Chapter 3 The Goal To Kill Him

When Bruno asked for her “body," a dry, hysterical sound bubbled up in Carina’s chest.

She covered her mouth, but she couldn't stop it. A winded laugh spilled through her fingers, off the narrow walls of the wine hallway.

It was ridiculous. It was utterly absurd. Here she was, drenched in white lace, bleeding through her wedding dress, standing before the most dangerous predator in the syndicate, begging him for a marriage contract like a madwoman.

Carina laughed until her stomach started to feel pressured, even tears pricked the corners of her eyes.

Bruno stared down at her and drew his brows together in irritation.

The weak spark of curiosity in his eyes vanished and it felt like it was changed by an unbothered, stony coldness.

He adjusted the cuff of his charcoal jacket and turned his shoulder to leave.

"I knew you weren't serious," Bruno seemed dismissive. "Go back to your groom, Miss Bellini. You're wasting my time."

Carina stopped laughing. The hysterical edge in her mind snapped instantly into focus-she needed this man more than anything right now.

As Bruno took a step past her, the side of his jacket parted for a second, revealing the matte-black grip of a suppressed firearm tucked into his shoulder holster.

Carina didn't think much and just acted on pure, desperate instinct.

Her hand darted out with even to her surprising speed, her fingers wrapped around the handle.

With a metallic click, she ripped the gun from his holster and took two rapid steps backward.

Bruno stopped moving.

‘What is she doing?’

He turned slowly, dropping to the barrel of his own weapon.

Carina held the heavy gun with both hands, clearly her wrists were shaking under that weight, but the muzzle pointed directly at his chest. H

She was panting, but her eyes were dead serious.

"Don't take another step," Carina moved her shoulders a little.

Bruno didn't look afraid….this man didn’t even bother to raise his hands.

But one could clearly see that amusement in his eyes. He looked at the gun, then back up to her pale, sweating face.

"You don't even know how to take the safety off, little rabbit," he murmured carefully.

Before Carina could process his words, Bruno moved like a snake…

His hand whipped forward, grabbed her wrists and twisted them with effortless precision.

Carina gasped as the gun was instantly stripped from her grip.

“Ho-“

In the very next second, the steel of the barrel was pressed firmly against the middle of her forehead.

The metal felt icy against her hot skin.

Bruno leaned in close, his tall body swallowed her like she was his prey, trapping her against the wall. His breathing was still the same, Carina could feel it because this man’s face was just inches from hers.

"Give me one reason not to pull this trigger right now," Bruno rasped. "You just put a weapon on a Moretti boss."

Carina didn't close her eyes and just pressed her forehead harder against the barrel of the gun, staring directly into his ocean eyes with an empty, hollow smile.

"Shoot," she dared him fearlessly. "Go on, Bruno. Pull the trigger. Kill the bride on her wedding day, right inside her father's estate. Shoot me, and then walk downstairs and explain to my brothers and Renzo why you murdered the girl who was about to unite two massive dynasties. Explain to the entire syndicate why you started a turf war over a girl you claimed was useless."

Bruno’s finger rested lightly on the trigger. The hallway fell into a pretty awkward silence. He searched her face, looking for any kind of fear, a tear, a single falter.

There was none.

The girl standing before him wasn't afraid of dying because she looked like someone who had already been through hell and came back for more.

Then, a carefully slow, genuine smile spread across Bruno's lips. A low chuckle rumbled deep in his chest.

He lowered the gun, clicking the safety back into place with a quick snap before sliding it back into his jacket holster.

"You really are out of your mind," Bruno seemed a bit intrigued. "Renzo really broke you, didn't he?"

"Renzo didn't break me," Carina corrected him again, brushing a stray lock of hair away from her face. "He killed the girl I used to be. And now I want to kill him."

Bruno leaned his arm against the wall beside her head, studying her like a fascinating puzzle.

‘What an interesting woman,’ he kept that thought to himself.

"Killing Renzo Valenti isn't as simple as shooting him in a dark hallway, little bird. He has three hundred soldiers, your brothers' blind loyalty, and half the city council in his pocket."

"He has weaknesses," Carina countered immediately, stepping closer to him. "He trusts Violet Corvo blindly. He keeps his offshore account passcodes in a safe behind the painting in his private study. He travels to the northern docks every Tuesday midnight with only two bodyguards to collect illegal shipments. I know every move he makes before he makes it."

Bruno blinked twice.

"How could you possibly know his Tuesday schedule?"

"I know because I paid attention while everyone thought I was just looking sweet," Carina lied smoothly, keeping her past-life knowledge hidden deep within her. "Take me away from here tonight. Steal Renzo's bride right under his nose. Declare me under Moretti protection, and I will give you the exact leverage you need to destroy his empire piece by piece."

Bruno stayed speechless for a long moment, weighing the mess her offer would bring.

Stealing Renzo's bride on the wedding day meant immediate war. It meant burning bridges with the Bellini brothers….this meant setting the whole city on fire.

And he loved every single thing about it.

"A marriage contract takes time to file. If I take you out of this house today, it won't just be an alliance. It will be a declaration of war. Renzo will hunt us."

Carina looked him dead in the eye, she needed this marriage.

"Let him hunt. It will make it so much easier to put a bullet in his head."

Bruno smiled and then formed a deadly expression that promised total destruction. He reached out, his gloved fingers gently caught her chin and lifted her face.

"Pack your white dress, little bird," Bruno muttered with a clear goal. "We're going to go kill your groom."

“Now?”

“No…not now, first, my daring wife…”

“Why not?” Carina clenched her jaw.

“I’m your enemy too, aren’t I?”

“Yes…” There was a small sound escaping her lips.

“So that means, we need to place the enemy’s ring on your finger.”