Suddenly, someone grabbed Mila from behind and yanked her away just in time.

The lunatic crashed hard onto the marble floor, his knife clattering loudly beside him.

Before Mila could process what had happened, she was swiftly dragged backward. A second later, she found herself hidden behind a pillar with a tall man standing protectively in front of her.

Mila stared at him in stunned silence, her breathing uneven and her heartbeat spiraling wildly out of control.

The man’s long hair was disheveled, and his thick beard almost completely concealed his jawline. But his deep green eyes—filled with unmistakable concern—remained locked onto hers.

"You okay?"

Mila’s heart skipped violently.

That voice...

It sounded so familiar.

For one terrifying moment, she was almost certain he was Dominic—her Dominic. But... his eyes.

How could Dominic possibly have green eyes?

Shock and overwhelming emotions crashed through her. She wanted to ask if he was Dominic, if he had disguised himself somehow.

But before she could speak, deafening gunfire suddenly echoed through the hall.

"Ah!" Mila screamed and buried her face against the man’s chest, clutching his shirt tightly.

Dominic lifted his gaze.

The lunatic had collapsed onto the floor, dead. Blood streamed from the bullet wound between his eyebrows.

Standing across from the body was Mathias, still holding the gun in his hand.

A faint smile curled on Dominic’s lips. He had successfully made Mathias kill one of his own trusted men.

But the moment Dominic looked down at Mila, the smile vanished instantly.

She had lost consciousness. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Mila," he called urgently.

But she didn’t respond.

"Shit."

Without hesitation, he lifted her into his arms and headed toward the exit.

Suddenly, Max appeared in front of him.

The moment he saw Mila unconscious in another man’s arms, his blood boiled. His face darkened dangerously.

"What the hell are you doing?" he demanded sharply. "Give her to me."

Dominic let out a cold snort.

"Now you remember her?" he mocked harshly. "Where were you when she was in danger? You abandoned her and ran away. You didn’t even care about the baby in her womb."

Max’s chest tightened painfully.

The chaos inside the hall had completely disoriented him. When everyone began running in panic, he had instinctively moved with the crowd and momentarily forgotten Mila wasn’t beside him.

But the second he realized she was missing, he started searching for her desperately. Then the gunshot had echoed through the hall, terrifying him even further.

Everything had happened too fast.

And now a complete stranger was standing there, judging him.

"Who are you to criticize me?" Max muttered angrily. "I looked for her. Everyone was running in every direction. I couldn’t find her. You can’t blame me for that."

Dominic’s nostrils flared.

In his eyes, Max was weak and incapable of protecting Mila or her unborn child.

Sooner or later, he would take her away from him completely.

"She was almost killed," Dominic growled. "She fainted from shock. If I hadn’t stepped in, she would already be dead."

Those words struck Max hard, deepening the guilt clawing at his chest.

His expression changed instantly.

"Thank you for saving her," he said quickly. "Now give her to me. I’ll take her to the hospital."

Dominic hesitated.

Every instinct inside him screamed not to let her go. If he could, he would keep her beside him forever and never allow anyone near her again.

But he couldn’t act recklessly yet. If he stayed too close to Mila, people would begin suspecting him.

Reluctantly, Dominic handed her over.

Max glanced at him carefully. "Who are you?" he asked suspiciously.

"I’m Roman," Dominic replied calmly. "Your father’s secretary."

"Thank you again, Roman," Max said sincerely. "I’m grateful to you."

With that, he carried Mila away and hurried out of the hall.

Dominic watched them disappear before turning back toward the chaos.

The panic had not completely settled yet, but the hall had fallen into a deadly silence. Most of the guests had already fled. Only a handful remained behind.

Mathias stood motionless, staring at the corpse lying on the floor.

"Mathias..." Luke rushed over. His eyes briefly flickered toward the dead body before returning to Mathias. "What have you done? You killed him!"

Even though he already knew the plan had succeeded, he pretended to be shocked. His face reflected disbelief and concern while hiding the satisfaction buried deep inside.

"He was acting like a madman," Mathias hissed angrily. "What else was I supposed to do?"

Luke said nothing for a moment. Then he shrugged helplessly.

"Alright. You should leave now. I’ll handle everything here."

Mathias tucked the gun away before turning a warning glare toward Luke.

"I want to know exactly what went wrong with him," he said coldly. "Give me a full explanation by tomorrow. Otherwise, I’ll assume this entire party was arranged for this."

Luke’s face instantly paled. "I’ll investigate immediately."

"Don’t disappoint me."

With that, Mathias stormed out.

The hall fell silent once he was gone.

Luke stared at the corpse for a moment before speaking coldly, "Clean this mess up."

He then turned to leave, but paused briefly and glanced over his shoulder at Dominic.

"Come with me."

He strode toward a private room.

