Chapter 4

Alessia looked down at me, confusion flashing in her eyes.

"Don't push your luck, Gianna." She looked almost helpless. "I already promised not to give you the cold shoulder anymore. What else do you want? Every time Camilla needs blood, you come up with a new trick."

"I am not lying..." I clawed at the tiles, trembling as every breath ripped through my chest. "My marrow is already dry. Take more blood, and I will die, Mother..."

Three years ago, our family took a hit. Camilla jumped in front of Alessia and took a bullet. Soon after, doctors diagnosed her with bone marrow failure. In the whole family, only my match worked.

I knew I was Alessia's only daughter. Without her asking, I took it all on myself. I volunteered to make up for the half-life Camilla lost.

From that day on, I became her walking blood bank.

Later, even Alessia took it for granted.

"She bled for your mother! Keeping her alive is your damn duty!" Alessia crushed me with that iron rule for three long years.

Three years. Two bone marrow extractions, dozens of heavy blood draws. The moment Camilla's counts dropped, guards pinned me to the chair, draining my life away to fill her bottomless pit.

Then came the pre-wedding checkup seven days ago. The doctor held my chart with a white face and warned me: years of heavy extraction destroyed my bone marrow. My body reached its absolute limit.

That day, I ran into the study with the report. The second I set the file on Alessia's desk, Camilla grabbed her head and collapsed at the door.

Alessia did not even hear half a word from me. She scooped up her adopted daughter and ran out.

She never looked at that report once.

"I told you this is the last time. Stop bargaining." Alessia interrupted me, raising a hand. "Put her on the bed."

Two bodyguards stepped forward, twisted my arms behind my back, and dragged me onto the trauma gurney.

The wound in my back tore wide open. The agony stole my breath.

A few feet away, Camilla leaned against the pillows of her VIP bed, a thin layer of gauze wrapped around her arm.

Seeing me dragged in, her eyes turned red. Her voice shook with tears. "Mother... please don't take Gianna's blood... It's all my fault. I shouldn't have begged for that mousse... I'd rather die than watch Gianna suffer..."

That little show made Alessia's face turn even colder.

"You hear that? She's hurt, but she still worries about you. You lie on the floor pretending to die just to steal the spotlight!" Alessia turned to Dominic. "Pin her down."

Dominic stood by the bed, his fingers tightening at his side.

He looked at my bloodless face, his steps stalling for half a second.

"Dominic," Alessia's voice dropped, heavy with absolute command. "You are second-in-command now. Remember your place."

That tiny hesitation vanished.

Dominic walked over, avoiding my eyes. He twisted my wrists back and pinned me down hard against the mattress.

"Bear with it, Gianna," Alessia said, her voice flat. "Once they finish the draw, I will have the doctor stitch you up."

"Mother... I really can't take this..." I could barely pull in air, my voice down to a whisper.

My fiancé did not let go. He threw his full weight onto my wrists, locking me in place.

On the bed across from us, Camilla tilted her head. Out of everyone's sight, her lips curved into a cold, mocking grin.

"Move fast!" Alessia ordered.

The nurse hurried over with a thick gauge needle and shoved it right into my vein.

Dark red blood surged down the tube, filling bag after bag.

The massive wound had already drained me. Now my body turned ice-cold. My limbs locked stiff, and the heart monitor started beeping in rapid panic.

I could feel my breaths getting shallower. My chest barely had the strength to rise.

"Boss, that's eight hundred cc's!" The nurse stared at the monitor, her voice shaking. "Her pressure is bottoming out! She's in shock!"

"Shock?" Alessia's face changed. She tried to step forward to check on me, but Camilla grabbed her arm.

"Mother, it is all my fault. Gianna gave blood for years and was fine. Why would she..."

Alessia scoffed at that. "I planned to hand her my power after this wedding. Now I see she is still too emotional."

Then she thought of something and her brow smoothed. "Whatever. What is mine is hers anyway. She behaved well this time, so I will tell her early."

She turned around and looked at the ER doctor.

"Give Gianna a shot. Wake her up right now. I have good news for her."

The doctor went pale, sweating as he looked at the crash tray. "Boss, Gianna has massive internal bleeding and organ failure! Pushing a heavy stimulant now will blow her torn vessels apart!"

Alessia's eyes turned lethal, her patience gone. "Push the meds! Are you running this family, or am I?"

In the past, every time I passed out from blood loss, I begged the doctors for a stimulant to wake me up. I did it because that was the only time Alessia ever showed me tenderness. So this time, she naturally thought it was just like all the other times.

Facing the Boss's deadly glare, the doctor trembled. He grabbed the syringe, jammed it into the IV port, and shoved the entire dose in.

The brutal drug slammed through my dry veins.

The steel beam had already shredded my chest. The sudden pressure spike tore the damaged vessels wide open.

Right then, Camilla called out, "Mother, I can't breathe in here. Will you take me outside for some fresh air?"

Alessia immediately called for a wheelchair. She ordered Dominic to push her. Whispering soft comforts, the three of them hurried out.

"Tell me sooner next time you feel off, okay?"

In their blind spot, my body jerked twice. Then I went completely limp.

Dead silence fell over the trauma room. The rapid beeping stopped.

The line on the heart monitor went completely flat. One long, shrill tone filled the room.