Chapter 1
I woke up in an unfamiliar bed.
Heat burned through my body. My mouth was dry, and even my breathing came out in humiliating tremors. I pressed my hands against the mattress and tried to sit up, but my arms had no strength.
Something was wrong with the wine.
A few hours earlier, my fiancé, Ryan, had suddenly asked me to meet him at an exclusive private club. He said he had finally found a way to save his company.
He had not spoken to me so gently in a long time.
“As long as we land the port logistics contract, the company can survive.”
He held my hand and made another promise.
“Once everything settles down, we’ll get married right away.”
I believed him.
For the past few months, Ryan had grown angry and distant because of his company and his gambling debts. I kept making excuses for him.
I thought he was under too much pressure. I also believed that if I stayed with him through the worst of it, we could finally build a life together.
Sophia sat beside us and handed me a glass of wine with a smile.
“Ryan has been under a lot of pressure lately. Stop fighting with him. Finish this glass, and we can start over.”
She was the friend I trusted most.
I suspected nothing.
Less than ten minutes after I drank the wine, my vision blurred. Every bit of strength left my body.
Before I lost consciousness, I heard them speaking in low voices.
“My father got in touch with Vincent. We’ll send her to the Don’s suite tonight. You’ll get a three-month extension on your gambling debt, and Vincent will arrange an introduction for the port logistics contract.”
Ryan let out a breath of relief.
“That’s great. Sophia, I couldn’t have done this without you.”
Sophia moved closer to him. She could not hide the expectation in her voice.
“What about what you promised me?”
“Once I get the contract, I’ll end the engagement and marry you.”
“But what happens when she wakes up? What if she finds out we drugged her and sent her to the Don?”
Ryan cut her off.
“She’s an orphan with no family and no background. Even if she finds out, who’s going to stand up for her?”
He paused. When he spoke again, his voice was cold and calculating.
“Besides, hasn’t she always said she loves me and would do anything for me?”
“If this buys me more time on my debts and gives me a chance at the contract, then she’ll finally have done something useful.”
Sophia laughed quietly.
“What if the Don gets tired of her?”
“After another man has touched her, how could she come back and still expect to be my wife?”
I wanted to open my eyes and confront them, but I could not move a single finger.
That was where my memory ended.
I lay on the unfamiliar bed as pain tore through my chest. The heat inside me kept rising until it drowned out everything else.
The lock clicked.
A tall man entered the suite.
Bodyguards in black suits lined both sides of the hallway. The moment he appeared, they all lowered their heads.
He removed his leather gloves. The black lion crest on his cuff link caught the light, and the gun holster at his waist was fully visible.
The door closed behind him.
He slowed when he saw me on the bed. His expression turned cold.
“Who let you in?”
I tried to explain, but only a hoarse gasp escaped my throat.
He clearly thought one of his men had sent a woman into his room without permission. Nothing but impatience showed in his eyes.
“Get out.”
The cold command cleared my head for a moment.
I wanted to leave too.
The moment my feet touched the floor, my legs gave out. I fell straight into his arms.
He caught me around the waist on instinct.
The heat of his palm reached me through my thin dress. My whole body trembled, and I grabbed his shirt without thinking.
He was about to push me away.
Then he saw my face.
His hands stopped.
Shock flashed through his dark eyes.
“Vera?”
He said my name as though he had known me for years.
I had no time to think about it. The heat inside me left me desperate to hold on to the only warmth within reach.
I rose on my toes and kissed him.
His body stiffened.
A second later, he caught my wrists and pulled me out of his arms.
“Look at me and see who I am.”
I did not answer.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him again.
My fingers yanked his collar open. One button clattered onto the marble floor.
His breathing finally turned rough.
“Vera.”
His low voice was both a warning and a confirmation.
It still was not enough. I kissed along his jaw and down to his neck. I pressed my body against his and held on to his warmth.
The next second, my back hit the door.
He lowered his head and kissed me.
The kiss was hard and fierce. His self-control finally snapped, releasing emotions he had held back for too long.
One hand closed around the back of my neck. His other arm tightened around my waist and held me firmly against him.
I could barely breathe between his kisses. My fingers slipped beneath his open shirt and left scratches across his chest.
He suddenly lifted me.
I wrapped my legs around his waist without thinking. My dress slid higher along my thighs.
His mouth moved down to my neck. His hot breath touched my skin, and my head fell back before I could stop myself.
A moment later, I sank into the soft mattress.
He came down over me, his broad body covering mine.
I gripped his shoulders and pulled him closer.
Before the last space between us could disappear, he suddenly stopped.
His fingers closed around my chin and forced me to open my eyes.
“Vera Marino.”
He had spoken the last name I had hidden for three years.
I stared at him in confusion.
He watched my unfocused eyes. His breathing was heavy, and his voice had dropped even lower.
“It seems you still don’t recognize me.”
“I’m Dante Leone.”
His fingers slowly tightened, keeping me from looking away.
“Three years ago, you ran from our engagement.”
“Now someone has delivered you to my room.”
He leaned closer until his hot breath touched my lips.
“My runaway fiancée.”
“Do you know whose bed you’re lying in?”
Instead of answering, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him again.
The kiss was more urgent and more intense than before.