CHAPTER 12 — RUMORS IN THE SHADOWS

In the glittering streets of Blackhaven City, news traveled like wildfire.

While neon skyscrapers lit up the ocean night and high-stakes casinos overflowed with human mobsters and wealthy elites, the city's underworld whispered about only one place: the central estate.

Don Dante’s main stronghold, a massive black stone fortress perched on the highest cliffs, was famous for its absolute isolation. Outlying mansions, ports, and luxury hotels across Blackhaven employed hundreds of human workers, but the Don’s personal estate was untouchable. No female worker was ever allowed inside past sunrise. The women who tried to cross that threshold never lasted long, driven out by strict security or by the terrifying six-year-old heir who ruled the corridors.

So when word began to leak from the guards that a strange young woman had been given a permanent post inside the main house, the city’s underground erupted with gossip.

"A female maiden? In the Don’s personal wing?" a high-society woman whispered inside a velvet-lined lounge near the docks. "I didn't last three days in that estate when I got temporary clearance. That monster of a child threw a heavy glass at my head and screamed until the guards dragged me out!"

"I heard she’s a timid, pathetic twenty-year-old thing," another chimed in, sipping cold champagne. "She looks completely broken, innocent, and terrified of her own shadow. Trust me, she won't last a week. That boy will destroy her before the weekend."

"What even makes her qualified?" a third man laughed quietly. "Frederick must have taken pity on a stray."

The rumors drifted through the high-end district, twisting and growing until they reached the top floor of the grandest penthouse in the city center.

Inside a lavish suite smelling of expensive orchid perfume and fine cigars, a woman sat before a golden vanity mirror.

Her name was Victoria Vance.

She was the sharp, elegant daughter of Don Vance, a human mafia leader who controlled the city's eastern ports. Though her father held significant power, his territory was nothing compared to Dante Leone's absolute reign over Blackhaven. For years, the Vance family had desperately tried to merge their businesses, eager to lock down a permanent political alliance with the most dangerous man in the city.

Victoria possessed a stunning, icy beauty, clad in a crimson silk robe with diamonds around her neck. But beneath her polished exterior lay pure, arrogant ambition.

Seven years ago, Victoria had managed to spend a single, ruthless night with Dante during a high-stakes victory celebration in the city. That single encounter had resulted in her falling pregnant with Leo. She had pictured herself instantly crowned as the Queen of Blackhaven, sitting beside the city's undisputed king.

Instead, Dante had taken the boy the moment he was born, acknowledged Leo as his sole blood heir, and shut Victoria out completely.

To Dante, she was nothing more than an occasional mistress, a woman he tolerated purely because she carried his son's bloodline. He had never given her his heart, his name, or a key to his main estate. Victoria was kept at arm's length in luxury penthouses, allowed to see Leo only when summoned, while Dante remained entirely out of reach.

Victoria swirled the vintage wine in her crystal glass, her long red nails tapping against the glass.

Suddenly, her head maid hurried into the dressing room, bowing low with a pale, nervous face. "Madam Victoria..."

"What is it?" Victoria asked, not bothering to look up from her reflection as she applied blood-red lipstick. "Is my father’s shipment secured at the docks?"

"It... it is not about the docks, Madam," the maid stammered. "Word has just come from the estate's outer security post. Don Dante... he has approved a new maiden inside the main stronghold."

Victoria’s hand froze in mid-air.

She slowly turned her head, her cold eyes locking onto the servant with dangerous intensity. "A maiden? Inside the central estate?"

"Yes, Madam. She was brought in two nights ago. She is twenty years old, completely unknown, and..." The maid swallowed hard. "...Frederick has assigned her to watch over Young Lord Leo."

SNAP!

The glass stem shattered in Victoria’s grip, dark wine spilling across her white vanity like fresh blood. She didn't even flinch as the liquid dripped onto her silk robe.

"What?" Victoria breathed, her voice dropping into an icy, lethal whisper. "I thought no female ever made it past sunrise in that house!"

"They say she is timid and looks completely harmless, Madam," the maid squeaked, trembling. "The guards are saying she is just a simple servant to help Frederick…"

"A simple servant?" Victoria slammed her bare hand on the marble counter, rising to her feet like a striking viper. "Frederick is the only person allowed to manage my son! Dante has refused my residence in that house for six years, telling me he wants no women in his wing! And now he puts some nameless, twenty-year-old stray in the same hall as my heir?"

Her chest heaved with venomous fury. Victoria knew how Dante operated. He was a man who lived in absolute control. He never made a move without a tactical reason. If he had broken his own rule to keep this woman under his roof, it meant she wasn't just a servant.

"Who is she?" Victoria demanded, stepping close to the terrified maid. "What is her name?"

"We... We do not know, Madam! The Don has placed a total blackout on her records. Even the outer guards do not know where she came from."

Victoria’s eyes narrowed into slits of dark jealousy and suspicion.

"A total blackout," Victoria purred dangerously, a cruel smile touching her lips. "He is hiding her."

She turned back to her mirror, wiping the wine from her hands with a linen towel.

"My father wants the Blackhaven alliance finalized by the end of the season," Victoria whispered to herself, her eyes burning with ruthless focus. "I will not let some nameless, innocent girl crawl into my son's life or Dante's estate and ruin years of planning."

She turned her sharp gaze back to the maid. "Prepare my car. Summon my father’s enforcers. We are going to the central estate."

"Madam! The Don's laws strictly forbid unannounced visits."

"I am the mother of his heir!" Victoria snapped, her voice ringing with arrogant authority. "Let us see how long this new woman lasts when she meets the real mistress of Blackhaven."