Chapter 3

Tessa’s POV

Before long, a loud bang echoed from outside the bedroom door.

I opened the door—there was no one in the Living room.

Then another sharp crack came from Silas’s study.

I approached quietly. The door wasn’t fully closed. Through the gap, I saw Amy rummaging through Silas’s desk, flipping frantically through drawers.

My gut twisted. Silas’s study was forbidden territory for literally everyone—so why was Amy in here now?

I reacted before I could think this through. I pushed the door open. “What the hell are you doing in here?”

Amy’s face drained instantly. She froze, a document still clutched in her hand. She quickly hid it behind her back. “Silas… Silas asked me to find a file he needed for the casino.”

I walked toward her, not buying a second of it. “Is that so?”

In one swift motion, I grabbed the document from behind her back and tore it out of her hands. “Did Silas tell you? Or did you come in here to snoop?”

I barely had time to glance at the paper before Silas’s voice thundered behind us. “What the hell are you two doing in here?”

Amy jumped in before I could speak. “I caught Tessa sneaking around, so I came in to confront her.”

I stared at her, stunned by the audacity.

“I—” I started, but Silas didn’t let me finish.

He strode forward, yanked the document from my hand, and took three seconds—no more—to scan it.

When he looked up, his eyes were cold. Condemning. As if I were already dead.

“What were you trying to do with this?” he demanded.

“I didn’t—Amy was the one going through your things. I just—”

Silas stepped in, grabbed the collar of my shirt, and squeezed hard. The pressure cut off my air. My fingers clawed at his wrist.

“Tessa,” he hissed, “have I not made my rule clear all these years? You never enter this room. Ever. And now you trespass—and try to frame Amy? She is my family.”

She was your family. And I was nothing.

I forced myself to breathe, to fight for it, even as stars danced in my vision. Why was I protecting his secrets when he couldn’t trust me with a single truth?

Then suddenly—he released me.

I fell to the floor hard. Pain exploded through the wound on my abdomen, but I didn’t make a sound.

Silas looked down at me with pure condescension. “If you ever want to become my equal—if you think you still deserve to be Donna of Vale—then learn to handle things properly.”

He turned to his bodyguard. “Jake. Take Tessa to the basement.”

The basement—Silas’s favorite place to lock away prisoners for “quiet reflection.”

“Six hours,” he added. “Then let her out.”

With that, he took Amy’s hand and walked out.

I stayed on the floor for a long moment, feeling the sharp sting across my belly, the deeper one inside my chest. But I didn’t show any of it.

I stayed still. Calm. Empty.

What Silas had just done— it killed whatever pieces of my heart remained for him.

Starting today, whatever happened to Silas Vale was no concern of mine anymore.

…

“Miss Tessa, the six hours are up. You may leave.” Jake opened the door and gave a small bow.

As soon as I left the basement, I moved quickly—got dressed, grabbed my things, and slipped out.

First stop: the bank. I wired everything I had to my brother, then closed the account without a second glance.

Next, I visited a handful of local contacts—people I’d helped Silas broker deals with over the years. I told them I wouldn’t be following through anymore, that I was stepping away from Silas’s group.

A few were surprised. Some even asked where I was heading next.

“What group are you moving to?”

“We can redirect the deal, just let us know.”

I smiled, noncommittal. “I’ll probably start something of my own. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you posted.”

Turns out, years of being Silas’s behind-the-scenes fixer had its perks.

Maybe I could start my own thing. Maybe I’d even become a little mafia boss myself.

The thought made me laugh quietly as I strolled down the street—until pain ripped through my side, sharp and blinding.

I froze. Pulled back my jacket.

Blood. A thick, dark bloom seeping through the bandage on my abdomen.

The wound had probably reopened after Amy shoved me in the bathroom. And I remembered what the doctor told me before I left, “If you see any bleeding, you need to come back immediately. There’s a risk of infection.”

I pressed a shaking palm over the gauze and pulled out my phone.

For a second, I hesitated—call a cab or… Silas?