Chapter 3

Kai's face was a mask of panic and fury.

"Do you have a death wish? You don't just name-drop the Don of the Hale! Are you trying to get every single one of us slaughtered?"

His soldiers stepped back, glaring at me.

"You can act crazy all you want, but don't drag the Rainer family into your suicide mission!" one of them hissed.

"Do you know how much blood we shed just to get this detail? Just to get five minutes to make a good impression on his Donna?" another guard spat.

"If word gets back that some street rat is out here claiming to be his wife, he'll wipe our bloodline off the map by midnight!"

I slowly raised a hand to my stinging cheek. I tilted my head and locked eyes with Kai in absolute silence.

A flicker of genuine unease crossed his face, breaking his aggressive posture.

He swallowed hard, his tone dropping from a roar to something disgustingly patronizing.

"Renna, enough. Just stop. I already told you I'd take you in as my mistress. You need to learn when to fold. Get in the car and come back to the estate quietly, before the actual Hale entourage shows up and puts a bullet in your head."

I didn't say a word. I just kept looking at him.

Sensing the shift in Kai's demeanor, Liora immediately went to work. She knew exactly how to play him.

"Renna," she whimpered, her voice trembling perfectly on cue.

"I know you're bitter, but you can't use the Hale family to threaten us. Kai has been through hell these past three years mourning you. You shouldn't try to destroy his syndicate just because you're feeling petty."

Her eyes welled up, and a single tear slipped down her cheek. Flawless execution.

Just like she did in my past life, Liora effortlessly painted herself as the bleeding-heart victim while framing me as the unhinged villain. And just like before, Kai took the bait instantly.

His fleeting guilt vanished, replaced by a deep scowl.

"You've really disappointed me, Renna."

He reached into his suit, pulled out a sleek black Centurion card, and flicked it dismissively at my feet.

"Since you're Liora's sister, I'll overlook this little stunt. There's a two-million-dollar limit on that card. Pick it up, go buy yourself a dress that doesn't scream 'gutter,' and don't embarrass me at the syndicate banquet this coming weekend. If you pull a stunt like this again, you can forget about coming home with us."

He stood there, chest puffed out, looking down his nose at me with the exact same suffocating arrogance that had trapped me in my past life.

He never listened. He never believed a single word that came out of my mouth.

Looking at the two of them—the man who let me freeze, and the sister who stole my life—I couldn't help it.

I burst out laughing.

Without sparing a single glance at the black card resting on the floor, I closed the distance between Liora and me in one fluid motion.

I grabbed her wrist, dug my nails in, and ripped my ring right back off her finger.

Ignoring their shocked stares, I slipped the diamond back onto my hand, a cold smile curving my lips.

"No thanks," I said. "I don't need handouts from trash. And as for the garbage I dragged to the curb three years ago... it stays in the gutter."