The first day I was forced into the escort ring, Chase Vance claimed me. The ruthless mafia boss, despite his terrifying fury, knelt before me. Looking up at my face, he growled, "Who dared make you cry? I'll kill them!" I pointed at the pile of envelopes on the table. They were filled with explicit photos of him in bed with another girl. His eyes went cold. His men instantly stepped forward and swept them away. Chase leaned in, kissing my tear-stained lashes. "They're photoshopped. Don't dirty your eyes looking at them." "When I find out who did this, I'll blow their brains out!" The next day, I brought the girl from the photos right to him. I tossed a gun at his feet. "Shoot her." He frowned, stepping in front of her to shield her. "She's pregnant, Scarlett. Can we at least wait until the baby is born?" Vivian Blake stood timidly beside Chase, looking like a frightened rabbit. "Scarlett, I swear I didn't send those photos to you. Please don't misunderstand," she whimpered. I didn't even look at her. I just toyed with the handgun in my grip. "Chase, is there a single promise you've made that actually means anything?" "If you can't pull the trigger, I don't mind doing it for you." The moment the words left my mouth, I flicked my wrist. The cold, black barrel pointed straight at Vivian's forehead. Vivian gasped, tears streaming down her face as her body began to shake uncontrollably. Chase's handsome brow furrowed. He smoothly stepped back, shielding Vivian behind him. "Scarlett, I told you. She's pregnant." "Don't worry, no one can ever replace you. Once she gives birth, I'll handle her myself." Saying this, Chase's voice softened. "Scarlett, trust me just this once, okay?" His voice was low and seductive, dripping with persuasion. Having loved me for five years, Chase knew exactly how to make me melt. Every time I got angry, that soft, questioning "okay?" was enough to make my defenses crumble completely. I looked up at them, catching Vivian staring at me with red, teary eyes from behind Chase. Chase's protective stance made my heart sink further into the abyss. I let my wrist drop, slipping the gun away. "I won't shoot. But I have one condition." "Let me go, Chase." When I said the first sentence, Chase visibly relaxed. But the second those last words left my lips, his brow furrowed again. "Scarlett, I've told you. You belong to me." "In this life, and the next." Vivian tugged gently on Chase's sleeve, her voice trembling, making her look incredibly pathetic. "Scarlett, I swear I never wanted to come between you and Chase." "I promise, as soon as the baby is born, I'll leave. I won't get in your way." Chase let out a soft sigh. "Alright, Scarlett. This was my mistake. It won't happen again." "Get some rest. Once I get her settled, I'll come right back to be with you." Before I could answer, Chase walked out, leading Vivian away. The dozen bodyguards behind Chase followed him in a rush, leaving the massive living room suddenly cold and empty. I pulled my shawl tighter around my shoulders, walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows, and stared blankly at the moon. My moon was now shining its light on someone else. Since that was the case, it was time for me to seek the sun.
Chase didn't come home that night. The day I threw those photos in his face, he had ordered his men to confiscate all of them. But what he didn't know was that Vivian had already sent me digital copies on Snapchat. This little girl was far from the innocent creature Chase thought she was. All night, while Chase was away, I sat in front of my computer screen, staring at those photos. Even at the height of passion, Chase's eyes in the pictures were filled with tender adoration. He looked like he was terrified of hurting the fragile girl beneath him. In the five years we had been together, I had never once seen that kind of tenderness on his face. In bed, Chase was always primal, wild, and possessive, as if he wanted to crush my bones. But the man on the screen, despite sharing Chase's features, possessed a gentleness that was terrifyingly foreign to me. Suddenly, my phone buzzed with a message. It was a picture of a necklace. The pendant was a bullet casing. "I only mentioned how unique it looked, and Chase gave it to me. He said it was just a cheap trinket, and I could have it if I liked it." I froze. Just then, the front door opened. Chase was finally home. Before he could walk over, I quickly closed the files on my computer. Chase walked up behind me, leaning down to press a kiss to my cheek. "Why are you still awake? Were you waiting for me?" I locked my phone screen, my eyes dropping to his collarbone. Sure enough, his neck was bare. The necklace he never took off was gone. I subtly pulled back, creating some space between us. "Where's your necklace? Why aren't you wearing it?" Chase didn't show a hint of guilt. He casually loosened his collar. "The chain broke. I sent it out to get replaced." I fell silent, offering no reply. The bullet on that necklace was the very one