The Double Life of My Pregnant Ex-Wife (Carmen and Marco) novel Chapter 27

The warehouse fire raged like a living thing, smoke billowing high into the night sky as flames consumed everything in sight. Marco stood at the edge of the blaze, his face illuminated by the glow of the inferno. Around him, his men scrambled to contain the chaos—shouting orders, dragging wounded out of harm’s way, but it was too late.

This had been one of his most critical operations—storage for weapons and supplies that kept the Venetti family armed and stable. And now it was gone.

“Boss!” Pietro ran up to him, panting, a thick smear of soot across his face. “We found this.”

Pietro handed him a small, crumpled document—a manifest, charred at the edges but still legible. Marco unfolded it slowly, the name at the bottom glaring up at him like a dagger.

Vincent Rossi.

Marco’s jaw clenched as his gaze swept over the remains of the warehouse, his breathing slow and controlled despite the fire raging both in front of him and inside his chest.

“He’s making moves,” Pietro said, his voice bitter. “Vincent’s been quiet for too long. Now this?”

Marco didn’t answer, his mind racing. Vincent. The name tasted like acid. And Carmen—Carmen had been hiding with him. She had chosen him. Arianna’s words echoed in Marco’s mind—warnings about their plotting, their betrayal.

“You think this is Vincent’s doing?” Luca’s voice cut in as he approached, his eyes sharp and unreadable.

“The evidence says it is,” Marco replied coldly, holding up the manifest. “You see this? Vincent Rossi’s name is all over it. The bastard sent his men into my territory and torched my operation.”

Luca hesitated for a moment, studying the document in Marco’s hand. “It doesn’t add up,” he said carefully. “Vincent’s smart—he wouldn’t be that obvious.”

“Then he’s making a statement,” Marco snapped, his voice taut with anger. “And Carmen’s helping him do it.”

The words hit harder than Marco expected as they left his mouth. He turned back toward the flames, his expression darkening. Somewhere deep in his mind, the doubt he’d been trying to bury clawed its way to the surface. It didn’t feel right. Vincent was too cautious for something this reckless. And Carmen—Carmen wouldn’t.

Would she?

Arianna had told him time and again that Carmen’s silence was proof of her betrayal. Now, standing here, surrounded by smoke and ruin, it felt like everything was coming undone.

“We’re moving against Vincent,” Marco said, his voice low and final. “Tonight.”

Luca didn’t argue, though his gaze lingered on Marco for a moment longer before he turned to follow the others.

________________

Carmen stood in Vincent’s study, clutching a piece of paper in her trembling hands. The words written there made her chest tighten—a single report from her network, confirming what she’d feared.

The warehouse attack had been Arianna’s doing, but the evidence left behind pointed squarely at Vincent.

“They’re going to come for you,” she said quietly, her voice barely carrying across the room.

Vincent, leaning casually against his desk with a glass of whiskey in hand, raised an eyebrow. “Who?”

“Marco,” Carmen replied, looking up at him. “Arianna’s planted evidence tying you to the attack. Marco’s going to believe it. She’s turning him against you, Vincent. You have to get out before it’s too late.”

Vincent’s smirk faded, his gaze sharpening. “And how do you know all of this?”

“My network,” Carmen said quickly, stepping forward. “You know I’ve been watching Arianna. I can prove it, Vincent. She’s orchestrating all of this.”

Vincent set his glass down with a quiet clink, his demeanor hardening. “Why are you so sure he’ll come for me?”

“Because Arianna’s poisoned his mind,” Carmen said, her voice breaking slightly. “And because I’m here. He blames me for everything—for leaving, for running to you. She’s using that, Vincent. She’s feeding his anger.”