THE MAFIA KING'S DARKEST ADDICTION

Nyra’s POV** “You cannot take him off! I can’t let you!” My voice cracked through the emergency room so loudly that two nurses near the hallway stopped walking. I moved before the nurse could touch the machine beside Leo’s bed. The monitor screamed another sharp beep. Fast. Warning. Wrong. “Miss Kane, please calm down—” “Don’t tell me to calm down.” I grabbed her wrist hard enough to stop her hand from reaching the plug. My fingers shook from exhaustion, but my grip stayed strong. “You said he still had time.” The nurse looked nervous now. “The machine is only being adjusted—” “Then adjust it without touching anything important.” My chest rose heavily as I stood between her and the bed like a wild animal protecting its last surviving piece of family. Behind me, Leo lay too still beneath the pale hospital sheets. Too small. Too pale. Too quiet. Clear tubes covered his tiny body while the machine breathed with him. Slowly. Painfully. Every sound in that room felt sharp enough to cut through skin. Beep. Beep. Beep. I looked at him and something inside my chest twisted violently. Eight years old. Just eight. Life had already taken too much from him. The door opened again. A doctor walked inside holding a tablet against his chest. Tired eyes. Tighter jaw. The kind of face people wore when they already knew the conversation would end badly. “Miss Kane,” he started carefully, “the hospital has already extended treatment beyond policy requirements.” I laughed once. Dry. Broken. “You people always sound kinder when you’re about to destroy someone.” The doctor inhaled slowly. “That is not what this is.” “Really?” My voice sharpened. “Because it sounds exactly like you’re telling me my nephew dies if I can’t pay.” Silence. Cold and ugly. The doctor glanced briefly toward Leo before looking back at me again. “The remaining balance is overdue.” I stared at him. Then down at my own bruised knuckles. Purple marks sat across my skin like fingerprints from another life. Last night’s fight at Vesper. Two hundred dollars. A cracked lip. One drunk customer with a broken jaw. Still not enough money. Never enough. I dragged a tired hand across my face. No sleep. No food since yesterday afternoon. My body felt heavy, but fear kept me standing. “Please,” I whispered this time. “Just until tomorrow morning.” The doctor sighed. “Miss Kane—” “I said tomorrow morning.” Something in my voice changed. Even I heard it. Sharp. Dangerous. The nurse shifted uncomfortably beside him. “You’ll get your money,” I continued. “I’ll find it.” The doctor studied me for a long moment before finally nodding once. “One more night.” Relief nearly knocked the air from my lungs. My knees weakened so suddenly I had to grip the edge of Leo’s bed. “Thank you.” But then the doctor spoke again. “If payment isn’t made by ten tomorrow morning, treatment stops.” The words landed like a knife between my ribs. Ten hours. That was all I had left. The doctor walked out first. The nurse followed behind him, though she paused briefly near the door. Pity filled her eyes. I hated pity more than insults. The door closed softly behind them. The room became quiet again except for the machines breathing beside Leo. I slowly turned back toward him. The anger disappeared from my face immediately. That was the thing about Leo. He pulled softness out of me even when the world turned me cruel. I sat carefully beside him and brushed my fingers through his curls. “Hey, Bug,” I whispered. His eyes opened slowly. “Tia…” His voice sounded weak and rough. I forced myself to smile anyway. “You scared me again.” “Sorry.” “No.” I shook my head immediately. “Stop apologizing for things that aren’t your fault.” Leo looked at me quietly for a second. Children always noticed more than adults believed. “Did they yell at you again?” he asked softly. My smile almost broke. I looked away for one dangerous second before facing him again. “No one yelled.” “You’re lying.” A weak laugh escaped me. “Okay,” I admitted quietly. “Maybe a little.” Leo stared at the oxygen tube beneath his nose. “I heard them talking yesterday.” My fingers paused inside his curls. “What did you hear?” “That I cost too much.” Pain tore through me so fast I stopped breathing for a second. “No.” My voice came out harder this time. Firm. “Don’t you ever say that again.” “But—” “You are not a burden to me.” I leaned closer and held his tiny hand between both of mine. “You hear me, Bug? Never.” His eyes searched mine carefully. “You’re the best thing my sister ever gave this world.” The words nearly destroyed me after leaving my mouth. Because Elara should have been here saying them. Not me. Leo’s lips trembled slightly. “Mom used to say that too.” I looked down before he could see the grief on my face. Elara. Beautiful. Broken. Always smiling through bruises she tried to hide. Always saying things would get better. Until one night they didn’t. Blood. Sirens. A hospital