Chapter 3

Valentina’s POV

The Bloodmoon Club pulsed with music, cigarette smoke, and the restless energy of people who had too much money and too little fear. Red lights swept across the crowded floor, catching on diamond watches, gold chains, and the concealed weapons beneath expensive jackets. In this city, the club was neutral territory for the children of powerful crime families, which meant everyone smiled while keeping one hand close to a gun.

My heart felt heavier with every beat, and no amount of burning whiskey could silence the bitterness clawing through me.

Then I saw them.

Alexander stood in the VIP booth beside Vina, his tall frame rigid in that black suit he wore whenever he was assigned to protect me. She leaned toward him, whispering something against his ear before lightly touching his jaw.

And I saw it.

The man who had remained expressionless through gunfights and assassination attempts actually blushed.

My fingers tightened around my glass until it cracked.

I finished my drink, ignored the sting of the broken glass against my palm, and walked onto the dance floor. My red dress drew attention almost immediately, and within minutes, several young heirs from wealthy families had gathered around me, emboldened by expensive liquor and the protection of their surnames.

One of them reached for my waist.

“Back off.”

He laughed and stepped closer.

I shoved his hand away, but another man blocked my path. “Don't be so difficult, sweetheart. We're only trying to keep you company.”

My patience had already been exhausted.

“Alexander!”

My voice cut through the music.

He appeared almost instantly.

The men around me recognized him before he even reached us. Whatever amusement had been on their faces disappeared when they noticed the gun holstered beneath his jacket and the cold expression in his eyes.

“Leave,” Alexander ordered.

Nobody argued.

They scattered across the dance floor, suddenly remembering that provoking an Aethon heir's bodyguard was a poor way to spend an evening.

I glared at him.

“Oh, so you do remember you're supposed to protect me.”

His jaw tightened. “I didn't see what happened.”

“No, you didn't want to.” I stepped closer, the smell of whiskey still burning my throat. “You were too busy entertaining your real assignment.”

His eyes darkened. “You've had too much to drink.”

“Maybe that's for the best.”

Before he could answer, a gunshot shattered the music.

The lights went out.

For one terrible second, the entire club froze.

Then the screaming began.

Men reached beneath their jackets. Women dropped behind tables. Security guards drew their weapons as bullets tore through the ceiling and shattered the champagne displays.

Someone had violated the club's neutrality.

A rival syndicate had come armed.

Alexander immediately reached for his gun, but when another shot rang out, his first instinct wasn't to find me.

He ran toward Vina.

Again.

I barely had time to register the betrayal before someone grabbed me from behind.

I drove my elbow into his ribs and twisted free, but the attacker was faster. He caught my shoulder and slammed me against a table. I struck his face with the butt of a fallen gun, drawing blood, only for him to retaliate by driving a blade into my shoulder.

Pain exploded through me.

I stumbled backward, clutching the wound as blood soaked through my dress. Around me, the club had become a battlefield. Men were firing from behind overturned tables while bodyguards dragged their employers toward the exits.

Through the chaos, I found Alexander.

He was standing in front of Vina, firing at the attackers while shielding her with his body.

He didn't even look for me.

My vision blurred.

I tried to reach the exit, but my legs gave out beneath me.

The last thing I saw before darkness swallowed me was Alexander pulling Vina safely into his arms.

**

When I woke, the first thing I smelled was antiseptic.

The second was blood.

My shoulder throbbed beneath layers of bandages, and a monitor beside my bed beeped steadily in the otherwise quiet recovery room.

I was alive.

According to the doctor, the knife had been coated with a powerful synthetic toxin commonly used by assassins to incapacitate their targets. A slightly higher dose would have stopped my heart before anyone could save me.

I stared at the ceiling, wondering why surviving felt worse than dying.

Then I heard voices beyond the glass wall.

Vina was crying.

Alexander held her in his arms.

“I shouldn't have gone to the club,” she whispered. “It's my fault Valentina was hurt.”

“No,” Alexander said softly. “You didn't know. I should have protected you both.”

She lifted her tearful face toward him.

“Then why did you protect me instead of her?”

Alexander fell silent.

My fingers curled into the sheets.

Finally, he whispered, “Because I—”

A vase beside my bed slipped from the table and crashed onto the floor.

Alexander immediately turned toward me.

Vina rushed inside.

“Valentina!” she cried. “You're awake. Thank God, I was so worried—”

“Save it.”

She froze.

“With you standing here, I'm not sure whether the hospital is helping me or making things worse.”

Her expression crumbled. She lowered her head and hurried from the room, sobbing.

Alexander remained.

“I didn't have time—”

“You had time to save her.”

His face tightened.

“You always have time for her.”

He said nothing.

That silence told me everything.

**

On the day I was discharged, I summoned Alexander to my father's study.

My shoulder was still heavily bandaged, and every movement reminded me of the night he had chosen her.

He stood before my father's desk, expression unreadable.

“Kneel.”

His eyes flickered.

Then he obeyed.

The man who had once walked through gunfire without hesitation lowered himself onto one knee before me.

“You failed your duty as my assigned protector,” I said. “You know what our family's security contracts say about abandoning your principal during an attack. Ordinarily, you'd be dismissed, stripped of your position, and handed over to my father's men.”

Alexander remained silent.

“But I won't kill you.”

His gaze lifted.

“I'll give you a punishment instead.”

He nodded.

“I'll take it,” he said quietly. “If that's what you want.”

I stared at him.

He was willing to surrender his pride without argument.

Not for me.

For her.

Before I could respond, the study doors burst open.

“Stop!”

Vina rushed inside and threw herself between us.

“Punish me instead! Alexander didn't do anything wrong!”

“Move, Vina.”

“No.”

Alexander reached for her arm. “Vina, get out of here.”

She shook her head.

“She hates me because of you. If someone needs to be punished, punish me.”

Something inside me snapped.

“Move!”

She still refused.

My hand moved before I could stop it.

My nails scraped across her forearm, tearing through the delicate sleeve of her dress.

Blood appeared instantly.

Vina screamed.

Alexander caught her before she fell.

He stared at the blood running down her arm, then slowly looked at me.

I had seen Alexander furious before.

I had seen him point a gun at men who threatened my family.

But I had never seen hatred in his eyes.

Until then.

His expression was colder than a loaded gun.

Without saying a word, he lifted Vina into his arms and carried her out of the study.

He didn't look back.

The door slammed behind them.

I stood alone in the silence, staring at the blood on my hand.

The sting in my palm was nothing compared to the wound opening inside my chest.

For years, I had wanted Alexander to choose me.

Now that he finally had a choice to make, I realized I had never stood a chance.