_Amelie’s POV_I didn’t cry. I couldn't.Not when the gravel dug into my knees. Not when the gun jammed and Luca growled at me like I was a waste of time. Not even when my palms split open on the staff.I kept it together.Ignoring the burning Paul that trailed up my arm, ignoring the way my thighs screamed and my legs shook.Even walking was so hard for me, my legs almost giving up beneath me.Right up until I made it back to my room.I closed the door and let out a breath, pressing my back against the wood. My arms were shaking. My legs? Useless. I slid down slowly until I hit the floor, body aching in places I didn’t even know could hurt.Every muscle screamed.I wanted to give up on this right away. Let the tears run freely.But I didn’t cry.Because that would make everything I’d just endured meaningless.Luca’s demeaning stare, his ruthlessness as he hit me over and over all in The name of training me.Instead, I peeled off my sweat-drenched shirt and stared down at myself.Bru
_Amelie’s POV_My heart raced as I stood, staring at the hallway that stretched on. The silence here was thick like the mansion itself was holding its breath. One wrong step and I would be singing to everyone that I was sneaking around in this ungodly hour. I padded across the marble floor in nothing but leggings and a loose shirt, the faint glow of the moonlight casting long shadows along the walls. I should’ve been in bed, should be fast asleep by now preparing for my five AM torture with Luca.Why am I doing this? You ask. That was because I couldn’t sleep—not with their voices echoing in my head, not with bruises still blooming on my ribs.I needed answers. Or a distraction. Or both.And I knew I was going to get it here.The library door creaked softly as I pushed it open. Letting out a breath, I turned around one last time before tip-toeing into the room.Rows and rows of books towered around me, dark mahogany and the faint smell of dust and leather wrapping around me. W
_Amelie’s POV_I paced.Back and forth. Bare feet brushing across the cold marble. I had run into my room, shutting the door behind me as I tried to calm my fast racing heart.Matteo? I can handle it, but are the two brothers in the same space with me? Staring at me with such sinful eyes? I couldn't handle that.I know. They had humiliated me. Made mockery of me and insulted me for letting them touch me.I hated them more than anything but that didn’t hide the fact I wanted them to touch me.It was such a sinful thing to think of, but I couldn't help it.My thoughts raced faster than my steps—blurring Matteo’s voice in the library, the heat of his breath on my throat, the way Nico had watched us like he wanted to break both of us.Or join us. I couldn't tell which.I hated how they got under my skin.Worse, I hated how my body responded to it.Like I needed it– needed them. No wonder Matteo said what he said. I made myself seem like a whore around them.My hands curled into fist
Chapter don't know…..AMELIA The reality of things hit harder given the situation I found myself in. It wasn't Nico. It was Luca. My breath hitched like I was suffocating - maybe I was. I scrambled backwards, pushing myself away from him with desperate, trembling hands. My heart hammered against my chest as Luca stared at me. This wouldn't end well, given how Luca is. “ Why do you look mortified?” He broke the silence and asked. “ For a minute, you were sure who you were with,” he snickered. “ I-I didn't know it was you,” I stuttered, hoping to wriggle my way out of this. “ Can you let me go?” My voice was low as I pleaded with him. “ You're acting like I brought you here in the first place,” he grabbed my wrist. “ Weren't you planning on moaning at Nico’s every touch a moment ago?” His grip around my wrist tightened. “ N-No,” I stuttered. His words had flustered me. I couldn't admit to that, not after everything that has happened. “
AMELIA My eyes darted to his face, pleading. I wished he would just get this done with rather than tease me in the most humiliating manner just to see my reaction. Maybe if I tried pleading with him, he might stop was what I thought but looking him in the eye, all I could see was a chilling amusement on his face. He was clearly enjoying himself and no amount of pleading would make him stop at this point. He might even get more turned on. “ Do you feel the need to beg me?” He said as he thrust the vibrator further in. I bit down on my lower lip as I held my moans back. He might lose interest that way.“ Silent are we now?” He scoffed before I could protest, before my mind could fully process the violation I was being put through, he pressed it further in as he increased the vibration settings. A jolt ripped through me. “ Let's see how long you can hold it in,” he said as he slowly took out the vibrator causing a tingling feeling down my spine. Was he
Amelie’s POVI should’ve known better.Should’ve known Luca wasn’t done until he broke me down—until I was sobbing and stripped and choking on every last shred of my dignity.I hadn’t expected this from him, Matteo. Yes. But him? I thought he was the rational one. But even he didn’t expect the door to creak open when it did, someone stepping into the room.My heart stopped.Nico stood there. Silent. Still.His eyes went between me on my knees and Luca’s form. I didn’t know what to do, didn’t know what to feel. Slowly, I felt the embarrassment seeping slowly. I froze beneath Luca’s grip, heat flooding my cheeks—not the good kind. The kind that crawls up your spine and makes your skin crawl. Luca didn’t move right away, either. He just turned his head slightly, glancing at his brother like it was all a joke.Maybe it was to him, I was merely a clown brought for the sole purpose of entertainment. “What?” Luca said lazily. “Don’t act like you haven’t wanted to do worse.” Luca w
_Amelie’s POV_I didn’t sleep.Not after everything that had happened.Not after Nico left me tied up, sweating, shaking, begging for a release that never came. Not after the maid’s quiet gasp when she found me. Not even after Matteo’s mocking little whistle or the cold, silent look in Luca’s eyes when they all stood over me like I was something rotting on display.I hated the looks on their faces when they all saw me. I hated how weak I seemed at that moment.But I had survived.Even though it didn’t feel like it.Even after the cuffs were removed and my robe was tightened, my wrists burned. My skin still tingled with that phantom fire. My shame stuck to me like sweat I couldn’t scrub off.I’d taken three showers since then. None of them worked.Now I stood in front of the mirror, my eyes bloodshot, cheeks hollow, the faint outline of Luca’s fingerprints still etched into my thighs. I stared at my reflection and hated what I saw.I looked like someone who had given up.I slammed the
_Amelie’s POV_I sat in my room as I listened for any form of sound. The mansion was quiet. Too quiet.After what happened in the library with Matteo—the knife, the taunting, the way he handed it back to me like an offering—I hadn’t been able to sleep.How could I?My heart still pounded every time I replayed his words. “You’re finally becoming something interesting.” I didn’t know if it was a compliment or a threat. With him, it could’ve been both.They had brought me here as a form of revenge towards my dad. But what exactly they had planned? I had no idea.Some part of me knew they were doing all that because I had betrayed them, some other part expected them to understand that I didn't have a choice. I didn’t eat dinner that night. I didn’t want to see them. I didn’t want to feel their eyes on me—Luca’s cold calculation, Nico’s unreadable silence, Matteo’s smirk that always saw more than I wanted him to.Because all they would talk about would be me tied up in Nico’s bed. But j
_Amelie’s POV_To make my work more efficient, Santiago made sure I moved to Victor’s house in preparation for the wedding. I still wasn’t sure if Santiago thought I would be getting married to him for real or not, but that wasn’t my problem.All I had to do was get information before the wedding and call it off.Easy right?Except I had no idea where to find this information from.But the best place to always get information was a library.Or black market.The heels of my shoes barely made a sound against the marble floor as I stepped into Victor’s library. The door creaked slightly behind me, but I didn’t flinch. I’d memorized the guard rotations, the blind spots in the security cameras, and even which doors had looser hinges. I had twenty, maybe thirty minutes max.But I wouldn’t be using all that time. All I had to do was search and get out before anyone caught me. They were already suspicious of me and I couldn’t risk it.The library had floor-to-ceiling shelves, thick with th
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.