Amelie’s POVAt this point, I was so certain about one thing.And that was the fact that I hated Matteo.I hated him so fucking bad.I hated the way he made me feel. The way he touched me, whispered in my ear, and then left me gasping for air—aching, needing, desperate. I hated the fact that my body had betrayed me and I had given into his touch, even after what he had done to me.I didn't know if there was a shift between us after what had happened that day.I was talking about the night he came into my room drunk.The night he had shown me all the scars that had been caused by my actions. But whatever this was, I wasn't certain if I wanted it to happen again or not. What I was certain about was the fact he wouldn't hesitate to use his hands to make me do whatever Luca wanted, and I still hated him for that.And the worst part out of all of this? He knew exactly what he was doing.Matteo knew what he was doing when he pushed into my room, using his fingers to make me cry. He also
_Amelie’s POV_I was so lost in my feelings, letting my body control me that I didn’t even realize that I had made the worst mistake of my life. Nico started at me with the same look in his eyes, completely playing me and deceiving me. I hadn’t even noticed Matteo standing at the door until it was too late. My focus had been on Nico—the warmth of his body, the way his hands had wandered, how easily I had let him.And damn easy I was.Then suddenly a voice cut through the air like a blade, startling me.“Are you going to fuck my younger brother because I didn’t give you what you wanted?”I froze.It couldn’t be. There was no way. My breath caught in my throat, words refusing to form in my head.Slowly, I turned my head, and my stomach twisted at the sight of Matteo leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, a wicked smirk on his face.He had known.Known about Nico and what he had done to me.The amusement in his eyes made my skin crawl, but worse was the look on Nico’s face—his
:Amelie’s POVLuca’s words echoed in my ears long after the door closed behind them.“It’s Lorenzo.”He didn't need to say anything else before the three of them walked out. If they were going to bring up someone that causes so much tension, they might as well as had the entire conversation with me.Who the hell was Lorenzo? The name meant nothing to me, but the reaction it sparked in all three of them—that meant something.It meant that whoever this person was, he was dangerous.Matteo had gone silent, the amusement gone from his face. Nico, for once, didn’t have a smug remark to throw. And Luca… Luca remained a wall of ice, unreadable as ever.And that told me everything I needed to know.Something was wrong. Very wrong.They left me in the room without another word, like I was nothing but a discarded toy after the game ended. No explanation. No apology. Not that I expected any. The world would come to an end before those three apologized to me.Still, I waited.At first, I told
Amelie’s POVThey didn't wait, a maid led me to another room. Lorenzo would be at his casino by eight tonight and I was expected to be ready for this.How does one get ready to seduce a man?I was expecting more than a physical prep, but I couldn't tell what they had for me.I sat on the edge of the velvet chair in the room, the silence pressing down like a weight on my chest.A job.That was what Luca had said—calm, collected like he hadn’t seen me naked minutes ago like I wasn’t spiraling.They had all seen me naked.I was still reeling from the humiliation, the betrayal, the shame that clung to me like a second skin. What type of stupidity would this be described as? Have your legs wide open for the men who kidnapped you.But beneath all of that, something darker simmered—rage. And maybe, just maybe, a thirst for something I couldn’t yet name.Revenge? Redemption? Or just the desperate need to prove I wasn’t some weak little girl they could toy with.I wasn't quite certain which i
Amelie’s POVWhen the knock came at my door, I was ready.Or at least, I looked like I was.Because deep down I knew I was nowhere close to being ready. They had just thrown this at me and expected me to go along with it.I didn’t even know what this man was like and I was expected to seduce him. . My stomach was a pit of nerves, my mind spiraling through worst-case scenarios. But I kept my face blank, lips painted crimson, eyes sharp with black liner, and something colder—determination.Luca stood outside, dressed in all black, as always. His gaze swept over me like I was merchandise he had ordered and was now inspecting.He wanted to see if I was enough, capable. And I wasn't certain about that either. “Come on,” he said simply, turning around and walking off.No compliment. No reaction. Just instructions.Not like I was expecting any. We weren't going for dinner or anything else. He was leading me to what might be my doom.I followed him down the hallway, heels clicking again
Amelie’s POVThe car ride was silent. Way too silent for me to be comfortable in. But what were the chances I was going to be calm in this situation?I was literally driving to my death. They kept saying I had to play it right, but I didn’t trust that.Luca sat beside me, his expression unreadable, arms crossed over his chest. He hadn’t said a word since we left. Not one warning, not one ounce of reassurance. Just stone.Like he wasn’t going to say anything about throwing me into the pit of flames. Just giving me a bottle of water and expecting me to somehow survive. I kept my eyes forward, my reflection staring back at me from the tinted window. I looked the part—confident, sleek, dangerous—but inside I felt like I was walking a tightrope over a bed of knives.Just one wrong step and I would be falling to a very painful death.I could feel his eyes on me. Watching. Judging.Finally, when we were a block away, his voice broke the silence.“Don’t try to be clever.”I turned to him
Amelie’s POVLorenzo leaned closer to me.Way too close for me to be comfortable with.His cologne hit me first—sharp, spiced, expensive. The kind of scent that lingered long after the man was gone.The Arabian scent screaming money. His fingers brushed my thigh, light but intentional, and I had to fight the instinct to recoil. I didn’t want him to think anything that would give anything away.His eyes locked on mine, calculating.“Tell me something, Amelie,” he murmured, voice smooth like silk over steel. “What brings a girl like you here… alone?”The last word was said as if he actually doubted the fact I was here alone. Not that I gave him any reason to. Don’t flinch. Don’t break.I tilted my head with a coy smile, forcing my body to stay still. “Curiosity.”That was the only thing that made a woman do something. He chuckled, but the sound was empty. “Curiosity gets most people killed.”“Not if you’re careful.”And I was trying to be as careful as I could to not get killed.
