Chapter 6

Carmen was on her knees, groveling in front of Luna, begging desperately.

"Please let us go! Let Drew go!”

"As long as you let the three of us leave, you can have Tina! Use her however you want. Even if you kill her, we won't complain!"

Raphael nodded frantically in agreement. "Right, right! The three of us aren't worth half of what she is!"

Luna looked at them with amusement. "Is that so? But the boss wants all of you together. None of you are getting out of this!"

She waved her hand, and the guards immediately stripped off my clothes. They hauled me over and positioned me beneath the man in the black tank top in the same position as Drew.

Just as I was resigning myself to my fate, someone burst into the room looking panicked.

"Outside! Don DeLuca's men are everywhere! It looks like they're searching for someone!"

The man in the black tank top paused, irritated. He threw both of us to the floor.

I collapsed on the ground, coughing violently and gasping for air, but then the black and gold key card I had been clutching tightly in my hand fell to the floor with a soft clatter.

That tiny sound instantly drew everyone's attention.

Luna's eyes went wide. She snatched up the card, her voice trembling.

"How do you have this? This is the key card to the VIP lounge on the top deck!"

I finally caught my breath. "I already told you I'm Donato DeLuca's daughter. You didn't believe me."

"What a joke!" Carmen shrieked with laughter.

"As if you could ever be a mafia Principessa!"

Raphael looked at me mockingly. "You're so scared you've forgotten your own last name, haven't you?"

Luna stepped forward and slapped my face several times. "You stole this, didn't you? And you have the nerve to lie about it!"

The man in the black tank top took the card and looked down at my wretched state on the floor. A calculating, vicious grin spread across his face.

He leaned in and whispered something in Luna's ear. Luna froze at first, then a greedy, excited gleam exploded in her eyes.

I lay on the floor, but faintly caught a few words from their conversation.

"Use her as a decoy. Take out the old man.”

"Then all of this will be ours."

They planned to drag me, the supposed thief, before Don DeLuca to claim credit. Then they would use me as a cover to assassinate him!

I finally understood. This cruise ship belonged to Donato DeLuca.

The reason he could not immediately acknowledge his long-lost daughter was because he had to deal with a bigger problem first. Perhaps there was a threat of betrayal from within.

Even though I had only met him once and exchanged a few words, I could feel the genuine love of a father.

My heart twisted painfully. After all these years, I had finally found my real family in this second life. I could not lose him now.

I could not just stand by and watch my biological father die in front of me.

"Take her away!" Luna ordered.

When Carmen saw me being dragged off, she showed no concern whatsoever. Instead, her eyes flashed with malice.

She screamed in a hoarse voice. "Yes! Take her away! Take that burden with you. Kill her! She's the one who ruined everything for us!"

Raphael joined in with his own curses, spewing obscenities too vile to repeat.

They seemed to think that as long as I, the troublemaker, disappeared, they would be saved.

I was dragged through the hallway and finally pushed onto the top deck.

The moment Luna saw Don DeLuca, she plastered on a fawning smile and sashayed forward.

"Don DeLuca, look! We caught a reckless little thief. She stole something of yours."

The man in the black tank top held me from behind, looking respectful on the surface but actually positioning himself to surround Don DeLuca and the two bodyguards beside him.

Don DeLuca's gaze fell on my body covered in bruises and welts. His eyes filled with shock.

At that exact moment, from my angle, I caught sight of the gun hidden in Luna's clothing.

The dark muzzle was aimed straight at Don DeLuca!

Without thinking, I used every ounce of strength I had left. I wrenched myself free from the man in the black tank top and lunged toward Luna!

Bang!

The gunshot rang out, and the bullet tore through my flesh.