Nothing Left but a Blood Debt

As one of the top negotiators in the family, I led my team to Chicago and defused a dispute with a rival outfit, pulling us back from the brink of a bloody war.

However, on the way back to New York City, I was ambushed and kidnapped by a group of masked thugs.

My fiancé, Marco, arrived with his men, but he only stood in the shadows, watching as the thugs shattered my right hand with an iron rod and slashed a knife across my face. He didn't move a muscle.

Bleeding out, I overheard a conversation between Marco and his second-in-command.

"Marco, if we don't save Sienna now, her hand might be ruined for good."

But Marco was unmoved, his voice cold. "I have to ruin her hand so Carla can get that Chief Advisor position. Sienna crushed it in Chicago; her star is rising too fast. This is the only way Carla stands a chance."

"It's just a little pain. I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to her."

In that moment, something inside me didn't just break—it shattered. I went limp, all the fight draining out of me.

I never imagined that the man I loved most would be the one to cast me into this hell himself.

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1

When I saw Marco appear with his men, a spark of hope ignited within me. I screamed for him with every ounce of strength I had, praying he would pull me from this hell.

But he stopped a good thirty feet away.

"Sienna, these guys are pros. This smells like a trap. Just hang on. We're working on a plan to get you out."

I stared at him, despair washing over me. In that instant, an iron rod slammed onto my right hand, and the world went black.

When I woke up again, I was locked in a cold, damp warehouse at an abandoned pier. Outside, I could hear the voice of his second-in-command, Frank.

"Marco, we have to go in now. The longer we wait, the worse her injuries get. She could die in there."

Marco shook his head. "No, not yet. She's tough. I need to make sure her hand is ruined for good. Only then can I be sure she won't be competing with Carla for the Chief Advisor position."

Frank's voice was strained. "No matter what, Sienna is the Principessa of the Costello family. If she finds out you crippled her hand for Carla, she'll hate you for the rest of her life."

Marco sighed, a helpless sound. "I have no choice. Carla is just a junior analyst; she needs this position. But Sienna still has me. I'll take care of her."

Their voices faded into the distance, and an icy dread filled my chest.

The physical agony was nothing compared to the sharp, bitter sting of his betrayal.

I couldn't believe that the man who had once sworn to love me forever was the very one who had destroyed my future and nearly cost me my life.

I remembered how, before I left for Chicago, Marco had tried to persuade me to let Carla take the lead on the job. So, he’d known all along: whoever solved the Chicago problem would be named the next Chief Advisor. He had wanted to send his mistress, but Carla thought it was too risky and refused. So Marco cooked up this vicious scheme instead.

My heart turned to ice as the truth settled in. Marco didn't love me. He never had.