Chapter 11

Kevin's eyes were red, but he refused to let go. He clutched at me, his voice cracking as he asked, "Alessia, what does that scarred mongrel have that I don't?"I found the scene incredibly ironic.Kevin, the elite bodyguard trained for perfect emotional control, had lost all composure. And Lucas, the madman who had clawed his way out of a deathmatch pit, was terrifyingly calm.Lucas showed no sign of being provoked. He just silently stepped forward, stood in front of me, and said flatly, "I was just worried she'd get cold."He took a few steps closer, and Kevin instinctively backed away.Lucas turned again to adjust the coat on my shoulders, then looked at Kevin. "Don't let me interrupt."Kevin had no intention of stopping. "Principessa, please don't abandon me. Let me stay with you tonight, please? I've been trained to please in other ways, too. I can satisfy all your needs. I swear, I'll be much better than him."I raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Is that so?"Kevin latched onto the hope lik

Chapter 12

"A fortune? Doesn't look like money well spent," Lucas said, standing still and sizing Kevin up."Do you know how to make someone disappear completely, without a trace? That's a specialty of mad dogs from the gutter like me."Alarm bells went off in Kevin's head. He instinctively took a half-step back, his hand moving toward the dagger hidden in his sleeve. "You have a death wish?""But what can I do?" Lucas sneered. "I'm just a lowlife, after all."Before the words faded, he lunged at Kevin. In a panic, Kevin drew his weapon.However, the moment they clashed, Lucas feinted, changing his angle. Without even trying to dodge, he deliberately ran his left arm onto Kevin's blade.With a sickening squelch, the sharp blade sank deep into Lucas's taut muscle.Lucas then used the momentum to knock over the crystal table beside them. The massive crash echoed through the hallway.Kevin froze, staring in shock at the bloody knife in his hand. He finally realized he'd been set up.My mother happen

Chapter 13

I moved quickly. The next day, Kevin was sent away.It was the bloodiest, most lawless corner of the Marino family's territories. But I felt no sympathy. For a disloyal traitor, it was the fate he deserved.He had served his purpose, teaching me a valuable lesson about loyalty and betrayal.In the penthouse suite, Lucas was "recovering" on my bed, half-naked. His face was pale, his performance of utter weakness was flawless.I remembered clearly the night I first saw him in the underground fighting pits. He had wounds so deep you could see bone, yet he was still able to pin me down with terrifying force and help me blow off steam with just one hand.And now, a mere knife wound on his arm..."It's a shame," Lucas said, taking the warm water I offered. "Kevin was with you for ten years, after all. I actually... wanted to coexist peacefully with him at the estate."I raised an eyebrow. My fingertips traced a line from his hard pectoral muscle, slowly sliding down. "Is that so?"I played a

Chapter 14

Eva's sharp voice echoed through the grand hall. "You all see it, don't you! I told you she was just putting on an act. She's just trying to push me out!"My parents exchanged a look. My mother tried to quell the storm."Alessia, it's Eva's eighteenth birthday. Let's not cause a scene in front of our guests. This guard unit was originally trained by Kevin. Give her command, and we can talk about the rest tomorrow, alright?"At those words, the anger I had suppressed for ten years finally erupted."When she stole my birthday gift out of sheer jealousy, took Kevin, and ruined my party, why didn't you say a single word?""I was gone for ten years. You found a replacement from an orphanage after only one! Do you have any idea how I survived all that time?""I escaped from the dungeon of a rival family. With no papers, I wandered the slums. I fought wild dogs for a piece of moldy bread. I slept under bridges and in cold sewers!""Alessia, calm down," my father said, gently patting my should

Chapter 15

I added, "The trickiest part was dealing with the fighters you left behind. If we hadn't taken them in, the rival family would have used them as scapegoats to take the fall, or simply eliminated them."I pushed the gilt-edged project approval into Lucas's chest."So I used the Marino family's resources, took over their territory, and established a top-tier security and risk management company. It includes a complete placement program for the fighters. Now, absolute control of this company is yours. How does that feel?"I smiled smugly. "People like us, who clawed our way up from the bottom, believe in two things: total annihilation for our enemies, and rewards for our own."Lucas was deeply shaken by my actions. He looked at me for a long time.Suddenly, he bent down, cupped the back of my neck, and gave me a kiss that was unprecedented in its sincerity and devotion.This kiss was different. There was no clumsy exploration, no trace of the abject humility born from our different statio

Chapter 16

Lucas's POVI accidentally overheard a conversation between the black-market doctor and her."Keeping a desperate man of unknown origin by your side is too dangerous. Even with his looks and physique, he's not worthy of you."My heart tightened. I started to get scared.I admit, I didn't want to be thrown back into the sunless fighting pits.I could eat less, restrain my wild nature. As long as I could prove to her that I was no threat, I would do anything."I've decided to tame him myself," Alessia said in a lazy tone. "After all, I've got the madness of the streets in my blood, too."The doctor chuckled softly, testing the waters. "Feeling a bit of compassion? I seem to recall you already have a top-tier bodyguard you've been training for ten years.""That one?" she snorted dismissively. "If the elite I spent millions on turns out to be an ungrateful snake, I'd rather tame a loyal wild dog myself. If he proves disloyal, I won't hesitate to put him down."Hearing this, I touched the l