Chapter 1 - The Midnight Vigil
The storm battered the frosted glass windows of the clinic, casting long, erratic shadows across the white floor tiles. Inside, the quiet was broken only by the rhythmic beep of the heart monitor and the steady drip of the saline bag connected to Orion’s vein.
Iris Cantrell leaned against the doorframe, her fingers tightly wrapped around her mug of cold coffee. Her gaze drifted from the sleeping form of Enzo Valenti—the feared head of the Valenti crime family—to the dark-haired young man lounging in the hallway.
His name was Julian Valenti, Enzo’s nephew and right-hand enforcer. He was still spinning those car keys on his index finger, his dark eyes locked onto Iris with an uncomfortable, predatory intensity.
"You look tired, Doc," Julian murmured softly, taking a slow step toward her. His expensive cologne cut through the heavy smell of rubbing alcohol and wet fur. "You shouldn't be working so late. A pretty woman like you ought to be somewhere warm and safe."
Iris didn't back down. She stood her ground, elevating her chin. "I am warm, and I am working. What I want to know is why a ninety-pound Cane Corso was left in an abandoned greenhouse with chemical burns on his flanks."
Julian’s smile didn't waver, but his eyes turned icy cold. "Accidents happen on construction sites, Doc. Dogs wander off. Orion has a habit of slipping his lead."
"That wasn't an accident," Iris said, her voice dropping into a dangerous, confident register. "The burn marks were uniform. Someone poured industrial lye directly over his spine and left him to die in the freezing cold. That's not slipping a lead, Julian. That's targeted torture."
The keys stopped spinning in Julian’s hand. He caught them in a tight fist, the metal clinking sharply in the quiet hall.
Before Julian could answer, a deep, raspy voice echoed from the corner of the room.
"Enough, Julian."
Enzo Valenti opened his dark eyes. He didn't look like a man who had just woken up from a hard chair; he looked instantly alert, his presence filling the small clinical space with immense authority. He stood up, adjusting the lapels of his wet wool coat.
He walked over to Iris, stopping just inches away. Up close, Iris could see the fine lines of age and relentless stress carved into his handsome face, along with a faint silver scar running along his jawline.
"Dr. Cantrell," Enzo said, his tone quiet and surprisingly respectful. "Julian lacks manners. Forgive him."
Enzo reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a heavy leather-bound checkbook, signing his name with a gold fountain pen before tearing off a check and handing it to her.
Iris looked down at the paper. Her breath caught in her throat.
"Five hundred thousand dollars?" she gasped. "Mr. Valenti, his medical bill isn't even a fraction of this."
"That is not for the bill," Enzo said, his dark eyes locking onto hers with absolute seriousness. "That is a retainer. As of tonight, you are Orion’s exclusive personal physician. And as long as he is under your care, my men will guard this clinic twenty-four hours a day."
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"I don't need your guards, Mr. Valenti," Iris replied defensively.
"You do," Enzo corrected her softly, stepping closer until she could feel the heat radiating from him in the chilly room. "Because whoever tried to kill my dog tonight... now knows that you saved him."
