Chapter 3 - The Man Who Was Supposed To Be Dead
The door opened.
Slowly.
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
Then a man stepped into the room.
Mara immediately noticed the reaction.
The guards didn’t raise their weapons.
They froze.
Not because they trusted him.
Because they knew him.
The man standing in the doorway looked older than Dante.
His dark hair had traces of gray.
A long scar crossed his eyebrow.
His eyes were calm.
Too calm.
Like a person who had already survived everything life could throw at him.
Dante stared at him.
The anger in his face was mixed with something else.
Something Mara had never seen before.
Betrayal.
"Marcus."
The man said nothing.
He only looked at Dante.
Then his eyes moved toward Mara.
"You brought someone new into this house."
Dante’s jaw tightened.
"You disappeared."
Marcus stepped forward.
"And you believed I was dead."
"Because everyone told me you were."
A cold smile appeared on Marcus’s face.
"Everyone lies to you, Dante."
The words hit harder than an insult.
Mara watched carefully.
This wasn’t a reunion.
This was two people standing across from each other with years of hatred between them.
Dante moved his wheelchair closer.
"You were there that night."
Marcus looked away.
For the first time, his confidence disappeared.
"Yes."
The room became silent.
Mara felt the tension immediately.
The night of the accident.
The night that changed Dante’s life.
The night nobody wanted to talk about.
Dante’s voice lowered.
"You know who did it."
Marcus looked at him.
"I know who wanted you dead."
Mara felt her stomach tighten.
Wanted.
Not tried.
Wanted.
Meaning someone had planned it.
Someone had waited.
Someone had betrayed Dante.
Dante gripped the wheelchair controls.
"Tell me."
Marcus didn’t answer.
Instead, he looked at the guards.
"Not here."
Dante’s eyes narrowed.
"These men would die for me."
Marcus nodded.
"That’s exactly why they shouldn’t hear this."
One of the guards stepped forward.
"Boss, we can clear the room."
Dante lifted his hand.
"No."
Everyone stopped.
Mara noticed something.
Dante trusted Marcus enough to listen.
But not enough to forgive.
"Everyone leaves except Mara."
The guards looked surprised.
Even Mara was surprised.
"Me?"
Dante didn’t look at her.
"You’re already involved."
Marcus studied her.
"That’s a mistake."
Dante looked at him.
"No."
His voice was firm.
"She’s the only person in this house who noticed someone was poisoning me."
Mara looked at Dante.
The way he said it surprised her.
Not because he trusted her.
Because he admitted she was useful.
For Dante Vale, that was probably the closest thing to a compliment.
The guards left.
The door closed.
Only three people remained.
Dante.
Mara.
Marcus.
Marcus walked toward the table and placed something down.
A small black folder.
Mara looked at it.
"What is that?"
Marcus ignored her.
Dante stared at the folder.
"Where did you get it?"
"From the person who ordered your accident."
Dante’s expression changed.
"You found them?"
Marcus shook his head.
"No."
He pushed the folder toward him.
"They found me."
Dante opened it.
Inside were documents.
Photos.
Medical records.
Bank transfers.
Mara couldn’t see everything.
But she saw enough.
One photo caught her attention.
Dante lying unconscious in a hospital bed.
A doctor standing beside him.
Another person behind the doctor.
Hidden.
Watching.
Mara stepped closer.
"Who is that?"
Marcus looked at her.
"Someone Dante trusted."
Dante turned the photo around.
His face became completely still.
Mara realized something.
Dante recognized the person.
"Who?"
Dante didn’t answer.
Marcus did.
"Your father."
The room froze.
Mara looked at Dante.
She expected anger.
Shock.
Denial.
Anything.
But Dante showed nothing.
And somehow that was worse.
"My father died ten years ago."
Marcus nodded.
"That’s what everyone believes."
Dante stared at him.
"Explain."
Marcus opened the folder again.
"There was a reason your accident happened three years ago."
"Someone wanted control of my company."
"No."
Marcus looked directly at him.
"They wanted control of you."
Mara felt a chill.
"What does that mean?"
Marcus looked at her.
"It means Dante was never supposed to survive."
Dante’s fingers tightened around the photograph.
"But I did."
"Yes."
Marcus paused.
"And that ruined their entire plan."
The room became quiet.
Mara looked between them.
"Who are they?"
Marcus didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he pulled out another document.
A list.
Names.
People connected to Dante.
Employees.
Partners.
Friends.
Family.
At the bottom was one name circled in red.
Mara leaned closer.
Her eyes widened.
Because the name wasn’t unfamiliar.
It was someone she had heard before.
Someone Dante trusted.
Someone who had access to everything.
"Dante..."
She pointed at the paper.
"Is this person still alive?"
Dante looked down.
The color disappeared from his face.
Because the answer was obvious.
The person on the list wasn’t just alive.
They were inside the mansion.
Marcus watched Dante carefully.
"You need to understand something."
Dante looked up.
"What?"
"Your accident was not the betrayal."
Mara frowned.
"Then what was?"
Marcus’s expression became serious.
"The betrayal happened after."
Dante stared at him.
"After?"
Marcus nodded.
"Someone stopped the doctors from saving you."
The words hit the room like a weapon.
Mara covered her mouth.
Dante didn’t move.
Because suddenly everything made sense.
The slow recovery.
The complications.
The years of pain.
Someone had been keeping him alive.
But only barely.
Marcus reached into the folder and removed one final piece of paper.
"I found this yesterday."
Dante looked at it.
"What is it?"
"A payment record."
"From who?"
Marcus hesitated.
Then placed it on the table.
Dante looked down.
Mara watched his eyes move across the page.
Then everything changed.
His face became empty.
Cold.
Dangerous.
Because the person who paid to keep Dante broken was not a stranger.
It was someone who had sat beside him every day.
Someone who had touched his wheelchair.
Someone who had told him they cared.
Dante slowly whispered the name.
"Clara."
Mara looked confused.
"Who is Clara?"
Nobody answered.
Because a sound suddenly came from the hallway.
A quiet click.
The three of them turned.
The mansion security system activated.
Red lights flashed across the walls.
Marcus immediately reached for the folder.
Dante looked toward the locked door.
Mara heard footsteps approaching.
Slow.
Calm.
Confident.
Someone wasn’t trying to hide.
Someone wanted them to know they were coming.
Then a woman’s voice spoke from the other side.
"Dante?"
His face changed.
Because he recognized the voice.
May you like
The door handle moved.
And Clara opened the door.
