Bait on the Battlefield

"The year the Rossi famiglia falls, my personal Underboss, Lorenzo Santoro, rises to power—becoming the Don and seizing control of the underworld.Once, I was the untouchable Principessa. He was the Soldato, ready to die for me at a moment's notice. For something as trivial as a paper cut on my finger, he would drop to his knees with red-rimmed eyes, blowing on it for half an hour.Now, to earn a smile from his new flame, Elena Marino, he forces me to sign a contract and makes me his live target. He watches with indifference as I am battered and bloodied under a hail of bullets.During a blast-resistance test, shattered glass slices the corner of my eye, but Lorenzo merely looks on. "The once-delicate Principessa Rossi can't even handle a little pain?"During attack-dog training, I am bitten to the bone, yet he shields a trembling Elena instead. "Animals don't know any better. Why are you holding a grudge against a dog?"Then comes the real kidnapping. To save Elena, who is desperate to become Donna, he personally cuts off my escape."This is just a drill, Isabella," he scoffs. "Stop acting like it's real."On the surveillance monitors, flames engulf me as I take my final breath.A bloodstained termination contract is delivered to him. "Don Santoro, I return the life I owe you."Only then does the man who believes he rules the world finally lose his mind."