Chapter 213 Shameless

Chapter 213: Chapter 213 Shameless


Alina froze, her eyes widening in sheer disbelief. The audacity. Her grip tightened around the phone until her knuckles turned white, her face heating with both anger and humiliation. Jealous? Did he truly think she had ever wanted him? That she had wasted a single heartbeat envying Celeste?


"Are you insane?" she hissed, her voice trembling with suppressed rage. "Riccardo, you’re delusional. Why would I be jealous of you or Celeste? Why would I care who you date or who you break up with? Do you think my entire life revolves around you?"


Her chest rose and fell quickly, her words spilling before she could stop them. "I will never, ever come to see you. Not as a nurse, not as a friend, and certainly not as anything more. Stay out of my life."


On the other side of the line, Riccardo laughed bitterly. "Tch. Don’t pretend, Lina. I know you’ve always had your eyes on me. You were just waiting for me to let go of her. And now I did, for you."


Her stomach churned. She could barely breathe from the disgust filling her throat. She wanted to throw the phone across the moving vehicle.


Beside her, Dante sat still, crimson eyes lowered but his aura thick and suffocating. Every word from that human worm clawed at him. Every shameless claim felt like an insult thrown directly at Alina. His jaw clenched as he rested one arm against the armrest, the leather groaning beneath the pressure of his grip.


If Riccardo were here, if he dared stand before him and utter such words, Dante would silence him with a snap of his fingers, erase that smug tone and that disgusting pride from existence. But instead, he stayed seated, his face cold and blank, his power pressing around them like a storm waiting to break. Only his eyes betrayed him, burning as they stayed locked on Alina and on the phone she held with shaking hands.


"Look, Riccardo, I don’t care about you!" Alina snapped before ending the call. Her hand trembled slightly as she lowered the phone, and she forced herself to look at the babies. They were laughing, playing, chasing one another in their little seats, and the sight steadied her pulse. Their joy was like a balm, pulling her back from the anger.


But the moment her phone buzzed again, her chest tightened. It would not stop ringing. She switched it to DND mode, thinking that would end it, until a message flashed on her screen.


If you don’t pick my phone, I’ll announce on social media that you’re my girlfriend.


Alina froze, her eyes wide. What the heck? Her old school friends, her college classmates, her cousins—everyone followed her account. If Riccardo really posted such a lie, what would they all think of her? Heat rushed to her face, her stomach sinking. This was blackmail. Shameless blackmail.


"Do you want help?"


Her head jerked up at the low voice. Dante was watching her, his expression unreadable but his eyes sharp. Before she could answer, he stretched his hand toward her, expectant. Alina hesitated, then slowly placed her phone in his palm. Without another word, he turned and walked to the driver’s cabin, his tall frame radiating authority. She sat frozen in her seat, heart pounding as she tried to process.


Inside the cabin, Dante dialed the number. The moment the line connected, Riccardo’s smug voice spilled out. "Hahah, you called me! I knew it, you’re scared of announcing us, aren’t you? Scared of ruining your chaste little image. But don’t worry, if you want, we’ll keep our relationship secret."


"I am not Alina." Dante’s voice was low, smooth, but deadly cold.


"What? Who the heck are you?" Riccardo barked, but his tone carried a nervous edge. "Listen, dude, I know you’re that same man. But let me tell you, forget Alina. Because I want to date her." His voice turned smug again. "She always loved me."


Dante chuckled, the sound quiet, rich, and terrifying. "Weren’t a few broken bones enough for you?"


There was a pause, then Riccardo’s voice cracked. "Y-you—it had to be you. I knew it! You’re jealous... jealous that Alina likes me!"


The smile on Dante’s lips did not reach his eyes. He leaned against the cabin wall, his aura filling the space like smoke. "Jealous?" His voice curled into mockery. "No. I don’t feel jealousy toward insects. But I do enjoy crushing them when they crawl too close to what is mine."


The line went silent except for Riccardo’s uneven breathing.


When the word mine slipped from Dante’s lips naturally, even he stilled for a breath, startled at himself. Strange. Why had it come out so easily? Yet he didn’t take it back. His crimson eyes narrowed, dangerous light flickering within them.


"Dude!" Riccardo barked out a nervous laugh, trying to mask the tremor in his voice. "You’re really trying to act like some male lead from those over-the-top dramas! Hahahah, newsflash, it doesn’t work in real life!"


Dante’s lips curved faintly, but it wasn’t amusement. "You’re right. This isn’t a drama." His voice was velvet wrapped around steel. "In dramas, the villain usually survives long enough to monologue. In real life, I could break your other hand before you finish a single word." Dante of course had watched human dramas decades ago when he was curious about human entertainment.


"W-what? You—you’re insane!" Riccardo stammered, his bravado cracking. He tried to laugh again, but it came out thin and hollow. "You can’t scare me with empty words—"


"Empty?" Dante leaned closer to the receiver, his tone dropping so low it seemed to crawl straight through the line. "Do you remember the alley? Do you remember the sound of your bones snapping like dry twigs? That was my men being merciful. Do you want to know what happens when I stop holding back?"


On the other side of the line, Riccardo froze. His mind replayed the memory, the darkness, the blows, the way his body had crumpled. Cold sweat slid down his temples.


"Stay away from Alina," Dante continued, each word sharp and deliberate. "Don’t call her. Don’t text her. Don’t even let her name cross your lips again. If you do, I promise you won’t be able to crawl out of the hospital bed next time."


Riccardo’s mouth opened, but no words came. His fingers shook against the sheets, his laughter dead on his tongue. For the first time, he felt real fear.


Dante ended the call without waiting for a reply. He stared down at the phone for a long moment, his reflection in the black screen unreadable. He hadn’t meant to call her mine. Yet when he thought of her smile, her warmth, her sunshine glow that drew even demons closer, he felt a sharp tug in his chest that he couldn’t deny.