Chapter 3

When I woke up, it was already noon the next day.

The doctor said the cold had caused a high fever and that my old knee injury needed at least two weeks of rest.

But my father had no intention of letting me recover.

"You still haven't moved your things out of the estate or handed over the books for the underground business.

"Go take care of it today. Don't let the Don think this family drags its feet."

I did need to get my belongings back.

The armored car stopped in front of the main house at the estate, and Eva carefully helped me out.

I used to inspect the entire armory in heels and deal with a few rats along the way.

Now, climbing the steps made my knee feel as if a drill were boring into it.

I gripped Eva's wrist hard.

"Don't let anyone see."

The moment I entered the hall, I ran into Selena, who was overseeing the decorations.

My gun cases and clothes were being thrown out one by one.

Racks of her dresses were being wheeled into the master bedroom.

She signaled a servant to bring coffee.

Selena knew Victor liked his coffee black and strong, so she'd told the servant to add a double shot of espresso.

I put my hand over the cup.

"He's been taking medicine for his headaches. The doctor said too much caffeine could give him heart palpitations."

Selena shot me a defiant look.

"What, the pact's dissolved and you still want to act like the Donna?"

"Selena."

Victor's voice came from the top of the stairs.

He walked down, glanced at the coffee cup on the table, and pushed it away.

"Monica was just looking out for me. And she's run this estate without a single mistake.

"If she really wanted to embarrass you, she wouldn't have warned you just now."

Selena's eyes filled with tears, and she lowered her head.

"I'm sorry. I misunderstood Monica.

"After all, she's been the Donna for five years. It's only natural she can't let go of the power right away."

She leaned against Victor, her voice getting softer and sweeter.

"It's just that once I'm officially the lady of this house, if she still has to come back and decide every little thing, the men are going to laugh at you."

Victor turned to me.

"Write down my habits and the contact codes for the key smuggling routes.

"From now on, Selena can follow your instructions. We won't need to bother you again."

I laughed under my breath and met his eyes.

"So Selena gets to take over my territory, and I'm supposed to teach her how to be your perfect wife too?"

"I just don't want anything to go wrong with the organization."

"I've already left the off-the-books ledgers and the vault keys in the study."

I took off the black-and-gold pinky ring that marked my authority as the Donna and set it on the bar.

"As for how to look after your old injuries and how to clean up all your messes, your true love can worry about that from now on."

I turned to walk out, and my knee suddenly buckled with pain.

Victor caught my hand just in time.

I gasped and instinctively tried to lift my injured leg off the floor.

He looked down at the damp hem of my long dress, and his eyes narrowed.

"Who dared to punish you like this?"

Beside me, Eva couldn't hold it in anymore.

"It was Mr. Coppola.

"Miss Monica wouldn't agree to marry Carl, so they locked her in the water cell for a whole night."

Victor turned sharply and stared at Selena.

Selena was so frightened she burst into tears, her voice shaking. "Mr. Coppola is furious right now. How could an outsider like me interfere with his family's rules?

"I really didn't think Monica's old injury would flare up."

Victor took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"I'll send word to the Coppola family.

"No one lays a hand on you again."

I studied his tense jaw.

"If you really think they were wrong, then call off that match right now.

"One word from you, and they'll never dare force me again."

Victor was silent for a full minute.

"I'll warn them to keep their hands off you.

"As for Carl, we'll talk about it when the five days are up."

"You feel bad when they torture me.

"But you think I can endure a few more days because calling off the match might hurt Selena's reputation in the underworld."

I shook off his hand and left the estate with Eva and my convoy.

Victor followed me out the front gate and shoved a bottle of strong painkillers into my bag.

"Remember to take these.

"In a couple of days, I'll come see you at the Coppola house."

I didn't roll up the bulletproof window right away.

"Victor, you know they'll torture me even worse to win your favor.

"And you still want me to go back and wait a few more days."

Victor's lips moved.

In the end, he just stuck to the same line.

"I promised you five days. When they're up, I'll give you a clear answer."

I rolled up the window.

The driver was about to pull away when Selena's shrill voice rang out from the top of the steps. "Victor, you can't bear to let her go, can you?"

I sat behind the thick bulletproof glass, waiting through his long silence.

"She took a bullet for me, and she's been with me for five years. Of course I still care about her."

The armored car pulled out through the estate gates.

I couldn't hold myself up any longer and slowly sank against Eva's shoulder.