staircase. 

"Luca, she's getting away." An arm shot out to point in her direction.

Luca didn't wait ro confirm who; he didn't need to, and instead, rushed off after her, leaving behind just Adonis, myself, and an injured Antonio.

"This is what you betrayed me for? For a cruel leader? For a man who wouldn't think twice before using you in his game of chess? He did it before; why can't he do it again?" Antonio wheezed out, pulling himself up.

I threw him an irritated look.

"How is that different from the things you did to me? To people? At least he had the decency to come clean. The reason why you have no one around you is because you only see people as a tool. A means to get what you want. You don't care what happens to them as long as they do your bidding." 

He leapt to his feet, and Adonis shielded me from him as the words continued to spill from my mouth.

"You did that to Kane. You did that to Natasha. You did that to me. You did that to the men that fought for you. You're just a sick bastard with loyalty issues."

The slight curl of his lips that would've been a smile if it wasn't for his every-two-second wince came out as a grimace.

"Thank you for that inspiring speech. I have accepted my fate. Just one thing:" He grinned and my face scrunched up in confusion. "If I'm to go down, one of you must go down with me." 

Then he brought out a gun.

I may not have been quick to spot it, but Adonis did, and he roughly pushed me to the side as Antonio let out a shot that missed me by an inch. 

Adonis lunged for him, and they both tackled themselves to the floor, throwing punches and kicks as they rolled over. 

I helplessly watched in horror. Adonis's knife had been kicked to the side, but Antonio still had his gun. It could go off at any time; I looked around, hoping there was at least one soul in the room, but it was just us.

"Mario?" I screamed but the letters just hovered over my head. He didn't come. No one did.

Was my voice not loud enough, or was everyone busy with something else? Where's help when you need it? 

Suddenly, my eyes lit up as I remembered that I might not be as helpless as I thought. Pulling out the knife in my jacket, I rushed towards the men on the ground, waiting for an opening, and the moment I got one,

I jumped in.

"Ah!" Antonio exclaimed as the knife sank into his left shoulder. A shudder went through me at the smooth sliding motion, and I nearly expelled the contents of my dinner. 

Adonis, on the other hand, made use of his moment of distraction and snatched the gun out of his hand, rising to his feet. His chest rapidly rose and fell as his bored gaze met Antonio's startled ones. 

He'd finally realized that it was over.

"Forget slow and painful." Adonis's cold voice filled the room. "Just die already." 

Like a finished man with no choice, Antonio managed to pull on a smile.

"I'll see you in hell."

My man smirked.

"Definitely."

And then, the gun was fired. 

I exhaled deeply in relief as he fell backwards to the floor, his blood spilling over the luxurious tiles.

It was all over. At last, it was over.

Should I not be rejoicing at the death of a man?

Please tell that to someone who didn't want the said man dead from the very beginning. 

I had done it. My revenge was complete, and I found love while at it. My gaze drifted towards my personal Hulk, hoping to see his emotionless look of relief, but his face held a look of panic instead. 

And it wasn't emotionless. Raw panic. 

He was staring at something or someone behind me. I wasn't sure, but before I could turn around to see what it was, his deep voice met my ears.

"Cara, move!" 

And then, I was falling to the ground as another shot resounded.