Chapter 306: The Price of Crossing Matteo Marcone

He smiled coldly. "Compared to mine, your money and influence are nothing. I can make people see exactly what I want them to see. You, Owen... are insignificant."

Matteo leaned in closer, his eyes locking onto Owen’s bewildered gaze.

"From the moment the car left my estate until the second it arrived at the hospital, every single step was part of a carefully orchestrated plan."

His smile widened. "And do you know why we went to all that trouble?"

Matteo let the question hang for a moment before answering it himself.

"You almost looked smart for a second, Owen. You actually sent one of your informants to follow the car and keep an eye on what happened at the hospital." He chuckled. "My men spotted him the moment he arrived."

Matteo’s expression turned mocking. "So we gave him exactly what we wanted him to see."

"The doctor announced Adrian’s ’death’ in the hallway where your informant could hear every word. We made sure he left believing the job was done, knowing he’d rush straight back to you with the news."

"From the very beginning, you weren’t watching us..."

He paused.

"...we were watching you."

Owen’s breath caught in his throat. "But... the body..."

"Your informant was stubborn," Matteo continued smoothly. "He refused to leave the hospital premises. Adrian should have been brought straight back home right after the corridor stunt, but since your spy was still lurking, my men had to pivot. We called in the family and friends. None of them knew about the plan except my brother. Adrian’s friends, his sister, the staff, and even his own father, were completely in the dark. Seeing them weep so bitterly in that waiting room made the entire scene flawless. It was the perfect cover."

Matteo tilted his head slightly. "Your little spy saw exactly what we wanted him to see and reported exactly what we wanted you to hear."

Matteo tilted his head again, a look of immense pride softening his cold features for a brief moment. "As for Adrian... he injected himself with a specialized clinical sedative before the convoy left the estate. It induces a near-death state, slowing the heart rate to an almost undetectable level for exactly eight hours."

"By the time the hospital drama was over and they brought him back home, six hours had already passed. The moment I returned from my business trip, my baby was already awake, waiting for me in our bed. He was a little weak, of course, but I had my personal medical team there to take care of him."

Matteo towered over Owen like a judge about to deliver his final verdict. "He played this game to protect himself and buy me the time I needed to secure my merger. Everyone thinks he’s just a childish, helpless, spoiled brat, but he outsmarted you and your entire network. This entire operation was his idea. I recognized his brilliance and helped him carry it out, keeping the circle of people who knew the truth as small as possible. Selene and the bodyguard who ’discovered’ him were the only staff members who knew the plan."

Matteo’s gaze dropped to the floor, his tone turning dangerously flat. "But guess who is actually dying tonight?"

Owen looked up at Matteo, his eyes wide with pure horror.

Matteo pointed the cold barrel of the gun directly at Owen’s forehead. "You. And Bella."

Owen gasped, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Adrian already took care of the snake in my house," Matteo murmured, a dark satisfaction bleeding into his voice. "The sweet juice he handed Bella while they chatted? It was laced with a slow-acting toxin that takes exactly twenty-four hours to shut down the nervous system. She will be dead by morning, completely unaware of what hit her."

Matteo clicked the safety off his pistol. "But as for you, Owen? Your time runs out right now."

"Please, Matteo! Have mercy!" Owen shrieked, dragging his bleeding body backward across the floor, his pride completely shattered as he begged for his life. "Please, don’t do this! I beg you—"

Matteo didn’t even blink. He slowly lowered the cold barrel of his pistol, tracking Owen’s pathetic movements with a look of pure disdain. "Do you truly think you can beg for mercy after what you tried to do?"

"Please, Matteo! Think about Maya!" Owen choked out, desperately gasping for air as he pressed his back against the wall. "Maya is Adrian’s sister, and she’s married to my cousin! We’re family because of that! You can’t just slaughter family!"

Matteo let out a cold, humorless chuckle. "Family?" he said. "Don’t insult that word."

He took another slow step forward, his icy gaze never leaving Owen.

"Family?" Matteo repeated. "You aren’t even related to him, Owen. I did my research. I dug into your background thoroughly. The only reason they ever considered you family was because one of their relatives took you in after your parents died and raised you alongside their own son. Maya’s husband sees you as a cousin because that’s how you grew up, not because you share the same blood."

