Chapter 24 ༠:{ "Are you ready?" Vince asked me. "Yes." The night smelled like fire before the first torch even hit the walls. Our cars rolled up in silence, but the moment the Lombardo men stepped out, the Anderson dogs started shooting. Too bad Vince already had it mapped out. Our men cut through them fast, bullets cracking, glass shattering, flames blooming against the old bricks of their estate. The manor went up like it was waiting for the chance to burn. Torches flew, Molotovs shattered, smoke crawling through the windows like ghosts. I walked through the front doors with Vince at my side, heat licking at my skin, smoke stinging my eyes, but my rage made me blind to it. We found them in the dining hall, coughing, choking, still clinging to their empire as if their claws could hold bricks together. Margaret tried to run, but I yanked her back by the arm and shoved her to the ground. Raul stumbled, hacking, red in the face, and Vince dragged him out by the collar like trash. "Annette, you ungrateful bitch!" Margaret screamed, clawing at me even as the ceiling cracked above us. "You think you can erase us? You think you can take what's ours?" Raul spat blood on the floor, choking on smoke. "Your grandfather was a fool leaving his wealth to a brat like you. You'll never last. You'll die like your mother!" Margaret shrieked again, voice breaking. "Rot in hell! This was my house! My empire! Mine!" I just stared at her, calm, cold, while she clawed at her pearls like they could save her. Raul coughed so hard he dropped to his knees. "Please... stop this. Take the money. Take it all Just let us live." Margaret cursed me again, spitting in my face. "Whore! You came back from the grave to steal what's not yours. You're filth. You're nothing!" Raul tried one last desperate plea, voice trembling. "We can share it. You don't have to do this. Think of the family name. Think of the legacy!" Margaret screamed until her throat broke. "I'll kill you myself if you walk out that door! You hear me? I'll haunt you from the grave!" I leaned down close, so close she had to breathe the smoke with me, and whispered, "This house raised your greed. Now it dies with you in the flames." Her eyes widened. Her mouth moved like she had more curses left, but the fire roared louder, swallowing her words. Raul and Margaret screamed as the Lombardo men dragged them deeper into the burning wreckage, their voices carried with the cracking beams and crashing glass. I walked out calm, smoke clinging to my skin like perfume. Vince lit a cigarette right there on the lawn, flame reflecting in his eyes as the estate collapsed. He exhaled slowly, watching the fire. "Pretty ending for a cursed family, Bella." The gardens were full of fire and chaos. Smoke burned my lungs, heat pressed against my skin. Rufus came out of it like some devil. armed. crazed. screaming about how he burned his parents 11:44 am alive. His eyes weren't human anymore. He went straight for Vince. Fists, knives, gunshots ripping through the night. It was brutal, all rage against loyalty, obsession against love. I stood there, watching the man who once swore eternity to me tearing himself apart against the man who bleeds for me without question. My chest clenched, but there was no choice. The truth was already carved into me. The man I once loved is already ashes. Vince bleeds for me in ways Rufus never could. Then out of nowhere, through the flames, Maisie staggered. Hair burnt, mascara streaking her face, wild like some banshee straight from hell. She had a gun in her shaking hand and pointed it right at me. "You stole everything!" she screamed, voice breaking. "Rufus, the wealth, even life itself! should've killed you too. Not just your pathetic daughter." Her words hit me like ice water. Rufus froze mid-fight, his head snapping to her. "What did you say?" His voice was low, dangerous. "You killed my daughter?" Maisie laughed, manic, shrill. "Yes. I poisoned her. So you would hate that bitch for letting you child die. And I succeeded. You loved me. You left her. Just like I wanted." My stomach turned. Every muscle in my body screamed to claw her apart. Rufus's face twisted, fury like I'd never seen. "You're a fucking monster." "Yes I am," she spat. "And I'll kill Annette too." She raised the gun toward him. My breath caught-then bullets thundered. Rufus emptied his weapon into her. One shot, then another, then another, until she was nothing but blood and ruin on the ground. I didn't move. I didn't flinch. It felt like watching an opera, a play too grotesque to be real, yet i was my life burning around me. Vince, half covered in blood and firelight, pushed Rufus down, beat him until he stopped fighting... Rufus was on his knees, coughing blood, half-dazed from Vince's blows. Firelight painted his face in red and gold, the same face I once kissed a thousand times. The same lips that once swore they'd never betray me. I stepped closer. My heels crunched on broken glass, ash clinging to the hem of my dress. He looked up at me, eyes wet with pain, maybe regret, maybe just madness. "Annette..." His voice cracked, barely human. "I loved you." I laughed. Soft, sharp, cutting. "No. You loved yourself. You loved power. You loved lies. Whateve you had for me burned away the moment you let another woman murder my child." His head dropped. I tilted mine, studying him like something already buried. "The man I loved is dead. You're just a carcass wearing his face." He tried to reach for me, fingers trembling, but Vince shoved him flat to the ground. Rufus groaned once before his body went still, unconscious in the dirt. I looked down at him one last time, my voice steady, cold. "Goodbye, Rufus. You'll never have me again. Not my love. Not my tears. Not even my hate." Chapter 24 2/2 ዐ በ. 11:44 am Then I turned, the flames behind me, Vince at my side. And I didn't look back. 0 Cameras flashed like lightning across the world. Every news channel had my face on it, every headline screaming my name like a curse and a crown at the same time. "Anderson Empire in Flames." "Bodies of Margaret and Raul Anderson Confirmed Dead." "Maisie Jones, fiancée of Rufus Anderson, found shot dead." Some anchors whispered mafia war. Others speculated arson. Social media split into two worlds: half painting me as a phoenix, half calling me a viper. Survivor or villain, take your pick. I didn't care. They'd talk either way. Then came the bombshell. 11:44 am In "Someone Loved is Never Lost" by CrushReel, readers are immersed in a captivating CEO drama that explores the intricacies of love, loss, and redemption. Set against the backdrop of corporate power struggles and personal relationships, this ongoing novel delves deep into the lives of its characters as they navigate the complexities of both the boardroom and the heart. Themes of ambition, betrayal, and resilience intertwine with complex character dynamics, making for a compelling narrative that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. CrushReel's unique storytelling style brings a fresh perspective to the CEO genre, offering a blend of emotional depth and strategic intrigue that sets this novel apart from others in its category. What makes "Someone Loved is Never Lost" special is its ability to seamlessly blend high-stakes corporate drama with heartfelt human connections, creating a story that resonates on multiple levels. Available to read at CrushReel, this novel promises a literary experience that will leave readers eagerly anticipating each new chapter.