The glass medicine cup in Xander’s hand shattered onto the floor instantly.
He stood up so fast the chair behind him slammed backward. “What the fuck do you mean disappeared?”
“She left the mansion this morning and nobody’s been able to find her.”
Xander looked genuinely terrified.
I watched him grab his gun and coat immediately. “Search the entire damn city!" he barked furiously. “Check every hotel, every airport, every fucking highway. I want updates every ten minutes.” then he ran out.
I stared at the empty doorway after he left. A bitter smile slowly formed on my lips. So this was what panic looked like when he truly loved someone.
...
The entire Golden Lion estate became tense for the next few days. Nobody dared breathe too loudly around Xander.
Everyone was terrified of setting him off.
Late one night, I finally heard chaos downstairs and I saw Xander carrying Claudia into the mansion himself.
She looked completely fine. I followed slowly behind them despite the pain in my body. Xander placed her gently onto the bed like she was made of glass.
“Why the hell would you run away like that?” he asked quietly while brushing hair from her face. “Do you know what you did to me? I thought something fucking happened to you.”
Claudia’s eyes turned red immediately. “I got scared,” she whispered. “I thought you blamed me for the baby.”
Xander looked stunned then he immediately pulled her into his arms. “How could I ever blame you for that?”
His voice was so gentle it made my chest ache.
“You were scared too,” he continued softly. “And I wasn’t there for you enough. That’s on me.”
Claudia sniffled dramatically. “But you looked so worried about Lorraine that day...”
Xander sighed and kissed her forehead. “Yeah. I fucked up. I’m sorry, baby.”
He apologized to her?
Claudia suddenly smiled through her tears. “Then write me an apology letter.”
Xander blinked. “What?”
“A real one,” she laughed. “And I wanna dictate it while you write.”
Any other person speaking to Xander Moretti like that would’ve disappeared by morning. But him?
He actually smiled helplessly. “You’re unbelievable.”
Still, he sat down at the desk anyway and started writing exactly what she told him to. I stood outside the room gripping the doorway so hard my nails dug into my palms.
How much did he love her? Enough to throw away his pride? His power? His marriage? Me?
Was this still just a game to him?
...
After that night, I stopped leaving my room.
I just waited quietly for my family’s guards to come get me. I only needed to survive eleven days.
Then the Golden Lion anniversary arrived.
The biggest event of the year.
Every mafia family attended. Politicians. CEOs. Arms dealers. Crime syndicates from overseas.
The ballroom looked disgusting in its luxury.
Champagne towers. Diamonds dripping from every woman’s neck. Men laughing over billion dollar deals while blood money paid for the music playing in the background.
And Claudia sat beside Xander at the center table like she already owned everything.
I sat silently nearby wearing a red dress Anna helped me into because refusing wasn’t an option anymore.
Claudia suddenly sighed dramatically. “This party’s boring.”
Xander glanced at her immediately. “What do you wanna do instead?”
She looked around lazily and her eyes landed on me. She smiled. That smile made my stomach twist instantly.
“What if we do a live auction?”
The room grew quieter.
Xander frowned slightly. “Auction what?”
Claudia pointed directly at me. “Her.”
The entire ballroom froze.
Even I stopped breathing.
“She’s gorgeous,” Claudia continued casually while sipping wine. “All these mafia bosses are already staring at her anyway. Make Lorraine the bidding item tonight.”
I looked at Xander in disbelief. Surely even he wouldn’t allow this.
Right?
But Claudia leaned against his shoulder sweetly. “Come on. It’s just for fun.”
Xander stayed silent for a long moment. Then his cold eyes slowly turned toward me. “Lory... Do it.”
My chest tightened painfully. “You can’t be serious.”
“It’s just entertainment,” he replied flatly. “Nobody’s touching you.”
Humiliation burned through me so badly I thought I might throw up. “I’m your wife.”
Xander’s expression darkened slightly. “And you’re embarrassing me by refusing.”
Claudia pouted immediately. “She won’t even dance? Then nobody’s gonna bid high.”
I stared at Xander desperately. “Please don’t do this to me.”
His voice dropped dangerously low. “Don’t make this harder than it already is, Lorraine.” Then quietly enough that only I could hear, he added, “You still have family alive. Don’t forget that.”
The threat hit me like a punch to the stomach.
I went cold instantly. He really was threatening me now. The same man who once killed for me, protected me, and loved me... Now he was the one destroying me.
“Okay,” I whispered brokenly. “I’ll do it.”
The music started moments later.
I walked onto the stage feeling completely numb while rich powerful men stared at me like hungry wolves and the bidding began.
“Five million.”
“Ten.”
“Twenty.”
The numbers kept rising while Claudia laughed happily beside Xander. “See?” she giggled. “I told you she’d sell well.”
I wanted to die.
Still, it wasn’t enough for Claudia.
“Make her dance too,” she said excitedly. “The bids will go even higher.”
Xander looked at me silently and didn’t stop her.
So I danced.
While men watched. While mafia bosses bid money over my body like I was property. While my husband sat beside another woman and allowed it all to happen.
Then suddenly everything exploded into chaos and gunshots rang through the ballroom. Several masked men burst through the entrance with rifles raised.
“ASSASSINS!” someone screamed.
And the entire ballroom erupted.
The guards surrounded Xander instantly the second the gunshots started. Everything became chaos. People screaming. Tables flipping over, and blood everywhere. I tried stepping back but suddenly something slammed into my shoulder hard.
Bang!
The pain exploded through my body so violently I collapsed immediately. Someone shot me.
I heard Anna scream my name somewhere nearby. “Mrs. Moretti!”
My vision blurred badly as blood started soaking through my dress. The ballroom spun around me and through the haze, I saw Claudia not far away clutching her arm while crying dramatically.
She’d been shot too.
And Xander?
Xander rushed straight to her. “Fuck!” he shouted while grabbing her tightly. “Claudia! Look at me, baby. Stay awake.”
I stared at him from the floor while blood pooled beneath me. Not me. Never me first anymore.
“Get the doctors now!” Xander roared furiously. “Move your asses!”
His men immediately carried Claudia away while I stayed lying there barely conscious as people ran past me.
At some point Anna dropped beside me crying hysterically. “She’s bleeding too! Please somebody help her!”
One of the staff looked nervous. “Boss said all surgeons are needed for Miss Claudia first.”
I actually laughed weakly after hearing that.
Even dying wasn’t enough to make him choose me.
The pain became unbearable after that and everything slowly faded black.
...
When I woke up again, I was already back inside Golden Lion Hospital.
The room smelled like blood and medicine. My shoulder burned horribly and I could barely move.
Outside the room, I suddenly heard Xander screaming. “If neither of them fucking survives, I’ll shut this hospital down myself!”
Doctors apologized nervously while chaos echoed through the hallway. They said the bullets had poison and it was already spreading inside the body.
Then another doctor spoke carefully. “Mr. Moretti... there’s a problem.”
Silence followed.
“The antidote medication arrived late and we only have enough prepared for one patient right now. The second dose needs another three hours.”
The room became terrifyingly quiet.
I slowly opened my eyes.
Through the partially opened door, I saw Xander standing there holding Claudia tightly against his chest while she looked pale and unconscious.
The doctor swallowed nervously. “Who should receive treatment first?”
I stared at Xander silently.
“Save Claudia first.”
