The Mafia's Contract Wife

The sun had yet to crest the eastern horizon in Chicago, but Victor Callahan's private study was already shrouded in thick plumes of cigar smoke. The remnants of last night's storm left a piercing chill that seeped through the ventilation ducts, yet the atmosphere inside the room was far more freezing.

Victor sat behind his mahogany desk, still wearing last night's black shirt, sleeves rolled to his elbows. The blood stains from Julian on his knuckles had been cleaned away, leaving only reddened skin and a gaze of terrifying sharpness. Across from him, Carter stood at attention, his eyes heavy with dark circles, clutching a deep brown leather folder.

"You're on time, Carter," Victor said flatly, breaking the silence. He stubbed his cigar out in a crystal ashtray. "Tell me what you've found on Savannah Reed."

Carter stepped forward, placed the folder on the desk, and opened it. On the first page was a candid halfbody photograph. It was Savannah. She was smiling broadly while leading a foal, with a backdrop of green pastures damp with morning dew. Her brown hair, pulled back in a messy ponytail, seemed to shimmer under the sunlight, and her hazel eyes radiated a purity of life-something impossible to find in Victor's dark world.

"Savannah Reed, twenty years old," Carter began reading his intelligence report. "She has worked as a groom at the Callahan Broodmare estate for the past three years. Her record is spotless. No criminal history, no ties to motorcycle gangs, cartels, or any underworld groups in Chicago. She's an ordinary girl who has dedicated her life to caring for your racehorses."

Victor leaned back into his leather chair, his eyes locked onto Savannah's photo. "Her family?"

"Her mother, Grace Harrison, passed away from illness when Savannah was ten. Since then, she has lived only with her father, William Reed," Carter continued, turning the page. "And this is her weakness, sir."

Victor narrowed his eyes. "Go on."

"William Reed is a former senior horse trainer whose reputation was destroyed after he suffered from advanced coronary heart disease two years ago. Since falling ill, he's been unable to work. All of his living expenses and medical bills are supported entirely by Savannah from her meager wages as a stable hand."

Carter paused, glancing at Victor tentatively before adding the crucial detail. "To pay for her father's heart bypass surgery six months ago, Savannah was forced to borrow a large sum from loan sharks affiliated with a South Side street gang. Her current debt, with mounting interest, has reached one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. They've started terrorizing her lately."

A cold, cruel smirk slowly etched itself onto Victor's thin lips. "One hundred and fifty thousand dollars. A very cheap price to buy a future."

For a man like Victor Callahan, who controlled billions in movement through the The Valerius Ring's illegal arms trade and the legal operations of Callahan Enterprises, that amount was no more than daily pocket change. But for a stable girl, it was a colossal burden capable of crushing her life.

"Is there any other information regarding her health?" Victor asked, ensuring his chess piece was not flawed.

"She's in perfect health, sir. The annual physical report from the estate clinic shows no history of genetic disease. She's a strong girl, accustomed to hard work, and according to the doctor's report..." Carter cleared his throat softly. "Her reproductive health is ideal. She is at the golden age for conceiving."

Victor tapped his index finger on the desk, matching the rhythm of his own cold heartbeat. Savannah's innocence, her independence, and her family's financial ruin were a perfect combination. This girl had no power to resist, no political connections to seek protection, and most importantly, she wouldn't dare take birth control behind his back like the cunning Vanessa had.

Savannah was a blank slate he could mold into a machine to produce an heir to his throne.

"Very good, Carter," Victor said, his voice lethal. "Now, execute our plan. I want this trap set perfectly, without leaving a trace that leads directly to me."

"What are your orders, sir?"

"Use our intelligence channels to manipulate the situation at the estate tomorrow morning. Ensure one of my purebred Thoroughbreds-the most expensive one-suffers a fatal injury or is poisoned under William or Savannah's watch. Make it look like fatal negligence on the part of the Reed family, one that costs our legal firm millions."

Carter nodded in understanding. In the world of legal business, a lawsuit for damages of that magnitude would destroy the Reed family.

