Chapter 7

I immediately looked at Jerome.

He knows.

He knows this will destroy me.

He'll stop this.

Right?

Jerome stayed silent for a long moment before finally looking at me.

“Lori...” he said quietly. “I know you're afraid, and I know this isn't easy for you. But you damaged something that didn't belong to you. Spend one night with them, bear with it, and it'll be over before you know it. I'll have guards stationed outside the entire time. You'll be safe.”

I stared at him.

He knew.

He knew exactly what those rats would do to me.

He knew I'd spent years waking up screaming because of them.

He knew.

And he still agreed.

“Jerome...” My entire body shook. “You can't do this. You know I can't. I'll lose my mind if you lock me in there with them.”

For just a second, something flashed across his face.

Guilt, but it disappeared.

“This is my decision,” he said before turning toward the guards. “Lock Lorelie in the storage room with the cages. No one opens that door until morning, no matter what happens.”

“Yes, Boss.”

Vivienne lowered her head to hide her smile.

The guards grabbed my arms.

“No!” I struggled desperately. “Jerome, please... don't do this to me. I'm begging you. Please don't make me go back to that nightmare!”

He never answered.

He simply turned around.

Vivienne walked beside him with a satisfied smile and the door closed behind them.

A second later...

I heard the lock click.

Around me, dozens of rats scratched against their cages.

Squeak.

Scratch.

Squeak.

I wrapped my arms around myself as my entire body trembled uncontrollably. Before the first rat even reached me, tears were already streaming down my face.

The nightmare had begun all over again.

Right after Jerome left, the guards wheeled in more cages.

One after another.

Soon there were dozens of them surrounding me.

The room filled with scratching, squeaking, and the constant rattling of metal cages. The sounds echoed from every corner until I couldn't tell where they were coming from anymore.

“No...” I backed against the wall, hugging my knees tightly. “Please... take them away. Please, I don't want them here.”

Nobody listened.

The door slammed shut.

Then I heard the lock click.

I was alone.

Again.

The rats kept scratching against the cages. Some climbed the metal bars, some fought each other, and some simply stared at me with their tiny black eyes. Every sound dragged me back to that abandoned warehouse.

Back to those three days.

The darkness.

The stench.

The sound of tiny claws scraping across the concrete floor.

I could hear their laughter all over again.

“Look at her shaking!”

One of the kidnappers laughed as he kicked another cage toward me. “The great mafia princess is crying over a few little rats. I thought you'd be braver than this.”

Another man burst into laughter.

“She's terrified. Open another cage. Let's see how long before she completely loses her mind.”

“No...” I sobbed, pressing myself against the cold wall. “Please... don't... I'll do anything you want. Please take them away.”

“Anything?” one of them mocked with a grin. “Then crawl over here and beg like a dog.”

The room erupted with laughter.

I shook my head so hard it hurt.

“Please...” My voice was already hoarse from screaming. “Please... I'm begging you...”

Instead of answering, one of them kicked over another cage.

The metal door sprang open.

Dozens of rats poured onto the floor.

I screamed as they rushed in every direction.

Some brushed against my feet.

Some climbed onto my legs.

I curled into myself, crying so hard I couldn't breathe.

“Get them off me!” I screamed. “Please! Please, get them off!”

Their laughter only grew louder.

“Listen to her.”

“She sounds like she's dying.”

“Maybe we should leave her here another day. Let's see if the rats finish her off before we come back.”

Their voices echoed inside my head until I couldn't tell whether I was remembering them...

Or hearing them all over again.

I couldn't breathe. I covered my ears, but it didn't help.

I still heard them. I still imagined tiny claws crawling across my skin.

I screamed until my throat burned. I cried until there were no tears left, and every minute felt like another hour.

I honestly thought… I was going to die in that room.

...

The next morning, the door finally opened.

I was curled up on the floor.

I hadn't slept.

I couldn't stop shaking.

My eyes were swollen from crying, and I flinched the moment I heard another squeak.

Jerome froze when he saw me.

“Lori...” His face immediately changed as he rushed toward me and carefully picked me up. His arms tightened around me as though he was afraid I'd fall apart. “I'm sorry. I didn't know it would be this bad. If I'd known, I never would've let this happen.”

He carried me back to my bedroom and immediately called the family's private doctor. The doctor gave me medicine to calm me down, but nothing could calm the fear inside me.

Jerome never left my bedside.

He kept apologizing over and over.

“Lori... this is my fault,” he said as he gently held my trembling hand. “I thought it would only be one night. I only wanted to give Vivi an answer so she'd stop making a fuss. I never imagined you'd react like this. I'm sorry... I'm really sorry.”

I quietly stared at the ceiling.

Another apology.

Another excuse.

Another lie.

How many more was I supposed to hear before this nightmare finally ended?

To make it up to me, Jerome canceled all of his meetings. He ignored calls from the executives at Partridge Consolidated and even pushed his responsibilities onto the family's captains and capos.

He insisted on taking me shopping.

“Maybe getting out for a while will make you feel better,” he said gently. “You've been trapped inside this house for days. Let's go out together. Maybe a change of scenery will help.”

I wanted to refuse.

Then I suddenly remembered.

Today...

Was the ninth day.

The fake death medicine.

It would take effect today.

A small smile almost appeared on my lips.

That's fine.

If fate wanted today to be the end...

Then let Jerome watch me die with his own eyes.

...

The streets were crowded.

Jerome stayed beside me the entire time. Every time I looked at something in a store window, he bought it without asking. Designer bags, jewelry, luxury watches... anything.

Money had never meant anything to the future Don of the Partridge family.

But none of it mattered anymore.

Then...

We ran into Vivienne again.

“What a coincidence!” she said with a bright smile. “It's been forever since the three of us spent time together. Maybe this is fate giving us a chance to get along again.”

Without waiting for permission, she linked her arm through mine.

I immediately pulled away.

“Don't touch me,” I said coldly. “I have nothing to say to you, so stay away from me.”

She laughed softly.

“Oh, come on, Lori. We're cousins. Are you really going to stay angry forever? I was only trying to be friendly.”

She grabbed my arm again.

I shoved her away.

She grabbed me again.

We struggled for a second.

Then suddenly...

We stumbled forward.

Straight into a security convoy.

Black luxury SUVs came to a screeching stop.

Bodyguards instantly surrounded the area.

“What the hell happened?”

“Protect Don Colorado!”

The entire street erupted into chaos. One SUV had swerved so suddenly that it nearly crashed into another vehicle.

Jerome reacted immediately.

He rushed forward and helped steady the door as Don Colorado Partridge stepped out.

The elderly Don frowned deeply.

His sharp eyes swept across everyone.

The head of security spoke first.

“Who caused this?”