18.18 % Chapter 3 When I woke , I was lying in a private hospital room . The door hadn't been closed properly , and low voices drifted in from outside . " Mr. Morgan , Mrs. Morgan's injuries are serious this time . If she finds out about Miss Garcia- " It was Herbert's personal physician , Dr. Smiths . Before he could finish , Herbert's cold voice cut him off . " Watch your mouth . Your only job is to keep her alive . Don't meddle . " " Julia's been in the game for years - there's no trick , no vicious ploy she hasn't seen . She's dangerous in her own right . " " Stella isn't like her . She's pure , like a blank sheet of paper . She doesn't stand a chance against Julia . " He paused , lowering his voice even more . " If she wakes up and causes trouble , bring her brother in . He's the only family she has left . She won't be able to ignore that . " My knuckles whitened as I clenched the sheets . I bit down on my lip so hard that the metallic taste of blood spread across my tongue . The night I helped him take down San Francisco's largest casino , he had promised me , " Julia , from this day forward , no one in San Francisco will ever lay a hand on you . " The same words , the same vow of protection , only now they belonged to someone else . The woman he once treated as a treasure had become , in his mouth , a schemer , a threat to be guarded against . Footsteps drew near . I shut my eyes , pretending I had just woken . " You're awake ? We tracked it down . The one who did this to you was that Thai hustler - the one who got his hand crippled for cheating at the tables . " Herbert tossed a folder onto my bed . "Sign this settlement . Once you do , they'll agree to give up control of the East District . " The East District was San Francisco's last untouched territory by the sea , clean , free from casinos and dirty business . I remembered what he had once whispered to Stella , " I'll build you a quiet place , a resort far from here ... " So this broken body of mine had been the bargaining chip for the golden cage he was building for her . My voice came out hoarse , almost a rasp . " Herbert , when exactly did you negotiate this deal ? " Was it when he saw me being dragged across the street , or had he already decided long ago that my blood would pave the way for his lover ? His brows furrowed , clearly displeased by my question . I curled my lips in a bitter smile and said nothing more . The answer didn't matter anymore . Perhaps to placate me , he stayed by my side for the next two days , handling business from the hospital . But his phone never left his hand . Even at meals , he would snap photos to send across the screen , his face softening into a smile I had never once seen . I stared at his profile , and my thoughts drifted back eight years . The first time I met him wasn't in a casino , but in a dark alley . He had been caught cheating , surrounded by seven or eight men with machetes . He was about to lose an arm . Chapter 3 * BAJONASE CEO'S D Dreame - Read Romance Stories When he realized has feelings , he had lost her forever ! Novels reading at night 4.4 FREE Installed Open 27.27 % I had just won a fortune that night . I stepped in , saved him , and dragged him back to my apartment . Later , when my father back home racked up massive gambling debts and was driven to death by a cartel , I was seized as collateral , a needle pressed against my veins . Herbert stormed in at the last second with his men , pulling me out . By then , he had already taken over a small casino . He put me on the Golden Sparrow table , making me his invisible " Queen of Cards . " With me at his side , he devoured casino after casino , bleeding rival after rival dry . I knew these hands of mine were already steeped in filth and blood . But no matter how the world saw me as dirty , he had no right to . Chapter 3 BLOWARE CLOYS Auto - added to the Library D Dreame - Read Romance Stories When he realized he feelings , he had lost her forever ! Novels reading at night 4.4 FREE Installed