that had almost pierced my heart five years ago. Back then, Chase wasn't as powerful as he was now, but he was rising fast in the underworld, making him a target for many. During one ambush, the enemy sent their top assassin to end Chase's life once and for all. The second both sides raised their guns, my chest tightened. Without thinking, I threw myself in front of Chase and took the bullet for him. In the end, Chase's bullet found the mark right between the assassin's eyes. But the assassin's bullet had stopped a mere half-inch from my heart. When I woke up in the hospital, I saw Chase cry for the first time. "Scarlett, I swear to God, I will never betray you." "Anyone who wants to hurt you will have to step over my dead body first." He had the bullet extracted from my chest made into a necklace, wearing it close to his heart. For five years, he had never taken it off, not even to shower. I looked up at him, a cold thought taking root in my mind. "Chase, let's get married." Chase froze, clearly caught off guard. In our five years together, I had never once brought up marriage. He quickly recovered, patting my head with a chuckle. "Stop teasing. I'm going to take a shower." With that, he turned and walked into the bathroom. It was only a test. And though he didn't give me a direct answer, his avoidance was the loudest answer of all. Over the next few days, Chase stayed home most of the time. We both tacitly avoided mentioning her name. By the fourth day, I was restless. Taking advantage of Chase being out, I headed to the shooting range. I hadn't held a gun in days, and my grip felt a bit rusty. I had barely fired a few rounds when a voice sounded right beside me. "You certainly have a lot of free time, Scarlett. Practicing at the range at a time like this?" "I heard you used to be the princess of the Black Wolves. How did you end up begging a man to keep you? It's honestly pathetic." I lowered my arm and turned to look at Vivian. Her face was smug, completely devoid of the timid innocence she had shown before. Her acting skills really were top-notch. I took off my safety goggles, studying the woman before me, and let out a cold laugh. "You heard him the other day. He's the one refusing to let me leave." "Who's the desperate one here? Can't you tell, Vivian?"
Vivian flinched for a second, then gritted her teeth, spitting out every word. "Once I give birth to his child, what makes you think you can still compete with me?" "The great mafia princess of the Black Wolves, reduced to a caged pet. Your dead father probably can't even rest in peace..." I cut her off with a vicious slap across the face. The force sent Vivian stumbling back. When she looked up, her eyes burned with pure malice. Before she could utter a word, a furious roar shattered the air. "Scarlett! What the hell are you doing?!" The instant she heard that voice, Vivian's expression morphed back into helpless fragility. "I'm sorry, Scarlett. I just wanted to explain. I didn't want you and Chase to fight because of me." "I've been an orphan my whole life. Chase only took pity on me. We're really not what you think." Chase stared darkly at Vivian's red, swollen cheek. "Scarlett, she's pregnant! How could you lay a hand on her?!" My answer was simply raising my gun. *BANG!* The bullet grazed Vivian's arm with perfect precision. Instantly, blood began to gush from the wound. I lowered my arm, looking at the two of them with cold, dead eyes. "You saved her from my bullet last time. This is for that." "Chase, put a leash on your dog. Next time, the bullet goes right between her eyes." Chase scooped Vivian up into his arms, his eyes bloodshot with suppressed rage as he glared at me. After a long silence, he gritted out, "This was Vivian's fault today. She shouldn't have bothered you." "Now you two are even." Without another look, Chase turned and carried Vivian toward the exit. I didn't know if he did it on purpose. As he stormed past, his shoulder slammed hard against mine. Caught completely off guard, the force knocked me off my feet. I crashed to the ground, my lower back slamming violently against the sharp edge of the shooting bench. A blinding, white-hot pain flared up from my spine, consuming my entire body. I could barely breathe. From behind me, a bodyguard gasped in horror. "Miss Sterling! You're bleeding!" I looked down numbly. Crimson blood was spreading rapidly across the floor. The world blurred into a terrifying shade of red. My body gave out, and darkness swallowed me whole. When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed. The nurse replacing my IV immediately called for the doctor. The doctor looked at me with deep sympathy. "You were seven weeks pregnant. Your body was already weak, and the impact from the fall... we couldn't save the baby." The doctor let out a soft sigh. "A lot of pregnant women were admitted today. There's another pregnant patient right next door who was rushed in with injuries." "Fortunately, her baby is perfectly fine." "You young girls really need to