Dominic’s phone rang again. He answered instantly.

"Hello?"

"Are you alright?" came the worried voice from the other end.

"We are fine," Dominic replied shortly. "Some of the men got injured, but they’ll survive."

"Leave Italy immediately." The voice turned grave. "Victor is hunting you now. Come back before it’s too late."

Dominic’s eyes darkened. "I know."

At Dominic’s apartment...

Mila could not sit still after returning from the hotel. The chaos, the screams, the gunfire — everything kept replaying in her head like a nightmare she couldn’t escape.

She paced restlessly across the living room, clutching her trembling hands together.

Every passing second felt unbearable. Her mind kept imagining horrifying scenes.

What if Dominic had been shot? What if he were lying somewhere covered in blood? What if he never came back?

"No..." she whispered shakily, forcing those thoughts away.

But the fear only grew stronger. Tears blurred her vision.

She remembered how badly Lucas had suffered after taking a bullet.

"What if he is hurt?" she muttered helplessly. "What if..."

She couldn’t even imagine. Grabbing her phone, she called him again.

No answer.

Her breathing turned uneven.

"Why aren’t you answering?" she cried anxiously. "Dominic... please..."

She called him again.

Still nothing.

The silence terrified her more than anything. Then suddenly, the apartment door burst open.

Mila turned around instantly. The moment she saw Dominic, her face turned ghostly pale.

Blood covered his shirt, hands, and even parts of his face. He looked like he had walked straight out of a battlefield.

"Dominic..."

She rushed toward him frantically but stopped right in front of him, too terrified to touch him. Her eyes scanned his entire body desperately, searching for wounds.

As a doctor, she had seen countless injured people. But seeing Dominic drenched in blood shook her to the core. For the first time in her life, blood made her afraid.

Tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Are you injured?" she asked with a trembling voice.

Dominic glanced down at himself briefly. "This isn’t my blood," he replied calmly. "Relax. I’m fine."

Only then did Mila finally breathe again. Her legs nearly weakened with relief. But Dominic’s expression remained serious.

"The danger isn’t over yet. We are leaving immediately. Pack your things."

He strode toward the bedroom and entered the bathroom.

Mila quickly wiped her tears and hurried to pack their bags. Her hands still trembled badly.

A few minutes later, Dominic came out after washing the blood off himself and changing clothes.

"Done?" he asked.

Mila nodded immediately.

Without wasting another second, they left the apartment under the cover of darkness.

The private jet was already prepared for departure. Once they boarded and the jet finally took off into the night sky, Dominic slowly exhaled. He felt slight relief.

Mila was safe beside him. That was enough. But he didn’t know danger had followed him onto the jet itself.

Meanwhile, a flight attendant entered the cockpit carrying two cups of coffee. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Your coffee, Captains." She smiled sweetly.

"Thank you," one of the pilots replied, glancing at her briefly.

The other pilot smirked slightly.

"Enjoy your coffee."

With that, she walked out, closing the cockpit door behind her. The smile on her face disappeared.

"She is new?" one of the pilots wondered. "I don’t think I have seen her before."

"Mr. Russo might have recently hired me," the other one replied smoothly.

"Lucky us," the first one joked before taking a sip.

The second one laughed softly as he drank the coffee.

Outside the cockpit, the woman prepared two more cups of coffee. She calmly poured a colorless liquid into them.

It was a deadly poison.

The pilots had already consumed theirs. Death would reach them soon. Now it was Dominic and Mila’s turn.

She walked toward them carrying the tray gracefully.

"Mr. Russo, Miss Mila," she said politely, placing the cups before them. "Your coffee."

"Thank you," Mila replied, reaching for the cup.

The woman nodded and walked away calmly.

Dominic’s sharp gaze narrowed slightly. Something felt wrong.

He didn’t recognize this woman. And he never allowed unfamiliar staff on his private jet.

The moment Mila raised the cup toward her lips, Dominic suddenly snatched it away from her hand.

Startled, Mila gasped. "What are you doing?"

"Don’t drink it." His voice turned cold instantly. "Something is wrong."

He stood up immediately. "Stay here."

Mila’s heart tightened in fear.

Dominic strode forward and saw the woman near the emergency exit, fastening a parachute onto herself.

