Chapter 5

Three days later, I walked into the grand ballroom of the city's most exclusive private venue.

I was alone, dressed in a that Draven had personally selected from a private atelier in Milan.

The moment I stepped through the arched threshold, I almost collided with Kai.

His eyes swept over my dress, and that smug smirk hijacked his features.

"Renna. I knew you couldn't stay away. If you wanted to win me back, all you had to do was ask. But I appreciate the effort you put into dressing up."

I just sidestepped his narcissistic delusion and kept walking.

My indifference sparked immediate anger.

Kai snatched my bare wrist.

"I'm talking to you. What is your problem? The Rainer family tables aren't in that direction. Where the hell do you think you're going?"

I glanced down at his hand, then back up to his face, my expression chilling.

"Who said I was sitting with you?"

I jerked my chin toward the center stage of the ballroom, where a guarded table sat empty.

"If you're done projecting, I'm heading to my seat."

Kai followed my gaze, and his face immediately darkened.

But before he could spit out an insult, Liora appeared at his side. She blinked, her gaze dropping to my left hand.

Then, she deliberately raised her voice, letting it carry over the quiet hum of the surrounding mob bosses and elites.

"Renna? Are you completely insane? Do you have any idea whose seat that is? Are you trying to get us all slaughtered by showing up wearing that ring?"

The nearby crowd went dead silent, heads snapping in our direction.

"Isn't that the exact diamond Don Hale spent millions custom-cutting for his wife?"

"The Donna is supposed to make her first public appearance tonight, and she is wearing a cheap knockoff to steal Donna's spotlight!"

Whispers erupted across the ballroom like a lit fuse.

"Kai, is this how you manage your mistress?" a rival underboss sneered. "If she has a death wish, tell her to jump off a bridge instead of dragging the rest of us down!"

Kai looked panicked. He saw that I wasn't even looking at him, unbothered by the rising tension.

His face flushed with embarrassment, and he quickly took a step back, raising his hands.

"She's not my mistress. I don't know what the hell she's doing."

Liora's eyes gleamed with triumphant malice.

"Exactly. She's just a desperate street rat trying to cling to power. Hand over that ring and get the hell out of here before Don Hale's enforcers execute you!"

I looked at the absolute venom contorting Liora's face, and a smile curved my lips. "Are you absolutely sure you want me to leave, Liora?"

"A broke, powerless whore doesn't belong in a place like this!" she spat.

Without warning, Liora lunged at me.

Caught off guard by her attack, I hit the polished floor hard.

With a breathless scoff, Liora ripped the diamond off my finger. "It's a pathetic fake anyway. You should've just handed it over."

She stepped forward. The needle-thin heel of her Louboutin slammed onto my bare palm.

Pain exploded through my hand. I gritted my teeth, trying to yank my hand back, but she only twisted her foot harder.

Warm blood began to seep out, pooling against the white marble.

Liora stood over me, practically high on the sight of me bleeding at her feet.

"What are you all waiting for?" she haughtily ordered the guards. "Throw this trash out!"

I bit down on the inside of my cheek to suppress a scream, glaring up at her.

"Stop! Or Draven is going to flay you alive for touching me—"

Smack.

Liora dropped to her knees and slapped me across the face.

"Are you still trying to claim you're Don Hale's wife? You? Look at yourself!"

Not satisfied with one strike, she brought her hand back and slapped me across the other cheek with every ounce of force she had. My skin stung, the metallic taste of blood blooming on my tongue.

I hadn't initially planned on crushing Liora tonight. I hadn't felt the need to.

But as the iron scent of my own blood hit my nose, I made a silent promise: She is going to pay for this with her life.

Realizing the scene was getting out of hand, Kai finally stepped in. He grabbed Liora's wrist before she could wind up for a third hit.

"Enough. Don't cause a scene before the Don arrives."

Liora backed off, smoothing her dress. Kai crouched down next to me. When he saw the blood trickling from the corner of my mouth, he reached out a thumb to wipe it away.

I jerked my head away from his touch.

His hand froze mid-air, his eyes turning to absolute ice.

"Don't be an ungrateful bitch, Renna. You went through all this trouble, bought a fake ring, and crashed a syndicate banquet just to get my attention."

He lowered his voice to a whisper. "If you get on your knees and beg me right now, I might consider taking you back."

I looked Kai dead in the eye. "You want me to beg? Kai... you and your entire family are already dead."

He scowled, opening his mouth to explode—but then the doors of the ballroom slammed open.

The entire venue fell into the silence of a graveyard.

Kai paled, urgently whispering, "Don Hale is here. Keep your mouth shut and your head down, and I'll let everything that happened here slide."

The sheer delusion was almost funny. If anyone were letting things slide tonight, it wouldn't be him.

Draven stepped into the hall, a terrifying force of nature in a jet-black suit. His presence suffocated the room.

Almost immediately, his dark eyes snapped toward the elevated center table.

When he saw the Donna's seat was empty, a deep, lethal frown carved into his features. His icy gaze began to sweep the terrified crowd, hunting for exactly one person.

Blind to his own impending execution, Kai leaned over me and whispered, "If you behave tonight, I might even reward you by letting you carry my baby."

I didn't answer.

Instead, I clutched my bleeding hand to my chest, desperate to catch Draven's eye.

Just as Kai's patience snapped, his jaw tightening to scold me again, Draven finally spotted me.

And then, he started walking toward me.