Chapter 2 - The Billionaire Demands The Truth
The ride to the Gene estate was a blur of flashing city lights and suffocating tension. Nora sat rigidly in the back of the armored luxury SUV, pulling Nanya tightly against her side. Nanya, however, was completely unbothered by the heavily armed men or the terrifying aura of the man sitting opposite them. The little girl was busy glaring at Alex, still firmly holding a grudge over the destroyed bell peppers.
"You owe my mom thirty two dollars for the produce," Nanya announced suddenly, breaking the heavy silence in the car. "Plus emotional damages because she worked really hard."
Alex stared at the girl, a strange, unfamiliar warmth blooming in his dark heart. He had spent his entire life commanding ruthless men and destroying rival syndicates, yet this tiny child was demanding reparations with the confidence of a seasoned mafia boss. He reached into his tailored jacket, pulled out a thick stack of hundred dollar bills, and placed the entire bundle on the seat next to Nanya.
"Will ten thousand cover the emotional damages?" Alex asked, his lips twitching into a rare, genuine smile.
Nanya stared at the massive pile of cash, her eyes going wide. She looked up at Nora, then back at Alex, and gave a firm, serious nod. "Apology accepted. But you still need to learn some manners."
Nora snatched the money away and threw it back at Alex. "We do not want your dirty money. We do not want anything from you. The moment this car stops, we are leaving."
Alex leaned forward, all traces of his smile instantly vanishing. "You are not going anywhere, Nora. You stole nine years of my life. You stole my daughter. I missed her first steps. I missed her first words. Why did you run?"
Tears pricked the corners of Nora's eyes. The anger and fear she had carried for years finally boiled over. "Because I found out what you really do! I saw the news reports, Alex. I saw the bodies that your organization left behind. I was terrified. When I found out I was pregnant, I knew I could never raise a child in that world. A world where she might lose her father to a bullet, or worse, become a target herself."
Alex clenched his fists, his knuckles turning stark white. He knew she was right. The criminal underworld was no place for an innocent child. But the sheer agony of knowing she had hidden his daughter away out of fear cut deeper than any knife wound he had ever received.
"I would have protected you," Alex vowed, his voice a low, gravelly rumble. "I would have burned the entire world to the ground to keep you both safe."
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"I did not want you to burn the world," Nora cried out softly. "I just wanted a normal life for my daughter."
Before Alex could reply, a deafening explosion shattered the night air. The massive SUV swerved violently as a black van rammed directly into their side panel. The armored glass spiderwebbed but held firm. Nora screamed, shielding Nanya with her entire body. The rival Volkov syndicate had finally made their move, completely unaware that they had just sealed their own bloody fate by targeting the one thing Alex Gene valued more than his own life.
