I had loved my Mafia Boss Alexander in silence for ten years. I was the only woman he fucked.

Almost every night he would pin me down and pound me until I was screaming his name, filling me with his seed.

He never touched anyone else. I thought I was special to him.

I was wrong.

To appease his fiancée Sophia’s family, Alexander dangled my mute little sister from a helicopter. I begged. I knelt. I offered my life for hers.

"Enough, Ivy. The show is over," he scoffed, wiping the blood from my lip with his thumb. "It was just a silicone doll. Did you really think I would kill your sister over this? I just wanted to show you what happens when you defy me."

But he didn't know that it really was Lily.

I risked my life to take revenge on Sophia, only to be shot into the Mediterranean by Alexander's bullet.

But why did the high and mighty Don go completely mad, searching the world for my body?

Unngh… A muffled groan escaped my gritted teeth. 

The cat o' nine tails, soaked in brine, cracked against my back again. 

But I didn’t scream. 

This was the law of Alexander.

He was my Don, the man I had loved in silence for ten years. If this was the penance he demanded, I would take it.

He was the one who picked me out of the orphan pile. He molded me, sharpened me into his deadliest weapon, his Soldato.

For the last decade, I was the only woman who warmed his bed. He never touched anyone else. In the dark, his fingers would trace my scars with a possessiveness that felt almost like love.

He was cruel, yes, but he had given me a home when the world wanted me dead.

The shipment—tonnes of high-grade cocaine from the Colombian Cartel—had been hijacked. 

As Alexander’s most trusted Head of Security, the failure fell squarely on my shoulders. I was the one bleeding for it. 

But the truth?

It was Sophia, Alexander's fiancée, and also the spoiled Princess of the Neapolitan Camorra. She had turned up her nose at the secure harbor warehouse, complaining it was "too filthy" for someone of her stature. She insisted on moving the exchange to a high-end yacht club to suit her "status." That vanity move blew our cover, leading us straight into an ambush set by Interpol and a rival family. 

In the ensuing chaos, Alexander had taken a bullet to the shoulder shielding Sophia. 

I had carved a bloody path out of that hellhole with my submachine gun, practically dragging the two of them into the getaway car. I stayed behind to provide suppressive fire, nearly dying in a hail of bullets just to ensure they escaped. 

But when I dragged my battered body back to the estate, there were no medals. No gratitude. 

Alexander was being rushed to the hospital.

"The Don is down because of your incompetence," the Elder from the Council spat. "Report to the torture chamber." 

Fifty lashes. Inverted suspension. 

I bit down so hard I thought my molars would shatter.

My consciousness was beginning to drift when the heavy iron door creaked. Two guards stood outside, their voices hushed but carrying in the echoey stone corridor. 

"Did you hear? The Camorra demanded Ivy’s head as compensation for the ambush. They wanted to skin her alive."

"But Don refused to hand over Ivy," the second guard whispered. "She is Don’s favorite pet. So, Don decided to offer Ivy’s mute sister Lily as substitute."

"To whom? Not Sophia’s brother Luca?" 

"Yeah, Luca. That psycho running the underground brothels in Naples for the Camorra. Women don't come out of his care looking like humans anymore. I heard he tortured a few virgins to death just last week." 

The words hit me harder than the whip. They were poison needles driving straight into my eardrums. 

The Camorra’s Red Light District… That place was a meat grinder. 

Lily. My little sister. The only blood I had left in this wretched world. She couldn't even speak. If she fell into the hands of a sadist like Luca… 

Pure, unadulterated terror eclipsed the physical pain. 

"Get me down! Let me down now! I need to see the Don!" 

I thrashed against the chains like a feral animal, tearing the flesh of my wrists until the iron was slick with my own blood. 

The moment my feet hit the stone floor, I didn't care about the open wounds on my back. I didn't care about the blood trailing down my pant legs. 

I stumbled, then ran, adrenaline fueling a desperate sprint toward the main villa.

Alexander sat at the head of the long mahogany table, nursing a glass of scotch, his expression unreadable. He was flanked by his Capos and the Consigliere.

And there was Sophia, perched right beside him. Her eyes were rimmed red, playing the part of the traumatized little bird to perfection, clinging to his arm as if she were made of fragile glass.

When I burst in—blood-soaked, disheveled—Alexander’s grip on his glass tightened so hard I thought it would shatter. For a split second, a flicker of raw concern flashed in his dark eyes before he masked it with ice.

"Ivy," he warned, his voice low and dangerous. "You are injured. Go to the infirmary. We are in a meeting."

He was giving me an out. A chance to leave before the sharks smelled blood.

But I couldn't leave.

My legs gave out. I collapsed to my knees, my voice raspy and broken. "Boss… please. The mission failure… it’s my fault. You can take my life. Kill me if you have to. But please, I’m begging you, don’t send Lily to Luca. She’s innocent!"

Alexander’s jaw clenched, a muscle feathering in his cheek.

He looked at me with a heavy, exhausted resignation. "The decision has been made by the Council, Ivy. The Camorra demands blood for the insult."

Before Alexander could speak further, Sophia chimed in, her voice dripping with timid, feigned sweetness.

"Ivy, we lost hundreds of millions of dollars. My father is furious. If Alexander doesn't offer a significant tribute, it means war. Besides, my brother Luca has taken a liking to Lily. It’s a blessing for her, really."

