The car quivered under the onslaught of bullets. With a quick flick of his wrist, Sebastian freed his hand from the restraints she had placed on him.

His hands glided up her back while their lips remained locked together, and he gently guided her down onto the backseat.

Janet’s lips parted slightly as she blinked at him. “Stay here! Do not step out of this car.” Before Sebastian could react, Janet grabbed the collar of his white shirt.

“Don’t act like I’m your most prized possession and you’d give your soul to save me!” She gritted her teeth.

“You’re my prized possession, sweetheart! I just purchased you for fifteen fucking million.” He sneakily pecked her on the lips again, causing her hand to move away from her collar instinctively.

“You will stay here!” With his gun in hand, Sebastian stepped out of the car, leaving behind an enraged Janet.

“Fucking moron thinks I’ll follow his every command, huh!” she spat a string of profanity when her eyes landed on the abandoned gun in the car. “Bravo! Now I will give you a fucking show.”

She grabbed it and chased after him out of the car amid the ongoing gunfire.

“I’ll let you go. Just give her back to me!” A disdainful look appeared on Nikolai’s face, and Janet blinked when she saw his cold eyes fixated on her behind Sebastian.

Janet observed the two warring factions amid the chaos, and in a split second, she swiftly pushed Sebastian out of harm’s way, narrowly avoiding a bullet.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Sebastian angrily growled in her face, his eyes blazing with fury as he clenched her arm tightly.

The sound of a bullet whizzing past his arm made Janet’s eyes widen in disbelief.

“Sebastian!” she exclaimed, moving forward to reach out to him, but he gently pushed her back, shielding her from harm.

“Let her go, Nikolai!” Sebastian’s voice carried a threat. Reaching behind him, he firmly held Janet’s waist, keeping her close.

“And Connor said Janet is worthless to the Genovese family when Sebastian Genovese himself is romancing her in a city that holds nothing but his death!”

Janet was taken aback, her eyes widening and leveling with his shoulder as she tilted her head toward him, completely stunned.

“Umm… why did he lie to me? Do you feel embarrassed to accept her publicly? Or is he ashamed to admit that his daughter is the mistress of the future Mafia King?” Nikolai laughed.

Janet felt the ground slip beneath her feet. “You’re the Mafia King?” The tremor in Janet’s voice was evident.

“Soon to be,” Sebastian’s whisper sent a chill down her spine.

“You’re Sebastian Genovese!” Her eyes widened, and he smirked in response.

“Hand her over,” Nikolai commanded, his tone tinged with menace.

“You have three minutes to reconsider. If your decision stays the same, I will gladly surrender her to you.” Sebastian shot, killing one of Nikolai’s men who was standing to his right.

“What?” Janet shouted and boldly stepped forward to confront him. “Are you kidding me? Am I a commodity that you feel free to transfer to anyone?” She angrily stomped her foot and caught sight of a man standing to their left, pointing at Sebastian out of the corner of her eye.

She quickly turned towards him and fatally shot him in the middle of the eyes. Her perfect shot left Sebastian astonished, his eyebrows arching in surprise.

“How dare you bargain me?” When questioned again, Sebastian instinctively moved her to his side.

Nikolai’s cell phone rang in his pocket while he looked at Sebastian, and the latter gestured for him to answer it. As soon as he took the call, Nikolai’s expression instantly changed, and his face grew as pale as a blank sheet of paper. “What?”

Janet glanced at Sebastian, who kept a calm gaze on Nikolai while waiting for him to finish the call. “Two of your legitimate businesses are seized by the police under suspicion of suspicious activities.”

Nikolai clenched his jaw.

“If you don’t want me to crush your entire fortune beneath my feet, let us go!”

“Sebastian!” Nikolai fired his gun to shoot him.

Connor leisurely sipped his drink while comfortably lounging in the recliner.

He stared blankly ahead, his mind overwhelmed by internal turmoil, which only increased his irritation. Lost in thought, a hand on his shoulder pulled him back to reality, prompting him to stand.

“Everything is in our control. Why are you so worried right now?” Anton asked.

“I had to beg Mr. Wanton. Our connection in New Orleans wasn’t strong enough to give immediate help to Sebastian.”

“It was so unexpected. We had to take action to ensure our kids stayed out of trouble. No harm in that at all!”

Connor gave a small laugh. “It’s easy for you to give out the commands. It’s embarrassing for me to carry them out sometimes.” He sneered, “It’s all because of Janet!”

Anton narrowed his eyes. “I don’t understand you sometimes, Connor. You care about her,” he said, and Connor opened his mouth to interrupt, but Anton didn’t let him speak.

“No. That’s the truth! The question is, why do you pretend to dislike her?”

Just as Connor was about to respond, a phone call interrupted him. “It’s Mr. Wanton,” he said, looking up at Anton, and the latter motioned for him to answer the phone.

“Hello, Connor. I hope you have received the good news. My exceptional team has helped Sebastian free your daughter. However, I’m in awe of the young prince. He would have freed her himself. But anyway, they are both safe now!

Connor exhaled deeply. “However, Sebastian was shot in the arm while trying to save Janet.”

