Chapter 3 - The Price of ProtectionAt 6:00 AM, the smell of dark espresso woke me from a fitful, restless sleep.
I threw on a simple satin robe and walked out into the living area, expecting to find the apartment empty as usual. Instead, the entire floor was bustling with activity.
Six heavily armed men in dark tactical gear were standing near the floor-to-ceiling windows, inspecting security feeds on portable tablets. In the center of the kitchen, Adrian was standing over a blueprint spread across the marble counter, holding a cup of black coffee. He was wearing a dark grey tailored suit, looking every bit the ruthless billionaire, but his eyes were bloodshot—he hadn't slept a single minute.
"Ah, Mrs. Valentino. Good morning," Marco said respectfully, bowing his head as I walked in.
The tactical guards immediately snapped to attention.
Adrian looked up from the blueprints, his gaze sweeping over me in my robe. His eyes darkened slightly, a sudden heat passing through his expression before he smoothed it over.
"Leave us," Adrian commanded the guards.
The men immediately filed out toward the hallway, leaving Marco, Adrian, and me alone in the kitchen.
"You're awake," Adrian said, stepping toward me and placing a hot cup of tea on the counter right where I usually stood. He remembered how I took my tea.
"I couldn't sleep," I admitted, taking the cup. "Adrian, what is all this?"
"Salvatore Petrov, head of the Petrov syndicate, crossed the border into New York two days ago," Adrian explained, his tone matter-of-fact. "He has deployed three hit squads across the city. His objective is to force a confrontation with me before the board meeting on Thursday."
"And where do I fit into this?"
"You are coming with me to the Valentino Financial Gala tomorrow night," Adrian said.
I blinked, nearly dropping my tea. "The gala? Adrian, I haven't attended a public event with you since our wedding day! You explicitly told me three years ago that you wanted me out of the public eye!"
"Because keeping you away from the press kept you hidden from my enemies," Adrian countered, closing the distance between us until he was leaning against the counter beside me. "But hiding you now makes us look weak. Petrov thinks you are an easy target—a defenseless girl hiding in a golden cage. Tomorrow night, we present a united front. We show the world that attacking you means declaring war on the entire Valentino family."
He reached out, his long fingers gently lifting my chin until I was forced to look directly into his eyes.
"Can you do that for me, Clara?" he asked, his voice dropping into a soft, intimate register that sent goosebumps across my arms. "Can you play the part of a fierce, devoted wife?"
"Play the part?" I echoed, a bitter sting touching my heart. "Is that all this is to you, Adrian? A performance?"
Adrian’s eyes flickered with a sudden, intense emotion that he quickly suppressed. He leaned in closer, his thumb stroking my cheekbone with agonizing slowness.
"Nothing about you has ever been just a performance to me, Clara," he murmured, his breath brushing against my lips. "You just never paid enough attention to notice."
Before I could ask him what he meant by those terrifying, beautiful words, the elevator doors chimed violently.
Marco rushed back into the room, his face pale, holding a secure satellite phone.
"Mr. Valentino, we have a problem," Marco said, his voice urgent. "Petrov’s men just intercepted your father-in-law's transport in Queens."
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My heart stopped. My tea cup shattered on the counter, spilling hot liquid across the marble.
"My father?!" I screamed, turning to Adrian in pure horror. "Adrian! They have my father!"
