The moment the tall man stepped fully into the light, every kidnapper in the warehouse turned deathly pale.
One of them stumbled backward so hard he crashed into a crate.
"T-The Living Demon." His voice shook violently.
Another kidnapper dropped his gun instantly, terror flooding his face. "Dante Moretti."
Even the scar-faced ringleader, who moments ago had been laughing arrogantly, now looked as though his soul had left his body.
Everyone in the underground world knew that name.
Dante Moretti.
The ruler of the Moretti Syndicate.
A man whose influence stretched across continents.
He controlled ports, casinos, weapons routes, black markets, multinational corporations, and entire political circles from the shadows. Rumors claimed ministers bowed to him in secret while mafia bosses kissed the ground beneath his shoes.
And unlike ordinary criminals, Dante was terrifying because he felt nothing.
No mercy.
No hesitation.
No remorse.
Those silver-gray eyes of his were infamous in the underworld. People said being stared at by Dante Moretti felt like standing before death itself. Absolutely cold and inhuman.
The scar-faced kidnapper collapsed to his knees.
"M-Mr. Moretti!" he stammered desperately. "We didn't know this woman belonged to you!"
Dante's expression remained unreadable. "She doesn't."
His deep voice echoed calmly through the warehouse, smooth and elegant despite the terrifying pressure behind it.
Even his voice was beautiful and dangerously magnetic.
The kind of voice that could lure people closer moments before destroying them.
"But," Dante continued softly, "you disgusted me."
The entire warehouse fell silent.
"Capture them all."
One of Dante's men stepped forward immediately. "Yes, Boss."
Within seconds, the kidnappers were brutally forced to the ground. Cries of agony echoed through the warehouse as black-clad operatives twisted arms behind backs and kicked weapons away.
"AHHH!"
"Please spare us!"
"We were hired!"
Camille watched silently from the chair. Her breathing remained shaky, but her eyes slowly steadied.
For the first time tonight, the fear inside her began turning into something colder. Hatred.
Dante approached her slowly. Up close, his appearance was almost unreal.
He was devastatingly handsome in a way that felt dangerous rather than gentle. Sharp brows. Pale skin. Dark hair slightly damp from the rain outside. His silver eyes looked carved from winter itself.
And yet, there was exhaustion hidden beneath them.
He crouched before her without a word and sliced through the ropes binding her wrists.
The moment she was free, Camille's arms fell limply to her sides. Blood rushed painfully back into her hands.
Dante glanced at the angry rope burns around her pale skin. His eyes darkened slightly.
"Can you stand?" he asked.
Camille slowly lifted her gaze to him. She was beautiful even in ruin.
Her long dark hair framed a face delicate enough to resemble a painting, yet her tear-reddened eyes held a sharpness that contradicted her fragile appearance. Her beauty wasn't soft like Talia's carefully manufactured innocence.
Camille's beauty was haunting. The kind that lingered in someone's memory long after they looked away.
"Yes," she whispered.
Her voice startled Dante slightly. It was soft, yet calm.
The moment she stood, however, her eyes landed on the dagger lying near the dead crates.
Without warning, Camille walked forward and picked it up. The kidnapper who had tried to assault her instantly panicked.
"H-Hey! Wait!" He tried crawling backward.
Camille stared at him silently. Images flashed through her mind. Her brothers are abandoning her. Matteo refused to look at her. Talia's triumphant smile. This man unbuckling his belt while she prepared to smash her own skull against the wall.
The kidnapper burst into tears. "Please! I was just following orders!"
Camille tilted her head slightly. She stabbed the dagger straight into his throat. Blood sprayed across the concrete floor. The man's scream cut off into choking gargles.
Several of Dante's subordinates looked visibly shocked.
Even Dante's eyes narrowed slightly.
Camille pulled the dagger out slowly, blood splattering across her pale hands. The warehouse became utterly silent. The dying man collapsed at her feet.
Camille stared down at him emotionlessly.
Then she turned toward the scar-faced ringleader.
"You said Talia hired you." Her voice was calm enough to make the man shiver.
"Yes, T-Talia Laurent." he stammered fearfully.
"Speak clearly."
The ringleader swallowed hard under her icy stare. "She contacted us one month ago!"
Camille's fingers tightened around the bloody dagger.
"She said you were ruining her life! She wanted us to scare you at first.frame you for things.make your family hate you."
A bitter laugh almost escaped Camille's throat. So it really had all been deliberate. The stolen necklace. The fake suicide attempt. The manipulated arguments. Everything was her doing, just blamed on Camille.
The man continued desperately. "This kidnapping was supposed to finish things completely! She paid extra if we violated you before killing you!"
One of Dante's men cursed under his breath.
The scar-faced man pointed frantically toward the dead kidnapper.
