Chapter 57: Mission Winnow

I lean back in my plush seat, watching the sleek Formula 1 cars scream around the Monza circuit through the tinted glass of our private viewing box. The cars are so fast they're almost a blur, their engines wailing like banshees as they hit speeds that make my stomach drop just thinking about them. The qualifying session is in full swing, with Valentina currently sitting in P7, fighting for a better position on tomorrow's starting grid.

Our booth sits high above the track, giving us a perfect view of the entire circuit. It's all leather seats, polished wood, and chrome fixtures. The walls are soundproofed just enough that we can talk without shouting over the engines but still hear enough of the race to feel the excitement.

Caterina sits beside me, looking impossibly elegant in her white suit. Her crimson eyes track her cousin's red Ferrari with laser focus as it navigates the chicane. Lara lounges across from us tapping on an ipad, her wild red hair a stark contrast to her tailored black suit, feet propped up on an ottoman despite Maddy's disapproving glances. Maddy herself sits primly at the edge of her seat, somehow managing to look both relaxed and ready for business at any moment.

A handful of Caterina's security detail stand at strategic points around the booth, their expressions impassive, eyes constantly scanning for threats.

My wine glass is almost empty, the rich red Italian vintage leaving a pleasant warmth in my stomach that complements the pills Caterina gave me before we arrived. Everything feels plastic. The leather collar around my neck is a constant reminder of my place, snug but not to tight.

Caterina notices my near-empty glass and turns to me, her predatory focus momentarily shifting from the race to her favorite possession, me.

"Baby, do you want some more wine?" she asks, her voice carrying that special tone she reserves just for me, somewhere between commanding and affectionate.

I smile lazily up at her, my damaged hands resting uselessly in my lap. "Ahh, yes, please," I respond, the words coming out slightly slurred.

Her perfect lips curve into that smile that still makes my heart skip, even after everything. She reaches for the bottle, pouring the ruby liquid with the precise movements of someone who's always in complete control.

"Open up, baby," she says, lifting the glass to my lips.

She tips the wine carefully, letting it flow into my mouth like a gentle crimson stream. I swallow obediently, savoring the rich berry notes and subtle oak finish. Part of me wishes she'd try that thing where she'd hold the wine in her mouth and then kiss me, passing it between us like some kind of erotic sommelier trick. But I guess that's impractical with wine. Not like it's a little pill she could slip between my lips with her tongue.

A giggle erupts from across the booth, breaking my wine-induced reverie. I glance over to see Lara hunched over her iPad, a mischievous grin spreading across her face as her fingers scroll frantically across the screen.

"What?" Caterina asks, her crimson eyes narrowing with mild irritation at the interruption.

Lara looks up, her wild red hair falling across her face as she shakes her head dismissively. "Nothing important, boss," she says, but the barely contained laughter in her voice suggests otherwise.

Caterina turns back to me, her attention refocusing like a predator who momentarily lost sight of its prey. Her gaze drops to my mouth, where a drop of wine still clings to my lower lip. I find myself staring at her perfect lips, remembering how they felt against mine just hours ago in our hotel room.

"You look desperate," she whispers, leaning in close enough that I can smell her signature scent, something expensive and uniquely her.

Before I can respond, she closes the distance between us, capturing my lips in a deep, possessive kiss that makes my head spin more than the drugs or wine ever could. Her tongue slides against mine with practiced precision, claiming every inch of my mouth as if establishing ownership all over again. My damaged hands twitch uselessly in my lap, desperate to pull her in but physically unable.

When she finally pulls back, there's a wild smile on her face, her crimson eyes glittering with satisfaction at the dazed expression she's left me with.

Another giggle breaks the moment, louder this time. Lara is still fixated on her iPad, shoulders shaking.

Caterina's expression shifts from satisfaction to annoyance in an instant. She turns sharply toward Lara, her patience clearly exhausted.

"What the fuck are you laughing at?" she demands, her voice carrying that dangerous edge that usually makes people cower.

Lara looks up, completely unfazed by Caterina's tone. Her blue eyes dance with manic amusement as she waves the iPad vaguely in the air.

"It's just the comments for my novel," she explains, grinning like a lunatic. "People are very upset with me over the latest chapter."

"Your novel?" I ask, the words slipping out before I can stop them.

Lara's face lights up with pride, her blue eyes twinkling with manic energy. "Hell yeah! I write web novels," she announces, puffing up her chest like she's just admitted to curing cancer. "Got quite the following, actually."

Caterina lets out an exasperated sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You mean like... fan fiction?" she asks, not bothering to hide her disdain.

"It's original fiction," Lara insists, clutching her iPad defensively.

Maddy rolls her eyes so hard I'm surprised they don't get stuck in the back of her head. "What she means is she writes shitty stories for idiots online to jill off to," she clarifies, her tone flat and matter-of-fact. "Complete garbage with terrible grammar."

