Chapter 15 - The Frame-Up
Mark took the money and vanished, proving exactly what kind of man he truly was.
Damian returned to the SUV, his face impassive, but his hand gripped my knee tightly the entire ride back to the estate. We had neutralized the immediate threat to Lily, but Lorenzo's chess match was far from over.
If Lorenzo couldn't take our daughter legally, he was going to take Damian.
It happened two nights later, during a torrential downpour that pounded relentlessly against the estate’s massive windows.
We had just put Lily to bed. Damian was pouring us both a glass of red wine in the master suite when the flashing red and blue lights illuminated the driveway.
I walked to the balcony window, my heart dropping into my stomach.
It wasn't Lorenzo's mercenaries this time. It was the federal authorities. Dozens of heavily armed FBI agents and tactical units were swarming the front gates, demanding entry.
Marcus knocked rapidly on our bedroom door before throwing it open.
"Boss, it's a federal raid," Marcus said, his voice tight with disbelief. "They have warrants. The charges are racketeering, illegal weapons smuggling, and conspiracy to commit murder."
Damian set his wine glass down on the dresser without spilling a single drop. His expression was dangerously calm.
"Lorenzo planted evidence," Damian deduced immediately. "He used the European shipping routes to move contraband under my name, and then he tipped off the feds."
I grabbed Damian’s arm, pure panic flooding my veins.
"They can't take you," I pleaded, tears instantly blurring my vision. "Damian, please, we can fight this."
Damian turned to me, framing my face with his large, warm hands.
"Listen to me, Elena. I need you to be strong," Damian said fiercely, his eyes locking onto mine. "If I resist arrest, they will tear this house apart, and Lily will be caught in the crossfire. I have to go with them."
"No," I sobbed, gripping his shirt.
"My lawyers will have me out on bail within forty-eight hours," Damian promised, kissing my forehead with desperate intensity. "But until then, Lorenzo is going to make a move on the company, and possibly the house. He expects you to crumble."
Damian stepped back, looking at me not as a terrified wife, but as a queen who needed to hold the throne.
"Do not crumble, Elena," he commanded softly. "You are a Bellucci now. Show him what that means."
Ten minutes later, I stood in the grand foyer, holding Lily tightly to my side. We watched in agonizing silence as federal agents placed my husband in handcuffs and led him out into the pouring rain.
The massive wooden doors closed, leaving the estate eerily quiet.
I looked down at Lily, who was trembling, crying quietly against my leg.
"Is Dad coming back?" she asked, her voice cracking.
I wiped my own tears away, a sudden, fierce fire igniting in my chest. Damian had protected us from the cruelty of the world. Now, it was my turn to protect his empire.
"Yes, baby," I promised fiercely. "He is coming back."
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I looked up at Marcus, who was standing by the door waiting for instructions.
"Lock the estate down tight," I ordered, my voice ringing with a cold authority I didn't know I possessed. "And bring me Damian’s encrypted laptop. Lorenzo is about to learn that he targeted the wrong woman."