hallway. Then silence forever. My fingers tightened around Leo’s hand without realizing it. “Tia?” I blinked hard. “I’m here.” Leo studied my face quietly. “You didn’t sleep again.” I smirked weakly. “Sleep costs money.” That earned a soft laugh from him. Thank God. That sound saved me for one second. Then the hospital room door opened again. A security guard stepped inside. “Miss Kane.” I stood immediately. Instinct. Protective. Sharp. “What?” “You need to come downstairs.” Every muscle in my body tightened. Why? Debt collectors? Police? Trouble from Vesper? “I’ll be back in five minutes,” I told Leo softly before pressing a kiss against his forehead. He nodded sleepily. I followed the guard outside. The second the door closed behind us, his expression changed. “There’s someone waiting for you.” “I don’t have time for visitors.” “He said you would come.” I frowned. “Who?” The guard hesitated before answering quietly— “Lucien Draven.” Everything inside me stopped. The hallway noise disappeared. Even the air felt colder. “You’ve got the wrong person,” I said immediately. “No.” The guard swallowed nervously. “I definitely don’t.” My jaw tightened. Everyone knew that name. Lucien Draven. Billionaire. Monster. Ghost. Men disappeared over smaller debts than mine because of him. People whispered about him like he wasn’t fully human. And now he was here? At Leo’s hospital? A cold feeling slowly crawled down my spine. “Why does he want me?” The guard looked uncomfortable. “I wasn’t told.” “Then tell him to leave.” The guard didn’t move. “He said if you refuse to come downstairs…” He hesitated again. “…he’ll come up himself.” Threat. That was a threat. Wrong move. Very wrong move. Without another word, I walked toward the elevator. Fast. Angry. My boots hit the floor hard with every step. By the time the elevator doors opened downstairs, my heart was beating dangerously fast. The hospital lobby was crowded. Visitors. Nurses. Patients. But the second I stepped out— Silence. People weren’t looking at the entrance. They were looking at him. Lucien Draven stood near the glass doors wearing a black coat over a dark suit. One hand rested inside his pocket while the other adjusted his sleeve calmly. Cold. Still. Untouchable. Two armed men stood behind him. But honestly? Lucien alone felt dangerous enough. Tall. Sharp-faced. Gray eyes cold enough to freeze blood. The kind of man who looked terrifying even while standing still. I stopped walking. His gaze lifted immediately. Straight toward me. Like he already knew the exact second I would appear. That made something uneasy move inside my stomach. Lucien’s eyes slowly traveled over me. Bruised knuckles. Exhausted face. Anger. Fear. Then the corner of his mouth lifted slightly. Not a smile. Something darker. Recognition. I walked toward him carefully. “You’re causing a scene.” His eyes stayed locked on mine. “You walked into it yourself.” His voice was low. Smooth. Controlled. I hated it instantly. “What do you want?” Lucien tilted his head slightly. Interesting. Most women looked nervous around him. This one looked one second away from punching him. “I heard your nephew needs help.” My expression hardened immediately. “And who told you that?” “A friend.” Ivy. Of course. I already felt irritation rising. Lucien studied me quietly. “You’re behind on payments.” My body stiffened. “That’s none of your business.” “It became my business the moment you entered one of my clubs.” Realization hit instantly. Vesper. “You own Vesper?” “I own many things.” Arrogant bastard. I crossed my arms tightly. “If this is about last night, your drunk customer touched me first.” “I know.” That answer caught me off guard. Lucien stepped slightly closer. Not enough to touch. Enough to pressure. “You broke his jaw.” “He deserved worse.” Something unreadable flashed briefly inside his eyes. Interest. That made me even more uncomfortable. “Why are you here?” I asked again. Lucien glanced toward the elevator behind me. “The child upstairs,” he said softly. “Leo.” My blood ran cold. “How do you know his name?” He looked back at me slowly. Silence stretched between us. Then— “Because I know everything about you, Nyra Kane.” My heartbeat stopped. Actually stopped. The lobby disappeared around me for one terrifying second. Lucien reached into his coat and handed me a black card. “Your nephew’s treatment has already been paid.” I stared at him. “What?” “No more hospital debt.” “No.” The answer came instantly. Sharp. His gaze darkened slightly. “No?” “I don’t take charity.” “It isn’t charity.” “Then what is it?” Something dangerous moved behind his eyes. Not anger. Something worse. Possession. Interest. Obsession. Lucien leaned closer. Close enough for me to hear him clearly over the silent lobby. “I’m offering you a job.” I stared at him cautiously. “What kind of job?” His gray eyes held mine. Cold. Patient. Terrifying. “The kind,” he said quietly, “that changes your entire life.”