_Amelie’s POV_The ride back was suffocating.I had somehow found a way to escape Lorenzo with my head on my neck. I could have sworn that the man had been out for me, whatever it was he had seen on his phone had saved my life. Immediately he stepped out, Nico had ordered me to make my way through the doors. Ignoring the steady eyes of the people following as I walked through. I couldn’t give anything away as my heart thundered in my chest. The fear of Lorenzo suddenly calling out to me scared me more than anything else right now. Not a single word had been spoken since I slid into the backseat beside Luca. Nico sat on my other side, silent. Matteo was in the front, drumming his fingers against his thigh, his jaw tight. The silence wasn’t comforting—it was loud, brutal, sharp enough to cut skin.I was unable to tell why the triplets had decided to stay quiet after something like this had happened. I thought they’d say something. Anything.A “good job,” maybe. Or even a sarcastic
Amelie’s POVI stood in front of the full-length mirror, running my fingers down the length of the red dress. It clung to my curves like a second skin, the fabric whispering against my fingertips as I adjusted it. The deep neckline barely covered the curve of my chest, and the slit that ran up my thigh made every step feel deliberate—designed to catch the eye and keep it there.Every dress I had worn showed the curves of my body, and this one wasn't any different.Victor had asked for red, but he didn’t know what kind of red he was going to get.Santiago’s voice echoed in my mind: Play the part. Be the perfect bride. Show them what they want to see.All this just to get the information that he wanted. But that wasn’t the part I was playing tonight. Tonight, I was going to show Victor something entirely different.I adjusted the jade earrings, letting the weight of the stones rest comfortably on my earlobes.it wasn’t enough to simply look perfect. I needed him to feel it. To know it
_Amelie’s POV_I stood in the mirrored hallway outside Victor Delgado’s office, the hem of my slate-blue dress brushing against my heels like a whisper. I don't remember the last time I had dressed up like this, since I was constantly being moved like a chess piece.The neckline dipped slightly—elegant, not suggestive. Santiago had insisted I dress the part. I was to pose as someone’s fiancee and spy on him, wouldn't be the first time I would be used as a bride.Except I wasn't sure if I was supposed to get married to this one this time. Santiago had repeatedly said the words to me.You’re not a soldier today. You’re the bride.Bride.The word left a sour taste in my mouth, though my face remained impassive. I adjusted my diamond earring, more out of habit than need. I was already flawless. That was the point. Victor Delgado, Santiago’s most valuable ally in the northern territories, was about to meet his future wife—and she would not falter.How fun, I thought as I rolled my eye
_Amelie’s POV_The door closed behind me with a soft click and I let out a breath J didn't know I was holding. I didn't know what to say about that conversation but I tried to not think about it too much. I didn’t dare linger in the hallway after that. If Santiago wanted something from me, it wouldn’t be for long and that had to be the only reason he had called me into his officeso early in the morning. I kept my pace steady as I walked back to my room, my footsteps echoing in the silence of the mansion.Most people hadn't even awakened by now but this was me having a conversation with my father.The note under my pillow, the one that had taunted me with its ominous “We’re not alone,” gnawed at the back of my mind. I stopped in front of my door, my fingers ghosting over the door knob.What if someone had been in my room? I wondered as I hesitated to step in. Taking in a deep breath, I turned the knob as I pushed the door open, my eyes roaming through the room.It seemed as if n
Amelie’s POVThe sun hadn’t risen yet. Santiago never called for anyone this early unless something was bleeding—or about to be.A maid knocked on my door shortly after five, voice trembling as she whispered, “He wants to see you. Now.”So here I was, walking through cold hallways that felt more like a museum than a home, the chill of marble beneath my bare feet biting through my skin.It was too early for me to be awake. Too early to go seeing that man’s face. But I couldn't exactly say no to him, could I?When I stepped into his study, Santiago didn’t look up. He didn't even to acknowledge my presence.He sat behind his desk, perfectly still, swirling a dark drink in a crystal glass like it was the blood of someone who’d disappointed him.I wouldn't be surprised if that was what it actually was.So I stood in the doorway, silent as I waited for him to decide he wanted to speak to me.He shouldn't have called for me if he wasn't going to. I tried my best to hide the annoyanve I felt