"Hey!" Lara protests, but there's no real heat behind it. She seems almost proud of Maddy's assessment.

"Oh!" I perk up, the drugs making me more talkative than usual. "Before I met Caterina, I spent all my time reading yandere web novels."

Lara looks genuinely surprised, her wild eyes widening as she glances between me and Caterina. A slow, knowing smile spreads across her face.

"Nah, I can see that," she nods, looking at Caterina.

Caterina's expression is unreadable, but there's a slight twitch at the corner of her perfect lips that might be amusement or irritation. It's hard to tell.

"What's yours about?" I ask, genuinely curious now.

Lara's grin widens to borderline disturbing proportions. "It's called 'I Level Up By Getting Abortions: That Time I Got Reincarnated in Another World and Was Given the ‘Fetal Termination System,'" she announces with unhinged enthusiasm.

The booth falls into stunned silence. Even the roar of the Formula 1 engines seems to dim for a moment. I blink slowly, trying to process what I've just heard through my drug-addled brain.

"Excuse me, what?" I stare at Lara, certain I've misheard her through my drug haze.

"You heard me," Lara says, her blue eyes gleaming with that special brand of crazy that makes her so terrifying. "It's about a woman who discovers she can gain experience points and level up by getting abortions."

Maddy groans loudly, covering her face with her hands. "For fuck's sake, Lara, we're at a professional event."

I glance nervously at Caterina, expecting her to shut this down immediately, but to my surprise, she seems more curious than angry, one perfect eyebrow arched in what might be amusement.

Caterina's face transforms into a thundercloud, her crimson eyes narrowing into dangerous slits. She looks like she's about to launch into a tirade that might very well end with Lara's head on a pike. Her lips pull back in a snarl, revealing perfect teeth that suddenly seem more like fangs.

I reach out instinctively, my gross ass hand touching her arm gently. "Cat," I whisper urgently, my eyes wide and pleading, "can you please let her explain? I kinda want to hear about this trainwreck."

Caterina glances down at my hand on her arm, then back to my face. Something in my expression must amuse her because her fury seems to dial back from nuclear to merely volcanic. She gives a curt nod, settling back in her seat with lethal grace.

"Fine," she says, her voice arctic. "Enlighten us with your literary masterpiece, Lara."

Lara, utterly oblivious to how close she just came to death, beams at us with unhinged enthusiasm. "So the main character, Zoey, The princess of Isalora, discovers she can level up by terminating pregnancies," she explains, gesturing wildly with her hands. "But here's the genius part, the further along the pregnancy, the more experience points she gets!"

My jaw drops slightly. I can't help it. The drugs make it impossible to hide my horrified fascination.

"Wait, so, like... third-trimester abortions give more XP?" I ask, immediately regretting the question.

"Exactly!" Lara practically bounces in her seat, delighted someone understands her vision. "So there's this whole moral dilemma where she has to decide whether to terminate early for less XP or wait longer for the bigger payoff!"

Maddy makes a strangled noise that might be disgust or despair. "Jesus Christ, Lara, what the fuck is wrong with you?"

Lara ignores her completely, her manic energy only building as she continues. "And then, in chapter twelve, she discovers that twins give a multiplier bonus, and using different methods creates different skill trees! Like surgical abortions improve her dexterity stats, while medication-induced ones boost her poison resistance!"

Caterina's expression has morphed from anger to something approaching morbid curiosity, like someone watching a car crash in slow motion. "And people... read this?" she asks, her voice carefully neutral.

"Oh my god, yes!" Lara scrolls frantically through her iPad. "I've got over 200 readers! Some of them even make fan art of the coat hanger scene!"

"Jesus fucking Christ," Caterina mutters, massaging her temples. She looks at me with those crimson eyes, suddenly soft with unexpected sympathy. "I'm sorry you had to hear something so gross, baby."

I shrug. "It's fine. I've heard worse."

She shakes her head, her perfect blonde hair swaying with the movement. "Anyways," she says, clearly eager to change the subject, "for tonight's dinner with the families, you're not allowed to speak, okay? These women... our leader is very old school."

I nod, accepting this new rule without question. "Okay."

"I'll be with you the whole time so there's nothing to worry about," she adds.

"Okay," I repeat, leaning into her touch like a cat seeking affection.

The roar of engines draws our attention back to the track just in time to see Valentina's Ferrari crossing the finish line. The timing board flashes her position, P5.

Caterina's lips curve into a proud smile as she watches her cousin's car complete its cool-down lap. Her hand finds mine, her fingers intertwining with my damaged ones with surprising gentleness.

"She did well," Caterina murmurs, her thumb stroking over my scarred knuckles. "Better than expected."

As the last cars complete their qualifying laps, Caterina stands, pulling me gently to my feet beside her. "Come," she says, her voice soft but commanding. "We need to get you ready for tonight."

A/N:

Lara:

Her web novel: