Blood or Betrayal

Warehouse – Midnight

The gun felt heavy in Belle's grip.

Luca sat before her, tied, bloodied, but smirking.

He wasn't afraid.

And that was the problem.

Dante had given her the power to decide his fate.

But Giovanni?

He already knew she was here.

The shadows in the warehouse felt thick, suffocating. She wasn't alone.

Belle's instincts screamed at her. A choice was being forced.

Kill Luca and prove herself to Dante.

Spare him and risk Giovanni's wrath.

Her heartbeat hammered in her ears.

"What's taking so long, princess?" Luca rasped, voice rough from pain.

Belle lifted the gun, steady hands, steady breath.

Her finger hovered over the trigger.

She could feel Dante's presence somewhere in the dark. Watching. Testing.

But something wasn't right.

It was too easy.

Giovanni wouldn't just let her kill one of his most trusted men.

Unless—

Belle's stomach dropped.

"This is a setup," she whispered.

Luca chuckled. "Took you long enough to figure it out."

Belle's pulse spiked.

The air shifted.

Then—the lights cut out.

A rush of footsteps.

Gunfire erupted.

Belle dove behind a stack of crates, gripping the gun. This wasn't just about her choice anymore.

This was a war.

And she was caught in the middle.

---

The Escape

A shadow moved in the darkness.

Belle spun, finger on the trigger—

A hand grabbed her wrist.

"Easy, sweetheart."

Dante.

His grip was firm, commanding.

"Change of plans," he murmured. "We're leaving."

Belle's breath caught.

"What about Luca?"

Dante's smirk was deadly.

"He's not our problem anymore."

Belle hesitated.

Something about this felt wrong.

"You knew this would happen, didn't you?" she whispered.

Dante's gaze was unreadable.

"I suspected."

Which meant he'd let her walk into this trap on purpose.

To see what she'd do.

Anger coiled in Belle's chest.

She was done being their pawn.

"We need to move," Dante ordered.

But Belle wasn't sure if she wanted to follow him anymore.

Not after this.

---

Outside the Warehouse

The moment they stepped into the open air, gunfire rang out from behind them.

Dante barely flinched.

Belle turned, heart pounding.

Giovanni's men were swarming the warehouse.

Luca—alive or dead, she didn't know.

She looked at Dante. "You knew this was a message."

Dante exhaled smoke from the cigarette he had just lit.

"Of course."

Belle clenched her fists.

"Then why did you send me in there?"

Dante's smirk faded.

"Because I needed to know what kind of queen you're going to be."

Belle's stomach twisted.

She wasn't a queen.

Not yet.

But after tonight—she would have to become one.

Because this war was only beginning.

And she had just made herself the most dangerous piece on the board.