004

Nathan's POV

I watched her face drain of color, and for a second, the facade of the humble maid evaporated.

She instinctively shot a panicked glance toward the CCTV camera in the corner, her small hand flying to her mouth as if she could choke back the truth I had just exposed.

“Don't bother,” I warned, sternly. “I remember the face, Seraphina Rossi. And I definitely remember the voice so much. You can't fool me.”

She looked back, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and excitement.

“I remember your laugh,” I continued, the memory of that fundraiser in Rome cutting through my mind. “What were you then? Fifteen?”

“No!” She snapped, the maid facade disappearing to the arrogance of a girl born by Alessandro. “I was eighteen!”

She bit her lip immediately after realizing she had just confirmed everything I wanted to hear.

But the confidence didn't leave her face for once.

She stepped closer, the tray of food forgotten on the floor. “And I'm twenty-two now, Nathan. I'm no longer that little teenager you knew; I am no longer the one you used to ignore while you were busy whispering in my aunt's ear.”

The mention of Lisa sent a fresh wave of nausea through me. “So why the fuck are you here?” I demanded, my voice rising despite the ache I was feeling in my chest.

“Coming down here in a costume, cleaning me, feeding me…what kind of sick game is this, Seraphina? Does your father know his little princess is playing in the dirt of his capture? Does he know that you're entering the lion's den, little by little?”

“He knows nothing,” she whispered, leaning in so close that I could smell that rich fragrance she failed to successfully hide. “And he's never going to know. Unless you want to see how much faster he can kill you when he's angry.”

I let out a laugh that ended in a cough. “Well, he's already killing me. What do I have to lose? I'll scream your name the next time he walks through that door.”

She didn't panic at my threat; she just reached out and ran a thumb along the line of my jaw softly.

“You could do that,” she murmured. “Or, you could realize that I'm the only person in this house who doesn't want to see you in a body bag. My father wants a pound of flesh, Nathan. Andrew…well, we both know he only wants his paycheck. But me? I want you alive.”

“Why?” The word slipped out of my tongue before I could stop it.

She cleared her throat, her smile turning into a mischievous smirk. “Because I've always wanted you,” she blurted, "and now, you have nowhere else to go. Here you can be mine.”

She pulled back, but before I could respond, the sound of footsteps slipped through the quietness. Her eyes sharply went wide before she scrambled to pick up the tray, smoothing her apron and ducking her head just as the door opened once.

Alessandro stepped in, his presence instantly sucking the air out of the room. He didn't glance at the "maid".

“Leave us,” he barked.

Seraphina scurried smartly into the hallway, the door slamming shut behind her.

He walked toward me, his hands folded behind his back. He looked refreshed, like he’d just come from a long lunch while I’d been rotting in my waste. He looked at the bowl of porridge on the floor and then up at me with a cruel smile.

“You look pathetic, Nathan,” he said. “Marco’s pride and joy, reduced to begging for scraps from a servant.”

“I haven't begged for anything,” I spat, trying to pull my shoulders back despite the pain of the chains. “And your 'business' is failing, Alessandro. You think taking me changes anything? My father will find someone else to replace me before the week is out. I’m just a body to him.”

Alessandro’s face darkened, his composure slipping for a second. He stepped into my space, his breath smelling of espresso and peppermint. “Your father is a dead man walking, and he's making mistakes. Every time he trips, I’m going to take a piece of you to remind him why he should have stayed in his lane.”

“You're a coward," I spat, staring him down. “Torturing a chained man because you're too afraid to face Marco in the street.”

He backhanded me with a dirty slap, the force of it sending my head to the other side as I felt a stinging pain with the taste of blood in my mouth.

“I’m the man who has everything you lost,” Alessandro whispered. “I have your freedom, I have your life, and soon, I’ll have your father’s head. Enjoy the silence, Nathan. It’s the only thing you have left.”

He turned on his heel and stormed out of the place.

And instead of me wallowing in self-destruct...I laughed out loud like a madman.

I leaned my head against the wall with a racing mind, and I looked over at the spot where Serafina had been standing, an evil smirk tugging at the corner of my lips.

She was clearly an obsessed and delusional little thing, trying to play house with her father's enemy.

‘Because I've always wanted you,’ her voice replayed in my head.

Wanted me? She was shamelessly lusting over her aunt's man for years!

But at the end of the day, she was also the only person that could break these walls for me.

If she wanted the man she'd lusted after for years, I would give him to her. I would endure her touch, and I would wrap her around my fingers until she was the one holding the key to these chains.

Alessandro thought he was using me to get to my father. But he'd made a mistake; he had left his greatest weakness, coming back to my cell every morning with a tray of food, trying to win my heart over.

I closed my eyes.

I was going to use that girl; I was going to ruin her if I had to. I was going to break her heart and use the pieces to cut my way out of this hellhole.

“Come back tomorrow, Seraphina,” I whispered to nobody. “I'll be waiting.”