He wrenched his arm free. The edge of his diamond ring scraped the back of my hand, a cold, sharp sting.

"Stop acting. How long are you going to play the sympathy card? You think I can't see through you? I'm not one of those Soldatos who worship you blindly. I won't go soft just because you pretend to faint."

With a clatter, he dragged a rusty iron chain across the opening, blocking the only escape and sealing me inside the container.

Their voices drifted in from outside. Caspian's tone was gentle as he handed Sera a bottle of water.

"Don't mind her. She's been on a pedestal for too long. Does she really think the Grimaldi family will fall apart without her?"

"Caspian, will she be okay? I heard this kind of chemical smoke is very dangerous..."

Sera's voice dripped with false concern.

"What could happen? She once demolished a rival family at the negotiating table single-handedly. What's a little smoke to her?"

I huddled behind the chain, too weak to even cough.

The toxic gas slithered into my lungs like a cold serpent.

I had an antidote, something I'd acquired from an arms dealer along with an emergency signal transmitter.

That small bottle was just a few feet away, near Sera’s boots.

But I didn't have the strength to even lift my hand.

The intense pain made my body tremble violently, and my vision swam.

Outside, not a single one of them looked back.

After what felt like an eternity, a pair of exquisite leather boots stopped in front of me.

It was Sera.

She'd taken off the bulletproof vest. There wasn't a scratch on her.

She crouched, a victorious smirk on her lips, her voice a low, vicious whisper.

"My dear Donna, did you know? Caspian has wanted to divorce you for a long time."

I widened my eyes, wanting to curse her, but only a faint hiss escaped my throat.

Sera's smile deepened.

"He said your ice-queen face at the negotiating table disgusts him. If your family couldn't provide the funds, he never would have married a boring, arrogant woman like you."

Seeing the smugness on her face, I wished I could tear that hypocritical mask off with my bare hands. But the chemical gas had paralyzed me; I couldn't move a finger.

She whipped out a dagger and slashed it viciously across my tactical jacket.

The lining was a special high-tech fiber I'd developed, capable of filtering some of the toxins. Now, a long gash split it open, and the cold, poisonous air assaulted my skin directly.

My vision flashed red. With a final surge of adrenaline, I slammed into her and stumbled out of the container.

"Are you insane? That was the only thing keeping me alive!"

I screamed, my voice shattering in the damp air.

Caspian and the others were resting nearby. Hearing the commotion, he strode over, a deep frown on his face.

Sera's eyes immediately filled with tears. She sobbed and hid behind him.

"Caspian, I just wanted to help the Donna up, and she pushed me. She's even saying I tore her jacket..."

Watching her seamless performance, all I felt was a chilling, absurd cold. The pain-induced chaos in my mind cleared, replaced by a bone-deep frost.

Caspian's gaze fell on my torn jacket, his expression thunderous.

"You're becoming more unreasonable by the second. Sera was kind enough to help you, and you're not only ungrateful, you're self-harming to frame her? I never knew you were so malicious."

"It wasn't me. She cut it with a dagger!"

I stared at Caspian, my eyes hollow.

I held no more illusions about this man. That explanation was for my own last shred of dignity, nothing more.

But Caspian didn't even look at me. His gaze, piercing through the toxic fog, was its own form of suffocation.

The same female soldier who had mocked me before jumped in to add fuel to the fire.

"She's obviously jealous the Don is taking care of Sera, so she's deliberately making trouble. She's acting like a lunatic!"

"Seems the Donna isn't as capable as she used to be. A little chemical smoke, and she's a pathetic mess. What a liability."

"And after all these years, she hasn't even given the Don an heir. The Don is already being generous by not kicking her out."

"If you ask me, Miss Sera is a better fit for Donna than her."

Accusations flew from all sides, each word a blade stabbing at me until I could barely breathe.

I let out a cold laugh. Ignoring the excruciating pain of the poison gnawing at my bones, I slowly straightened my back.

"A better fit? She's a parasite clinging to a man for survival, and you're a pack of dogs who would have starved to death without my family's channels. Who the hell are you to judge me?"

The soldiers instinctively recoiled, cowed by the sheer ice in my eyes, their arrogant bluster gone in an instant.

Caspian frowned, his patience clearly gone.

"What is this now? How long are you going to keep this act up? Apologize to Sera. Now!"

"Apologize? She's not worthy," I hissed.

Sera, as if frightened by my tone, began to sob quietly.

Caspian pulled her into his arms, patting her back soothingly.

"Don't cry. She's just getting old and bitter. Jealous that you're young and beautiful."

Leaning against Caspian's chest, Sera choked out, "Does the Donna really hate me that much? I'm sorry, it's all my fault. When we get back, I'll leave the family right away, so you two won't have to fight anymore..."

Caspian's gaze on me turned to ice. His words were slow and clear.

"You've done nothing wrong. She's the one with the twisted mind. Don't worry, when we get back, I'll make things right for you."

I shook my head and laughed, a bitter, broken sound.

The Don I once took a bullet for was now nailing me to a pillar of shame in front of everyone.

Nestled in Caspian's arms, Sera shot me a victorious little smirk.

"You listen to me."

Caspian looked down at me, his voice frigid.

"Either you kneel and apologize to Sera right now and admit you had a psychotic break and harmed yourself. Or, after this firefight, I will report you to the family council for mental instability and malicious framing of a comrade. I'll have you sent to a mental institution."

I raised my head and looked at the two of them, clinging to each other.

At the celebration all those years ago, I had shielded him from an assassin's bullet. Time and again, I had pulled him from the jaws of death.

And in his eyes, it was all worthless.

"I did nothing wrong. I will not apologize."

As the words left my mouth, a wave of intense dizziness washed over me.

Before my consciousness faded completely, I pressed the emergency beacon on my watch, transmitting my location.