Chapter 3

Late that night, I dragged my suitcase to an abandoned basketball court in Brooklyn. I spent the rest of the night shivering on a cold bench.

New York had no safe haven for me, and I had no reason to stay.

My baby was gone. My love had turned to ash.

But after five years, I was finally free.

I walked straight into the executive floor of the Gallo family's headquarters.

I wanted to sever every last tie with him.

But just as I dropped my security badge and the company files on the front desk manager's counter, the office doors burst open.

Cassius swaggered in with his usual entourage of made men. Camilla trailed right behind him like a snake.

Seeing me, Cassius gave a condescending sneer. "Scarlett. I wondered how far you'd run. Turns out you just came to HQ to throw a tantrum and quit? Your attitude is getting completely out of line. You think this childish stunt is going to make me bow down to you?"

I couldn't even be bothered to look at him. I turned to walk away.

"My security badge is on the desk. We are done."

Just as I stepped past them to leave, Camilla suddenly blocked my path.

"Scarlett, please don't be so impulsive!" She raised her voice, playing the role of the caring peacemaker, while intimately hooking her arm through mine.

The second Cassius's view was blocked by his men, she leaned in.

Her red lips brushed my ear, her tone dripping with venom and triumph.

"Look at you, what a pathetic loser. You think Cassius will even care if you leave? You saw the multi-million dollar mansion he bought me for my birthday last night. A trashy orphan like you never belonged in this seat. Walk away now, while you still have a shred of dignity."

My stomach churned at her ugly true colors.

I glared at her coldly and instinctively yanked my arm back. "Let go of me. Don't touch me."

But the moment I shook her off, Camilla let out a bloodcurdling shriek.

"Ah!"

She threw herself backward with impossible force, slamming hard into the crystal bar in the center of the VIP lounge.

With a deafening crash, she slumped to the floor.

The whole floor gasped..

"Why did you push me?" Camilla cried, pointing at me, her voice trembling with hurt.

Pushed her? I hadn't even touched her.

But all eyes were locked on me, full of shock and accusation.

Cassius's face went deadly pale.

He pulled Camilla up, then glared at me with absolute, murderous rage.

"Scarlett! Are you out of your fucking mind?!" he roared. "Camilla has done nothing but help you, and you're vicious enough to assault her?! You're out of control!"

"I didn't touch her," I said calmly.

"Still denying it?" He marched over, looking like he wanted to rip me apart. "You're going to lie right to my face in front of everyone?"

Camilla wept, the perfect damsel in distress. "Cassius, don't blame Scarlett. Maybe she's just really angry..."

Cassius clearly felt my arrogance and my "lies" had crossed the line.

He pointed a finger at me, issuing an undeniable threat.

"No. She has to take responsibility." Cassius gritted his teeth. "Apologize to Camilla right now, or I'll give you that divorce you want so badly."

He thought the threat of divorce would break me. Because he firmly believed an orphan with no power would never give up the throne of a Mafia Donna.

But this time, I just stared at his arrogant, confident face.

"Fine. Bring me the divorce papers."

Cassius froze.

He clearly hadn't expected me to call his bluff, but he wasn't going to back down in front of his men.

After a few seconds of silence, he sneered and pulled out his phone, dialing his private lawyer.

"Bring the divorce papers to HQ. Now."

Barely twenty minutes later, the lawyer rushed in.

Cassius slammed a document onto the table.

But before I could take the papers, his large hand slammed down on the contract.

His dark eyes locked onto mine.

"Scarlett, while I still have my patience, I'm giving you one last chance. Think carefully," his tone softened slightly. "Without my protection, you are nothing. Apologize to Camilla, admit you were wrong, and promise to stop throwing these little tantrums. Do that, and you'll remain my wife. You'll still be the respected future Donna."

Staring at his arrogant face, acting like he was handing out some grand charity, I felt nothing but a wave of absurd pity.

"Save it." I looked him dead in the eye. "I'm done."

I yanked the papers out from under his hand, grabbed a pen, and signed my name without a second of hesitation.

When I finished the last letter, I dropped the pen. Without sparing him a single glance, I turned toward the door.

"Scarlett!" his voice rang out behind me, laced with an emotion I couldn't figure out.

Watching me walk away without hesitation, Cassius's last thread of sanity snapped.

He snatched his phone and punched in the private line for the syndicate's head of finance.

"Listen to me! Freeze every single credit card and account under Scarlett's name right now!" Cassius barked, his jaw clenched. "I want her to learn the hard way. She loses every privilege and ounce of protection that comes with being my Donna!"

Until now, Cassius still thought I was just being unreasonable.

He waiting for me to come to my senses and obediently return to his side, and then he would still give me back the Donna's title.

But instead of an immediate 'yes, sir', a suffocating silence hung on the other end of the line.

Seconds later, the finance director's trembling voice came through. "Boss... Miss Scarlett's account has been under restriction all along. Even the medical fee request from last night's surgery was returned—we couldn't process it."

Cassius frowned in irritation. "What surgery fee? Wasn't she perfectly fine?"

The director's voice was laced with pure terror. "That one-thousand-dollar request yesterday came from the ER at the family's private hospital. It was for the emergency procedure to save the baby. Because you personally ordered the transaction denied... Miss Scarlett... she lost the baby."