Chapter 7 Chapter 7
Valerie POV
I thought about going to my father.
The thought came quietly, slipping into my mind when I was weak. When the pain in my shoulder burned too much. When the walls felt too close. When fear pressed on my chest until breathing hurt.
I imagined standing in front of him. Lowering my head. Apologizing. Letting him see me broken,But no matter how desperate I became, there was one thing I would never do.
I would never agree to be engaged to Noah Booneman,That was why I did this.
That was why I signed the contract. Why I stood beside Luciano Rocco in front of men who would kill us both if we showed fear. Why I accepted a fake engagement with my greatest rival,It was never about love,It was survival.
Luciano and I had hated each other for years. We fought for territory, for power, for pride. We tried to destroy each other more times than I could count. But when my father tried to sell me off like a prize, Luciano became my only escape.
A contract engagement.Temporary. Cold. Strategic.
That was all it was supposed to be.
So why did I step in front of that bullet?
The memory made my stomach twist. The sound of the gunshot still rang in my ears. I hadn’t thought. I hadn’t planned. My body just moved.I hated myself for it.I hated that I saved him.Because now everything is worse.
My father would never let this go. Luciano had killed his best assassin—his most loyal weapon. A man my father trusted more than anyone else.Blood demanded blood, Luciano Rocco would have to pay.
“Stop thinking so much, Valerie.”
Luciano’s voice pulled me back to the room. He was sitting across from me, calm, relaxed, like we weren’t standing on the edge of a war.
“By now your father has gotten the hint,” he said. “He shouldn’t mess with me.”
Then he winked.
The gesture made my skin crawl.
I rolled my eyes, disgusted. The movement sent a sharp pain through my shoulder, but I ignored it. I refused to show weakness. I pushed myself to my feet, steadying my breath, and headed for the door.
I needed space. Air. Control, I reached for the handle, and the door slammed shut.
Luciano’s hand pressed against the wood, blocking my way. The sound echoed in the room, loud and final.
“You need rest,” he said.I laughed, bitter and sharp.
“The only rest you and I will ever get,” I snapped, “is when we’re both dead. Now move. Get out of my way.”
Anger surged through me, hot and wild. I could feel it building, threatening to explode. I had made a mistake. A huge one.
Entering a contract with Luciano Rocco was the worst decision of my life.
Why did I take that bullet?Why did I protect a man who had been my enemy for years?
My hand tightened around the door handle, my fingers shaking. Luciano didn’t move. His presence filled the space, heavy and controlling.
“So what,” I demanded, “I’m a prisoner now?”Nothing felt right anymore.
“This was just a contract,” I said. “A deal to keep me away from my father’s twisted ambitions. That’s all. Why are you acting like this is something more?”
We had always been rivals. Equals. Enemies.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.
Luciano’s eyes darkened.
“Don’t test my patience, Valerie.”
He stepped closer,I stepped back.
“If I do,” I asked quietly, “what will you do?”
He didn’t answer,He kept coming.
I moved backward, my heart pounding, until my back hit the cold wall. The chill seeped through my skin. I looked up at him, refusing to show fear.
A slow smirk appeared on his lips.
That smirk warned me.
“You shouldn’t have done it,” I said quickly. “Sending him the body parts. That was reckless.”
The words tasted wrong in my mouth.
Not because I cared about my father.
But because I cared about myself.
I still had plans. I still wanted out. I didn’t want a war. I didn’t want more deaths tied to my name.
“If my father retaliates,” I said, my voice low, “people will die. You could die.”
Luciano stopped inches from me.
The smirk vanished.
What replaced it was something far worse.
Calm.Deadly.
“If your father wants a war so badly,” he said slowly, “then a war he will get.”
The words slammed into me harder than any bullet.
I stared at him, my chest tight.“You’re insane,” I whispered.
“No,” he said. “I’m ready.”
For the first time, I saw him clearly. Not as my rival. Not as my contract fiancé.
But as a man who was willing to burn the world to the ground.
Before I could speak, the door burst open.
A guard rushed in, his face pale, his breath uneven.
“Boss,” he said urgently. “We have a problem.”Luciano didn’t turn.
“What kind of problem?”“They received the package,” the man said. “aand sent one back.
The smile on Luciano’s lips didn’t fade away; rather, he widened it, his gaze still fixed on me. Instantly, the door opened, and a red envelope was brought into the room. It was handed over to Luciano. I watched with curiosity to see the content in it, but Luciano didn’t show it to me. Instead, he walked away and gently opened the envelope. I couldn’t wait anymore, so I rushed toward him, asking him to show it to me.
“What’s in there? Let me see,” I asked, trying to take the red paper from him. However, he moved away, took a deep breath, then darted his gaze at me, a smile on his lips. Your father wants a war.
“Blood for Blood,” he muttered. His words made me gasp in shock. This was just the beginning. This was what I had fought against. It’s happening so fast.
I waited to hear what he was going to say, but his next word
s made me speechless.
“Get well soon, Valerie. We will make our engagement public to the press.”.