THE DEVIL'S CONFESSION

Location: Venice – Hotel Fortuna, Rooftop

Time: 9:13 p.m.

The rooftop glistened under the moonlight, all class and quiet elegance , the kind of place where men like Dominic Vale felt untouchable.

Amira adjusted the thin wire taped beneath her neckline. The mic hummed to life, connected to Rosalie's burner phone recording everything from a nearby table.

"You good?" Rosalie whispered through Amira's earpiece.

Amira exhaled. "As good as someone about to bait the devil can be."

9:19 p.m. – Dominic Arrives

Dominic strolled in like royalty, silver hair slicked back, tailored charcoal suit pristine. No hesitation. No fear. Just calculation.

"You're braver than your sister," he said, settling into the seat across from her.

"And you're colder than I imagined," Amira replied.

He chuckled, leaning back. "Then you're finally seeing clearly."

Waiters passed by. Rosalie stayed out of sight, phone in hand, camera rolling from across the terrace.

Amira slid a small velvet pouch across the table.

Dominic opened it.

The flash drive.

"Go ahead," Amira said. "Listen."

He inserted the drive into his portable tablet. Celeste's voice filled the quiet between them.

"You said I'd be safe...."

"Too late. You should've stayed quiet."

Dominic didn't flinch.

He simply smirked and paused the audio.

"You've got courage," he said. "But no sense of timing."

"Try me."

He sipped his wine. "You think that recording will destroy me?"

"I think it already has."

Dominic Leans In

"What if I told you your sister's death wasn't the only one planned?"

Amira's eyes hardened. "Explain."

Dominic tapped his ring on the glass. "Celeste was unstable. Obsessive. She had secrets of her own. You ever ask who her real father was?"

Amira froze.

"What?"

"Ask Zion," Dominic said smoothly. "Ask him why your family was never allowed near the estate. Why Celeste always had... different privileges."

"You're lying."

Dominic smiled. "That's the fun part. I don't have to."

Meanwhile , Rosalie's Table

Rosalie leaned closer to the recording.

"Wait," she whispered. "This isn't just a confession, it's leverage."

She sent a live copy of the recording to a secure cloud folder and texted Amira.

📩 ROSALIE: He just admitted to setting up Celeste. Keep him talking. We've got enough to go public.

Back at the Table

"I'll make you a deal," Dominic said. "You destroy that recording, and I'll give you Elira."

Amira blinked. "She's alive?"

"She's never been the problem," Dominic said. "You are."

He leaned in, colder now. Deadlier.

"You keep poking into the Carter legacy, and next time... they won't find your body."

Amira stood slowly, eyes never leaving his.

"I'd rather die knowing the truth than live with your silence."

Two Minutes Later

As Dominic rose to leave, he adjusted his cuffs.

"Enjoy your games, Miss Fontaine," he said. "But remember every empire is built on blood. And yours is just beginning to spill."

He walked away.

Amira sat back down, hand shaking, barely able to breathe.

Rosalie joined her seconds later, breathless.

"We got it. It's all recorded."

Amira nodded.

But her mind was already spinning.

What did he mean by 'real father'?

That night, Rosalie opened the drive again double checking the files.

She found something new.

A second folder. Encrypted. Labeled: "Subject: A. Fontaine."

Rosalie stared at it.

And whispered: "Oh no...."