Chapter 4
Leonardo swept a cold glance, and the two men behind him immediately stepped forward, slamming their feet hard into the backs of my knees.
A wave of excruciating pain shot through me, and I was forced down onto the rough ground with a heavy thud.
"Ms. Marino!" Aurora rushed out of the car and threw herself in front of me. Then, she turned to Leonardo with a frantic explanation. "Mr. Ferrante, that's not how it happened! Ms. Marino never laid a hand on Vittoria. It was Vittoria herself who—"
Before she could finish, a flash of cold steel sliced through the air. Without a moment's hesitation, Leonardo drove the dagger deep into Aurora's leg.
Aurora let out a sharp cry of pain and crumpled to her knees as blood gushed from the wound.
"One more word from you, and the next cut goes in your mouth," Leonardo warned viciously.
Watching Aurora curled up in agony, I felt my breath almost stop entirely.
I had brought Aurora out of the orphanage myself and treated her like my own sister. Leonardo knew that perfectly well, so how dare he hurt her?
I clenched my fists so tight that my nails dug deep into my palms, almost drawing blood.
"Leonardo, I told you I didn't do it. Let Aurora go!" I shouted.
Vittoria chose at that moment to let out an even more pained and feeble whimper.
The last trace of patience in Leonardo's eyes vanished completely, replaced by rage and disappointment at what he saw as my stubborn refusal to admit the truth.
"It seems it's been a long time since anyone taught you the rules." He pointed at me and ordered his pack of burly men coldly, "Teach her properly how to follow my rules."
The moment his words fell, those burly men menacingly closed in on me, who was completely defenseless.
"Leonardo, you said you would protect me for life!"
Terrified and disappointed, I used every ounce of strength I had to scream out those words that were etched into our very bones.
His back, with Vittoria in his arms, suddenly stiffened, and his footsteps halted. He subconsciously tightened his scar-covered hand, causing Vittoria to let out a soft whimper.
But in the end, he didn't look back. He walked on resolutely until he disappeared from my sight.
Despair and pain filled my eyes. Then, I turned my gaze fiercely toward the men closing in.
"Are you sure you want to do this? Haven't you heard that I always settle my debts?"
One of them let out a sneer. "Once that pretty face of yours is gone, and you've been passed around by guys like us one more time, how are you ever going to act high and mighty again? Besides, no one said you get to keep living."
With a flash of the blade, a sharp pain tore across my face, and blood instantly began to flow. That slash severed all my illusions. I let out a bitter, sorrowful laugh.
When I was 18, Leonardo blew up one of his own legs, vowing to protect me for life. Only now did I understand that the man who once risked everything for me could just as easily want me dead for someone else.
…
At the hospital, the doctor had just finished treating the deep, bone-exposing wound on Vittoria's face.
Leonardo stood guard by her hospital bed. His phone rang shrilly, shattering the quiet of the room. He answered impatiently, and a panicked voice came from the other end.
"Boss, something terrible has happened. Ms. Marino… is dead… We killed her."
Leonardo shot to his feet.
"What did you say?" All the color drained from his face in an instant. "She's my woman. Who allowed you to lay a hand on her?"
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