The entire casino was silent.
No one dared to move.
Ryan lay on the floor, trembling, blood staining the corner of his mouth as he stared up at Dante with pure terror.
"I swear I didn't know!" he cried desperately. "I didn't know she was pregnant!"
Dante's expression didn't change.
If anything, his eyes became even colder.
"You didn't know," he repeated slowly.
Ryan nodded frantically.
"Yes! If I had known the baby was yours, I would never—"
Another punch landed before he could finish.
Ryan screamed as his body slammed against the marble floor again.
My heart jumped violently in my chest.
"Stop!" I blurted out without thinking.
Every head in the casino turned toward me.
Dante froze.
Slowly… he turned his head to look at me.
His expression was unreadable.
I swallowed hard but forced myself to keep speaking.
"You've already made your point," I said quietly.
Ryan groaned on the floor, barely able to lift his head.
Dante stood there for a moment.
Then he walked toward me.
Each step made my heart beat faster.
When he finally stopped in front of me, the tension between us felt suffocating.
"You still care about him," he said.
It wasn't a question.
I shook my head.
"No."
But my voice lacked conviction.
Because the truth was complicated.
Ryan had betrayed me in the worst possible way.
Yet a small part of me still struggled to accept that the man I loved could become a stranger overnight.
Dante studied my face carefully.
Then he sighed softly.
"Very well."
Relief washed over me.
But it lasted only two seconds.
Dante turned back toward Ryan.
"You're lucky," he said calmly.
Ryan's eyes filled with hope.
"T-thank you—"
Dante raised his hand slightly.
One of his guards stepped forward and placed a gun in it.
The entire casino gasped.
Ryan's hope vanished instantly.
"Please!" he begged, crawling backward across the floor. "I'll pay you back! I swear!"
Dante aimed the gun directly at him.
My heart nearly stopped.
"You already paid your debt," Dante said coldly.
Ryan's body shook violently.
"Then why are you doing this?!"
Dante's finger rested on the trigger.
"For disrespecting my property."
The words made my stomach twist.
"I'm not—" I started.
But the gunshot echoed before I could finish.
The sound was deafening.
Ryan screamed.
My eyes widened.
I looked down and saw blood spreading across his leg.
He hadn't been shot in the chest.
Only the knee.
Ryan collapsed, clutching his leg as he howled in pain.
Dante lowered the gun calmly.
"Now we're even," he said.
The guards quickly grabbed Ryan and dragged him away from the casino floor.
People whispered nervously around us.
Some looked horrified.
Others looked impressed.
But everyone looked afraid.
I turned slowly toward Dante.
"You shot him," I whispered.
"He's alive," Dante replied calmly.
"That was mercy."
Mercy?
My heart was still racing from the shock.
Suddenly, a smooth female voice spoke from behind us.
"How touching."
Both of us turned.
A tall woman stood near the entrance of the casino.
She was stunning.
Long black hair.
Sharp cheekbones.
A red dress that hugged her body perfectly.
But what caught my attention wasn't her beauty.
It was the cold hatred in her eyes as she stared directly at me.
She walked toward us slowly.
Her heels clicking against the marble floor.
When she stopped beside Dante, she looked me up and down with obvious disgust.
"So this is the girl," she said.
Dante's expression darkened slightly.
"What are you doing here, Isabella?"
Isabella.
The name sounded dangerous.
She ignored his question.
Instead, her gaze slowly moved to my stomach.
Then she laughed softly.
"Well," she said.
"This is awkward."
A chill ran down my spine.
"What do you mean?" I asked nervously.
Her smile widened.
"Because that baby you're carrying…"
She paused for dramatic effect.
"…shouldn't exist."
My heart skipped a beat.
"What?"
Isabella crossed her arms calmly.
Then she said something that made the entire world spin beneath my feet.
"Dante can't have children."
Silence exploded in the casino.
My mind went blank.
Slowly…
Very slowly…
I turned to look at Dante.
But the expression on his face made my stomach drop.
Because for the first time since I met him…
Dante Russo looked shocked.