Chapter 2 - HE WIPED OUT HER EX-FIANCÉ IN ONE NIGHT—AND LOCKED HER IN A GOLDEN FORTRESS
When I opened my eyes, the smell of cheap bleach and old pasta was gone. Instead, the rich scent of cedarwood, soft leather, and fresh jasmine filled my lungs.
I was lying face down on a massive king-sized bed wrapped in silk sheets. Sunlight streamed through floor-to-ceiling glass windows, revealing a sprawling forest and mountains stretching across the horizon. A white-coated private doctor sat by a medical monitor, carefully checking my vitals.
“She’s awake, Mr. Vance,” the doctor murmured.
Footsteps heavy enough to shake the floorboards approached. Dante stepped into the room, wearing a dark rolled-sleeve dress shirt, revealing tattooed forearms that bore ancient, brutal symbols. He carried a silver tray with a steaming porcelain mug.
“You have forty-two stitches across your back,” Dante said flatly, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Three shards of lead crystal were buried less than two millimeters from your spinal cord. You should be paralyzed.”
“Where... where am I?” My voice sounded like crushed gravel.
“My estate. High up in the palisades,” he said, blowing gently on the mug before setting it on the nightstand. “No one enters without my code. No one leaves without my permission.”
Panic flared in my chest. “I have to go back to my apartment. The landlord—my rent is due today! If I’m not there—”
“Your apartment no longer exists,” Dante interrupted coldly.
I froze. “What?”
Dante pulled a sleek leather file from his coat and dropped it onto the silk mattress. “Your landlord was a crooked slumlord taking bribes from local loan sharks. I bought your entire apartment building three hours ago and ordered it demolished. Your belongings have been moved into the west wing of this house.”
He leaned in closer, his dark eyes pinning me to the mattress. “And as for David—the rat who took your savings, stole your grandmother's ring, and left you to starve?”
My heart stopped. “David? What did you do?”
“David was picked up at an illegal gambling den in South Side at 3:00 AM,” Dante said softly, his voice dropping into a register that sent chills down my spine. “He was found in possession of stolen property. He is currently on a cargo vessel bound for an offshore penal colony. He will never touch another coin, nor will he ever speak your name again.”
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“You... you destroyed his life in one night?” I whispered, horrified yet strangely liberated.
“He destroyed your past,” Dante corrected, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “I am merely securing your future. You took glass for my son, Maya. In my world, blood is repaid with blood, and loyalty is rewarded with a fortress.”
