To Be The Ruthless Godfather's Only Weakness

Chapter 3

After that night, I wasn't cut into pieces and dumped in the river.

Nero's attitude toward me remained difficult to read. The disgust in his eyes never faded, but neither did the curiosity.

For reasons neither of us understood, I was the only woman who could get close to him without triggering his strange condition.

He kept me confined to the top floor of the Vitale family headquarters. I had no title, no status, and no freedom. I wasn't allowed to leave the floor, not even for a moment.

Armed guards watched my every move.

But I knew what was at stake.

If I wanted the 50 million dollars, I had to risk everything and find a way to get closer to Nero.

One evening, I heard that he'd locked himself in his office all day without eating.

Ignoring the chef's attempts to stop me, I borrowed some ingredients from the kitchen and made the one thing I knew best.

A burger.

With the plate still warm in my hands, I knocked once and pushed open the office door.

"Get out."

Nero stood with his back to me, staring through the floor-to-ceiling windows. His voice was as cold as ever.

I walked in anyway.

"Mr. Vitale, you haven't eaten all day. Just try one bite. I promise you'll..."

Before I could finish, he spun around and knocked the tray from my hands.

The plate shattered against the floor, sending the burger tumbling across the carpet.

In two long strides, he was in front of me.

His hand closed around my throat, and he slammed me against the wall.

"What exactly do you think you're doing? You really think a piece of cheap street food is enough to impress me?"

His icy blue eyes flashed with violence as his grip tightened.

"You think pretending to be some sweet little housewife will make me forget what you are? A woman willing to sell herself for money."

Heat rushed into my face as I fought for air.

I clawed at his wrist, but his hand didn't move.

Just as darkness began to creep across my vision, someone knocked on the door.

Carmela's secretary stepped inside with his head lowered, holding out a black envelope.

"Boss, this came from Madam. It's addressed to Miss Chloe Hayes."

Nero released me without warning.

I crumpled to the floor, coughing violently as I dragged air back into my lungs.

He tore open the envelope.

Inside was a certified cashier's check for ten million dollars.

Made out to me.

The moment Nero saw it, his expression turned lethal.

Clearly, he hadn't expected his own mother to be behind my appearance.

And he certainly hadn't expected her to value me at 10 million dollars.

His jaw clenched.

He crushed the check in his fist and threw it at my face.

"10 million dollars."

His voice dripped with disgust.

"So that's what your devotion is worth."

He gave a cold, humorless laugh.

"My mother has finally lost her mind. She paid 10 million dollars for a woman like you to cure me?"

Panic shot through me.

If he decided I was nothing more than a hired pawn, he could kill me on the spot.

Ignoring the sting where the paper had struck my cheek, I scrambled to my feet and grabbed his arm.

Tears filled my eyes as I looked up at him.

"It's not like that! Yes, I needed the money, but my feelings for you are real. Mrs. Vitale only realized how I felt and decided to help me."

The lie was so shameless that even I wanted to cringe.

To my surprise, Nero stared at me without speaking.

His expression remained unreadable, but at least he didn't attack me again.

Before either of us could say another word, alarms blared throughout the building.

Two bloodied bodyguards burst into the office.

"Boss, Lorenzo launched an attack downstairs. He also sent this."

One of them held out a bloodstained cardboard box.

Nero used the tip of his knife to lift the lid.

Inside were several bullets smeared with blood and a photograph.

The moment I saw it, every trace of warmth left my body.

My brother was tied to a chair, his face bruised and swollen.

Several of Lorenzo's men stood behind him.

The bodyguard swallowed hard.

"Lorenzo sent a message. He says this woman is nothing but trouble. If you can't bring yourself to kill her, he'll gladly do it for you."

My entire body began to tremble.

Lorenzo wasn't threatening me.

He was using my brother to threaten Nero.

One move, two targets.

He wanted to use me to expose Nero's weakness.

Nero noticed my reaction and gave a mocking laugh.

"What is it? Your partner getting impatient to tie up loose ends?"

Something inside me shattered.

"I swear I don't know him!" I cried. "I've never met Lorenzo in my life!"

Nero ignored my tears.

He walked to the liquor cabinet and poured two glasses of whiskey.

Then, right in front of me, he emptied a packet of white powder into one of them.

He swirled the glass once and slid it across the desk.

"Prove it. Drink."

I stared at the glass as my heartbeat thundered in my ears.

I had no idea whether it contained poison or something even worse.

Then I looked at the photograph of my brother.

And I remembered the 50 million dollars.

If I backed down now, both of us would be dead by morning.

I had no choice.

Clenching my jaw, I picked up the glass, closed my eyes, and drained it in one swallow.

The whiskey burned all the way down my throat.

I doubled over coughing, tears streaming from my eyes.

Within seconds, the drug began to take effect.

The room tilted violently.

My stomach twisted, my knees buckled, and I collapsed onto the carpet.

Just before darkness swallowed me, I saw Nero's expression change for the first time.

The drink wasn't poisoned.

It contained only a mild sedative.

He had been testing me.

As consciousness slipped away, the familiar scent of tobacco drew closer.

A pair of strong arms lifted me from the floor and carried me to the bed.

Cool fingers hesitated before beginning to remove my clothes.

"Crazy woman..."

Nero's low, rough voice followed me into the darkness.

The last thing I felt was the mattress dipping beneath someone else's weight.

Then everything went black.