The woman slowly turned toward him.

"Who are you?" Dominic demanded coldly.

She smirked mockingly. "I thought you would drink the coffee and die peacefully." Her eyes glittered viciously. "But you are smarter than I expected."

Then suddenly, the jet jerked violently.

Mila screamed as the aircraft dipped sharply downward.

Dominic grabbed the nearby seat to steady himself. "What did you do?" he roared.

The woman laughed. "The pilots are already dead. This jet is going to crash."

She touched the parachute on her back. "You two will die here, while I survive."

She turned toward the emergency exit.

But Dominic lunged forward instantly and grabbed her before she could move. Both crashed hard onto the floor.

The woman reacted immediately. She twisted her body and kicked Dominic hard in the ribs, throwing him backward.

Dominic’s eyes sharpened as he realized the woman wasn’t simple. She had combat training.

But he was also skilled in combat, far deadlier than she. Before she could rise completely, Dominic rushed at her again and wrapped his hand around her throat.

The woman clawed at him desperately, struggling for air. Then suddenly, she pulled a hidden knife from behind her waist and plunged it into Dominic’s stomach.

"Dominic!" Mila screamed in fear.

Pain exploded through his body. Blood instantly stained his shirt. But Dominic’s expression only turned more terrifying.

He twisted the woman’s wrist violently, the knife slipping from her hand and sliding across the floor.

The woman kicked him away again. Dominic stumbled backward, pressing his hand tightly against his bleeding wound.

Meanwhile, the woman scrambled toward the knife.

Dominic saw it immediately. If she reached it first, Mila would be in danger. Ignoring the burning pain in his stomach, he charged toward her again.

The woman grabbed the knife first and slashed wildly at him. Dominic caught her wrist midair. Their bodies slammed against the seats as the jet continued shaking violently.

The woman tried to stab him again and again, but Dominic held her wrist in a deadly grip. Veins bulged along his arm as he forced the blade away from himself inch by inch.

She suddenly headbutted him hard.

Dominic grunted, momentarily dazed.

The woman seized the chance and drove the knife toward his throat. Dominic caught her arm again at the last second.

The blade stopped barely inches from his neck.

Both struggled fiercely.

The jet tilted violently again, throwing them sideways.

Dominic suddenly slammed her arm against the metal edge of the seat.

Crack...

The woman screamed as her wrist broke. The knife fell again.

Dominic snatched it instantly.

Before she could react, the blade sliced cleanly across her throat.

The woman’s eyes widened in horror. Blood poured from her neck as she collapsed lifelessly onto the floor.

The jet shook violently.

Mila stood frozen for a second before running toward Dominic. Tears streamed down her face when she saw the blood soaking through his shirt.

"You are bleeding," she sobbed. "Let me stop it first."

Dominic ignored the pain entirely. The jet was descending too fast.

"We don’t have time." He ripped the parachute off the dead woman’s body. "We need to jump now."

Mila stared at the single parachute. "There is only one."

Dominic grabbed her face gently despite the chaos around them. "Do you trust me?"

Her tears fell harder, but she nodded.

"Hold onto me tightly."

Mila wrapped her arms around him instantly.

Dominic secured the parachute around himself and pulled her firmly against his body. Then he reached for the emergency door.

The moment it opened, a violent wind exploded inside the cabin. The storm-like air was almost deafening. Everything inside the jet shook violently.

Mila cried out and buried her face against Dominic’s chest as the freezing wind lashed against them mercilessly. Below them stretched endless darkness. She didn’t dare to look outside and closed her eyes tightly.

Dominic tightened his arms around her. "Don’t let go," he whispered near her ear.

The next second, he jumped.

Mila screamed, clutching him tightly.

The jet vanished above while they plummeted through the freezing night sky at terrifying speed.

The air roared past them violently. Mila’s heart felt like it stopped beating entirely. She trembled uncontrollably.

Dominic held her tightly against him even as blood continued flowing from his wound. They kept falling endlessly through darkness.

Then the parachute burst open above them with a click.

Their descent slowed sharply.

Mila gasped for breath, still shaking badly as they floated through the cold night air.

Below them stretched a massive, dense forest. Moments later, they disappeared into it.