Chapter 1 She won't get away

"Get out of the car, Mrs. Delacroix..." the big man said as he knocked on the window.

"No, you should get out of my way." The young French woman raised her head, revealing her beautiful face with delicate features.

Justine lowered her head when the man pointed the gun at the door, and, at the same time, her right hand held the pregnancy test result.

With just one shot at the door handle, the man managed to open the car door. He pulled the young French woman by one arm, but when she started to fight back, she was restrained by another henchman who grabbed her by the legs and pulled her out of the Ferrari.

"Let me go, or I'll tell my husband everything," she said threateningly.

"He's the one who asked us to pick you up, signora," one of the thugs said mockingly.

Her golden eyes flashed with anger as she was dragged away by the two men who put her in a white van with no distinctive markings. She felt as if the metal of that vehicle was closing in around her. She was becoming increasingly suffocated and afraid of what her husband would do to her when he found her.

❛ ━━━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━━❜

The night before the kidnapping, Justine Delacroix could barely sleep after satisfying the vigorous Italian.

As soon as Kevin fell asleep she stared at the ceiling. It had been a year since she married that man to obtain information about the shady deals involving the Harrison Giordano Group, but things were taking an unexpected turn, and she couldn't continue in that situation.

When her cell phone vibrated on the bedside table during the night, Justine picked up the device and went straight to the bathroom, where she locked herself in to talk to Andrew Turner.

"What is it?" she whispered, afraid her husband would hear her. "I told you not to call me at this hour."

"Did you get the money I asked for? I lost a good load because of your husband, and I need to get my money back." Andrew spoke without pausing.

"I'll bring it tomorrow..." Justine whispered.

"Great, remember that your grandmother's life depends on it."

When she returned to the bedroom, she stared at the broad back of the man lying face down on the bed. The sheet partially covered his straight waist, leaving part of his muscular thighs and buttocks exposed.

The next morning, Justine woke up early, but, as usual, her husband had already left for a meeting.

After leaving the house, she got into her Ferrari and drove straight to the doctor's office, where she received the dreaded result:

"You're pregnant!"

"It can't be." Justine found it hard to believe.

"You are three months pregnant." The doctor announced.

"Thanks, Doctor!" She said and exited before receiving the exam.

Not knowing what to do, she stood up and left the office.

Holding the positive pregnancy test result, she returned to her luxury car. Without wasting any time, she went straight to the bank and, after withdrawing seventy thousand euros from the joint account she had with her husband, returned to her car. Before starting the engine, she received a call from San Michele Hospital.

"Miss Delacroix, unfortunately your grandmother has passed away."

Justine was still holding the pregnancy test as she cried copiously when she heard the news. She had done everything she could to save the life of the elderly woman who had cared for her throughout her childhood. Stunned, she left the pregnancy test on the seat next to her and then drove to the Quarto Oggiaro neighborhood.

As soon as she got out of the car and entered the hospital, she found Andrew Turner and his mother, Sophia.

"Did you get the money?" Andrew asked. "By the way, I hope you convinced your husband to make an alliance with me."

Justine looked at her mother, but Sophia remained impassive. This was the woman who had abandoned her in France in the care of her grandmother and run off with her mafia lover in Italy.

"The deal is off, Andrew. I don't owe you anything anymore. Here's what you asked for." Justine handed him the briefcase with the money. "Please forget I ever existed."

Outraged, the burly man grabbed Justine's thin arm and then turned his narrowed eyes to Sophia, who remained aloof.

"Talk to your daughter, or you can find another place to live, Sophia," Andrew raged.

"Are you really going to do that, chérie?" Sophia's dark eyes stared at the girl with tears on her face.

Devastated, Justine felt a lump in her throat as she grieved the loss of her grandmother. She wiped her tears with the back of her hands and sniffed before saying,

"I don't want to spy on my husband anymore... I only did it for my grandmother. Now, the deal is off."

"You know Kevin has never forgiven betrayal!" Sophia retorted, lifting her chin. "I've heard of mobsters who torture cheating wives." She tried to intimidate Justine.

"If Kevin really loves me, then he'll forgive me, Mom."

"Think carefully, ma chérie! Kevin will kill you as soon as he finds out everything." She said this with the intention of deceiving the pale-faced girl.

Ignoring her mother, Justine turned and left to take care of everything related to the release of her grandmother's body and burial.

"Wait!" The man with the prominent belly went after Justine.

"Enough, Andrew! I'm not going to be a part of this anymore." Justine grabbed her purse strap and kept walking while her stepfather followed her through the hospital corridors. Fearing Andrew's threats, she headed straight for the exit.

As she passed through the doors, she didn't notice that, some distance away, an unknown man was taking pictures from inside a car.

"If you don't finish your job, I'll make sure your husband knows you're sleeping with the enemy," her stepfather threatened.

"My husband isn't like you!" Justine replied indignantly as she got into the car. "Goodbye, Andrew!" She stepped on the gas and drove away.

Her slender fingers tapped on the steering wheel. As soon as she had settled everything regarding her grandmother's funeral, she intended to return home and tell her husband she was pregnant.

Gray clouds covered the sky when, halfway there, the Ferrari was cut off, forcing Justine to brake suddenly. She tried to reverse, but another vehicle stopped right behind her.

Armed men approached her aggressively and pulled Justine out of her car before throwing her into a white van.

Suddenly, the young French woman's heart began to beat wildly. "Oh, mon Dieu, my husband found out," Justine thought desperately. "What am I going to do now?" She stroked her belly.

She was only twenty when she arrived in Italy and made decisions she bitterly regretted. She barely had a chance to give her grandmother a proper burial, and at that moment, all she could think about was the baby growing inside her. She needed to talk about the pregnancy and explain everything to her husband before suffering severe punishment for betraying the coldest and most vengeful man she had ever known.

❛ ━━━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━━❜

"Where is she?" There was a slight bitterness in his hoarse voice.

The CEO paced around the spacious boardroom of the Harrison Giordano Group, eagerly awaiting the response from the detective who was following his wife.

"I just saw her with Andrew Turner in Quarto Oggiaro."

Quarto Oggiaro was a neighborhood far from downtown Milan, and the shady businesses there were under the control of his enemy.

"Keep an eye on my wife." Kevin gave the order before hanging up.

"What is Justine doing with that maledetto?" He muttered the question to himself as he touched the veins bulging in his temples.

Kevin Harrison Giordano maintained an upright posture and an austere countenance that conveyed coldness and arrogance. Despite the tension, he was impeccably dressed in his tailor-made black suit when he returned to his chair.

Sitting behind the large desk, he narrowed his eyes at the laptop screen as he checked the video. The camera footage confirmed what his bank manager had told him in a message: "Your wife withdrew an exorbitant amount from the bank account."

According to the information he had received, Justine had not gone to the Maison Delacroix studio, where she worked as a fashion designer. Overcome with suspicion, the Italian ran his hands through his brown hair and then took a deep breath.

"Traitor!" The bitter words came out between clenched teeth. "This time, she won't get away."