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By 2 PM, five employees had been dismissed, three hospitalized, and the basement walls bore fresh bloodstains—all before lunch.
Alessio sat in the center of the private interrogation room beneath the Romano estate, shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, knuckles cracked and stained red.
A man lay twitching on the floor in front of him, barely breathing, face swollen beyond recognition.
Alessio wasn't breathing hard.
He never did.
The only sound was the faint hum of the overhead light and the slow drip of blood hitting the concrete.
The door creaked open behind him.
"Still in your happy place, boss?" came Theo's easy drawl.
Alessio didn't look back.
"That depends. Did you come to bleed or to talk?"
Theo stepped inside, hands in the pockets of his designer slacks.
He was built like a lazy panther, graceful and smug, tattooed from the collarbone down.
"Depends," he echoed. "Did you finally snap or just having a bad hair day?"
Enzo followed close behind, less sarcastic, more observant.
Quiet strength in a black jacket, his sharp eyes scanned the room and the broken man on the ground.
"Fifth one since morning," Enzo said, eyebrows lifting. "Who pissed you off, boss?"
Alessio finally stood, rolled his neck, and wiped his bloodied hands on a towel.
"Everyone."
"Ah," Theo said with a sigh. "So it's that kind of day."
Alessio tossed the towel aside and walked past the wreckage without a second glance.
The two men followed him through the dim hallways of the estate, climbing the stone steps until they reached the inner courtyard.
Light poured in from above, but it did little to warm the man leading them.
Alessio stopped at the bar counter, poured himself a glass of scotch, and downed it in one shot.
He poured another.
"They want me to marry," he said finally, voice flat as steel.
Theo let out a low whistle.
Enzo raised a brow.
"So they finally cornered you."
Alessio didn't answer.
"I'm guessing it didn't go well," Enzo offered.
"They sat me down like a fucking puppet," Alessio said, jaw clenched. "Told me to pick an omega like they were handing me a catalog."
"Ah, the joys of family," Theo muttered. He leaned against the wall. "You gonna do it?"
"I said yes. On my terms."
Enzo's eyes narrowed. "Which are?"
"No love. No attachment. Just a body. An heir. And silence."
Theo gave a slow nod.
"Classic Alessio. You going to auction houses then? Or want us to pick out a shy, sad little thing who won't cry too much when you ignore them for a week?"
Alessio looked over his shoulder, sharp gaze pinning him.
"I'll pick him myself."
Theo raised his hands.
"Hey, no judgment. Just don't pick someone who stabs you in your sleep."
"Let them try."
Enzo sighed.
"And here I was hoping you'd find someone who could thaw your corpse of a heart."
"You want a rom-com? Go watch one," Alessio snapped.
Theo chuckled, but there was something deeper in his eyes.
Concern.
Understanding.
"You ever think maybe the cold isn't protecting you anymore? Maybe it's just freezing you from the inside out."
Alessio downed his second drink, jaw tight.
"Feelings get people killed. Weakness makes you bleed. I'll take the omega, give the family their heir, and the rest can burn."
"And what if he's not as obedient as you hope?" Enzo asked quietly.
Alessio looked him dead in the eyes.
"Then I'll teach him obedience. One way or another."
Silence fell.
Theo exhaled slowly.
"Well, I hope he's hot, at least. Might as well suffer in style."
Alessio didn't respond.
He was already walking back toward his office, the air around him colder with every step.
And somewhere, deep in the city's underbelly, an auction bell would soon ring.
Fate was sharpening its teeth.
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