'The Siotto government follows a monarchy system led by King Alessandro IV. Within the royal structure, both domestic and foreign affairs are overseen by the Prime Minister, who is appointed directly by the king. The king has two children: Princess Isabella, his eldest daughter, and Prince Matteo, his second child, who is also the heir to the throne.
According to the prevailing system, the royal title is passed down to male descendants, whether from the queen or concubines if the queen has no sons. However, in the absence of a direct heir, the title is given to the Duke's family, royal relatives one level below the king. Under certain conditions, if the main heir is a woman, her husband will be crowned as the next king. Based on this rule, Crown Prince Matteo has been officially designated as the successor to the Kingdom of Siotto...'
This chapter marks the final part of the flashback to the fire that happened ten years ago!
October 5th, 2014
La Bellissima, 8:25 PM
The ballroom buzzed with cheer. Glasses clinked amid relaxed conversations among the guests. Yet beneath the glamour, Aruna felt unease creeping into her bones. Her instincts screamed—danger was close. She stood in a corner of the room, clad in a deep navy gown that draped elegantly, eyes scanning sharply in every direction.
From where she stood, she could see Luca tending to the guests, and caught a glimpse of Gabriel speaking with Adrian on the far side of the ballroom. Suddenly, a soft but familiar voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "Everything going according to plan, Mrs. Moretti?"
Aruna flinched slightly, but quickly composed herself before turning toward the voice. "Dante, huh? You've got some nerve showing up here," she said coldly.
If one looked closer, Dante's expression had hardened, even though he tried to keep his cool. "What do you mean, ma'am? I'm only here to greet you..." Dante's voice was low and hoarse. He turned slightly, signaling Laura to follow him, leaving Aruna behind.
Before completely walking away, Dante leaned in and whispered, "Enjoy your last night here, Aruna Moretti." And with that, he was gone.
Aruna's hands clenched tightly at her sides. Once Dante disappeared from view, she quickly pressed the comms device on her right ear and whispered, "Get ready, Cece. Send me the location."
She sent a brief message to her twin, Luca. A short moment of eye contact with her husband followed—they exchanged a firm nod—then Aruna strode out of the ballroom with determination.
As she walked down the hotel corridor—which was relatively quiet, save for a few passing staff—Aruna passed them without much attention, until...
Thud! Thud! Crack!
Not far down the hallway, Aruna's fists flew with swift precision, striking down three hotel staff members. She kicked them sharply with the heel of her stilettos.
One of them cried out in pain, but the sound was silenced by Aruna's final disabling kick.
Without wasting time, she swiftly checked the earpiece clipped to one of their collars. Once she gathered the information she needed, she crushed the device underfoot and continued on. She tied her long hair into a ponytail and drew a pistol from beneath her gown.
-----
In the control room, lower level...
Ivana had infiltrated the hotel's control room with two of her most trusted people. They moved quickly to access the main security panel, trying to regain control of the electrical system that had been hacked by Dante's group.
"This is worse than we thought," one of them whispered, voice full of concern. "They've set timers in several areas—including the ballroom."
Ivana bit her lip, hands trembling slightly, but her focus didn't waver. "We need to find the explosives now. I'll go to the ballroom. You two search the kitchen area and the main hallway!"
"Are you sure, Cece?" the agent asked worriedly, eyes filled with doubt.
Ivana gave a firm nod, eyes sharp with resolve. "We don't have time. Go. Now!"
The two hurried off, and Ivana quickly contacted someone else as she ran out of the control room.
"VITTORIA, TO THE MAIN BALLROOM, NOW!" she shouted, her voice ringing with urgency.
-----
Back to the present time! 9:25 PM
BOOM! BLAST!
A powerful explosion shook the back corner of the hotel's main ballroom, causing massive chaos among the guests. Some people started screaming in panic, gripped by the fear that these might be their final moments.
"…ATMADJA HAS SABOTAGED THE ENTIRE PLACE!"
Aruna quickly grabbed Gabriel's hand, pulling him toward a safer corner of the room. Luca, who was standing near the main stage, immediately took the microphone and shouted authoritatively, "Everyone stay calm! Follow the security officers' instructions!" he yelled firmly.
"Gabriel, what about Nadia?!" Aruna shouted, trying to rise above the noise around them.
"Adrian made sure Nadia and the other kids are safe with him!" Gabriel replied firmly, though worry was written all over his face.
