After I was discharged, Leone used the family business as an excuse and never showed up again.

I was leaving the next day, so while he wasn't around, I went back up to the penthouse suite above the Navarro casino.

I took my passport and a few important documents out of the safe.

When I stepped out of the elevator, my legs suddenly went weak, and I pitched forward.

I didn't hit the floor because a pair of slender hands caught me in time.

"Are you okay?" a soft, timid voice asked, her face full of concern.

I looked up and met Bliss's clear eyes.

She wore the casino dealer's uniform, but she still looked completely out of place in it.

She didn't recognize me and probably thought I was just some regular guest who had lost everything and was wandering around in a daze.

"I'm fine. Thanks," I said as I steadied myself, ready to get out of there.

Instead of letting go, she kept hold of my arm, tugging me toward the staff break room. "You look really pale. Come sit here and rest for a while, okay?"

For some reason, I didn't refuse her.

She poured me a cup of warm water and took a packet of bread out of her own locker.

"Here, eat something," she said. "Don't be too upset about losing money. Go home early. I'm sure your family's waiting for you."

When I didn't answer, she hesitated and then pulled a few bills from her uniform pocket and pushed them into my hand.

"You can use this for a cab, but I really can't help with plane tickets," she said.

My throat tightened, like something was stuck there.

I wanted so badly to tell her to stay away from Leone. He was heartless. Every bit of gentleness he showed was just poison hidden under a sugar coating.

But when the words reached my lips, I swallowed them back down.

If she found out who I was, she'd definitely confront Leone.

When that happened, I'd be the one they blamed for it.

I only had one day left. I couldn't gamble with my life and Jason's.

I took the bills from Bliss, thanked her, and hurried out through the back door.

The moment I stepped outside, something cold and solid jammed hard against my temple.

It was a gun!

I instinctively tried to glance back.

Bliss was already lying unconscious on the hallway floor.

Before I could move, the gun butt crashed into my neck, knocking me out cold.

When I came to, Bliss and I were tied up in an abandoned warehouse.

Bliss was trembling as she cried softly. "Who are you? Why did you grab us?"

A man with a knife scar slashed across his face slapped her hard.

"Because you're Leone's woman!" he shouted. "He took over the East Pier and cut off my business, capisce?"

They were accomplices of the cheats from Westside who kidnapped me last time.

Leone had just traded for that piece of territory using the settlement I signed.

Luckily, they didn't recognize me. Bliss, on the other hand, had been sticking close to Leone lately, which made her an easy target.

I moved my wrists in small, careful motions, cutting the rope with the tiny blade I'd hidden under my fingernail.

After so many years living on the edge, I always made sure to have a way out.

The scar-faced man thought I was just some regular gambler and spat at me. "You're unfortunate to have been caught with her. Call your family. 500 grand, and we'll let you go."

Bliss sobbed miserably as she said, "I'm sorry. I dragged you into this. But don't be scared. My fiancé is powerful. He'll definitely come to save us!"

At the mention of Leone, her eyes lit up with absolute trust.

I kept my mouth shut and cut the rope faster.

It seemed like the scar-faced man's call didn't go through. He kicked a metal drum over in frustration.

"Damn it! Leone's not picking up? Fine! Let's send him a present to clear his head!"

He picked up the knife from the floor, his gaze roaming over Bliss with filthy intent.

"I saw you and Leone at the hospital. You're carrying his child, right? Perfetto! We'll carve that bastard out and let Leone have a good look!"

My heart sank. So, Bliss was carrying Leone's baby.

Bliss went rigid with fear, her face turning paper white as she cried, "No! Please, I'm begging you! Don't touch my baby!"

The men beside her let out filthy laughs and reached their hands toward her.

Right at that moment, I snapped the rope and surged to my feet, driving my elbow hard into the scar-faced man's jaw.

I snatched the knife from him and cut the rope binding Bliss. Then, I pushed her behind me, using my body to cover hers.

"Damn it! Kill that bitch!" The scar-faced man shouted, clutching his chin in fury.

Several men circled us at once, each gripping an iron rod.

I knew how to fight a bit, but my injuries had barely healed. Up against a pack of desperate thugs, I started losing ground fast.

The rods slammed into me, the pain so sharp it nearly knocked me to my knees.

All I could do was take the blows with my body and keep Bliss pinned behind me in the corner where they couldn't get to her.

The scar-faced man clearly ran out of patience. I heard the sharp click as he cocked his gun, the dark barrel lifting to aim right at me.

"Go to hell, you bitches!" he snarled.

​​The moment his finger tightened on the trigger, a deafening blast erupted from the warehouse entrance.

Leone stormed in with his men, and gunfire exploded instantly.

He rushed toward us like a lion driven mad. He grabbed Bliss and pulled her into his arms. "Bliss, don't be afraid! I'm here!"

Bliss sobbed against his chest before passing out from the shock.

Leone scooped her up carefully and carried her outside to settle her in the car.

Then, he turned and started walking back toward me.

"Anna," he said, his voice sharp and cold as ice. "Why are you here?"

I forced my battered body to stay upright, met his searching gaze, and let out a cold smile.

"You think I set this up?" I asked.

I didn't even finish the sentence before he slapped me hard across the face.

The blow was so heavy it sent me sprawling to the floor, blood seeping from the corner of my lips.

"I knew you'd try to go after Bliss and get rid of her. Didn't you?" he demanded.

I spat the blood out of my mouth and rasped, "I didn't."

His distrust cut deeper than any of my wounds.

Leone hauled up one of the thugs who still wasn't quite dead and pressed his gun to the guy's forehead. "Tell me. Who hired you?" he asked.

The thug shuddered all over. He shot me a terrified look, then latched onto me like I was his last lifeline and shrieked, "It... It was her! She paid us to rough that woman up!"

My heart sank, and a cold dread flooded through me.

Leone gave a cold laugh, pulled out the knife he always carried, and cut the man's throat without blinking.

He shoved the body aside, crouched down, and stomped his boot onto my hand.

Pain ripped through me so hard it felt like my soul was being torn to pieces.

When he spoke, his tone was almost like a sigh. "These hands used to do exactly what I needed. Why are you using them now to hurt the woman I love most?"

He turned the knife in his grip, watching the edge catch the light.

"I told you, Anna, don't touch what's mine!"

The second the words left his mouth, the blade flashed.

A sharp breath caught in my throat.

The knife drove straight through my right palm and pinned it to the cold concrete.

"Ah!" I screamed, my whole body jerking, my vision going black as I almost passed out.

The pain tore a hoarse scream from my throat. "Leone! I never should've saved you in that alley seven years ago! I never should've helped you climb onto that damn chair!"

With his own hands, he crushed the last scrap of feeling between us.

Leone's eyes stayed cold and sharp. He spared me one last contemptuous look, then walked out of the warehouse without looking back.

Only when the cold numbness finally dulled the stabbing pain a little did I move.

I used my left hand to dig a tiny tracker out from inside my bra and pressed it with a shaking finger.

My most trusted associate, Enzo Giordano, arrived quickly. The moment he saw me, his eyes went red.

He carefully pulled the knife out of my hand. My right palm was a mangled blur of flesh and blood. I couldn't feel a thing.

My voice was weak, but I had never sounded more determined in my life. "Set a fire. Burn everything here to the ground. From today on, Navarro doesn't have a Queen of Cards named Anna Russo anymore."