Chapter 4

"You should just go ahead and cut her, Tiziana! You can do whatever you want with her!" Gina agreed instantly, her voice dripping with sycophancy.

She was eager to prove her devotion, so she grabbed a solid gold ashtray and held it out to Tiziana like an offering.

"It would be a shame to ruin Don Ariani's carpet with her blood, so you should just knock her teeth out first, Tiziana! I'm certain that she'll become much more submissive toward Don Ariani if she can't bite back!"

"That's right! Chiara needs to be taught a lesson!" Giulia added, yanking my hair back so hard my neck strained, leaving my face defenseless against Tiziana's knife.

"You should just endure it, Chiara. If you'd just done what you were told, we wouldn't be here. You should be grateful for the chance to serve Don Ariani!"

I couldn't help but feel an excruciating pain.

This was the family that constantly insisted they had my best interests at heart, yet, for a price, they were more than willing to strip me bare and tear me apart piece by piece.

I noticed Gina swinging the ashtray upward and bringing it down hard, aiming right for my teeth. I wrenched my head out of the way just in time, causing the blow to land squarely on my shoulder with a sickening thud.

I immediately felt my vision going dark, while half of my body went completely numb from the impact. I pushed through the blinding pain, the metallic taste of my blood filling my mouth.

I turned a dead, frozen gaze toward them and snarled, "You're all going to regret this!"

Tiziana punched me squarely in the stomach after I said that. I finally buckled and hit the floor after enduring the combination of the blow to my stomach and reaching the breaking point for my battered body.

I propped myself up with my one good arm and snarled through my gritted teeth, "Get your ass out here, Edoardo!"

I screamed in agony as Tiziana drove the blade into my cheek, tearing straight through the flesh and slicing my tongue. I could feel the blood pouring out, tracing the edge of the knife before splattering onto the floor.

I couldn't even scream as the pain was too agonizing, and every shallow breath I tried to take sent a fresh jolt of agony through my skull.

"You should hold on since I haven't done the other side yet," Tiziana said, laughing with delight before yanking the knife out of my cheek.

I yelped in pain as the movement tore at the wound on my cheek, the pain so sharp I nearly blacked out.

Tiziana glanced smugly at the blood coating her knife before moving the tip to my uninjured right cheek. "You're making such a scene over a little scratch? What should I engrave on you as a permanent reminder? 'Bitch' seems just right—after all, it's exactly what you are!"

In that instant, everyone in the room fell silent.

Gina hesitated for a second before quickly moving closer, flashing a servile smile at Tiziana. "You can carve whatever you want, Tiziana. I'm certain it'll be a masterpiece either way! I'll keep her still so that you can do it properly."

"I'll help pin her down, too. It's about time Chiara learned her place—up close and personal," Giulia added as she crowded in and yanked my hair back with all her strength, locking my head in place.

I didn't even have time to close my eyes before a wave of sharp pain jolted through my brain. I couldn't stop my body from shaking as the agony took hold.

Tiziana plunged the knife into my other cheek. She yanked it back out and grabbed my chin, admiring her handiwork with a look of pure satisfaction.

"I'll carve the words now. I'm going to choose a place where you can never hide it. I want to see how you plan on seducing Don Ariani once I'm finished destroying this face of yours."

Tiziana hovered the knife over my cheek, making small, deliberate movements. She braced her wrist, ready to bear down, and was a split second away from slicing into me.

It was then that the heavy, ornate doors burst open with a loud bang.

A man stood in the doorway wearing a black overcoat, his features sharp and murderous, looking like a devil from hell. He held a half-burned cigar between his fingers, its glowing tip pulsing in the shadows.

"Don Ariani!" Tiziana quickly hid the knife and switched to a flirtatious grin, walking toward Edoardo with an exaggerated swing of her hips.

"You're finally here, Don Ariani!" Gina rushed forward eagerly, gesturing toward me. "I've prepared a gift for you! Chiara has been somewhat disobedient, but Tiziana has already corrected her behavior!"

"I can assure you that my daughter is untouched, Don Ariani. She's yours to use however you like from here on out," Giulia added quickly, rushing to please Edoardo.

Edoardo, ignoring them, looked down at me on the floor with a frigid expression. He suddenly dropped his cigar, and his cold composure shattered almost instantly.

His large frame went rigid, and he seemed to forget how to breathe, nearly choking on the sudden airlessness.

Those present didn't notice the change in his expression.

Tiziana rushed into Edoardo's embrace, whining flirtatiously. "That woman is so insolent, Don Ariani! She had the nerve to use your first name just a second ago, so I was just about to tear her apart for you, Don Ariani!"

"E-Edoardo…" I forced the name out through the pain, my voice a raspy whisper.

I raised my head, meeting his gaze despite the blood trailing down my face. I looked at the man the world feared and gave a faint, chilling laugh.

"Is this how you greet your master after not seeing each other for seven years?"