"Then," Victor continued, his dark eyes flashing with malice, "contact our corrupt police contacts in that district. As soon as the damage report from Callahan Enterprises is filed, have them arrest William Reed directly from his hospital bed on charges of sabotaging corporate assets. Make sure her father rots in the coldest cell."

"And what about the loan sharks chasing her, sir?" Carter asked.

"Buy her debt from those sharks tonight. Make Callahan Enterprises the sole owner of all of Savannah Reed's debt. I want her pinned from every direction. Legal law will cage her father, and financial law will strangle her own throat."

Victor stood from his chair, walking toward the large window that now displayed the first reddish hues of dawn over the Chicago sky. His plan was merciless, designed to dismantle Savannah's entire world in less than twentyfour hours, leaving the girl with no choice but to crawl to his feet and beg for mercy.

"When she has nowhere left to turn, when every door for help in Chicago is closed to her..." Victor turned, staring at the brown folder on his desk with the gaze of a true sovereign. "...that is when I will arrive as the only savior wearing an expensive suit. I will give her an offer she cannot refuse."

A contract marriage. One year in his golden cage, one child for the throne of The Valerius Ring, and freedom for her father.

"Go, Carter. See to it that by tomorrow night, Savannah Reed is under my control," Victor concluded absolutely.

"Understood, Mr. Callahan. It will be done immediately." Carter bowed respectfully and backed away, leaving the study in silence once more.

Victor stared at the dawn slowly illuminating Chicago. Elsewhere, in a small, warm house on the edge of the estate, Savannah was likely preparing to start her day with a smile. The girl had no idea that the most devastating storm of her life had just begun, and the devil from Callahan Tower had locked onto his target without mercy.

Victor leaned back into his leather chair, his eyes fixed on Savannah's photo. His memory was suddenly pulled back to an incident three weeks ago at the Callahan Broodmare estate. Their first meeting had been far from perfect, but it had left a deep impression on the mind of the Chicago kingpin.

That day, Victor had been walking through the stable corridor with several company executives, exuding an aura of intimidation that made every worker bow in fear. Suddenly, from around the corner, a girl who appeared to be in a rush while carrying a tray of coffee cups couldn't brake in time.

Crash!

The girl's petite body collided with Victor's broad chest. The next second, the pipinghot black liquid spilled entirely, staining the custommade trousers worth thousands of dollars that Victor was wearing.

The room fell into a deathly silence. The executives held their breath, knowing all too well Victor's reputation for never tolerating even the smallest mistake. Liam had already moved his hand behind his jacket, ready to act.

However, the girl's reaction was entirely unexpected.

"Oh my god! I'm sorry! I really didn't mean to!" Savannah shrieked in panic.

Instead of backing away in terror like most people when facing Victor's lethal hawklike eyes, the hazeleyed girl instinctively knelt. With incredible innocence, she grabbed a cloth napkin from her pocket and immediately began scrubbing Victor's wet trousers, trying to clean the coffee stain in a frantic haste.

"Stop," Victor hissed, his voice so low it could freeze blood.

Savannah looked up. The distance between them was so close that Victor could clearly see the glimmer of sincerity in her hazel eyes. Her face, bare of makeup, was flushed with shame, yet there was no flicker of cunning or hidden agenda there. She looked so fragile, yet at the same time, there was a strange courage in her eyes as she stared directly into the dark pupils of the mafia lord. The girl didn't know-or perhaps didn't care-that the man in front of her was a devil who could erase her in an instant.

"I'll pay for the dry cleaning! Or... or buy new ones if the fabric is ruined," Savannah said with a voice that was trembling yet firm, looking up to challenge Victor's piercing gaze.

Of course, it was a ridiculous offer. A year of her salary wouldn't be enough to buy one of Victor's outfits. But it was that courage, wrapped in pure innocence, that had stayed Victor's hand from destroying her that day. Chicago was filled with cunning women in fancy gowns who approached him for money and power, yet this stable girl looked at him purely as a human being she had just inconvenienced.

Back in the present, in his study, Victor wore a thin, cruel smirk.

"You were so brave that day, Savannah," Victor murmured softly, his fingers brushing the surface of the girl's photo on the desk. "Let's see if that courage and innocence remain when I drag you into my hell."