Revenge amnesia upgraded to his brother novel Chapter 73

Revenge Amnesia Upgraded to His Brother

Chapter 73

Lucien’s POV

For a second, I couldn’t breathe.

My eyes locked on the woman tied to the chair in the distance. The height was right. The hair color matched. The white dress was the same one I had bought for Norah.

But something was wrong. Deep in my gut, a cold warning screamed.

I couldn’t see her face, hidden under a black cloth. I couldn’t feel her presence, the unique energy that always pulled me toward her. I couldn’t sense her heartbeat.

Mateo was betting everything on my love for her. He was betting that fear would cloud my judgment. That the pressure would make my hand shake.

He was betting I would kill the woman I loved with my own hands.

“Shoot, Constantine!” one of his thugs yelled.

“Let’s see if you have the nerve!” another jeered.

I slowly lifted my gun. The weight was familiar in my hand. Through the sight, I saw the green apple. Under it, a head covered completely by a black cloth.

My finger rested against the trigger. The room grew quiet, waiting for the shot.

Mateo’s grin widened. He thought he had already won. He thought I would take the bait.

In the dead silence, I made my choice.

I swung the gun away from the target and aimed directly between Mateo’s eyes.

The silence in the room became absolute. The jeering stopped instantly.

“What are you doing?” Mateo’s voice was tight, controlled.

“Can’t handle it when the game changes?” I asked, my smile cold.

He signaled sharply with two fingers. Two of his men started moving toward me.

I didn’t flinch. My aim remained steady on his forehead. “Tell them to step back. Now.”

“You think that little gun lets you threaten me?” he sneered, though a flicker of uncertainty crossed his face.

dub

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Chapter 73

“Ty me,” I said, my voice low and deadly.

We stood in a tense standoff. Seconds felt like hours. The air was thick with violence.

Finally, he waved a hand. His men retreated, though their hands stayed near their weapons.

“You disappoint me, Lucien,” he said, trying to sound bored. “I thought you had real courage. No stomach to gamble for your woman?”

I laughed, a harsh sound. “Gamble? You think you have the right to gamble with what’s mine?”

“You son of a-” he started, anger flashing in his eyes.

I didn’t let him finish. I pulled the trigger.

Click. The hammer fell on an empty chamber. Again.

But I was already moving.

My fist connected with his jaw with a sickening crack. He stumbled backward, crashing into a rack of rifles. They clattered to the floor.

Before he could rise, my next punch sank into his stomach. He grunted, doubling over in pain.

I grabbed his hair and brought my knee up into his face. He screamed as blood poured from his broken nose.

His men finally surged forward. I kicked one in the knee, dodged a swing from another, and drove my elbow into a third man’s throat. Someone fell and didn’t get up.

In the chaos, my hand found a knife. I blocked a wild swing and sliced a deep cut across a man’s

arm.

I didn’t care about the blows I took. My mind was focused on a single thought.

They had touched what was mine. They would pay.

“Enough! Stand down!” Mateo yelled, clutching his bloody nose.

His men froze, their weapons aimed at me once more.

I stood panting, my shirt torn, blood dripping from my lip.

He pushed himself to his feet, wiping blood from his face. “Too scared to take the shot?” he taunted, though his voice lacked its earlier confidence.

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Chapter 73

+ Pearle

“I know Norah’s scent,” I said, each word clear and sharp. “I know the sound of her heartbeat. That woman isn’t her.”

“Then why-” he started, confusion mixing with anger.

“Because I don’t gamble with innocent lives,” I cut him off. “That’s your game, Mateo. You sce people as pawns. That’s why you’ll always lose.”

The shock on his face was genuine. His carefully constructed game was falling apart.

Then he started laughing–a wild, broken sound that held no joy. Tears mixed with the blood on his face.

At that moment, the heavy door at the far end of the range burst open.

Norah ran in, her eyes scanning the room until they found me.

She ignored everyone else and threw herself into my arms. “Lucien! Are you hurt?”

I held her tight, my face buried in her hair, breathing in her familiar scent. “I am now,” I whispered.

She turned to face Mateo, her voice steady. “You lost. Our bet was clear: if you used a fake to test Lucien and he knew it–and chose not to shoot–he wins. You let us go.”

I blinked. A bet?

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