The Devil Who Claimed Me

Chapter 196: The downfall of Luke Bellini.

"Treated me well?" Dominic let out a cold laugh. "He kidnapped me. He locked me inside that dungeon. He tortured me and tried to kill me."

His eyes became merciless. "I’m simply returning what he did to me."

Luke stared at the photograph again. He had already lost Max. He didn’t know whether Felix would ever wake up. And he couldn’t lose Matteo too.

Luke drew a shaky breath. His pride finally collapsed beneath his desperation.

"Let him go. I’ll do anything you want."

Dominic’s lips curved slightly. He had kept Matteo alive for precisely this moment.

"Hand over all your assets. Surrender your shares and everything you own. And I’ll consider letting him live."

Luke froze. "What?"

He stared at him in disbelief. "If I give you everything, my entire family will be left with nothing. You can’t do this to me."

"Then you’ll lose your son." Dominic snatched the phone back. He turned and began walking away.

"Wait." Luke’s voice cracked. "Don’t kill him."

Dominic stopped. He didn’t turn around.

Luke swallowed hard. "I’m getting old and sick. I don’t know how long I have left. And Felix..."

His eyes filled with tears. "His life is hanging by a thread. I can’t lose Matteo too."

He took a shaky breath. "Just let my family go."

Dominic slowly turned around. "Let you go?" A cold sneer touched his lips. "If I let you walk away, you’ll come after me and my family the moment you regain your strength. I won’t take that risk."

He paused. "Either you surrender everything you have, or you lose your son."

Luke’s face twisted with anguish. "You already have my company. Why can’t you let us go?"

He wiped his tears. "Fine. I’ll give you my shares. But my assets..."

His throat tightened. "Those belonged to my forefathers. They’ve been passed down through generations. They are the only things left that belong to my family."

He looked desperately at Dominic. "I can’t lose them."

Silence stretched between them.

Luke swallowed. "I swear I’ll leave the country with my family. I’ll never bother you again. Please."

Dominic’s expression remained cold. "I can let you go if you give me everything. In return, Matteo lives. I’ll send you and your family to Congo. I’ll arrange everything for you there. A place to live, money, whatever you need."

His voice was devoid of emotion. "You won’t have any problems for the rest of your life."

The moment Luke heard the word "Congo," his expression changed. Anger surged through him.

"Why are you so heartless?"

"Heartless?" Dominic’s fists slowly clenched. A volcanic fury surged through his veins, threatening to break through the control he had maintained for years.

"You are calling me heartless? You killed my godfather."

Luke’s face paled.

"You tried to kill me. You destroyed my entire gang. You manipulated me, used me, and deliberately kept me away from the woman I loved."

His eyes burned with restrained fury. "You did everything you could to destroy my life. And now, when I’m returning everything you did to me, you call me heartless?"

His breathing grew heavier. "You should be grateful that I haven’t killed you yet."

For a moment, silence filled the room.

Then Dominic slowly regained his composure. "Since you refuse to surrender everything, there is no reason to keep Matteo alive."

He turned away and dialed a number.

Luke’s face twisted with terror. His anger churned inside him like molten lava, searching for somewhere to erupt. His gaze fell on his cane.

He quickly picked it up. His trembling fingers twisted the handle.

Click.

A hidden blade slid free. Luke’s eyes filled with murderous rage.

"You..." He gripped the dagger tightly. "I’ll end your game right now."

He lunged toward Dominic.

Bang-Bang

Two gunshots rang out loud inside the room.

Dominic froze. He turned around.

Luke stood several feet away, his body swaying. Two bullet wounds had opened in his stomach. Blood soaked through his clothes.

The dagger slipped from his hand and clattered onto the floor. Luke’s eyes remained fixed on Dominic for one final moment. Then his knees gave way.

His body crashed to the ground.

Dead.

Dominic stood motionless. His phone was still in his hand. For a moment, he forgot to breathe.

Then his gaze shifted toward the guard standing nearby, his gun still pointed at Luke.

"Sir..." The guard slowly lowered the weapon. "Are you alright?"

Dominic’s eyes narrowed. "You shot him?"

"I had to." The guard lowered his head. "He was about to stab you."

Dominic looked at Luke’s lifeless body. Before he could say anything, a deep voice came through the phone.

"Hello, sir. Are you there?"

Dominic pressed the phone against his ear. His expression became cold again. "Kill Matteo."

His voice carried no hesitation.

"Yes, sir."

A second later, a gunshot echoed through the phone.

Bang.

Dominic slowly lowered the phone. His face was expressionless.

