Chapter 6
Dante walked toward the liquor cabinet while Camille stood near the staircase.
Without even turning around, he opened a hidden drawer beneath the cabinet and pulled out a matte black card.
Then he tossed it toward her casually.
Camille caught it smoothly midair. Her eyes lowered slightly.
Titanium black with unlimited spending authority. Even among billionaires, very few people possessed one.
Camille looked up at him.
“Mr. Moretti,” she said calmly, “this seems excessive for an employer-employee relationship.”
Dante poured himself a glass of whiskey lazily. Amber liquid swirled beneath the dim light.
“My physician shouldn’t look poor while representing me.”
Camille almost laughed. The arrogance in his tone was absurdly natural.
“What if I empty your accounts?” she asked lightly.
Dante finally looked at her again and smirked.
“If you can spend faster than I can earn,” he drawled, “I might actually be impressed.”
The dangerous confidence in his voice sent a strange ripple through the air. Camille glanced down at the card once more before slipping it into her coat pocket without another word.
Dante watched the movement carefully. She didn't show any excitement or greed like he was expecting.
“We’ll begin detoxification the day after tomorrow,” Camille said professionally. “Your poison has spread too deeply. I need time to prepare the first treatment.”
Dante nodded. “Whatever you need will be delivered.”
Camille turned toward the staircase. “Goodnight then.”
“Camille.”
She paused halfway up the stairs and looked back. Dante leaned lazily against the bar counter, whiskey glass in hand. Firelight flickered against his sharp features.
“Try not to disappear overnight.” His tone sounded casual. But they both understood the hidden meaning beneath it.
You belong under my watch now.
Camille’s expression remained calm. “I don't think you’re not easy to escape from, Mr. Moretti.”
Then she continued upstairs without another glance.
Dante watched her retreating figure slowly disappear into the darkness above. Not once had she looked intimidated inside his territory.
The corner of his lips lifted slightly.
“A dangerous little thing,” he murmured softly.
And for the first time in weeks…Dante found himself genuinely looking forward to tomorrow.
—
Camille’s room was larger than some luxury apartments.
Dark marble flooring. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the illuminated estate grounds. Silk sheets. A private sitting room. Even fresh white roses arranged beside the bed.
Camille removed her shoes slowly and sat on the edge of the bed. Only then did exhaustion finally settle into her bones.
Her phone vibrated repeatedly beside her. One message after another flooded the screen.
Raoul:
You embarrassed the family tonight.
Etienne:
Talia cried for hours because of you.
Lucien:
Come back tomorrow. Grandpa is still angry.
Then another message appeared.
Raoul:
Don’t be childish, Camille.
Camille stared at the screen silently.
Childish.
A bitter laugh almost escaped her throat.
Suddenly, a memory flashed through her mind.
Six months ago.
She had stood outside the Laurent estate after Talia falsely accused her of stealing a diamond bracelet. No one believed her. Not one person.
Raoul had dragged her outside himself despite the heavy storm.
“You really disgust me,” he had said coldly.
Camille had slipped on the wet stone stairs while trying to pull free from his grip.
Her forehead slammed sharply against the edge of the marble steps. Warm blood streamed down her face instantly.
Even now a faint scar still rested near her hairline beneath her dark hair. She remembered sitting alone outside the gates for hours while thunder roared overhead.
No one came looking for her. Not her mother. Not her brothers. Not even Matteo.
Meanwhile inside the mansion…They had comforted Talia.
Camille slowly touched the faint scar hidden beneath her hair.
That night had shattered something inside her permanently.
Not because of the pain. But because she finally understood the truth.
No matter what happened—The Laurent family would always choose Talia.
And Camille would always bleed alone. Her eyes lowered coldly toward the messages still flooding her phone.
For six months, she had tried desperately to become the daughter they wanted. She abandoned her real life. Abandoned her identity. Abandoned everything.
And what did she get in return? Humiliation, suspicion, and heartbreak.
Camille typed one single word. “Scram.”
Then she blocked every single Laurent sibling without hesitation.
Silence filled the room instantly afterward.
And strangely…It felt good.
No.
It felt freeing.
Camille leaned back against the bed slowly and closed her eyes briefly.
“I’ll never bleed for that family again,” she whispered softly.
Then she opened her laptop. The moment the sleek black screen illuminated her face, something inside Camille changed entirely.
Dangerously focused.
Her fingers moved swiftly across the keyboard. Multiple encrypted systems activated one after another.
Firewalls.
Hidden servers.
Masked IP chains.
Then finally—a black interface appeared.
At the center of the screen stood a single silver symbol.
A crescent moon split by static code.
Below it flashed a name that had once terrified countless people across the dark web.
Nyx.
The legendary ghost hacker who disappeared six months ago.
The moment Camille logged in, the dark web exploded.
[NYX IS ONLINE.]
[HOLY SHIT.]
[NO WAY.]
[THE GHOST IS BACK.]
[WHO MANAGED TO BRING NYX OUT OF RETIREMENT?!]
Private invitations, encrypted messages, bounty offers, and hidden contracts flooded her dashboard instantly.
Camille leaned back calmly, completely unaffected by the chaos she caused.
Six months ago, she had vanished overnight after discovering her true identity as the Laurent daughter.
She had erased herself from the hacker world completely.
Because she genuinely wanted a family.
A normal life.
For the first time, Camille had wanted to stop surviving and simply belong somewhere.
So she buried Nyx. But tonight, the ghost has returned. Camille clicked into a secure communication channel.
A video call connected almost immediately.
A pretty woman with silver hair appeared onscreen. The moment she saw Camille, her eyes widened dramatically.
“Holy hell,” Maria breathed. “You’re alive.”
Camille smirked faintly. “Disappointed?”
Maria leaned back heavily against her chair. “Do you know how insane the dark web became after you vanished? People thought you were dead.”
Camille’s expression dimmed slightly. “I was trying to live normally.”
Maria stared at her for a second before sighing. “For that family?”
Camille stayed silent. Maria laughed bitterly.
“You abandoned everything for them.” Her voice softened afterward.
“You shut down operations. Refused billion-dollar jobs. Disappeared completely so you could become some obedient rich daughter.”
Camille’s fingers stilled briefly over the keyboard.
Maria continued quietly. “And you even cut ties with us because you didn’t want your enemies tracing anything back to the Laurent family.”
A faint ache tightened in Camille’s chest.
Because it was true. She had genuinely tried.
God.
She tried so hard. Camille looked away briefly.
“I left the Laurent family tonight.”
Maria blinked and then slowly smiled. “The idiots finally broke you?”
Camille let out a quiet laugh. “Something like that.”
Maria shook her head. “I knew it would happen eventually.”
For several seconds, neither woman spoke. Camille leaned back calmly again.
“Enough emotional discussion. Find me the highest-paying bounty missions currently available.”
Maria raised an eyebrow. “You need money now?”
“I need independence.”
Maria immediately nodded. “Understood.”
Her fingers moved rapidly across another screen.
“There are several assassination intelligence requests, corporate breaches, offshore account extractions—”
Suddenly Maria froze. Her expression changed instantly.
Camille noticed immediately. “What?”
Maria stared at the screen carefully. “Someone’s investigating you.”
“What?” Camille’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Who?”
Maria typed rapidly before her face darkened further.
“The signal origin traces back to Moretti Group headquarters.”
Silence.
Maria looked up sharply. “Camille…”
A dangerous feeling settled heavily in the room.
“…Dante Moretti is digging into your identity. What the fuck?! Why is such a dangerous mafia looking for you?”