A blessing? Being sent to be a sex slave for a psychopath is a blessing?

I stared at Alexander, tears finally spilling over, mixing with the grime on my face.

"Alexander, you promised me! Five years ago, during the street war in Palermo, I took a knife for you. You said you owed me a boon. You swore on your honor that you would grant me one request, whatever it was! I am calling in that debt now. Release my sister!"

Hearing my words, Alexander paused. He closed his eyes for a moment, the conflict visible on his face.

"That debt was to you, Ivy," he said, his voice straining. "Not to your sister. I cannot risk the safety of the entire Family for one girl. "

He was stating a brutal fact. He was the Don; the Family came first.

But Sophia saw an opening to twist the knife. A glint of malicious delight flashed through her eyes. She covered her mouth, letting out a soft, venomous laugh.

"Darling, since Ivy is so heartbroken over her sister, why not give her a chance? You know how Luca is... he gets bored easily. He’s hosting a high-stakes game at his underground casino tonight. He mentioned he needed a... centerpiece."

Sophia leaned forward, her eyes predator-like.

"If Ivy is willing to take her sister's place and serve as a nude croupier—if she can humiliate herself enough to keep the bosses entertained—I’ll tell Luca to let Lily go. How about that?"

A nude croupier…

The room went dead silent.

Alexander leaned back, a scoff almost escaping his lips.

He knew how proud I was; I would never agree to such a request.

He was waiting for me to refuse so he could dismiss her ridiculous idea.

But I thought of Lily. Helpless, mute Lily.

I dug my nails into my palms until they bled. I looked straight at Alexander, killing the part of me that had pride.

"I'll do it."

Alexander froze. The scotch glass in his hand cracked with a sharp snap.

Dark, violent fury flooded his face—not at Sophia, but at me.

"You want to do it?" he hissed, his voice dropping to a terrifying growl.

"Fine," he spat, his voice dripping with venom. "Since you are so eager to parade your body for those vultures, go ahead."

He grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at his blackened expression.

"But remember this, Ivy—you are still my dog. They can look… but they are not permitted to touch."

The air in Luca’s private underground casino was thick enough to choke on. 

"So, this is the Alexander family's loyal bitch? Not bad to look at." 

Luca swirled the amber liquid in his whiskey glass, his laugh echoing off the walls. "Go on then. Take off that Kevlar vest. Give the Capos a little show. If you keep everyone entertained tonight, I might just let you see your sister." 

My nails dug into my palms until the skin broke.

I wanted to snap his neck. But then I thought of Lily.

I forced my hand to unclench.

"Fine," I said, my voice dead and cold.

The room went quiet, dozens of eyes sticking to me like tar. I reached for the buttons of my tactical shirt. One by one, they came undone.

I stood there in nothing but my black lace lingerie. The cool air bit at my skin, but it was nothing compared to the burning humiliation.

I could feel their gazes crawling over my skin.

"More," Luca commanded, his eyes darkening with lust.

I reached behind me to unclasp my bra. My hands shook, but I let the straps fall. I was about to be completely bare.

"Wait. Watching is boring." Luca stood up abruptly.

His hand reached out, aiming for my breast. "I want to taste what the Don of Cosa Nostra plays with."

Every muscle in my body coiled tight. I wanted to grab his wrist and snap the bone. I could do it in a second.

But if I fought back, Lily died.

I squeezed my eyes shut, holding my breath, waiting for the violation.

Just as his filthy hand was about to graze me— 

Crash. 

The heavy, carved oak doors of the private suite were kicked open with violent force. 

Alexander stormed in. Behind him, two rows of Soldatos in black suits flooded the room, Thompson submachine guns raised. The pressure in the room dropped instantly, suffocating everyone. 

Silence fell like a guillotine. 

Luca froze, then forced a greasy smile. "Don Alexander, I was just helping you train your—" 

He never finished the sentence. 

Alexander strode forward, snatched a heavy crystal ashtray from the table, and smashed it directly onto Luca’s kneecap. 

"Aaaargh!" 

The scream tore through the room, drowning out the opera music playing in the background. 

Alexander’s face was a mask of stone. He placed his handmade Italian leather shoe on Luca’s shattered leg and ground his heel down. 

"I said you could look. I never said you could touch. Do you think my words are just the wind blowing over Sicily?" 

Before I could even exhale, Alexander ripped off his long black trench coat and wrapped it tightly around my body.

He scooped me up into his arms.

The drive back to the estate was silent. The moment we entered the master bedroom, he dragged me into the bathroom and shoved me into a tub filled with ice-cold water. 

The freezing temperature shocked my system, seizing my muscles and stinging my open wounds. 

"Boss..." 

"Shut your mouth! Have you forgotten Omertà?" 

Alexander grabbed a stiff-bristled horse brush from the shelf. He began to scrub the skin where Luca’s fingers had hovered. 

"Did you enjoy that? Are you that desperate for a man's attention?" 

Cold sweat mixed with tears on my face. "I didn't... I did it to save Lily..." 

"Don't you dare talk back!" 

He scrubbed harder. "If this skin is so dirty, then scrub it until it's clean! You belong to me. Who gave you permission to carry the scent of another man?"