Chapter 2

I struggled with all my might and broke free from the man's grip. But I had barely taken a few steps when someone else slashed my back.

The pain made me stagger, and I fell to my knees. In an instant, my clothes were drenched in warm blood.

I knew it was one of Antonio's enemies. The underground casinos in Oldshore had claimed so much territory that the list of people who wanted him or anyone else close to him dead could stretch for miles.

I tried reaching for the knife in my bag, but my arm was wrenched back. They then snatched my phone and smashed it into pieces.

"You wretched woman! Behave!" a man snarled, yanking my hair as he dragged me toward a black SUV parked by the curb.

Just as I was about to give up, a familiar black Bentley turned the corner. It was Antonio's car.

"Antonio!" I screamed hoarsely.

I summoned the last of my strength and thrashed desperately, trying to get the attention of whoever was inside.

Then, the car slowed. He must have seen me!

But the next second, the Bentley accelerated, vanishing from the intersection.

Through the window, I saw Antonio raise a hand to shield Silvia's eyes. Almost immediately, every fight and shred of hope drained from me.

Of course. Since Silvia was in the car, there was no way Antonio would let someone so pure and delicate witness such a gruesome scene.

Pain and cold washed over me. My vision darkened, and the metallic tang of blood clouded my mind as I drifted toward unconsciousness.

…

When I came to, I found myself in a private hospital room.

The door was slightly ajar, and a low voice slipped into the room. "Boss, Mrs. Gallo's badly hurt this time. If she finds out about Ms. Bianchi…"

It was Antonio's personal doctor.

But before he could finish, Antonio cut him off coldly, "Watch your mouth! Your job is to treat Valentina. Don't interfere where it's none of your business!

"Besides, Valentina has been running the streets for years. She has seen every ruthless trick imaginable. But Silvia is different. She's pure and innocent. She can't handle Valentina."

Antonio stubbed out his cigar before lowering his voice even further. "If she makes a fuss when she wakes, bring her brother here. He's her only weakness. There's no way she'd ignore him."

I clenched my fists until my nails dug into my palms, the metallic tang of blood spreading in my mouth.

On the night I helped Antonio take down Oldshore's largest casino, he dropped to one knee and promised me, "Valentina, as long as I'm around, no one in Oldshore's underworld will touch you."

It was the same promise and the same protection. Yet now, they were meant for Silvia.

Meanwhile, I, the one he had once cherished above all else, had become the danger he needed to guard against.

Just then, footsteps approached. I quickly closed my eyes, pretending I had just woken.

"You're awake," said Antonio. "I sent someone to check. It was the Montezaran you crippled at the casino last time."

He came to the bedside, dropped a folder onto the bed, and added, "If you sign this settlement, they'll give up control of the east side."

Our eyes met, but I couldn't speak. As it turned out, all my injuries were nothing more than bargaining chips in his business dealings.

"Antonio, when did you make this deal?" I croaked.

Was it when they were dragging me along the street? Or when he learned the Montezaran was going to strike me?

Antonio frowned in response. Clearly, he was displeased by my question.

Seeing that, I let out a self-deprecating chuckle and stopped asking. After all, the answer no longer mattered.

…

Perhaps to comfort me, Antonio stayed with me for the next two days, handling business as best he could.

He was never without his phone. Still, he would look at it and smile in a way I had never seen before.

As I stared at Antonio's profile, memories of our first meeting ten years ago came flooding back.

Back then, he had been caught cheating and was being hunted. His body was covered in blood as he hid under an abandoned iron bridge.

I had been on my way to practice piano, but when our eyes met, I felt a surge of pity and turned toward him. Little did I know I was stepping into an abyss.

Later, my father had accumulated massive gambling debts and was driven to his death by a drug lord.

I, on the other hand, was taken to pay off his debts.

A poisoned syringe hovered over my vein, and at the very last moment, Antonio arrived with reinforcements and saved me. He even took a bullet to the chest protecting me.

Standing outside the operating room, I realized for the first time that in his world, innocence and kindness were useless.

From then on, I was no longer a celebrated pianist. Instead, I had become a feared gunwoman in the underworld.

I assembled guns for Antonio, dismantled bombs, and seized one casino after another.

I knew my hands were stained with blood and dirt, marks that would never wash away. But no matter how much the world deemed me tainted, he had no right to.