Norah stood completely frozen, staring at the empty porcelain bowl as if it were a magical artifact.

He ate the entire thing without getting sick, which meant she had officially secured her place in the terrifying household.

"I need to go back to my apartment to pack my clothes," Norah told Enzo, her voice barely above an anxious whisper.

Enzo nodded slowly, his expression returning to its usual stoic, unreadable mask of absolute authority.

"I will drive you, and I will wait outside while you gather your belongings," the bodyguard stated firmly.

Thirty minutes later, Norah was sitting in the passenger seat of a massive, armored black SUV driving through the city.

She stared out the tinted windows at the passing buildings, feeling a strange mix of relief and absolute dread.

Vincent Rossy had paid off her brother's massive gambling debt, which meant she no longer belonged to the loan sharks.

However, she now belonged completely and entirely to the most dangerous mafia boss on the Eastern Seaboard.

The SUV pulled up to her rundown apartment building, the tires crunching over broken glass and discarded trash in the street.

"I will only be ten minutes," Norah promised, unbuckling her seatbelt and reaching for the door handle.

Enzo killed the engine and stepped out of the vehicle, his dark eyes scanning the empty street with practiced, lethal precision.

Norah hurried up the crumbling concrete steps of her building, her keys jingling nervously in her shaking hand.

She pushed open the heavy front door and stepped into the dimly lit, foul-smelling lobby of the complex.

Suddenly, two massive men stepped out from the shadows near the broken elevator, blocking her path to the stairs.

One of them had a jagged scar across his cheek, and he smiled at her with rotting, yellow teeth.

"Hello, Norah," the scarred man purred, stepping closer to block her against the wall.

"Your brother's account was suddenly paid in full this morning through a very untraceable wire transfer."

Norah’s heart slammed against her ribs as she clutched her canvas bag tightly against her chest to create a barrier.

"The debt is paid, so you have absolutely no business being here," Norah said, trying to sound much braver than she felt.

The second man stepped forward, pulling a heavy steel wrench from the pocket of his dirty leather jacket.

"Our boss doesn't like losing the interest payments you were bringing in every single week," the second man growled aggressively.

"He thinks you owe us a little extra for the inconvenience, or maybe we just take it out of your pretty face."

The scarred man reached out to grab her arm, his thick, dirty fingers digging painfully into her flesh.

Before Norah could even scream, the heavy glass doors of the lobby shattered completely inward.

Enzo moved with terrifying, explosive violence, crossing the lobby faster than a man of his massive size had any right to.

He grabbed the scarred man by the back of the neck and slammed his face directly into the brick wall.

The sickening crunch of breaking bone echoed through the small space as the man collapsed to the floor in a heap.

The second thug swung the steel wrench at Enzo’s head, screaming in blind panic and sudden rage.

Enzo ducked the clumsy swing effortlessly, stepping inside the man’s guard and driving a brutal punch into his ribs.

The thug dropped the wrench, gasping for air as Enzo grabbed him by the collar of his leather jacket.

"She belongs to Vincent Rossy now," Enzo whispered softly, his voice colder than the winter wind outside.

"If anyone from your crew ever looks at her again, I will personally burn your entire operation to the ground."

Enzo threw the man toward the broken glass doors, watching him scramble to his feet and run away in absolute terror.

Norah slid down the brick wall, pulling her knees to her chest as she shook with uncontrollable adrenaline and fear.

Enzo casually adjusted the cuffs of his tailored suit jacket and turned to look at her trembling form.

"Go pack your bags, Norah," Enzo said calmly, acting as if he hadn't just brutalized two men in front of her.

"You don't live in this world anymore."