Chapter 10 - Awakening the Beast
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Liya woke up to the sound of a steady heart monitor.
She blinked her eyes open, adjusting to the dim, sterile lighting. She wasn't in a hospital. She was in a high-tech medical suite built directly into the Moretti penthouse.
Sitting in a chair beside her bed was Adrian. He looked exhausted, his white dress shirt stained with her blood, his dark hair a messy tangle. He hadn't slept.
"You're awake," he breathed, surging forward and gently taking her hand.
"My mother," Liya croaked, her throat dry.
"She's perfectly safe in the other wing. She doesn't know what happened," Adrian assured her quickly, pressing a glass of water to her lips.
Liya drank greedily. "The poison?"
"A specialized neurotoxin," Adrian said, his jaw tightening into a hard, unforgiving line. "Used exclusively by the Russian syndicate. Elena Romanov ordered the hit right in front of me."
"What are you going to do?" Liya asked, feeling a shiver of fear.
"I am going to war," Adrian stated coldly. "Nobody touches my wife and lives."
"We aren't married yet," she whispered.
"We are in every way that matters," he replied, his gaze intense and unwavering. "I almost lost you, Liya. I realized last night that this isn't just a contract to me anymore. I want you."
Liya’s heart hammered against her ribs. She looked into his dark, dangerous eyes and saw genuine, raw emotion. The mafia boss wasn't playing a game anymore.
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Before she could respond, the heavy steel door of the medical suite opened. Lorenzo, Adrian's uncle, walked in, flanked by two armed guards.
"The Commission has called an emergency meeting, Adrian," Lorenzo announced, eyeing Liya with disgust. "Elena Romanov is demanding your surrender. She says if you don't hand over the girl, the five families will unite and wipe the Morettis off the map."