“Oh, I’ll inform the boss.” He glanced at Anton while speaking.

“Don’t worry, he’s fine! I just spoke with him. They will reach out to you after checking into the hotel.”

Connor hummed in response. “Thank you so much for your immediate help, Mr. Wanton. It is because of you that we can now relax.”

“Everything comes with a price,” Mr. Wanton chuckled.

“Sure. Anything you want!” Connor quickly replied.

“It’s all about timing. Anyway, I’d like Sebastian and Janet to join me at the club tomorrow. I want to meet Sebastian and your daughter in person. I asked Sebastian, but he declined, so I need you to convince him.”

After the call with Mr. Wanton ended, Connor felt unsettled by his authoritative tone, and the idea of Janet being introduced to the world again as his daughter made him furious.

Just when he believed he had everything under control, Janet’s comeback jeopardized his years of scheming. Anton looked at Sebastian’s message, and a smile immediately spread across his face.

“They are alright and have reached the hotel.” He looked up at Connor.

“Mr. Wanton wants to meet Sebastian,” Connor interrupted and turned toward him. “He didn’t just ask for it; he demanded it!”

Anton remained silent for a moment, mulling over Mr. Wanton’s intention. “Sebastian can handle him. He will be fine.”

“But he wants Janet to go with him. It doesn’t make any sense! Why would he want to meet Janet?”

“Connor, your daughter is a pleasant surprise! The chaos you’ve caused in so many lives has attracted unwanted attention. Our enemies have been trying hard to find your weakness for three years now. Nikolai even sent his girlfriend, but they all failed!”

Anton chuckled. “Wanton won’t hurt Janet. Sebastian won’t let anyone use her as bait against you. You trust him, don’t you?”

Connor forced a smile, his eyes revealing his true feelings. “I have some important tasks to finish right now, so please excuse me.”

Anton allowed him to leave, and as Connor closed the door behind him, the silence in the room let Anton’s thoughts take over as he pondered the entire situation and Connor’s erratic behavior.

Janet stepped into the luxurious suite and immediately noticed the elegant chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

“You’re not allowed to step out of the suite!” Nate warned. After he closed the door, she let out a sigh of relief and sat down at the foot of the bed.

The small journey to see her father filled her mind with a flurry of difficult emotions.

She took off her heels, angrily tossed aside the cheap sandals, and muttered a string of curses under her breath when she saw herself in the mirror.

The cheap red dress hugged her body, and while she looked stunning, she loathed herself.

“Ughh… I need to take a shower!”

Looking around the luxurious room, she spotted a closet and moved toward it to find something comfortable to wear.

As she opened it, she was greeted by a neatly hung and organized collection of men’s clothing.

Twisting her mouth, her slender finger swiped across the shirts and finally stopped at the black silk shirt.

'This is better!’ she thought as she checked herself, noting that the dress’s hem now fell to her mid-thighs.

Slipping out of the dress, she walked into the bathroom. After taking a long, relaxing shower and washing her hair, she emerged wearing a black shirt, her damp hair still drying with a towel, only to notice the food trolley.

She tossed the towel onto the bed, then walked over to the food trolley and lifted the lid. The tempting aroma filled her senses, making her stomach growl.

Sitting on the bed, she loaded her plate with food and ate like a baby. However, her eating was soon accompanied by uncontrollable tears.

Her inability to free herself haunted her. The trope of the damsel in distress waiting for her shining knight to rescue her made her feel vulnerable and filled her with self-doubt.

Quietly, Sebastian stepped into the pitch-black room and closed the door. He approached the bed with his hands in his pockets, nearly stumbling over her heels in the darkness.

As he turned on the lights, the room revealed an exquisite scene that left him speechless.

The food trolley was in disarray as if someone hadn’t eaten but had robbed the food. The black towel lazily lay on the unoccupied part of the bed. A sparkling red dress was on the floor, with the bra on top, and his closet was wide open.

He studied his messed-up clothes. ‘Women!’ He neatly folded his clothes and shut the closet.

The sound startled Janet, and she sat on the bed in panic, eyes wide. “You!” She pulled the duvet over her body, exposing her long legs, and stepped down from the bed.

Sebastian was immediately captivated by her, and what first caught his eye was how stunning she looked in his black shirt.

Janet hunched in his direction like a raging bull.

“What the hell are you doing in my room? Can’t you knock….” Just as she was about to finish her sentence, she stumbled over her high heels, causing her to lunge forward.

Sebastian caught her just in time, leaving her too stunned to reply. “Are you alright?” She pushed him away. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I was just setting up my wardrobe. Someone has ransacked it.”

“This is my suite. Why are you here?”

“Why can’t I be here?” he asked, as he took a step forward, and she retreated.

“This suite is mine. The shirt you’re wearing is mine.” His eyes glanced down, and Janet stepped back. “Oh, well, how could I forget? You’re mine!”

The gleam in his eyes made Janet swallow nervously and hesitate, only to trip over her heels again and land softly on the bed behind her.

Sebastian watched her with his hands in his pockets. An evil smirk spread across his face. “Good, you understood the task.”