_Amelie’s POV_The note sat on my nightstand like a loaded gun.Plain paper. No signature. Three words.We’re not alone.I couldn't tell who it was from or how long it had been here.It clearly wasn't from the triplets. Not from Dante. Not even from Santiago.Which meant only one thing—someone else was here. Someone watching me. Someone watching them.It wasn’t the message itself that unsettled me, I could have easily ignored it.But what I couldn’t ignore was the quiet way it arrived. It was slipped under my pillow without waking me. No creaking doors. No shadows shifting. Just silence. Intentional. Controlled.A ghost, not a guest.Well if I could call whoever it was that.My room hadn’t been breached. It had been entered.And I hadn’t even noticed.I didn’t know what to feel about that.I sat still for a long time.The note curled slightly at the edges of my hand, as if it were alive, breathing with me. I couldn’t think of anyone who could have possibly sent itI turned it over—
_Amelie’s POV_There was no such thing as rest anymore.Even with the file gone. Even with the guards fooled. Even with the triplets’ message telling me “We have it. You’re welcome.”—I didn’t feel safe.If anything, I felt worse.Way worse than I should be feeling. They’d been in my room. Quiet, unseen, undetected. Took the file right out from under me and didn’t say a word until it was already done.It was probably taken the moment I had gone for breakfast, I couldn't think of any other time.Which meant I’d been watched.Closely. Intimately. Like a puppet with strings, I didn’t know I had.The triplets had asked whoever it was to retrieve the file when I wasn't aware. What if I had opened my mouth to confess and then it wouldn't have been found..They had a backup. A shadow inside these walls. And I was just a decoy.Whoever it was knew of everything I was doing.I’d barely slept after that morning. Every noise made me flinch.The guards pacing. The creak of pipes in the walls. Ev
Amelie’s POVTime didn’t just slow down at that moment.It stopped. Completely.I stood in the center of my room, arms folded tight over my chest, robe clutched like a lifeline. Every breath I took hurt. My mouth was dry. My heartbeat throbbed in my throat.I couldn't let them find the file but there was nothing I could do to stop them from doing so.Basically, I was as good as dead.The guard crouched near the open floorboard, crowbar discarded beside him. The loose plank had come up with a sickening crack, exposing the hollow space beneath.The space where I had hidden the file.My foot started to tap against the floor impatiently but I stopped when he turned to look at me.“Mice. Scared of it jumping out.” I lied effortlessly, forcinf a smile to my face.I hope I’m able to lie this easily when they see it.His gloved hands hovered over the hole. He pulled out a flashlight and angled it down into the darkness, searching.I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. My nails bit crescents into
Amelie’s POVThe next morning was too quiet.It wasn’t just the stillness of the house. That, I was used to. This was something deeper. A kind of silence that hummed under the floorboards, waiting to crack. A storm on pause.That was because I knew what I had done, and I knew the consequences of doing that.I hadn’t slept well — barely at all. My eyes felt gritty, my limbs too stiff. Every sound in the hallway felt amplified. Footsteps. Doors closing. Even the distant clink of glass downstairs sent a jolt through my spine.Simply put? I was alert.Scared might be a better way to put it, but alert seems to be more like itI rolled over and checked under the mattress. The burner was still there, tucked tight against the slats. No new messages. The triplets had gone silent.I would have appreciated a better response. Like where I could take this file.Somewhere far away from me for example.Santiago was going to blow up when he realized that the file was gone.And the file? Still hidden.
Amelie’s POVThe hall was too quiet as I stepped out of my room, eyes darting around.Santiago’s house had always been cold, but this silence? It was a different kind of warning. Like the walls themselves were holding their breath.It was like something was warning me against what I was about to do, but I was out already.I moved fast, but carefully. Every step was loud in my eyes as I walked barefoot across the marble floor to keep the sound low, my heart hammering louder than my footsteps. The triplets had given the order just an hour ago.“You’ll find the folder in the cabinet beneath the safe. Blue cover. Don’t look inside.”Clear. Simple and Risky as hell.What if I had been sleeping?The burner, which had somehow found it’s way to my room once again, had vibrated under my pillow and I immediately checked it.I knew it was placed there by their inside mam, whoever that would be.There weren’t any cameras in this room, at least that was what I hoped.I walked down the hallway wi