Chapter 4 A Wedding Amidst Gang Warfare

Chapter 4: A Wedding Amidst Gang Warfare

I awoke to the gentle hum of air conditioning and the scent of gunpowder. My wrists were bound to a chair, the rope digging into my skin as I struggled against it. The room was expensively furnished—a private office with leather furniture and original artwork on the walls.

"Finally awake, princess?" A gruff voice came from behind me.

Antonio Caruso stepped into view, his expensive suit exchanged for a more casual ensemble. He looked less like a crime lord and more like someone's aging Italian uncle—if your uncle happened to carry a gold-plated Desert Eagle.

"Where am I?" My voice was raspy from the chloroform.

"Somewhere safe. Away from that bastard Williamson." Antonio pulled up a chair, sitting backwards on it to face me. "You caused quite a scene back there. I admire that."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

He laughed, a surprisingly warm sound. "The DNA report. Very clever. Almost had me convinced my Irene was hiding under my nose all these years." His eyes narrowed. "Except I know exactly who my daughter is."

Fear coiled in my stomach as he reached into his jacket pocket. Instead of a weapon, he withdrew a yellowed piece of paper, unfolding it carefully before holding it up.

A birth certificate. Mine.

"Audrey Reynolds," he read aloud. "Born to Elizabeth Reynolds and Marcus Reynolds. Except that was never your mother's real name."

The room seemed to tilt. "What are you saying?"

"Your mother was Sophia Caruso. My sister." His fingers traced the document reverently. "She fell in love with that snake Marcus. Ran away with him. By the time I found her, she was dying from childbirth complications. You were already gone."

"That's impossible." My voice shook. "I was adopted by the Walkers."

"After Williamson arranged to have you stolen from the hospital." Antonio's face darkened. "He's been using you as a pawn your entire life. To hurt Marcus. To hurt me."

"If what you're saying is true, why wait twenty-four years to find me?"

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Antonio's expression shifted, something like guilt crossing his features. "I thought you died with Marcus in that yacht explosion. It wasn't until the wedding announcement—when I saw your face in the society pages—that I realized who you were."

A commotion outside the door interrupted us. One of Antonio's men burst in. "Boss! Williamson's men have breached the perimeter!"

Antonio cursed, tucking the birth certificate away. "Get her to the safe room. Now!"

I was half-dragged, half-carried down a corridor and thrown into a windowless room with steel-reinforced walls. The door slammed behind me, locks engaging with an ominous click.

"Audrey?" A familiar voice whispered from the shadows.

"Irene?" I peered into the darkness. She sat huddled in the corner, mascara streaking her tear-stained face. "What are you doing here?"

"They grabbed me at the gala." Her voice trembled. "They think I'm Caruso's daughter because of that DNA report. This is all your fault!"

Before I could respond, the building shook with an explosion. Dust rained down from the ceiling as gunfire erupted outside.

"They're going to kill us," Irene whimpered.

"No." I began searching the room for anything useful. "They think you're valuable—Caruso's daughter. And apparently, I'm his niece."

"What?" Irene's eyes widened. "That's ridiculous. You're nobody."

I ignored the barb, focusing on the ventilation duct near the ceiling. "Give me a boost."

She hesitated, then reluctantly helped me reach the grating. It came loose easily, revealing a narrow shaft. "I can't fit through that!"

"Then stay here." I pulled myself into the duct, crawling forward into darkness.

The shaft led to a utility closet. I slipped out just as another explosion rocked the building. Through a window, I could see Matt's security team engaged in a firefight with Caruso's men, using cars as cover in the warehouse parking lot.

I crept toward the exit, freezing when I heard Antonio's voice from a nearby room.

"—don't care what it takes! Kill Williamson, but bring me my niece unharmed!"

A different voice responded—Dean's voice. "What about our deal? I deliver Audrey, you give me back control of the Asian markets?"

My blood ran cold. Dean was working with Caruso?

"First things first," Antonio growled. "Where's your father hiding the real DNA results?"

"In his private safe. The combination is Elizabeth's birthday—Audrey's mother."

I'd heard enough. I needed to get back to the mansion before Dean.

Slipping past the guards was easier than expected—they were all focused on the firefight outside. I hotwired a car from the back lot, praying I could reach the estate before anyone realized I was gone.

The mansion was in lockdown when I arrived, but I knew the staff entrances. I raced to Matt's study, praying he hadn't changed the safe combination since I'd last observed him opening it.

The safe swung open, revealing stacks of documents. I found the original DNA test results, confirming that Irene was indeed Matt's daughter with my adoptive mother. But there was something else—a paternity test for me, showing a 99.9% match to Marcus Reynolds.

My biological father.

The study door burst open. Matt stood there, his normally immaculate appearance disheveled, blood staining his shirt cuff.

"You're alive." Relief flashed across his face before hardening into anger. "And going through my safe."

"Is it true?" I held up the paternity test. "Marcus Reynolds was my father?"

"Yes." Matt stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. "And Antonio's sister was your mother."

"You knew. You've always known." Betrayal burned through me. "You used me to get to them."

"At first, yes." Matt approached slowly, like I was a wounded animal that might bolt. "The plan was simple—raise you close to the family that destroyed mine, then take everything from them."

"By having me marry Dean."

"And then publicly destroying you both." His expression darkened. "But Dean wasn't supposed to fall in love with you. And I certainly wasn't supposed to—"

He stopped himself, but I caught the implication. My heart hammered against my ribs.

"To what?" I pressed.

The answer came in the form of another explosion, this one much closer. The windows rattled as security alarms blared throughout the mansion.

"They're here." Matt grabbed my arm. "We need to go. Now."

"Not until you tell me everything!"

Matt's eyes locked with mine. "Your father isn't dead, Audrey. I've kept him alive for ten years."

The revelation struck me like a physical blow. "Where is he?"

Before Matt could answer, the study door crashed open. Antonio stood there, flanked by armed men, with a terrified Irene held at gunpoint.

"Found something that belongs to you, Williamson." Antonio pressed his gun to Irene's temple. "Trade? Your daughter for my niece?"

Matt's grip on my arm tightened. "She's not going anywhere with you."

Antonio laughed coldly. "Bold words for a cornered man." He gestured to one of his men, who stepped forward with a tablet. "Perhaps this will change your mind."

The screen showed a live feed of a hospital room. An emaciated man lay connected to various machines, his sunken face barely recognizable.

My father.

"One call," Antonio said, "and those life support machines shut down permanently."

Matt's composure cracked. "You're bluffing. You don't know where he is."

"I've known for years." Antonio smiled. "I just needed leverage. And now I have it." He pushed Irene forward. "Take your daughter. Give me my niece."

"No." Matt's voice was deadly quiet. "I won't trade Audrey."

"Even for your precious Irene? Blood of your blood?" Antonio pressed the gun harder against Irene's head.

"She's pregnant," Matt announced suddenly. "With my child."

The room went deathly silent. Irene's eyes widened in shock. Antonio's face contorted with confusion.

"What are you talking about?" I whispered.

Matt turned to me, his expression unreadable. "The pregnancy test in your bathroom. Did you think I wouldn't notice?"

Before I could process this bombshell, Dean appeared in the doorway, a gun in his trembling hand.

"Dad," he said, voice cold with fury. "You have a choice to make. Her... or your family name?"