Aruna nodded quickly, but amidst the chaos, her eyes caught sight of a suspicious figure—Laura, Dante's bodyguard, walking swiftly toward one of the emergency exits.
Without hesitation, Aruna followed her, instincts telling her that Laura was the key. "Gabriel, I'll handle this. Help Luca!" she shouted before vanishing into the panicked crowd.
-----
In the back corridor...
Laura stopped in front of one of the electrical panels, her hands moving quickly to punch in a code and open a small hidden compartment. But before she could finish her task, a hand suddenly yanked her back forcefully.
Thud! Aruna landed a quick punch on Laura, making the woman stagger backward slightly. But Laura wasn't surprised.
She quickly countered with a spinning kick aimed directly at Aruna. The two women engaged in a fierce fight in the narrow, empty corridor.
"What are you planning?!" Aruna shouted, trying to force an answer between the flurry of attacks. Laura gave no reply, her face expressionless—like someone merely carrying out orders without fear or emotion.
Though her body felt heavy and exhausted, Aruna managed to overpower Laura with a solid blow to the stomach, knocking her to the floor.
"For... Dante," Laura whispered through ragged breaths, before her body went limp, unconscious.
Aruna rushed to open the panel Laura had been tampering with. Inside, she found a small explosive device with a timer showing only 10 minutes left.
Her hands trembled, but she forced herself to stay calm. Carefully, she began working to disarm the device.
"Oh God, Ivana, where are you…" Aruna muttered, eyes filled with anxiety as she watched the timer tick down.
-----
Meanwhile, on Adrian's side...
Adrian, followed by Roberto, ran swiftly through the increasingly chaotic hotel hallways, trying to find Nadia and his two daughters, Anindya and Sekar. Time was running out—every second weighed heavy under the growing threat.
Roberto kicked down a locked door with several hard blows, the hinges screeching as the door finally gave way.
"Nadia!" Adrian shouted hopefully. The cry was enough to bring the three girls out of their hiding spot.
"Daddy!" All three rushed into Adrian's arms. In the dim light and chaos, Adrian felt relieved—at least his daughters were safe.
But the joy was short-lived. Nadia suddenly pulled away from the embrace, eyes filled with confusion. "Daddy? Where's my Father? Where's Mommy?" Nadia asked, glancing around the empty room.
Adrian tried to soothe her, though his heart raced. "Nadia, come with me now. Mommy and Daddy will follow. Come on, we have to get out of here!" he said, voice slightly shaky but trying to remain firm in front of his daughter.
Sekar, already being carried by Roberto, looked at Nadia with fearful eyes.
Nadia fell silent, saying nothing. But as Adrian reached out to take her hand, she suddenly pulled away and ran off in the opposite direction. Before Adrian could stop her, she dashed into one of the elevators still operational—its doors sliding shut instantly.
"Nadia, come back!" Adrian yelled in frustration. "Damn it…!" he muttered, watching the elevator doors close on her.
BOOM! A massive explosion rocked the upper floor. The blast shook the entire building, and the horrifying sound jolted Adrian from his shock. Without hesitation, he made a quick decision.
"ROBERTO! GET ANINDYA AND SEKAR OUT OF HERE NOW!" Adrian barked, his voice nearly drowned out by the chaos.
Roberto, already alert, didn't hesitate. Carrying both his master's children, he bolted toward the emergency stairs. There was no time to waste—every second mattered. He had to get them out of the tenth floor before it was too late.
-----
Back to the main ballroom...
Another explosion rocked the place, destroying more than half of the ballroom. Luca stood, breathing heavily, his eyes locked on Gabriel.
"Where is my sister?! Why did you leave her alone?!" Luca screamed, his voice frantic and clearly losing control.
Gabriel was just as exhausted, gasping for air as he stared back at his brother-in-law. Before he could answer, a disgusting voice echoed behind them.
Dante stood there with a wicked grin, his eyes full of hatred.
"Well, it's not that easy, Luca! You and the entire Atmadja family will be destroyed here!" Dante shouted emotionally, pulling out a pistol from beneath his suit.
Bang!
The gunshot shattered the tense silence. Luca, already on guard, swiftly drew his own pistol and shot Dante's wrist with deadly precision. The man's gun flew off to the side, and Dante staggered back.
