CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER FIVE

Juliana.

Pain. That was the first thing I registered, a dull, pounding headache that made me groan softly. My body felt heavy, sluggish, like I was coming down from a bad fever.

Then came the scent, rich, masculine cologne, leather, faint traces of whiskey. It wasn’t familiar. It wasn’t safe.

My eyes snapped open.

I bolted upright, my breath ragged. Where the hell was I?

The room was dark, sleek, luxurious. A massive bed with silk sheets. A dim fireplace flickering in the corner. Floor-to-ceiling windows framed the city skyline, a breathtaking view that only made my panic worse.

I wasn’t home.

A door clicked open.

I turned sharply, my heart slamming into my ribs as a man stepped out of the bathroom.

I froze.

He was bare-chested. Droplets of water slid down his toned, sculpted chest, disappearing into the towel slung low on his hips. His damp, jet-black hair was slicked back, emphasizing his chiseled jawline.

But it was his eyes that stopped me cold.

Blue-green. Piercing. Cold. They assessed me with unsettling ease, like he had already measured and owned me.

He was the last person I saw before everything went black.

“You're awake” he said, voice deep, smooth, too calm like he hadn’t just kidnapped me.

I gripped the sheets, my pulse racing. “Where the hell am I?”

“My house” he answered simply, dragging a towel through his hair before tossing it aside.

His house.

My stomach churned.

“Who the hell are you?” I demanded, my throat dry and my voice barely coming out.

“Alexander Valente, I saved you” he answered, his lips twitching but his eyes remained unreadable.

I scoffed. “From what? So you could take me instead?”

          His gaze darkened at the accusation. “if I wanted to take you sweetheart, you wouldn’t be there yelling at me”

My breath hitched at the sheer confidence in his tone. I hated that it made my skin tingle.

I tried to recall what happened. The club. The man who tried to take me. And then him.

I swallowed, my mind racing. “That man…”

“Was hired” he cut in. “Not just some hired creep, someone wanted to take and the person wanted me to know”

The room tilted slightly as my heartbeat pounded in my ears. “That doesn’t make sense. No one, no one would do that”

He leaned against the dresser, arms crossed over his chest, watching me like I was some puzzle he was trying to solve. “You sure about that?”

I opened my mouth to argue but stopped. Was I sure?

My past came rushing back. My mother, the woman who birthed me, had left me for her second husband, my stepfather. A man with more money than morals and his hands were nowhere near clean.

And now, some stranger was telling me that someone had targeted me.

I shivered, suddenly feeling exposed. A flash of memory hit, vomiting. Strong arms catching me. Heat. Strength. A voice telling me to sleep.

Oh, God.

I looked down at myself, realizing I wasn’t just in a stranger’s bed, I was wearing an oversized black shirt. Not mine. His.

My face heated, and I snapped my gaze back to him. “Did you?”

"You threw up all over yourself," he said, smirking slightly. “Had to change you into something clean”

“You…”

He smirked, watching me squirm. “Relax. I had one of my housekeepers change you”

I exhaled sharply, my face burning. He was enjoying this.

I exhaled again, relief mixing with irritation. Smug bastard.

“Your clothes are ruined” he continued, his voice casual. “I ordered some new ones. They should be here soon”

“Ordered?” I blinked. “You…”

“You’re in no condition to leave” he stated, as if that settled everything.

I glared at him. “I never asked to stay”

He smirked. “Doesn’t change the fact that you’re here”

Arrogant. Controlling. Overbearing.

I hated him already.

A knock on the door interrupted us. He strolled over, opened it, and took the bags from a well-dressed older woman, murmuring a thanks before shutting the door.

He tossed the bags onto the bed beside me. “Get dressed. Breakfast is ready”

I clenched my jaw, shoving away my embarrassment. “I need to leave”

“You’re not going anywhere”

The absolute authority in his voice sent a chill through me.

I snapped my gaze to him. “Excuse me?”

He sat on the edge of the bed, watching me with calm arrogance. “Your stepfather is on his way to pick you up”

I went still.

“You…you called him?” My voice was barely above a whisper.

