Chapter 6

Alora's POV

The tension in the air was thick as everyone awaited Dante's response to Bianca's request. Hell no, this girl gave me bad vibes, and I definitely would not like to live with her in the same house.

Just looking at her gave me a bad feeling that things would not be easy. As I glanced at Dante, I prayed in my heart for him to say no. Please, Dante, say no. Don't say yes.

Dante sighed, running a hand through his thick locks of hair, making some strands fall on his face. I almost wanted to help him push them back into place.

"Bianca, baby, I don't think it's a good idea for you to stay here, okay? You know your dad and how protective he is. He isn't going to be happy about this," he said, his tone calm.

Bianca crossed her arms defiantly. "I am my own woman, Dante. I can take care of myself. Forget about my father—I’ll explain to him, and he will understand."

Dante seemed lost in thought, the silence stretching on for a few excruciating seconds. Then he finally spoke. "No, Bianca, you will not move in here. I do not want this to happen."

At his words, both Gianni's and my eyes lit up with happiness, while Bianca's face fell. Aw, sorry, poor girl. I snickered quietly, earning a glare from her.

"But..." Dante suddenly continued.

Gianni and I exchanged a panicked look. Why was he saying "but"? Was there something else he wanted to tell her?

"Bianca, you will not move in here permanently," Dante said, his voice steady. "But you are going to stay for a few weeks, just until Gianni is fine."

Gianni's eyes widened in shock. "What? But, Brother, I am—"

Dante held up his hand, cutting him off. "You will not argue with me on this, Gianni. Alora is a nurse, but I want a doctor to be around as well. It isn't safe for us to be taking you out to the hospital constantly, so it will be easier if Bianca is here."

His tone brooked no argument. Then he glanced at Gianni. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some things to do. Gianni, you want to come with me now? I need to show you something."

Gianni sighed and stomped off in the opposite direction from where Dante was headed. Dante watched him for a moment, running his hand through his hair again with another sigh, then turned his attention to Bianca and me. "You guys want to head inside now? It's getting chilly out here."

I was just about to go in when Bianca piped up, "Dante, we’ll come in soon, but I’d like to have a word with Alora first. You know, get to know her since we’re working together." She had a sugary tone that made a chill run down my spine. I definitely didn't want to stay out here with her, but as I tried to walk past, she grabbed my wrist, halting my movement.

Placing a forced smile on my face, I told Dante, "I'll be in soon."

This girl better pray I don’t slap the hell out of her for holding me like this. She's stepped on my toes a lot today.

Dante looked between us, raising a brow, then shook his head and walked inside. The moment he was gone, Bianca's grip tightened as she leaned closer. "You would do very well to know your place, Alora, because I will not hesitate to show you."

I let out a chuckle, unfazed by her attempt to intimidate me. It felt like a puppy barking at a tiger. "Oh, my place? Sure. Maybe you can let go of my hand first, so I can get inside and do what I need to do. I need to rest. It's been a long day."

She rolled her eyes, her expression turning colder. "You think I’m joking, huh? You really think I’m joking?" The anger in her eyes flared, and she yanked me closer, running her manicured fingers along my chin before gripping it tightly.

Was she trying to scare me? Because it wasn’t working. I stared back at her with a calmness that only seemed to rile her up more.

"You would do well to respect me," she hissed. "You don’t know who my father is. You don’t know what Dante could do to you... or what I could do to you."

Her words dripped with menace as she stepped back, giving me a final scrutinizing look from head to toe. Her lips twisted into a mocking smile before she turned and sauntered off, clearly satisfied with her little performance.

I clenched my fists at my sides, resisting the urge to chase after her and slam her head into the wall. But I wasn’t here to pick fights with petty, insecure girls. I was here for my safety, and once everything was settled, I would go back to my life.

With that, I headed in the direction Gianni had gone. I needed to find my one friend here and spend some time with him.

---

Gianni and I were playing video games, and I was finding it difficult to keep my eyes open. But then again, a little extra time with the kid who didn’t seem to want to sleep wasn’t going to kill me. I was used to sleepless nights as a nurse, especially during those hectic hospital shifts when I had to work for days on end without rest.

“So, Alora, do you have a boyfriend?” Gianni asked suddenly, making me almost choke on my spit. I glanced over at the seven-year-old with wide eyes.

“Huh?” I sputtered. "What kind of question is that, Gianni?"

He grinned mischievously, wiggling his eyebrows. “You don't? So, I have a chance, huh?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Where do you even know about girlfriends?”

He shot me a smug look. “Oh, don’t worry. My brother and I will be fighting over you soon.”

My mouth fell open. “What in the world did you just say?” His brother? Before I could respond further, a squeaky voice cut in.

“Gianni, I brought you something to eat!”

I rolled my eyes. The devil had appeared. I turned to see Bianca standing there, a tray in her hands, while Gianni looked at her with an amused expression.

“Oh, I’m not hungry, Bianca,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “And by the way, aren’t you supposed to be a doctor? Feeding your patient at...” he checked the clock on the wall, “1:36 a.m.? Seriously? You should be encouraging me to sleep.”

Bianca’s expression tightened. “Well, yes, but Alora wasn’t doing that either,” she said, her tone turning snide. “And she’s just a nurse. That’s her low-level duty. So eat something and then go to sleep.”

I clenched my jaw, biting back a retort. “Gianni, would you like to go to bed now?” I asked, my voice steady.

“Of course, Alora." He dashed past Bianca without another glance and turned to me, saying, “Alora, please come and put me to bed, will you?”

I shot Bianca a wide grin as I walked by, bumping her shoulder lightly in the process. She glared at me, but I just smirked back as I followed Gianni to his room.

As I was heading back to my room, Bianca suddenly appeared out of nowhere, blocking my path. Oh wow! Here we go again.

“What now?” I sighed, preparing myself for another round of her drama.

Thankfully, she wasn't able to say a word because the door suddenly slammed open, hitting loudly against the wall as numerous men with guns and black suits rushed in.

Out of instinct, I nearly ran out before remembering that I am in the Mafia headquarters and this is probably something normal. I looked towards Bianca, and she just rolled her eyes as she looked at them. But then, her eyes widened, and so did mine, when I turned and saw who the men were carrying.

Oh my god, Dante has been shot.