"Go find my sister! I'll deal with Dante here!" Luca shouted with fierce determination, never taking his eyes off the enemy before him.
Gabriel didn't waste a second. Without a word, he sprinted off to find Aruna.
Several trusted agents had already been dispatched to take down hotel staff who had secretly been working for Dante.
"Aruna, where are you?" he whispered, running through a darkened hallway now lit only by flickering flames from the ongoing explosions. The blasts had wrecked the electrical system, throwing everything into chaos.
---
At the rear corridor, from Aruna's side...
Beep! Beep!
Holding her breath with sweat dripping down her face, Aruna finally disarmed the bomb on the control panel. The countdown timer stopped at 25 seconds.
She stepped back slightly, letting out a sigh of relief. But suddenly...
Her hair was yanked violently, followed by a sharp sting on the side of her neck. A syringe jabbed in hard!
Thud!!
"Arghh!!"
Sinister laughter filled her ears.
"Hahaha, you damn bitch! How dare you ruin my plan?! I won't let you live! I'll kill you! Feel this!"
Clang! Thud!!
Her head was slammed mercilessly against a nearby steel pillar. Blood trickled down, her vision blurred, her body started to go numb.
The curare injected into her neck spread quickly, paralyzing her entire body.
"You took everything from me! You stole the man I loved! Arrghh!"
The scream was deafening, but Aruna felt herself slipping into darkness. She could no longer move, surrendering to the sensation.
Slash!
Blood splattered from a knife that stabbed into someone's body.
The attacker's eyes widened in shock—it wasn't Aruna she stabbed, but Gabriel!
"Ughh... don't you ever hurt my wife, Elia!" Gabriel's voice rasped but remained firm.
The poisoned blade had pierced his left chest—he had thrown himself between Aruna and the attacker, shielding his wife with his own body.
Elia screamed, trembling. She dropped the bloodied knife, backing away.
This wasn't what she wanted. She meant to stab Aruna, not Gabriel—the man she loved!
Thud!
Gabriel collapsed to the floor, nearly falling completely if not caught by Aruna, who struggled to stay upright.
"G-Gabriel! Hey, love! Open your eyes! No!" Aruna panicked, her hands trembling as she patted his face, hoping for a response.
"Gabriel—"
Grab!
Suddenly, Aruna froze as Gabriel's weak fingers touched her cheek.
"I-I'm okay, love... ughh..." Gabriel's voice was hoarse and faint.
He opened his eyes to see Aruna, crying and pale, frozen in panic.
"Hey..." A faint smile appeared on his lips.
Aruna couldn't hold back her sobs any longer, her body trembling.
At the far corner, a 13-year-old girl stood frozen, watching her helpless parents.
"MOMMY, DADDY!!!"
Her scream shook the room.
"DON'T COME HERE, NADIA!" Aruna shouted, her voice cracking as her eyes locked onto their daughter at the room's edge.
No! No one could touch her child!
Fear surged through her—especially as Elia, now conscious, reached for her knife again.
"Hehehe, perfect. I'll finish all of you at once," Elia cackled, getting to her feet.
But before she could take another step...
Grab! Thud!
Elia fell forward—Gabriel had grabbed her leg.
"Don't touch my daughter," he growled, his voice seething with hatred.
Then, he turned to his precious little girl with intense, loving eyes.
"RUN! NADIA!!!"
Nadia flinched at her father's roar, torn between running away or staying to help her parents.
"B-but Dad... I-I..." her voice broke, tears spilling down her cheeks, unsure what to do.
Grab!
A strong arm swept Nadia up into an embrace.
"SISTER, SAVE NADIA!"
Nadia's eyes widened in shock, unable to cry out as she was whisked away.
She caught one last glimpse of her parents' soft smiles—their final smiles.
BOOM! KABOOM!!
A massive explosion shook the entire room, hurling Nadia and her rescuer far forward!
Her parents, along with Elia, were trapped in the room that had just exploded.
"Nadia? Ughh... my child, let's get out of here quickly... ughh..."
Nadia, stunned and in disbelief, stood frozen. But then she was scooped up again—this time by Ivana.
Ivana had been tracking Aruna's location and had nearly arrived too late.
The hotel's top floor was now completely engulfed in flames, and the fire was spreading fast.
Ivana wrapped her black jacket tightly around the trembling Nadia, doing everything she could to carry her down from the danger-filled 17th floor.