take better care of yourselves." The doctor mumbled a few more words before stepping out of the room. My hands shook as I gently touched my flat stomach. It felt like my heart had stopped beating. I had a baby inside me, and I hadn't even known. Tears quietly slipped from the corners of my eyes, soaking into my hair. Under the heavy fog of the pain medication, I drifted back into a restless sleep. In the middle of the night, the sharp buzz of my phone woke me up. "Why don't you come take a look at the room next door?" I pulled back the sheets and got out of bed. The atmosphere in the adjacent room was thick with lust. The woman's moans were sickeningly sweet. "Ah, Chase... I'm still pregnant. What if you hurt the baby?" "And we're in the hospital. What if someone hears us?" The man's voice was deep, raspy, and thick with desire. "I'll be gentle, baby. I'd never hurt our little one." "I locked the door. No one's going to hear." As their heavy breathing reached a fever pitch, Vivian, pinned beneath Chase, shifted her gaze. Her eyes locked with mine through the narrow glass pane of the door. At that moment, everything became crystal clear. I lowered my eyes, turned around, and slumped onto a plastic chair in the hallway. The hallway was deserted in the dead of night. I sat there like a ghost, listening to the sounds of their betrayal as if punishing myself. I don't know how much time passed before a nurse's gentle voice broke the silence. "Miss Sterling, why are you crying so hard?" "Are you in pain?"
It was only then that I realized tears were streaming down my face. I was shaking so violently that even my fingertips trembled. I wiped my tears away aggressively and looked up at the nurse. "I'm fine. I'm going back to my room now." Once the nurse walked away, I stood up. But I didn't go back to my bed. Instead, I walked straight out of the hospital doors. Chase didn't come home until three days later. Seeing me dressed in thin clothes, he naturally draped his jacket over my shoulders. "How is the staff taking care of you? Why are you dressed so lightly?" I didn't answer him. I just stared straight into his eyes. "Where's Vivian? Discharged?" Chase let out a heavy sigh, looking at me with weary resignation. "Scarlett, she's young. Just let it go." "I've warned her. She will never bother you again. Forgive her this once, okay?" Hearing that familiar "okay?" My heart didn't even flutter. In fact, I wanted to laugh. I took a long drag of my cigarette, letting the smoke slowly billow from my lips. The haze filled the air, blurring Chase's handsome face. "Chase, did you know? We had a baby." A flash of pure ecstasy surged in his eyes. The next second, I crushed the glowing cherry of my cigarette into the ash tray. "But it died. Three days ago. You killed it when you shoved me." Chase froze. His lips parted, but not a single sound came out. We had been together for five years. A man as sharp as him understood exactly what I meant. After a long, agonizing silence, Chase covered his face, his voice cracking. "It's my fault. It's all my fault." He lunged forward, wrapping his arms tightly around me. "We'll fix this, Scarlett. I swear to you, nothing like this will ever happen again. I swear." I pushed his chest, coldness radiating from my voice. "Don't bother, Chase. Just let me go." The temperature in the living room plummeted instantly. The suffocating silence was shattered by his phone ringing. The room was so quiet that even without speakerphone, I could hear every word. "Chase, I know I shouldn't call..." "But my stomach hurts so much. I'm so scared. Can you come be with me, please?" He didn't even hang up before he was already on his feet. At the front door, Chase paused. "I told you, Scarlett. You are mine." "In this life, and the next." Without looking back, he slammed the door and left. Chase didn't return for a week. But I couldn't step a single foot out of the estate either. He had stationed maids, a private doctor, and dozens of guards around the clock. He made sure I was pampered with the best of everything, while stripping me of every ounce of freedom. There was no way out. On a mundane afternoon, an email and a text message popped up on my phone. "Check your inbox. There are things in there you definitely don't know about." "Oh, Scarlett. I almost feel sorry for you." The sender was Vivian. Five years ago, my father was assassinated, and the Black Wolves vanished overnight. As the gang's princess, I was kidnapped by our rivals and sold into the city's seediest escort ring. Chase was the one who tracked me down and brought me home. Today, he was the undisputed king of the underworld. Though I lived in luxury, I had zero leverage to fight him. After reading through every file Vivian sent, I sat on the balcony, watching the guards patrol the yard. After a long pause, I dialed a black-market black-ops agency. "I'll pay you twenty million dollars. Stage a fake death for me." "Make it happen as fast as possible."
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