CHAPTER 006

Anna couldn’t breathe as she stared at Vincenzo, with her eyes wide, heart crashing against her ribs, lips parted but no words coming out, not a single sound, just silence and the raw disbelief choking her from the inside out because it was him, it was really him, and everything in her body froze except the storm inside her chest.

Vincenzo didn’t move, he just sat there watching Anna with the same cold expression that made her skin crawl.

Anna’s heart pounded continuously as her stomach turned. Her wrists burned from how tightly the rope was tied, but she barely noticed the pain. Her mind was still stuck on the fact that the man who had her kidnapped and tied was the same one who had kissed her and fucked her last night.

“You,” Anna whispered again, her voice dry and hoarse. “Oh my God… It was you…”

Vincenzo raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. Then he rose from the chair and walked toward her, each step steady and deliberate, until he was standing directly in front of her.

“So you remember me… Good,” Vincenzo said, his tone smooth, but stripped of any warmth. “You know, cara, it’s rude to leave someone you had sex with in a hotel room alone the next morning.”

Anna’s body went rigid, her voice shaking as she replied. “I didn’t… no, what we did was a mistake, it shouldn’t have happened.”

“Mistake?” Vincenzo murmured as he leaned in close, his breath hot against Anna’s skin and his lips almost brushing her ear. “But those moans you made while I fucked you said otherwise,” he continued, his voice low and taunting.

His tongue slid over the edge of her ear, slow and possessive, each motion deliberate, leaving a trail that made her stomach twist. Then he pulled back, just enough for her to see the cold, smug smile twisting on his lips.

Anna sat frozen, heat rushing to her cheeks, her face flushed and her body betraying the fury building inside her.

She struggled to find her voice, her jaw tightening as she forced the words out.

“I was drunk.”

Vincenzo let out a low chuckle. “Yeah, you were drunk,” he repeated, voice calm. “But not unconscious. You begged me to fuck you, cara. You clawed at me like you couldn’t get enough.”

His eyes narrowed as he circled behind her, the click of his shoes against the floor the only sound in the room, low and steady like a ticking bomb.

“You wrapped your legs around me and cried out like a prayer. Was that the alcohol too?” Vincenzo leaned in behind her as he spoke, his breath warm against the nape of her neck, voice low and chilling.

Anna’s teeth sank into her bottom lip as she squeezed her eyes shut, her chest rising too fast, with shame crawling over her skin.

“I don’t remember what happened last night,” she replied, her voice trembling.

Vincenzo chuckled again. “Oh, do you want me to remind you?” he said with a smirk playing on his lips as his hand found her bare shoulder and traced over it slowly, making Anna flinch.

“No!!!” Anna blurted out, almost screaming.

“Hmm… there’s no need to bother yourself, cara. One night was enough. I don’t entertain leftovers,” Vincenzo said, his tone flat.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means,” he said, removing his fingers from her shoulders as he walked around the chair, positioning himself in front of her. “I don’t have sex with a one-night stand more than once.” Then he reached out and brushed a loose strand of hair from Anna’s face.

Anna turned her head sharply, refusing his touch.

Vincenzo let out a sharp sigh, dropped his hand, and walked back to his seat without another word. He grabbed a cigarette from his pocket, followed by a lighter, and lit it with a slow flick. Bringing it to his lips, he took a drag.

“Why won’t you let me go?” Anna asked, her voice wavering. “I won’t go to the police, I swear. I’ll make James pay you back—every cent. Just… please.”

Vincenzo ignored her plea like it didn’t matter. Like her words were smoke drifting through the air.

He took another long drag from his cigarette, exhaled slowly, then held it between his fingers as he spoke. “I don’t think you understand your situation yet, cara.”

Vincenzo signaled one of his bodyguards with a slight nod. The bodyguard stepped forward, holding a sleek black folder, and opened it with practiced ease. He turned a few pages, then dropped it on the table in front of Anna.

Anna leaned forward, her breath catching and her body stiffening as her eyes locked on the document.

It was a legally binding contract between Vincenzo Romano and James Carter, complete with signatures, official stamps, and clear terms. Anna’s name appeared in bold, unmistakable print near the center of the document. She was listed under a clause labeled “Payment in Full,” identified as the agreed-upon compensation. The language was cold and precise, stating that in exchange for the full clearance of James Carter’s outstanding debt, Anna Hawkins would be transferred into the custody of Vincenzo Romano. Both men had signed at the bottom, their names written with sharp, deliberate strokes, leaving no room for doubt.

“This is proof that you belong to me now. There is no escaping,” Vincenzo said pointing to the contract. “And since you’ll be staying here, there are three rules you must follow.”

Vincenzo raised a finger.

“Rule one,” he said, voice cold and clipped. “You can never enter into my room.”

He raised a second finger.

“Rule two. You can never leave this house.”

And then a third finger.

“Rule three,” he said with finality. “You don’t break rule one or two. If you do…” His voice dropped, laced with quiet menace. “There will be serious consequences.”

Anna stayed silent. Her body remained stiff, eyes still locked on the contract in front of her. Her jaw clenched as she fought to hold back the tears, but they came anyway, spilling down her cheeks uncontrollably.

Vincenzo took one last, deliberate drag of his cigarette, exhaled slowly, then crushed it into the table in front of him. Without a word, he stood, slid his hands into his pockets, and walked toward the door. His steps were heavy and unhurried, the sharp echo of his shoes against the floor the only sound that followed. He didn’t look back. Not once.

“So what are you going to do with me?” Anna asked, her voice low and unsteady between sobs. “What use am I to you?”

Vincenzo stopped in his tracks but didn’t turn toward Anna. Instead, he paused for a moment, then finally spoke.

“You’ll stay in this house,” he said flatly. “Until I decide what use you are to me.” His tone left no room for questions.

Anna’s body trembled at his words, tears still sliding down her cheeks.

After a brief pause, Vincenzo continued walking. He reached the door, opened it, then stopped and turned to the guard standing in the left corner of the room.

“Marco.”

A tall, broad-shouldered man stepped forward, dressed in all black. His expression was blank and unreadable.

“Untie her and take her to her room. The rest of you, follow me.”

“Yes, sir.” Marco said, bowing.

Vincenzo didn’t spare Anna a glance as he walked out, disappearing into the hallway with three bodyguards silently trailing behind him.