Chapter 10: Blood of the Wolf 

Eva stood outside the corporate laboratory in the pre-dawn chill, holding the master platinum vault key stolen from the sleeping billionaire's coat pocket.

She climbed into her waiting bulletproof limousine, her amber eyes reflecting the cold neon lights of São Paulo as she reviewed the financial clearance codes.

Meanwhile, inside the laboratory, Dominic finally woke from his exhausted slumber, his fevered hands clutching wildly at the empty pillow where she had rested.

A sharp, frantic alert buzzed on his encrypted smartphone lying on the workbench, shattering the morning silence with news of an unfolding catastrophe.

"Mr. Vance, emergency protocols have been breached at the international academy, and young Master Dante has just been abducted by armed men!" his chief of security yelled over the line.

Dominic's heart violently stopped beating for a fraction of a second before roaring back to life with the terrifying fury of a caged animal.

"Track the vehicle's GPS transceiver right this instant, or I swear I will feed every single one of you to the river sharks by noon!" Dominic roared, his voice cracking with demonic rage.

Without pausing to bandage his bleeding shoulder or treat his raging infection, the wounded CEO sprinted out of the building and threw himself into his sports car.

Uncle Tião sat in a dilapidated industrial warehouse near the harbor, watching the four-year-old prodigy tied securely to an old metal chair with thick plastic cords.

"You are making a terrible mistake, Uncle Tião, because my mother will tear this entire city down and grind your bones into dust before the sun sets," Dante stated coldly, his sapphire eyes showing zero fear.

"Shut your insolent mouth, you little demon spawn, because your kidnapping is the final leverage I need to force Dominic to sign away the entire Vance Holding empire," Tião snarled, waving a loaded pistol in the air.

Dominic's car crashed violently through the rotting wooden gates of the harbor warehouse, the tires screeching as he slammed on the brakes right in front of the main entrance.

He kicked the heavy metal door off its rusted hinges with berserker strength, his blazing eyes instantly locking onto his terrified son tied to the chair.

"Step away from my son right now, Tião, or I will tear your throat out with my bare teeth before you can blink," Dominic bellowed, his voice shaking the corrugated steel walls.

"Look who decided to show up for his own execution, the mighty king of São Paulo crawling in on his knees to die for a child he never even wanted!" Tião laughed maniacally, pressing the cold barrel of the gun against Dante's temple.

Dominic surged forward across the concrete floor like a freight train, his body ignoring the agonizing tearing of his wounds and the blazing fever in his veins.

"Father!" Dante screamed out for the very first time in his life, his aristocratic composure cracking as Tião's finger tightened on the trigger.

Dominic launched himself through the air with superhuman speed, using his own muscular frame as a human shield just as the deafening crack of a gunshot echoed through the warehouse.

A red bloom of warm blood exploded across Dominic's chest as the bullet tore straight through his flesh, the impact sending him crashing hard onto the concrete.

He collapsed heavily over Dante's small body, shielding his son completely while a dark crimson puddle rapidly expanded beneath them.

"I... protected you... tell your mother..." Dominic whispered weakly through his blood-stained lips, offering a small, peaceful smile before his eyes fluttered shut and he passed out entirely.

Dante stared down at his father in absolute shock, the cold armor of his genius intellect shattering as hot tears finally spilled down his cheeks.

Suddenly, a dead kidnapper's burner phone resting on a nearby crate began to vibrate loudly, displaying an incoming international call on the glowing screen.

The screen flashed the exact offshore account number that had funded the assassination of Eva's father four years ago, exposing Tião's ultimate treachery in glaring digits.

Heavy tactical boots thundered against the warehouse floor as Captain Marcos led his elite rescue squad through the blown-out entrance, securing the perimeter in seconds.

Eva rushed closely behind the tactical commander, her face draining of all color as she took in the horrific scene of bloodshed near the center of the room.

She dropped violently to her knees in the pool of Dominic's blood, her ice wall shattering into a million pieces as she stared at the man dying for their child.

"Dominic, open your eyes, you cannot die here, I forbid you to escape me like this!" Eva sobbed frantically, pressing her bare hands directly against his gaping wound to stem the flow.

Captain Marcos motioned frantically for the military medics to rush forward with defibrillators and trauma kits while Eva wept in raw, unfiltered panic for the first time in her life.