Chloe pressed a towel against her side, wincing as the pain finally registered in her brain.

The bullet had missed her organs, but the shattered glass had sliced deep into her ribs.

Victor did not wait for the mansion's private doctor to arrive.

He bandaged the wound himself, his large hands surprisingly gentle against her pale skin.

His face was a mask of cold, terrifying rage.

He told his men to prepare his armored SUV immediately.

The mansion was completely compromised, and they could no longer stay there.

Victor carried Chloe out the underground garage and placed her into the back of the fortified vehicle.

They drove in absolute silence through the freezing, rain-slicked streets of Chicago.

They arrived at a sleek, unmarked skyscraper in the center of the financial district.

Victor brought her up a private elevator that opened directly into a luxurious, ultra-modern penthouse.

He laid her down on a massive leather sofa and covered her with a thick cashmere blanket.

Chloe looked around the cold, beautiful room and realized she was entirely trapped in his world now.

She asked him what Leo Donati actually wanted from him.

Victor poured two glasses of scotch and handed one to her.

He explained that Donati was losing his territory and desperately needed Victor's money to survive.

Isabella was just a pawn being used to merge their bank accounts.

Victor sat on the edge of the coffee table, his knees practically touching hers.

He looked at her with a vulnerability she had never seen in a man before.

He admitted that he had stopped fighting the Donati family because he had nothing left to protect.

But now, looking at Chloe bleeding on his couch, he finally had a reason to go to war.

Chloe reached out and gently touched his cheek, her heart swelling with an emotion she could not deny.

Before they could bridge the gap between them, Chloe's cell phone buzzed loudly in her pocket.

She pulled it out and looked at the glowing screen.

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