BOUND BY OBSESSION

The sound of a gunshot echoed through the marble hallways.

Amara didn’t flinch.

Her heels clicked against the polished floors as she walked past the line of kneeling men, their hands tied behind their backs, their faces pale with terror. The scent of blood lingered in the air, but she barely noticed it. She had spent too much time around men like these—killers, liars, cowards who thought power meant being feared.

And yet, none of them terrified her as much as the man sitting in the leather chair at the end of the room.

Leonardo DeLuca.

The man who owned this city. The man who owned HER.

Her boss.

Her tormentor.

Her obsession.

Amara stopped a few feet away from his desk, ignoring the body of the man who had been shot just seconds ago. He was still twitching, his lifeless eyes staring at her, as if accusing her for his fate.

Leonardo leaned back in his chair, his dark gaze locked onto hers. He was dressed in a sharp black suit, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, exposing the veins on his forearms. His jaw was sharp, his lips curved into a cruel smirk. He held a gun in his right hand, his fingers still resting on the trigger.

“Amara,” he said smoothly, his voice deep and slow, like a whisper of danger. “You’re late.”

She crossed her arms, tilting her head slightly. “Traffic.”

A cold chuckle left his lips. “You’re a terrible liar.”

“So are you.”

Silence filled the room. The men kneeling on the floor barely breathed. No one dared to speak when Leonardo was in a mood like this.

But Amara wasn’t just ANYONE.

She had been working for him for the past two years, running his operations, handling the dirty work no one else could, keeping his empire in order. She had seen him kill men for the smallest mistakes, watched him destroy lives without a second thought.

Yet, she was still standing.

And he HATED that.

Because no matter how much power he held, no matter how much he tried to control her—Amara was the only thing he couldn’t own.

She was his biggest challenge.

And his biggest weakness.

“Sit,” he commanded.

She didn’t move.

Leonardo’s jaw ticked. He tapped the gun against his thigh, his patience wearing thin. “You really want to test me today?”

Amara let out a slow breath, knowing she was playing with fire. But she was tired of the games. Tired of pretending she didn’t notice the way he looked at her. The way his fingers always lingered when he handed her a file. The way his voice dropped lower when he spoke her name.

Leonardo DeLuca was a man obsessed.

And she refused to be his next victim.

“I don’t work for you anymore,” she said coldly. “I quit.”

The room fell into complete silence.

One of the men kneeling let out a shaky breath, as if he couldn’t believe what she had just said. No one quit working for Leonardo DeLuca. No one walked away and lived to tell the story.

Leonardo’s expression didn’t change. He didn’t look surprised. He simply studied her, his fingers tracing slow circles against the gun.

Then, he smirked.

A slow, dark, dangerous smirk.

“You quit?” he echoed, as if tasting the words.

She lifted her chin. “Yes.”

He exhaled through his nose, shaking his head slightly. Then, without warning, he lifted the gun and pulled the trigger.

BANG.

The bullet struck the man beside him. Blood splattered across the floor as the body collapsed. A few gasps filled the room, but Amara didn’t move. She knew what he was doing.

Making a statement.

Reminding her who he was.

Reminding her that she was HIS.

Leonardo leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk. His gaze never left hers, dark and unreadable.

“Try again,” he murmured. “Because the only way you’re leaving is in a body bag.”

Amara’s heart pounded, but she didn’t let it show. She had expected this reaction. She knew what kind of man he was. And yet, she had hoped—just for a second—that maybe, just MAYBE, she had meant something more to him.

Clearly, she had been wrong.

Or maybe, this was his way of showing that she meant TOO MUCH.

She glanced down at the dead body beside her, then back at him.

“I’m not afraid of you, Leonardo,” she said quietly.

He chuckled. “That’s your first mistake.”

Amara clenched her jaw. She had spent too long being trapped in his world, playing by his rules. It was time to remind him that she was not just another pawn in his game.

If he wanted to own her…

He would have to break her first.

And she would make sure he FAILED...

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