Reborn: I Quit Being the Mafia’s Stand-In Chapter 05
Chloe’s head snapped around. The vicious arrogance on her face vanished instantly, draining of all color as if she were staring at the Grim Reaper itself.
“Al… Alexander… aren’t… aren’t you supposed to be dealing with the explosion? Listen to me, let me explain, what I just said was only…”
In the Mafia world, a Don’s silence was often far more terrifying than the sound of gunfire.
Alexander’s eyes, usually harboring a hint of ruthless violence, were now so dark and menacing they looked ready to drip black blood.
Chloe stumbled forward and grabbed his arm. “None of that was true… I was forced… someone forced me to say those things…”
“Who forced you?”
“It… it was Eleanor!” Her eyes darted around frantically before tears immediately spilled over.”
She told me to say it! She threatened me! She said if 1 didn’t do exactly what she said, she’d kill me!”
“It’s true! Alexander, you have to believe me! I love you!”
Alexander stared at her. Suddenly, his hand shot out, seizing her by the throat.
Chloe’s toes left the floor. Her face flushed violently
from pale to crimson, her hands slapping uselessly at his arm.
“You ruined me.”
His fingers tightened.
“You ruined my life. You made me believe I owed you.
You made me hate someone who never did a single thing to hurt me.”
“You turned me into a monster.”
Tears streamed down Chloe’s face.
Rushed footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor.
A guard rushed in, freezing at the sight, but immediately lowered his head.
“Boss… we found her. The Madam was taken away by Victor Costa.”
Victor. The man who had been fawning over Eleanor at the banquet–he had taken her.
Alexander loosened his grip on Chloe’s throat.
chloe collapsed to the floor, violently coughing and gasping for air as she clutched her neck,
He drew his gun.
The muzzle aimed dead center at Chloe’s forehead.
Chloe looked up, her entire body trembling.
“Alexander… no… please… I really love you…”
“Love?”
His voice held nothing but freezing, absolute disgust.
“You don’t deserve to say that word.”
Chloe crawled forward, wrapping her arms around his legs.
“You can’t kill me! I’m the one you love! You said you would love me forever!”
He pressed the barrel against her temple.
“That was before I saw you for what you really are. Now you’re nothing but a liar.”
Carmine and Rosalyn burst into the room.
Seeing Alexander pointing a gun at Chloe, Rosalyn shrieked, “Alexander! What are you doing?! That’s Chloe! Your wife!”
Carmine took a step forward, looking as though he might try to grab the gun. “Why are you treating
Chloe like this? What did she do wrong?! Eleanor was
the one who ran away! Eleanor bombed the estate! Why are you punishing Chloe?!”
Alexander didn’t move the gun.
He cast a freezing glare at Carmine.
“Why? You know exactly why.”
His gaze swept from Chloe’s face to Carmine and Rosalyn.
“My wife is Eleanor.”
“And you all knew that, didn’t you?” Alexander shifted the gun from Chloe’s head, pointing it directly
at Carmine. “You knew the truth all along. You were accomplices.”
Carmine’s face instantly dropped.
His lips trembled, unable to form a single word.
Rosalyn’s eyes widened, instinctively taking a step back. “No… it’s not like that… we just…”
“Just what? Just wanted to make your precious youngest daughter the wife of a Don? Just wanted to destroy Eleanor for her?”
Alexander lowered his gun, taking a step back.
“Killing you is too easy, Chloe.”
chloe looked up, a fleeting glimmer of hope flashing in her eyes.
“Drag her to the water dungeon. Break her legs.”
“No-! Alexander! You can’t-!“.
“Stay down there. Taste exactly what Eleanor went through.”
Alexander turned to Carmine and Rosalyn.
“As for you two–you’re going to the slums. If I ever
see your faces again, you’re dead.”
Rosalyn wailed, “Alexander! We are your parents–in- law-”
“Parents–in–law?”
He let out a cold laugh.
“You never treated Eleanor like a daughter. I have no obligation to treat you like family.”
He waved his hand.
The guards dragged the three of them away.
The corridor echoed with Chloe’s screams and Rosalyn’s wails.
Alexander leaned against the wall and slowly slid to the floor.
“Boss.”
Another guard handed him a file.
“We found something else. About the gang shootout years ago–the time you were shot three times and carried out of the woods by a woman.
“We always thought it was Chloe who saved you. But the records show Chloe was attending a party at that exact time. The person who carried you out of the woods… was the Madam.”
His body went entirely rigid.
Memories of that rainy night in the woods flooded his mind.
When he was bleeding out from multiple gunshot wounds, a woman with trembling, fragile shoulders had carried him through the mud, falling and getting back up relentlessly while begging him not to close his eyes.
For years, he had firmly believed his savior was Chloe–a stolen debt of gratitude she had happily embraced without a single word of denial.
Alexander buried his face in his hands.
His shoulders shook violently.
“Eleanor… Eleanor…”
“What have I done?”
“What the hell did I do to her?”
“The woman who carried me out of that forest–the woman who saved my life–I threw her into a water dungeon and ruined the hands she used to play the piano.”
“I treated her as a substitute.”
“I told her she wasn’t worthy,”
“Boss… there’s one more thing. Madam. She… she’s pregnant.”
Alexander shot up from the floor.
“What did you say?!”
Suddenly, an image flashed through his mind:
Eleanor curled up in the corner of the dungeon, her arms wrapped tightly around her stomach.
She was protecting the baby.
When she was locked in that freezing dungeon, she had been protecting their child.
“Prepare the helicopter.” Alexander turned and strode toward the door. “I’m going to Costa territory.”
“Boss–that’s enemy territory
“I have to bring her back.”
“At all costs.”