Joanne’s sedan slid through the gates of the Boren stronghold, its tires whispering across the pristine gravel driveway. The moment she stepped out of the vehicle, the air of the underworld territory seemed to wrap around her statuesque frame, but she did not let her high heels falter for a single second. The guards at the perimeter, strong men with visible shoulder holsters, immediately recognized her unmistakable golden hair and elite facial structure. Instead of drawing their weapons or blocking her path, they opened the doors of the central pavilion and welcomed her warmly into the estate.
Within minutes, she was guided into a private, dimly lit reception room where a crystal decanter sat on a polished table. An enforcer offered her a premium glass of wine, which she accepted with a graceful nod, though she only let the rim brush her lips without swallowing a single drop.
The door behind her groaned on its hinges, and the broad-shouldered frame of Bellero Boren stepped into the room. The old Mafia boss had discarded his blood-stained torture apron from the cellar, now wearing a dark vest over his white shirt. His stark white hair caught the low light as his burning eyes swept slowly down the full length of her tight crimson dress, a dark, wicked smirk curling his wrinkled features.
"Joanne Moscow," Bellero murmured, his voice dropping into a smooth purr as he took a seat across from her. "To what pleasure do I owe this unexpected visit from the nation’s most beautiful trophy? My guards told me you came alone at this hour."
Joanne set her glass down on the edge of the table, her golden eyes locking onto the underworld dictator without a single drop of fear. "I am here to make a very serious profitable deal with you, of course, Bellero. A precise arrangement that will lead to the two of us benefiting beyond our expectations."
Bellero’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. He leaned back in his leather chair, a low, rumbling chuckle vibrating inside his chest. "A deal? Well, well. After all the advances I have tried on your beautiful body over the last two years at those pathetic charity galas, you always turned me down with such cold disgust. I was truly starting to wonder why you would suddenly show up at my front door so willingly today, looking like sin in that dress."
The old man’s eyes narrowed into cynical slits, his smile turning thin and icy. "To be completely honest with you, Joanne... I thought you had come here to beg for the antidote. I thought you had come to crawl on your knees for the antidote, since your betrothed boyfriend, Dorrent Grefo, completely failed to cooperate with my phone commands. I didn’t know the Vice President’s daughter had a deal to pitch to my desk."
"I am here for the antidote, of course," Joanne countered smoothly, crossing her long legs as the fabric tightened beautifully over her curves. "But before that, we need to come to formal terms, Bellero. You should stop hunting my boyfriend. You need to pull your hitmen off his tail and stop trying to blast him into the ground, and in return for your cooperation, I will personally help you get exactly what you want."
Bellero stared at her, a ghostly, dangerous stillness settling over his shoulders as he evaluated her bold posture. "You will help me get what I want?" he asked, his voice dropping into a flat rasp that rattled the quiet room. "And how on earth do you know what I want, Joanne? How are you so sure that I will even cooperate with a girl who belongs to the Grefo Group?"
"Because I know exactly what you want, Bellero, and I know the reason why you tried to eliminate my boyfriend from the picture on that road," Joanne stated flatly, her voice rising into an intense, confident line. "The truth is very simple, Mafia God. You and I share the same goal in this matter."
Bellero froze, his wrinkled face hardening into a mask of surprise. He leaned forward, slamming his hands onto the surface of the table as his eyes swamped with a sudden intensity. "What goal could a ruthless criminal empire like the Borens possibly share with an elite beauty queen like you, Joanne? Speak clearly before my patience runs flat!"
"Separating Jannah Nenth from Dorrent Grefo," Joanne delivered smoothly, her voice cutting through the silence like a razor blade.
"That is not the issue here, Bellero!" Joanne snapped back, her voice turning sharp and emotional as she slammed her small fist against the wood. "The real issue is that the moment Dorrent learns the truth—the exact second he discovers that Jannah’s body can produce an Enigma child—his Alpha pride will completely take over. He will want to possess her forever! Who on earth wouldn’t like to have an Enigma kid?! He will dump me, marry her, and keep her locked in his bed for the rest of his life!"
Joanne stood up from her chair, the dress catching the low lamps as she extended her hand toward the old Mafia boss, her expression locking into a hard, demanding mask. "So, the layout is very simple, Bellero. Hand over that antidote right now so Jannah can survive the night, and in return, I will use my daily presence inside the Grefo mansion to play the inside game. I will help you orchestrate a plan to get Jannah out of the Grefo estate and into Damian’s hands forever. We both win."
Bellero looked up at her standing figure, his sharp features twisting into a cold smile that dripped with arrogance. He slowly shook his head, his fingers tracing the edge of his wine glass. "And what if I decide I don’t want to cooperate with your little layout, Joanne? What if I decide to handle Dorrent Grefo with my own hitmen?"
Joanne’s eyes swamped with a sudden, venomous fire. She leaned down, her voice dropping into a freezing purr that carried the weight of a ticking bomb.
"If you dare to refuse my terms, Bellero... I will immediately walk out of these gates and tell every single powerful Mafia family, every underground faction, and every prominent, wealthy Alpha in this entire nation exactly how biologically unique Jannah Nenth is... and then I would like to see how your pathetic Boren empire is going to manage to compete with the entire country to get the girl."

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