Mafia Boss Notices The Maid’s Injury—By Morning, 15 People Had Vanished Without A Trace!

Lily stared at his outstretched hand. The name Gabriel Thorne sounded vaguely familiar, whispered in hushed, terrified tones in the back rooms of the hotel. He wasn't a businessman. He was the head of the Thorne Syndicate. He was the underworld king of the city.

She placed her trembling hand into his. His grip was firm and warm, pulling her effortlessly to her feet.

"Stay close to me," Gabriel instructed. "Keep your head down if you want, or keep it up. Let them look. It doesn't matter. You are with me now."

He opened the door of the storage closet and stepped out into the fourteenth-floor hallway. Lily followed, practically hidden inside his massive black suit jacket.

They walked toward the main elevators. The plush carpet muffled their footsteps, but the heavy silence between them was deafening. As they reached the elevator bank, the polished metal doors slid open.

Standing inside was Marcus, her catering supervisor, clutching his clipboard. His face was pale and sweating.

When Marcus saw Lily, his eyes widened in panic. Then, he saw the man standing beside her. The clipboard slipped from Marcus's fingers, clattering loudly against the elevator floor.

"Mr. Thorne," Marcus stammered, stepping backward until his spine hit the back wall of the elevator. "I... I didn't know you were on this floor."

Gabriel didn't enter the elevator. He stood in the threshold, blocking the doors from closing. His dark eyes locked onto the sweating supervisor.

"You sent her to Suite 1407," Gabriel stated. It wasn't a question.

Marcus swallowed hard, his eyes darting to Lily's bruised neck, visible just above the collar of Gabriel's jacket. "Sir, it was a special request from Mr. Caldwell. I had no choice. You know how powerful the Caldwell family is."

"I do," Gabriel said, his voice a low, terrifying rumble. "And you know how powerful I am."

"Please," Marcus whimpered, tears springing to his eyes. "He paid me ten thousand dollars to send her up alone. I didn't know he was going to hurt her!"

Gabriel’s jaw tightened. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his cell phone, and typed a single, brief message.

"Enjoy the rest of your evening, Marcus," Gabriel said coldly.

He grabbed Lily's hand and pulled her away from the elevator, leading her toward the private VIP express lift at the end of the hall. Behind them, the main elevator doors closed on Marcus's terrified face.