-----
The Final Battle: Dante vs Luca!
Thud! Thud! Crack! Two figures of different heights clashed violently, fists flying as each tried to bring the other down. Luca had the upper hand, cornering Dante, who staggered from a wrist injury.
"Hyahhh! You won't escape, Dante! Take… this…"
Thud! Thud!
Suddenly, Luca collapsed unconscious on the floor after a powerful blow struck the back of his neck.
"Well done, Peter!" Dante smirked wickedly as one of his trusted men arrived just in time to take down the nearly victorious Luca.
"Where's Elia?!" Dante demanded sharply, his eyes narrowing at Peter who had come alone.
"She insisted on going after Aruna on her own, Boss. We got separated after that," Peter replied, a trace of worry in his expression.
Dante clicked his tongue in frustration at the woman's stubbornness.
"Forget her. We need to get out of here. Contact Khanza immediately for extraction."
Peter nodded and quickly followed orders. Chaos spread throughout the ballroom—fire was raging in all directions, and corpses littered the floor. Before leaving, Dante pressed a small button on his wristwatch, which connected to the building's central system. Instantly, toxic gas began to spread through the air vents hidden around the room.
A twisted laugh escaped him as he watched the flames grow wilder, mixing with the deadly gas that now tainted the air. Anyone still trapped inside this hotel would be consumed by either the fire or the poison before they could make it out alive.
Dante cackled maliciously as he climbed the rope lowered from a helicopter. In his mind, he imagined everyone choking and dying in the inferno.
"Such a perfect fire," he thought, his laughter echoing amidst the worsening chaos.
-----
Adrian, coughing violently as the smoke engulfed everything, clicked his tongue in frustration. Every step was heavy, his breath ragged. He opened door after door, searching frantically for Nadia.
"Damn it... Nadia, where are you?!" he shouted, desperation in his voice.
Thump!
The sound of something crashing made Adrian sprint toward it without hesitation. Through the thick smoke, he spotted two bodies on the floor, embracing. His heart dropped—he knew who they were.
"Ivana!" he called out with hope, though deep inside, dread had already begun to grow.
He had thought his wife had made it out safely with their kids, following Roberto. But no—she was here, holding the unconscious body of Nadia, the only daughter of his best friend.
Adrian quickly turned Ivana over, and what he saw made his heart stop—her face was pale, lips tinged blue. She lay helpless.
"Poison... this is..." Adrian's voice cracked as he covered his nose, the smoke growing thicker.
With the last of her strength, Ivana tried to speak, her voice barely a whisper—but Adrian caught every word.
"Take Nadia... g-go..."
Adrian fought to hold back his tears, holding on to the last shred of hope.
"No! We'll go together! Ivana, don't do this!" he begged.
But Ivana could only offer a faint smile—a smile of sacrifice. She knew her time was up. The poison had seeped deep into her body, and now, she only wanted to ensure her husband could save Nadia.
"Take her... there's... an emergency lift... at the end..."
Before she could say more, as Adrian set Nadia down for a moment,
BOOM!!
An explosion shook the entire building. A burning structure collapsed, crushing Ivana's already frail body.
"IVANA!!!" Adrian screamed, spinning around, his face contorted in anguish. His hands reached out, but it was too late.
Ivana was gone—in a blink—right in front of him, just as he hoped to save her.
Tears streamed down his face, grief overwhelming him.
With trembling limbs, Adrian made a vow to himself.
"I won't give up!" his raspy voice was barely audible amid the chaos.
He took off his black jacket and wrapped it around Nadia's unconscious body.
Seeing Ivana's final gaze—filled with love and hope—shattered his heart even more.
"I will get Nadia out of here!"
Amid the raging inferno, Adrian ran, carrying Nadia's limp body with all the strength he had left.
Each step was a burden, but he knew this was his only mission now—to ensure her survival.
At the end of the corridor, he spotted the emergency lift Ivana had mentioned.
Small and narrow, but it was their only way out.
He entered, adjusting himself to carry Nadia close, holding her tightly with everything he had.
Another explosion roared nearby, growing closer.
With a shaky hand, Adrian pulled the lever.
Without thinking, he let himself fall with the lift, clinging to Nadia, eyes shut tight, praying that God would give him a chance to survive.
He couldn't lose. Not now. Not after everything he had been through.