Dominic followed him inside.

Luke sat down on the sofa and lit a cigar slowly.

Dominic remained standing with his hands clasped in front of him, waiting for permission to sit.

But Luke never offered him a seat. Instead, he narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"What exactly happened?" he asked sharply. "Why did Nikolai react like that?"

The situation had genuinely shocked him.

Nikolai had always been calm, disciplined, and careful. He was not someone who acted recklessly. Yet tonight, he had behaved like a complete lunatic.

Dominic remained silent for a brief moment as his mind drifted back to an hour earlier.

Flashback...

"Nikolai is Mathias’s closest ally," Luke’s assistant whispered. "His intelligence network is massive. He has informants everywhere, and those connections are the reason Mathias stays ahead of everyone. If we eliminate Nikolai, his intel chain will collapse. Once the communication between his informants breaks, we can quietly place our own people inside the network and slowly take control from within."

Dominic listened silently, already calculating how to deal with Nikolai.

"I just saw him enter the restroom alone. This is our chance." He glanced toward the restroom entrance. "No guards. No witnesses. Finish the job and make it look accidental."

Then he handed Dominic a syringe.

Dominic frowned slightly as he examined it.

"This came from the newest drug shipment," the assistant explained quietly. "Some users reported severe hallucinations after taking it. Others completely blacked out for hours. I increased the dosage slightly. Once the drug knocks him unconscious, kill him. Everyone will assume he died from an overdose."

Dominic slipped the syringe into his pocket and walked silently into the restroom.

Inside, he found Nikolai standing at the urinal.

Dominic casually moved beside him and unzipped his own pants, pretending to use the restroom as well.

Nikolai glanced sideways at him. "You are Mr. Bellini’s secretary, aren’t you?"

Dominic nodded calmly. "Yes."

Nikolai slowly looked him up and down. Lust flickered openly in his eyes as he admired Dominic’s powerful physique—his broad shoulders, taut biceps, and lean waist.

"What’s your name?" he asked with a smile.

"Roman," Dominic replied evenly.

"Roman..." Nikolai repeated slowly.

After zipping up his pants, he walked toward the sink and turned on the faucet. Water poured over his hands.

"I’ve never seen you around Mr. Bellini before," he remarked casually. "Did you join recently?"

Dominic quietly pulled the syringe from his pocket.

"I’ve always worked for him," he answered calmly. "I was promoted recently."

As he spoke, he stepped closer, every muscle alert and ready.

"I see..."

Nikolai smiled, completely unaware of the danger standing beside him.

The second he turned around, Dominic struck. He jammed the needle into Nikolai’s neck and injected the drug swiftly.

Nikolai’s eyes widened in shock. His body stiffened instantly.

With a furious roar, he lunged toward Dominic and tried to grab his throat.

But Dominic caught both his wrists before he could reach him.

Rage exploded across Nikolai’s face. He shoved Dominic backward with all his strength, veins bulging violently beneath his skin.

Dominic pushed back harder.

The two men slammed against the sinks, their muscles straining as they fought for dominance. Nikolai swung his elbow toward Dominic’s face, but Dominic blocked it and drove his knee into Nikolai’s stomach.

Nikolai staggered but retaliated immediately, smashing his fist into Dominic’s jaw.

Dominic grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall. The mirror behind Nikolai cracked loudly from the impact.

But suddenly, Nikolai’s movements faltered. His expression twisted in confusion. His vision blurred.

Then came the hallucinations.

His breathing turned ragged as black shadows seemed to crawl around him from every direction.

Fear flooded his face. Sweat beaded across his forehead.

"Get away from me," he shouted wildly, swinging his fists at the empty air.

Dominic stepped back with a frown.

"Don’t come near me," Nikolai screamed, his eyes darting around frantically. "I’ll kill all of you."

At that moment, the assistant rushed into the restroom after hearing the commotion. "What’s happening?" he asked anxiously.

Nikolai instantly turned toward him. "Stay back," he roared.

In one swift motion, he pulled a knife from behind his back and lunged forward.

The assistant’s pupils dilated in terror.

Dominic quickly dragged him aside, narrowly avoiding the blade.

Nikolai then bolted out of the restroom like a madman.

"What the hell is wrong with him?" the assistant gasped.

"You tell me," Dominic muttered coldly. "You said he would pass out. Instead, he lost his mind."

"Oh no..." The assistant’s face turned pale. "The drug must’ve triggered severe hallucinations. We need to stop him before he creates chaos."

He immediately ran out after Nikolai.

Dominic followed closely behind, only to find the banquet hall already descending into madness as guests screamed and fled in terror.

End of flashback.

Dominic finally looked at Luke and said calmly, "Your assistant gave me a drug from the new shipment. He claimed Nikolai would simply pass out. Instead, the drug triggered hallucinations."