“Of course” he said, like it was obvious. “I already knew who you were, Juliana”

I felt like I had been slapped.

“You…you had no right” I whispered, my fingers shaking.

Alexander didn’t react.

I clenched the sheets, my fingers digging into the fabric. He knew.

“You knew who I was before you brought me here?” I demanded, my voice shaking.

His lips twitched, like I had just asked something ridiculous. “Of course, I make it my business to know who enters my club”

The way he said it sent a chill through me.

My stomach twisted painfully. If he knew who I was, that meant…

“How do you know my stepfather?” I blurted out.

Something flashed in his eyes.

“You've heard my name before, haven't you?” he asked instead, his voice quiet.

I stiffened. I had.

I had overheard it more than once, whispered in hushed conversations, muttered under my stepfather’s breath when he thought I wasn’t listening.

“Alexander Valente” I murmured.

The name alone sent a chill through me. I had never asked questions. I had spent years pretending I didn’t hear the things I wasn’t supposed to.

My mother had left me behind when I was barely sixteen, taking my stepfather’s money and vanishing without a trace.

She’d taken his money and disappeared, leaving me behind in a house that never felt like home. He’d never hurt me, but he had never cared either. I was just an inconvenience.

I had always known my stepfather was a man with more money than morals. But if Alexander knew him, if they were connected in some way, then what the hell did that make him?

I lifted my chin, forcing myself to hold his gaze. “Who exactly is my stepfather to you?”

Alexander leaned back slightly, his smirk slow, calculated. “One of my men”

The world tilted.

I felt like I had been punched in the stomach.

One of his men.

My stepfather was part of this. Part of whatever dark, powerful world Alexander belonged to.

“You expect me to just, just go back to him?” I snapped, my voice rising.

Alexander tilted his head. “You don’t have much of a choice”

Panic clawed at my chest.

I shook my head, trying to focus. “Did you find out who hired the creep?”

His smirk disappeared, his expression darkening. “Not yet”

The room felt colder.

“But I will” he added, voice firm.

Something about the way he said it sent a shiver down my spine.

“I, I need to go home” I said again quickly.

He laughed, low and sharp. “No, you don’t”

I bristled. “You don’t get to decide that”

He leaned forward slightly, his elbows resting on his knees, his gaze holding mine in place. I felt trapped.

“The threat isn’t just against you, Juliana” he said, voice calm but edged with something dangerous. “It happened in my club. That means it’s a direct challenge to me”

My stomach dropped.

“That’s not my problem” I bit out.

“It is now” he countered smoothly.

I sucked in a sharp breath. “I have my own place; you know…” I said quickly, “A job. I don’t need to go back to go back to my step father’s”

Alexander smirked.

“You can kiss your job goodbye”

My blood ran cold. “What?”

“You’re not going back” he said, like it was a fact.

I felt the panic rising. “You can't just decide that!”

His expression didn’t change. “I already have”

I clenched my fists. I wanted to scream.

“What happens now?” I gritted out.

“You have two options” he said, standing up. His presence filled the room. “Either you go back to your stepfather, or you stay here”

I stared at him. “You’re giving me a choice?”

“A limited one” he said.

I couldn’t breathe. I knew what my stepfather was like. If I went back now, I wouldn’t have a life anymore.

I inhaled shakily. “Fine. I’ll stay”

Alexander smirked, like he already knew what my answer would be.

He pulled out his phone and, without a word, put the call on speaker.

“Don’t bother coming” he said smoothly.

A deep voice answered. My stepfather.

“I’m already at the gate boss” he said.

Alexander’s expression didn’t change. “Turn around. Go back to your post”

Silence.

“What are you planning to do with her?” my stepfather asked cautiously.

Alexander tilted his head slightly, his smirk sharpening. “Are you questioning my orders?”

A pause. Then a clipped response. “No, sir”

“Good” Alexander said. “Leave”

The line went dead.

I sat there, frozen, staring at the man who had just taken control of my life.

Alexander put his phone away like nothing had happened. Then, casually, he gestured toward the bags.

“Get dressed, Juliana” he said. “Your new life starts now”

And for the first time in my life, I realized, I wasn’t in control anymore.