Owen shook his head frantically, tears streaming down his face. "My parents were close to their family long before I was born. Please, Matteo... they are the only family I’ve ever had."

Matteo tightened his grip on the pistol.

"And after everything they did for you, you still tried to murder Adrian. So don’t stand there and use the word ’family’ to beg for your life. If they truly meant that much to you, you should have thought about them before you plotted to murder Adrian."

"If that family truly meant anything to you, you should have thought about them before you put a target on Adrian’s back."

His eyes were devoid of mercy. "You’re not sorry for what you did, Owen. You’re only begging because your pathetic plan failed and you got caught."

He raised his pistol.

"Now... It’s time for you to rest in peace."

"No, please—!"

BANG.

Matteo didn’t hesitate for even a fraction of a second.

The deafening gunshot cut Owen’s desperate plea short. The bullet tore through his forehead, killing him instantly. His body went completely limp before collapsing onto the bloodstained floor.

A sharp, terrified scream echoed through the room. Owen’s remaining personal bodyguard, who had been forced to watch the entire execution, stumbled backward in a desperate attempt to escape.

But Matteo was done showing restraint. He spared no one.

With one smooth motion, he turned his pistol toward the bodyguard and pulled the trigger.

BANG!

The bodyguard crumpled to the floor instantly.

One by one, Matteo eliminated the remaining loyalists Owen had brought with him, firing with ruthless, mechanical precision.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

Gunshots echoed through the room in rapid succession until every one of Owen’s men lay motionless on the bloodstained floor.

Silence immediately reclaimed the large room, thick with the heavy scent of copper and gunpowder.

Matteo stood perfectly still amidst the carnage, his eyes pitch-black and entirely devoid of remorse. Only after ensuring there was not a single breath left in the room did he slowly lower his weapon, clicking the safety back on.

Without a backwards glance at the bodies littering the floor, he turned his back on the horrific silence, entirely untroubled as he walked away to return to the only person who mattered in his world.

Back at the Marcone estate, the atmosphere remained heavy and somber. Up in the master bedroom, the personal doctor Matteo had bought off was packing his medical instruments, keeping up the appearance of a solemn professional.

A soft knock sounded at the door, and Bella stepped inside, carrying a small tray of light refreshments. Her eyes were cast downward, her shoulders trembling slightly as she played the part of a grieving, shaken servant.

Seeing her enter, the doctor stepped away from the bed, adjusting his coat. "You can just set the food down on the table," he told her quietly. "I need to head downstairs quickly to speak with Mark since your boss hasn’t returned yet. We need to finalize the transport arrangements."

"Okay, Doctor..." Bella murmured, her voice cracking perfectly on cue. She carefully placed the tray down, but instead of leaving, she wrung her hands together, letting a heavy, dramatic sob escape her lips. "It’s just... it’s such a devastating loss for all of us on the staff. Sir Adrian was such a beautiful, good person. He didn’t deserve this."

She put on a massive, theatrical display of grief that the doctor hadn’t even asked for. Tears began to stream down her face, her chest heaving as she buried her face in her hands, weeping loudly. It was a flawless, Oscar-worthy performance, fueled by the manic rush of believing her plan had succeeded.

The doctor, secretly knowing the entire setup, couldn’t help but watch her, inwardly marveling at how incredibly well she was acting.

Playing along to keep the trap secure, the doctor walked closer to her and offered a clinical, reassuring pat on her shoulder. "You don’t need to cry like this. I understand you all loved him, but no one planned for a tragedy like this to happen. You just have to stay strong for the rest of the household."

"You just can’t understand, Doctor!" Bella wailed, pulling her hands away from her face to reveal wide, tear-filled eyes. She dialed up the drama, desperate to solidify the blame on Selene before the morning came.

"Sir Adrian was an angel! I just don’t understand why Chef Selene had to do something so monstrous to him. She was always so jealous of him! She’s just so incredibly cruel... to steal his life away like that..."

"I understand it’s shocking, Bella," the doctor interrupted smoothly, checking his watch and cutting her theatrical monologue short. "Just leave the food there. I must go meet Mark now."

With a grave nod, the doctor stepped out of the bedroom first...