Luke was dead. And now, Matteo was too.

~~~~~~~~

Later that day...

Dominic came to the hospital with Mila. All the necessary tests had been completed, and now they sat in the doctor’s office waiting for the results.

The doctor studied the reports carefully.

Dominic sat back in his chair, looking completely relaxed, as if nothing had happened. Mila, however, was anything but calm. She sat beside him, her fingers clasped tightly together as she waited anxiously for the doctor to speak.

The doctor finally looked up. "The good news is that the nerves are completely intact."

Mila immediately released the breath she had been holding.

"But the tendon was partially torn."

The relief on her face vanished. Worry tightened around her heart.

"How serious is it?" she asked.

"The tendon has been injured, but it hasn’t been completely severed. That’s why he is still able to move his fingers."

Dominic glanced down at his bandaged hand and slowly flexed his fingers. A faint grimace crossed his face.

The doctor noticed it. "You’ll have pain when you move the hand, especially when you try to grip something or twist your wrist. Your grip strength will also be weaker for some time."

Dominic looked up at him. "How long?" he asked.

"If you follow the treatment properly, you should gradually regain normal function. But don’t expect it to happen in a few days."

The doctor turned to Mila.

"The wound may heal quickly, but the tendon takes much longer. He has to be careful during the first few weeks."

Mila swallowed. "What should he avoid?"

"Anything that puts sudden force on the tendon." He then turned his gaze toward Dominic. "Heavy lifting is prohibited."

Dominic nodded.

The doctor continued, unfazed. "Don’t use that hand simply because you don’t feel much pain. Pain isn’t the only indicator. You can damage a healing tendon before you realize it."

Mila immediately looked at Dominic.

"You heard him."

Dominic sighed. "Yes, I’ll be careful."

"You’ll also need hand therapy," the doctor added. "The exercises will help restore movement and prevent stiffness, but you must follow them exactly as instructed. Don’t try to speed up the recovery by doing extra exercises on your own."

"How long before I can use it normally?" Dominic asked.

"For light everyday activities, you’ll improve considerably over the next several weeks. But full strength can take around twelve weeks or longer, depending on how the tendon heals."

"Twelve weeks?" Dominic exclaimed, eyes widening.

The doctor gave him a stern look. "If you want that recovery to happen properly, you need to be patient."

Dominic looked upset.

"You have to listen to him," Mila said firmly. "You can’t simply do whatever you want. Understand?"

Despite her stern expression, the worry in her eyes was unmistakable.

"She is right," the doctor agreed. "You need proper rest, take your medication on time, and attend your therapy sessions without fail."

Dominic glanced between them. "I have a company to run."

"You can go to work," the doctor replied. "But you cannot use your injured hand like it’s perfectly healthy."

"I’ll take care of him," Mila said immediately. "He has to listen this time."

She gave him a pointed look. "No heavy lifting. No fighting. No unnecessary strain. And don’t even think about driving until the doctor says it’s safe."

"Fine." Dominic held up his uninjured hand in surrender. "I’ll listen to you."

The doctor chuckled. "For now, keep the wound clean and protected. Keep the hand elevated when it’s swollen. If you notice increasing pain, swelling, redness, discharge, fever, sudden loss of movement, or worsening weakness, come back immediately."

Mila nodded seriously.

"I’ll arrange a follow-up examination and hand therapy," the doctor added. "For the next few weeks, don’t try to prove how strong you are."

Dominic shrugged. "I think I’m surrounded by people who enjoy giving me orders."

Mila’s lips twitched. "You may be the boss at the office, but not with me. When it comes to your health, you have to obey me."

Dominic smiled. "Always."

After thanking the doctor, they left the office.

Mila turned toward him. "Sit here. I’ll go get the medicine."

Dominic immediately wrapped his uninjured arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

"My legs aren’t injured. And I’m not weak either. I can come with you."

Mila narrowed her eyes. "You are not going to listen to me, are you?"

Dominic shook his head. "I am listening to you, my love. I just don’t want to stay away from you."

Mila tried to maintain her stern expression, but a smile finally escaped. "Alright. Let’s go."

Together, they walked toward the pharmacy.

Dominic kept his injured hand carefully protected while his uninjured arm remained around Mila’s waist. They walked close together, their easy affection unmistakable to anyone watching.

As they waited near the counter, Mila looked up at Dominic.

Their eyes met. They smiled at each other.

Neither of them noticed the woman watching them from the other side of the pharmacy.

Bianca stood frozen in place. Her gaze remained fixed on Dominic’s arm around Mila’s waist.

"Mila..." Her chest tightened painfully.

Jealousy twisted through her like a knife, sharp and merciless.

She watched the way Dominic looked at Mila—the softness in his eyes, the faint smile on his lips, the effortless intimacy between them.

Something inside Bianca burned. Her fingers curled tightly at her sides.