The Price of His Mercy

As usual, I called out to my second-in-command, Matthew. "Take six men to East Pier and recount last night's shipment. I want the results before this afternoon."

I lowered my head and opened the ledger, but before I could begin, I heard Matthew mumbling behind me. I frowned and looked up. He was still standing there, looking uncomfortable.

"Donna, I..."

"What is it?"

He opened his mouth, then closed it again, looking as though he did not know how to break the news.

Just then, a voice rang out nearby.

"Matthew."

Lauren came down the steps, and Matthew immediately turned and hurried over to her.

"Miss Lauren."

The ledger in my hands slowly closed.

Lauren walked up to me with a smug smile. "Donna, haven't you heard? The Boss transferred the entire Guardia to me this morning."

I looked at Matthew. He immediately lowered his head in shame, unable to meet my eyes.

Lauren's smile widened as she put on an apologetic expression.

"I didn't want to take your men away from you, but the Boss said I needed a well-trained team now that I'd taken over the South District.

"Oh, and one more thing. The transfer order has no expiration date, so I'm afraid they'll be mine indefinitely."

With that, she turned and gave her orders.

"Matthew, we leave in ten minutes."

"Yes, Miss Lauren."

Matthew quickly led the men to their vehicles.

I had personally selected and trained this team. I had commanded them for six years. Now, with a single word from Lauren, every last one of them was leaving at her command.

Lauren had already taken a few steps away when she suddenly stopped. She glanced over her shoulder at something behind me, then turned and came back.

"Donna," she said, lowering her voice. "Honestly, you don't need to be so upset.

"If the Boss wants to give them to me, there's nothing you can do to stop him. I know you aren't really upset about losing the team. It's because..."

She smiled sweetly.

"Because the Boss is willing to give me everything."

I stared at her calmly, my chest rising and falling so violently that I felt as though I might explode.

She smiled again.

"Just like that brooch. If I don't agree to give it back, do you really think you can get it from me?"

Furious, I raised my hand and pointed at her. Lauren seized the opportunity to stumble backward and collapse onto the ground. Her long hair spilled across her face, hiding the smirk tugging at her lips.

A car door slammed behind me. I whipped around and saw that Rhett had arrived without my noticing.

He walked over from his car, his gaze landing first on Lauren sprawled on the ground. His expression darkened instantly.

"What happened?"

Lauren covered her face without saying a word. Her eyes reddened as she shook her head.

The underboss standing beside Rhett immediately stepped forward to help her up.

Lauren looked at me with wounded eyes.

"I'm fine. Donna is just in a bad mood."

I clenched my fists and glared at the tall, broad-shouldered man standing before me, my own eyes burning with unshed tears.

Rhett rubbed his forehead irritably.

"Is this all because of the Guardia?"

The corners of my mouth curled into a bitter smile. Even Lauren knew why I was hurt and angry, yet Rhett thought I was simply upset about losing my men.

I stood my ground and refused to back down. Rhett's fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles cracked.

The next second, he scooped me up and half carried, half dragged me toward the car. My head spun, and before I could regain my balance, he shoved me into the back seat.

I was still reeling when Rhett's icy voice crashed down on me.

"Nancy, what the hell is wrong with you? You never used to act like this!"

"Never used to? She needed men, and I gave them to her. She needed a place, and I made room for her. You said her father sacrificed his life for the family and that we owed it to her to look after her. I accepted that too. However, Rhett, I'm done giving things up for her."

Rhett still did not seem to understand. Instead, he stubbornly defended his decision to transfer the Guardia.

"Lauren just took over the South District. She has no one she can rely on, and those old-timers won't respect her. I gave her a capable team. What's wrong with that?"

I looked at him in despair.

"I don't care about the Guardia! I never cared about what you gave her. What hurts is that you keep going behind my back and giving my things to another woman!"

His expression slowly hardened.

"The Guardia belongs to the Wilson Family. As Don, I had the right to decide how they were deployed. Besides, you're my wife. Do you really have to twist this into something so ugly?"

A wave of helplessness washed over me. I had nothing left to say. I turned my head away in anger, silently making my refusal to give in perfectly clear.

Rhett stared at me for a long moment. Then he pressed my head against his chest.

"Come on, be good."

I tried to pull away, but his arms tightened around me.

"You've been far too emotional these past two days. You're going home first."

Half an hour later, I was back at the estate. However, instead of taking me upstairs, Rhett led me down to the basement.

The place was dark and damp. The bedding reeked of mold from years of disuse, and there was not even a window.

I immediately understood what he intended to do. I stared at him in disbelief.

"You're grounding me?"

"I'm just giving you one night to calm down."

"For Lauren?"

A flicker of irritation crossed Rhett's eyes. He stepped closer and cupped my face in his hands.

"Why do you keep bringing her into this? Don't you know who I love?"

With that, he leaned down to kiss me. I turned my face away, and his lips brushed my cheek instead.

Rhett paused, his expression growing even darker.

"Nancy."

My eyes burned, but I no longer argued with him. He studied me for a moment before finally lowering his head and kissing my forehead.

"Think about what you've done. I'll come get you tomorrow."

The door closed behind him. A moment later, I heard the lock slide into place, leaving me alone in the cold, desolate room.

Three years ago, I had been shot at the port. The bullet had only grazed my shoulder, yet Rhett had spent the entire night smoking outside the operating room.

When I woke up the next morning, he was holding my hand and repeatedly asking the doctor whether I would be all right. The doctor assured him I would recover, but Rhett kept pressing him, demanding to know whether I might suffer any lasting effects.

When the nurse changed my dressing, I frowned from the pain. Rhett immediately waved a hand and ordered an entirely new team of nurses to take over.

Back then, I truly believed this man could not bear to see me suffer even the slightest injustice.

A series of squeaks suddenly came from the corner. Goose bumps broke out across my skin, and I scrambled to curl up at the foot of the bed.

My phone vibrated. A message from my assistant appeared on the screen.

[Donna, the divorce papers are ready. The first batch of transfers for the personal assets you asked us to handle can be completed tomorrow afternoon.]

I replied with a simple "Okay," then rubbed my palm, damp with cold sweat, against the bedding.

After that, I carefully checked my departure arrangements one more time before I finally managed to steady myself.

In two days, I would leave this place for good.