The Serenity name was built on marble and money. Hotels with gold-tinted windows, a lineage older than half the city. But Gabrielle Serenity wasn’t sitting behind a corporate desk—she was in a white coat, hands wrapped in latex, surrounded by the sterile hum of her real empire: Serenity Dental Luxe.

The clinic was her domain. Sleek, spotless, quiet. Even the air smelled expensive—vanilla antiseptic and fresh mint. And though she catered to elite clients—models, executives, foreign royals—there was one patient whose presence turned the entire building tense every time he arrived.

Dominic Cortez.

Thirty-three. Cartel lord. Womanizer. A man who walked like he owned the oxygen around him. His name made men disappear and made women forget how to breathe. He wasn’t supposed to show up at all, not to a place with cameras, not to a clinic with glass walls. But he came—every few weeks, always after hours, always unannounced.

When he entered, the world shifted. Three of his men always followed, silent, armed, and unmoving. They stood by the walls while he took his place in the reclined chair, like shadows trained to kill. Nobody dared look directly at them.

Dominic sat there now, black shirt unbuttoned just enough to reveal a scarred eight-pack—marks of bullets, knives, and stories no one dared to ask about. He rested one arm behind his head, lazy and dangerous, watching the light above him flicker.

The drill hadn’t even started yet. The only sound was the quiet click of metal instruments being arranged on the tray.

Then his voice broke the silence. Low. Amused. Sinister.

“You know what’s funny?” he said, eyes fixed on the ceiling. “I killed a guy this morning. Shot him right in the mouth.”

None of his men moved. Not even a blink.

“Didn’t die fast, though.” His lips twitched, almost a smile. “Bullet tore his jaw open. Teeth everywhere. Looked like someone smashed a bag of diamonds.”

He chuckled under his breath, the sound too calm for what he’d just said. “Guess that’s why I keep coming back here. You make sure my teeth stay prettier than his ever were.”

The corner of his mouth lifted, eyes half-lidded, studying her face for a reaction as the needle came closer.

Dominic didn’t flinch. He never did.