Pia was pinned to the deck by Santi's Soldati. Her wrists ached from the tight grip as her old wounds also began throbbing in pain.

Santi crouched down and slammed the butt of his gun hard against her head, laughing manically like a demon.

"You might have blown off my ear, Pia, but you're going to wish you died in that crossfire now that you're in my hands!"

The blow made Pia very dizzy. She tensed up and dug her nails into the cracks in the deck, trying her best to suppress the pain and fear in her chest.

Just then, Vito's voice sounded urgently from the other end.

"I've already handed Pia over to you, Santi! Hand over the documents now!"

Pia gasped coldly at that, not daring to move an inch while lying on the deck.

When Santi heard Vito, however, he chuckled and sneered at him.

"Pia was for your stupid fiancee. And now, you're still demanding even more from me?"

He looked at Pia on the ground, who was now beneath his feet, as an evil, calculating glint appeared in his eyes.

Then, he grabbed Pia forcefully by the hair and forced her to look at Vito.

"Sure. I'll give you the documents you want, Vito, on one condition.

"I want this bitch to die the slowest, most painful, and most horrible death. I know that you're head over heels for her. So, if you'll open fire at her and slowly shoot her to her death, I'll consider giving you back the documents."

The entire world seemed to freeze at Santi's cruel words.

Vito's face turned pale as he looked at Pia helplessly.

Hearing that, Alessia immediately went over to Vito's ear and said, "Say yes to him, Vito! Say yes! She's nothing but a scapegoat anyway. If she dies, she dies. You need to get hold of the documents to eliminate all future threats! Don't lose the forest for the tree!"

Pia's face was also ashen as she awaited Vito's answer, as if it were her death verdict.

When Santi saw that Vito was still hesitating, he yelled loudly and threatened him again.

"Why are you still dragging things on, Vito Castaldo? Either shoot her now or watch me throw the documents into the sea! And when that happens, you're not getting back either of them! I'm only going to count to three.

"Three…

"Two…"

"Fine! I'll shoot! I'll shoot!" Vito exclaimed, raising his run in the air and taking aim at Pia.

Pia stared back at him coldly.

This man, the Don of the Castaldo mafia, who had saved her from the slums and used to be her entire religion—was now pointing a gun at her.

Vito's hand holding the gun was trembling slightly. His eyes were filled with reluctance as he fought with himself.

However, with Alessia's constant urging and Santi's endless threats, he finally pulled the trigger, firing the first shot at Pia.

A single, piercing gunshot rang out.

The final obsession Pia kept clinging to, the one she'd been holding onto for years, crumbled as well.

The bullet struck Pia squarely in the shoulders. Blood splattered everywhere and soaked into her clothes.

Pia staggered backward and let out a muffled groan as her entire body trembled, the excruciating pain radiating throughout her entire body.

She'd gone completely numb now and felt like she'd just fallen into a bottomless well, helpless and powerless to do anything.

She'd ultimately played her cards wrong in the end.

Santi began laughing like a maniac, his laughter sharp and piercing.

"That was a good one, Vito! Go ahead! Fire the next shot!"

Vito frowned when he sensed Pia's pain. Just as he slowly raised his gun again for the second shot, he saw his Soldati, who'd been hiding in the waters earlier, trying to board the yacht and ambush Santi while he and his Soldati were distracted.

However, Santi was well aware of the incoming danger when he spotted movement under the surface of the water. He immediately shouted, "I knew it! I knew you'd play dirty! Soldati! Attack!"

As soon as the order was out of his mouth, the Soldatos underwater suddenly emerged, but they were mowed down by Santi's men instead. Bullets ricocheted across the surface of the sea, splashing water everywhere as gunfire erupted.

The two opposing Famiglia opened fire instantly at each other in a chaotic manner.

Santi grabbed Pia from the ground and shielded himself behind her as he retreated toward the cabin.

"How dare you play dirty with me, Vito Castaldo! Watch me drag her down to hell with me!"

Vito's eyes turned red. He wanted to rush out to save Pia, but his own Soldati stopped him. So, he could only watch helplessly as Pia was dragged away by Santi, feeling a sharp pain piercing into his heart as rage and resentment filled him.

Pia was violently dragged into the yacht's cabin by Santi's Soldati. His angry voice resonated loudly in her ears.

"The Cuomo Famiglia fell into this state all because of you and Vito! I'm going to deal with you first today before settling the score with him another time!"

Pia curled up into a fetal position, blood still streaming from her shoulder. She knew that Santi was a madman, and there was only a chance for her survival if she remained calm now.

Her powerful will to live transformed her fear into clarity.

She frantically scanned her surroundings for an escape route and finally fixed her gaze on the fruit knife lying on the table nearby.

Before waiting for Santi to respond, she suddenly kicked upward with her knee right into his crotch area.

In the time when he crouched over in pain, she grabbed the knife in her mouth, severed the ropes binding her wrists together, and then grabbed Santi in a headlock, forcing him back step by step until they reached the other edge of the deck.

At that moment, the yacht's engine was already started up, and it was slowly moving away from Vito's yacht.

Pia watched the receding silhouette of Vito's yacht, feeling more and more despaired.

Meanwhile, Vito's heart sank when he saw Pia and Santi in a stalemate on the deck of the other yacht. Just as he was about to rush forward to try and grab hold of the rope of the raft on the side, his Soldati held him back by his arms and exclaimed, "Don Castaldo! You can't go after them!

"Our yacht was already too far away from them. We can't forcefully infiltrate their yacht now anymore!"

"Let me go! I need to save Pia!" he exclaimed, struggling against his constraints as he watched Pia's figure eventually getting caught up by Santi's men. He wanted nothing more than to rush over to her and protect her behind his back.

Santi, now the hostage, had completely gone mad. His eyes were bloodshot as he struggled hard against Pia's hold, roaring aloud that he was going to personally drag her down with him if they went under.

Pia was already initially injured in the first place, and she'd lost a lot of strength during the stalemate earlier. Eventually, her strength waned, and she wasn't able to subdue him anymore, allowing him to break free from her grasp.

After breaking free from Pia, Santi staggered backward and yelled at his Soldati, "Kill that bitch!"

Pia looked at the deep, dark sea behind her and took a deep breath.

Then, she leaped into the water as gunshots rang out.