The atmosphere in the casino was pushed into a frenzy by that insane prize, and the chips piled higher and higher as everyone went red-eyed with greed.

At that moment, the door was pushed open again, and a man with a black eyepatch over his left eye walked in.

It was Domenico Carbone, Julian's sworn enemy.

"Don Vitale, you're in a generous mood tonight, using your own woman as a prize."

Domenico's leering gaze stayed locked on me.

"I hear she's a walking lucky charm. Whoever touches her gets rich. My luck's been awful lately, so I'd like to borrow her to turn things around."

He pulled out a chair and sat down without hesitation, openly declaring his intent to win me.

Julian's expression darkened.

I had long heard that no woman taken by Domenico ever met a good end.

My Papa and Mamma weren't back yet, and I hadn't seen them. I couldn't die.

Grabbing my last chance, I clutched Julian's sleeve. My voice shook. "Julian, don't do this. Have you forgotten who carried you out of that shipping container at the dock?"

That had been the first time we met. He was being hunted by enemies, burning with fever, and covered in blood as he hid in a rusted container.

I, a pampered young lady, had carried him for nearly two miles through the freezing wind and begged my Papa to gather men to save him.

I thought that reminding him of that debt would awaken even a trace of his former affection.

Instead, he flung my hand away violently.

"You're talking about that incident?" he scoffed.

"Everything you've eaten, worn, and used these past few years came from me. I paid that debt off a long time ago. If your old man weren't the Don of the Lombardi family, would I have needed to put up with you all these years?

"Now that he isn't in Athrasia, who do you think would dare protect the Lombardi family's precious princess?"

So, that was the real reason behind his revenge.

Not only did he refuse to back down from Domenico's provocation, but he also raised the stakes.

"Whoever wins takes her. I won't say a word."

In the end, Domenico won.

Grinning and revealing a mouthful of yellowed teeth, he made his demand in front of everyone.

"Pretty little thing, take off your clothes and let me inspect the goods. Let's see if the real thing matches what's on the chips."

I froze where I stood.

Julian looked at me coldly. "A bet's a bet. Don't embarrass me on my own turf."

Seeing no way out of this, I reached for the first button on my chest with trembling hands.

At that moment, Milena suddenly cried out as if she had lost her footing, and the red wine in her hand splashed all over me.

The thin fabric of my dress was soaked through, and the curves of my body showed faintly beneath it.

Lewd remarks echoed around me.

"She's so slutty. She makes me want to do her right here."

"Her breasts look mouth-watering."

I stood under the spotlight, exposed to every pair of eyes there.

Milena hurriedly pulled out tissues. "I'm sorry, Winona. I didn't mean to. My hand slipped…"

Julian grabbed her hand and gently wiped the wine from her fingers. "Were you startled? Your hands are so cold."

Seeing that hurt my eyes. My dignity was ground into the dirt, yet all he cared about was whether his god-sister's fingers were cold.

Domenico had already lost patience. He yanked me into his arms. I struggled desperately, only to be held even tighter.

Using the last of my strength, I looked toward Julian and prayed that, for the sake of everything I had done for him and the love I had once given him, he would help me.

Instead, he turned away, pinched Milena's cheek, and murmured something teasing to her. My plea for help earned nothing but his cold indifference.

Domenico dragged me out of that nauseating private room. His grip was rough and careless.

As we passed Julian, I said quietly, "Julian, you'll regret this."

At those words, he finally tore his gaze away from Milena's face, though he did not attempt to conceal the mockery in his eyes.

He probably thought it was nothing more than a powerless curse, the last flare of my anger.

What he didn't know was that every narrow escape he had survived over the years was due to my family's influence and my own uncanny luck.

Domenico took me into the adjacent lounge, shut the door behind us, and locked it.

Grinning lewdly, he closed in on me. The stench of smoke on him made my stomach churn.

"Don't be scared, sweetheart. I'll make sure you're well taken care of tonight."

The moment his filthy hand reached toward me, I twisted sharply to the side. He hadn't expected resistance and ended up lunging at nothing.

A second later, his expression turned vicious as he threw himself at me again.

He grabbed my shoulder and slammed me into the wall. Pain exploded at the back of my head.

Just as he craned his neck forward, intent on violating me, I gathered all my strength and drove my foot straight into his groin.

Domenico let out a shrill scream and collapsed, curling up on the floor in agony.

"You bitch!" he snarled. "I'll kill you if it's the last thing I do!"

Ignoring the pain, he reached out and grabbed my ankle. Startled, I kicked wildly with my other foot, striking his face again and again.

When he still refused to let go, I seized the glass ashtray beside me and smashed it down on his forehead.

His body stiffened, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed unconscious.

I didn't dare spare him another glance. I scrambled over his body and rushed to the window.

This was the seventh floor, and jumping from this height meant certain death.

Just as despair set in, my phone vibrated with a message.

"Surprise, sweetie. I came back early. I'll be there in five minutes."

It was Papa.

He had been worried about my safety and had modified my phone with a tracker.

…

Back in the private room, Julian's gambling continued.

From the moment I was taken away, his luck plummeted. Either he was dealt abysmal hands, or his opponents landed perfect ones.

In barely ten minutes, not only did he fail to win back the territory in the east of the city, but he also lost several of his most critical docks.

Milena hovered anxiously at his side, trying to comfort him. "Julian, don't panic. Luck always turns around eventually."

Flustered, she reached for a bottle to pour him a drink, but stumbled and knocked it over instead.

Wine splattered across the documents on the table.

They were the original ledgers of all Julian's overseas accounts and laundering channels, the one thing that would've allowed him to rise again even if he lost everything.

Now, they were ruined.

In the midst of the chaos, the door was shoved open.

A subordinate stumbled in, nearly falling over himself.

"Don Vitale, something's wrong! There's been a sudden police inspection. The underground armory at the dock has been discovered!"

Julian flew into a rage and kicked over the gambling table. He roared instinctively, "Where's Winona? Bring her here to turn my luck around!"

The man trembled as he answered, barely steadying himself. "M-Ms. Lombardi is gone. Domenico was found unconscious in the next room. His head was covered in blood."

Julian's heart lurched. A wave of panic he had never felt before swallowed him whole.

He rushed into the next room. Inside, only Domenico lay sprawled on the floor, barely conscious, and a single custom chip bearing my image remained.

Julian picked up the chip and stared at my image etched into it.

"Find her!" he barked. "Turn the world upside down if you have to. Just bring her back to me!"

…

After unlocking the door, I hid in the emergency stairwell, shaking uncontrollably. My wound reopened during the struggle. Blood was seeping out, and I was soaked with it.

Just then, my phone vibrated. It was Papa calling.

"Winona, I'm downstairs. I'm coming to get you now."

I clutched the phone, and my voice broke as I said, "Papa, hurry."

The moment I hung up, hurried footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor. It was one of Julian's subordinates.

"There she is! She's over here!"

I ran down the stairs as fast as I could. Every step tore at my wound. The pain nearly made me collapse, but I couldn't stop.

At the turn of the stairs, Leonardo Bianchi caught up to me, yanked my hair, and slammed me hard against the wall. The pull on my abdomen sent my vision swimming with pain.

"Ms. Lombardi, do you really think you're still that pampered princess from back then? Without Don Vitale, you're worthless. You'd better do exactly what Don Vitale says tonight, or you'll regret it!"

Despair flooded my chest, inch by inch.

Just as I was about to give in, the elevator doors opened. Papa stormed out with more than a dozen men behind him.