"H-He was gonna record it too! And then.and then send it to Talia."
Camille's chest tightened violently. The world suddenly felt unbearably quiet.
For six whole months.She had blamed herself. She had bent over backward trying to fit into the Laurent family. Trying to be understanding. Trying to coexist peacefully with Talia.
Every insult from her brothers. Every cold glance from Matteo. She endured it all because she thought if she tried harder, eventually they would love her too.
How pathetic.
Camille let out a soft laugh.
"You know what's funny?" she murmured quietly.
Nobody answered.
She lowered her gaze toward the blood on her hands. "I actually wanted them to love me."
Her lips curved bitterly. "I kept compromising. Kept apologizing. Kept shrinking myself to make Talia comfortable. But tonight."
Something terrifyingly calm settled inside her expression. "They abandoned me without hesitation."
The scar-faced man trembled violently. Camille suddenly smiled. It was beautiful. And heartbreaking. "The Laurent family really are fools."
Even Dante watched her silently now.
"She manipulated all of them so easily," Camille whispered mockingly. "And they let her."
She tossed the dagger onto the floor. "Leave."
The kidnappers blinked in confusion.
Camille turned away coldly. "I said leave!"
"Y-You're sparing us?" the scar-faced man asked shakily.
"No," Camille's eyes held no warmth whatsoever now. Her voice turned icy. "I'm simply saving you for later."
The man nearly collapsed from fear.
Dante studied her quietly.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Most women would have broken after happening so much. Camille instead looked reborn in something darker.
Suddenly, Dante staggered slightly. A violent cough tore from his throat and blood splattered across his black glove.
Several subordinates immediately panicked.
"Boss!"
Dante's expression darkened dangerously. Another cough followed and more blood came out.
Camille's eyes sharpened instantly. Without hesitation, she grabbed his wrist.
The bodyguards immediately aimed their guns at her. "Don't touch him!"
Dante raised one hand calmly and the guns lowered.
Camille stared at the blood on his glove carefully. Dark crimson, hints of black, and a faint bitter smell.
Her brows furrowed. "Nightshade root mixed with crimson serpent venom," she murmured quietly.
For the first time, real surprise crossed Dante's face.
"You recognize it?"
Camille looked up slowly. "That poison attacks the bloodstream first before destroying the organs."
One subordinate gasped. "That's impossible. We spent months searching for the poison. How could she just tell from just a look?"
Dante's gaze sharpened dangerously as his venomous eyes pierced through her face. "How do you know this?"
Camille went silent briefly. She couldn't tell anyone her secret. She had mastered in poisons and making their antidotes. It was her teacher who taught her all that. The same teacher who one day picked her from the streets and raised her.
He taught everything about poisonous herbs and she had read hundreds of books. She had spent years memorizing toxins and antidotes.
Her teacher had raised her not only with kindness but with terrifying knowledge.
"It's a secret I can't reveal," she replied quietly.
That was all she said.
Dante studied her carefully. Then another violent cough wracked through him.
Camille immediately grabbed his arm again. She studied it for a while and let out. "You don't have much time."
One subordinate stepped forward anxiously. "Boss, this toxin has already killed three specialists-"
"I can temporarily suppress it," Camille interrupted them, making everyone freeze again.
Dante's silver eyes locked onto hers. "You can cure me?"
"Eventually." Her voice remained calm.
Dante stared at her for several long seconds and then smirked. He didn't seem at all scared by her words that he didn't have much time left. He smiled, the kind of smile that could freeze blood.
"Do you know," he murmured softly, "how many people lied to me claiming they could cure this poison?"
Camille met his gaze without fear. "I'm not lying."
Silence stretched between them. Then Dante suddenly chuckled quietly.
Interesting indeed.
"What do you want as payment?" he asked. He could get her anything in the world, money, power, jewels, anything she named.
Most people begged him for such things.
But Camille merely looked away. "You saved me first."
"What?" Dante's brows lifted slightly.
"I'll cure you completely as repayment."
For the first time in years, someone stood before Dante Moretti wanting nothing from him.
His gaze darkened thoughtfully.
"Stay by my side until the treatment is complete," he said finally.
Camille considered silently and nodded. "Fine."
One subordinate looked stunned. Just like that?
Camille crossed her arms slowly. "But I have one condition."
Dante gestured for her to continue.
"Until your detoxification is complete, you have to provide me with room and board."
Several operatives looked horrified at her audacity.
But Dante only stared at her before letting out another soft laugh. "You negotiate with me boldly."
Camille's expression remained indifferent. "I'm tired of living while depending on people who despise me."
A dangerous glint flickered in Dante's eyes.
"And before I move into your residence," Camille continued coldly, "I need to return to the Laurent family."
The air around her seemed to drop in temperature.
"This time," she whispered softly, "I'm ending everything."
