Chapter 2

I sit in the study and look at the Valenti family’s internal network once more.

There are only ten minutes left before the purge order takes full effect.

In ten minutes, I will no longer belong to the Valenti family.

I will no longer have the protection of their name.

I will no longer be able to command the men stationed at the East District docks.

And I will no longer be Luca Valenti’s fiancée.

Still, I do not click Withdraw.

I simply stare at the line marked Pending Confirmation for a long time.

Then I close the internal network and open my email.

After scrolling down three pages, I finally find a private recruitment email from the Carraro family dated three months ago.

It is almost as if they knew this day would come.

The message is very short.

They are willing to give me an independent squad, three harbor routes, and a seat in the inner council.

The offer has no expiration date.

I switch back to the internal network and watch the purge order’s status change to Approved.

For some reason, I let out a quiet breath.

So leaving Luca is not as hard as I thought it would be.

For one fleeting moment, I even feel a lightness I have not felt in a long time.

Just then, my phone lights up.

It is a message from my friend, Nico.

He sends several in a row, every word bristling with barely restrained anger.

Serena, I saw Luca at the underground club.

He brought Elena with him, along with a group from Valenti.

They’re gambling.

Elena is practically sitting in his lap.

Now they’re all egging them on, saying whoever loses has to kiss their partner.

The next second, a video comes through.

The footage is shaky.

Inside the dim private room, wineglasses, chips, and cards are scattered across the table.

Luca sits in the center of the couch, two buttons open at his collar, a faint, alcohol-warmed smile on his face.

Elena sits beside him, her shoulder almost pressed against his arm.

Her cheeks are flushed as she lowers her head, looking embarrassed.

But from beginning to end, she does not move even half an inch away.

Someone shouts,

“Luca, rules are rules.”

“You lost, so you’ve got two choices.”

“Either kiss Elena right now, or call Serena and have your fiancée come over so you can kiss her instead.”

The room erupts in laughter.

“Call her! Let’s see if Miss Serena is still willing to give you that much face.”

“Didn’t you two just have a fight? Perfect timing. Make up with her.”

“Or don’t bother her at all. Elena is right here, isn’t she?”

Everyone knows Luca and I have been fighting badly.

That is why they laugh with such excitement.

As if they are all waiting to watch me be humiliated.

Elena lifts her eyes to Luca, a cautious little expectation hidden inside them.

Luca frowns.

He seems irritated by the noise.

After a few seconds of silence, he still takes out his phone.

When the call connects, his voice is hard.

“Serena, what I said earlier about the engagement was my fault. But you shouldn’t keep deliberately making things hard for Elena.”

I say nothing.

He pauses.

Then his tone turns cold again.

“Come over now and apologize to Elena in front of everyone. I’ll let this go.”

I hold the phone and listen quietly.

Luca loses patience quickly.

“Is lowering your head once really that hard for you?”

I look at the Carraro family’s email on my computer screen, and suddenly, I feel very calm.

“Luca, I did nothing wrong. I’ll say it one more time. I will not apologize to her.”

The other end of the line goes silent for a moment.

Then his anger breaks through completely.

“Serena, how long are you going to keep making a scene over this?”

“Since you refuse to come and apologize, listen carefully. Didn’t you suspect there was something between us? I lost the game. I’m going to kiss Elena right now and make your paranoia a reality.”

I hang up.

A few minutes later, Nico sends another video.

This one is even more chaotic than the last.

People are whistling inside the room. Someone is pounding on the table.

Luca stands, picks up a glass from the table, and drains it in one swallow.

Elena hurriedly reaches for his sleeve, her voice trembling softly.

“Mr. Luca, forget it. We don’t have to play anymore.”

“Please don’t be angry with Miss Serena because of me.”

Luca gives a cold laugh.

“Who says I’m not playing?”

The moment the words leave his mouth, he reaches out and grips Elena by the waist.

Amid the gasps and cheers filling the room, he lowers his head and kisses her.

Elena stiffens for a second.

Then she closes her eyes, her fingers gently clutching his shirt.

When I see it, pain still cuts through my chest despite myself.

But it fades quickly.

Like the last thin thread between us has finally been snapped by his own hand.

I close the video.

Then I open that email again.

In the reply box, I type only one sentence.

I accept your offer.