They Made Me Run On a Broken Leg. Don Had My Back Chapter 07

They Made Me Run On a Broken Leg. Don Had My Back Chapter 07

I lay in the mud, spat out blood, and smiled. 

“Three years ago. The lab fire…” 

“You set it. To burn my original records. Steal the 

patent. Right?” 

Santino laughed. 

“So what?!” 

“I set the fire! I burned every research log!” 

“Tomorrow I ring the bell. I’ll be worth billions.” 

“Who’d believe a cripple like you?!” 

I looked at him. Raised my left hand. 

Inside my collar, a waterproof recorder glowed 

green. 

Every word Santino said was synced to Matteo’s 

computer. And to the notary’s server. 

“Santino. Thanks for telling me yourself.” 

I grabbed a fistful of gravel. Threw it at his knee. 

Santino yelped. Fell into the mud. 

I used the momentum to climb out of the ditch. 

Ran without looking back. 

The last two hundred meters. A steep slope. 

The brace had warped from the impact. Metal 

edges cut into flesh. 

Every step was blood. 

Beep- 

14.9 kilometers. 

Engine roar behind me. 

A second before the car reached me, my foot hit 

the white line at the summit overlook. 

Beep- 

Fifteen kilometers. 

The tracker buzzed loud. 

I collapsed on the concrete. Rain washed the 

blood off my face. 

Santino ran out of the car, soaked. His friends 

stared. 

No one dared laugh. 

I pointed at the box on the hood. 

“Santino. The money and the agreement. Now.” 

Santino gritted his teeth. Grabbed the box. Threw 

it at me. 

“Sable! Take the money and go plan your brother’s 

funeral!” 

He got in the car. The convoy fled down the 

mountain. 

Only wind and rain on the summit. 

I sat up. Opened the box. Cash and agreement 

inside. 

I put them away. 

A strip of dawn broke on the horizon. 

Six a.m. Hospital operating room hallway. 

Don Matteo stood there. Four bodyguards behind him. 

Santino’s spies had been cleared out by his men. 

The OR light went off. 

The doctor pushed the door open. Pulled off his 

mask. 

“Surgery was a success. The heart structure is 

corrected.” 

“Vitals stable. He’ll live normally.” 

Through the sterile cover, I saw Adrian’s face, color 

returning. 

The weight on my chest lifted. 

I sat in the wheelchair. Held his hand. 

“Adrian. Sleep well. Everything’s better when you 

wake up.” 

Then I was wheeled into the orthopedic OR. 

Don Matteo’s specialists performed minimally. 

invasive reduction surgery. 

One p.m. I woke up. 

My right leg was in a light fixation boot. The wound felt cool. 

Don Matteo pushed the door open. Set a laptop in 

front of me. 

“Voyage Tech’s IPO launch. Tomorrow, 9:30 a.m.” 

“Santino booked every outdoor screen in the city for the livestream.” 

I took a sip of oat milk. Typed a string of 

commands. 

A prompt appeared: Self–destruct program and 

evidence chain ready. 

I looked up at Matteo. 

“Don Matteo. Is my ticket ready?” 

He handed me a guest badge. 

“Ready. And I have a gift for you.” 

Next morning. Financial Center Tower. 

The banquet hall was packed. A champagne 

tower in the center. 

Santino in a dark blue suit, working the room with 

a glass in hand. 

Elena on his arm, wearing a full jewelry set. 

“Mr. Sterling, so young and accomplished. Leading 

the company to IPO.” 

“Boundless future!” 

Guests flattered him. 

Santino raised his glass, smiling. 

“Voyage Tech has always insisted on independent 

innovation.” 

“Three years of R&D by our team.” 

At 9:25, the host walked on stage. 

“Let’s count down together. Witness the 

bell–ringing moment!” 

The countdown flashed on the big screen. 

Santino and Elena stepped on stage. Picked up 

the golden bell hammer. 

The instant the countdown hit zero. 

The doors were pushed open. 

High heels clicked across the hall. 

I walked in, in a black suit. 

Steady steps. Don Matteo at my side. 

Behind us: SEC officials and lawyers. 

Santino’s hammer stopped midair. His face froze. 

“Sable?!” 

Elena stumbled back. 

I walked to the foot of the stage. 

“Santino. Three years. Your storytelling hasn’t 

improved at all.”