Dirty little games

Lola’s POV People say hitting rock bottom changes you. But they forgot something. It doesn’t just change you. It strips you of everything you've ever had and hoped for. Your identity, the wealth, the pride and the future you once imagined. Until all that is left is a version of yourself you never imagined becoming…..but must become to survive. ********* I used to be the daughter of a mafia millionaire. Untouchable, protected and envied. The kind of girl whose life looked like a fairy tale carved in gold. But overnight, I became the girl who counted every single dollar. Who every penny and coin mattered to. Dad… Ever since his bankruptcy, he sits in silence, staring completely into nothing. A once powerful man reduced to a portrait of a pale, empty shell. Liam…my boyfriend, the boy with the softness eyes, handed me his paper test results, diagnosed with stage two cancer with trembling fingers and tears he tried to hide. A moment that still haunts my sleep. There has always

He sighed and turned away. Only when his footsteps faded did I let out the breath I had been holding. My chest heaved, my palms looking damp.Where was he headed? Curiosity kicked in as I furrowed my brows, slowly tailing behind him.The basement.The same one that had always been forbidden to me since childhood.He’d said it countless times, a girl like me didn’t deserve to be born into the mafia world. So that door was always off-limits. And because he was 'Dad', and always a good man in my heart, I never questioned it. I was his little princess, spoiled with money, wrapped in protection. But as the heavy iron door shut behind him, fingerprint and a code known to only him sealing it, a thought I never had before struck me. What could be in there?I stood frozen, staring and guessing, until reality snapped me back. He didn’t know I was home. If he came back and found me near the basement, I would answer questions I wasn't ready for.I bolted upstairs, changed quickly, grabbed my pho

Lola’s POVBlood.A trail of it. Thin at first, then darker, thicker, leading toward the basement door.For a second, my eyes went blurry and the world around me tilted.“Dad?” My voice trembled again as I called out. It came out small and shaky, but was swallowed by the silence that pressed down from every corner of the house.No answer.I crouched down. The blood was fresh and I could still somehow smell it. That unmistakable metallic smell.I refused to believe this. But still, I could guess what was happening. He couldn’t have gone too far… even if someone had taken him.My stomach twisted. I staggered, following the trail until I reached the basement.That forbidden door.I could still hear his voice in my head — Don’t ever go down there, Lola. Promise me.He never told me why and he never had to. His tone was enough.The keypad blinked in a steady red rhythm. Locked. I tried anyway, my shaking fingers pressing random numbers. 2–0–9–7. 1–7–3–8.The red light blinked faster. The

Rain poured harder, soaking through every layer of me until it felt like the sky was trying to drown me in its tears. My pulse thudded loudly in my ears when I saw him step out of the car. Tall and domineering.Damien Salvatore.Even his name scraped against my bones.He moved toward me with that same calm control that made everything else fade. I stumbled, shaking my head. “Don’t touch me!”His hand caught my wrist before I could take another step. The heat of his palm burning against my skin, steady and unyielding, like the world itself had chosen sides and I was sure it wasn’t mine.For a minute, I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. The rain slid down his face, dripping from his lashes, but his gaze didn't waver. There was something terrifyingly patient in them. Something that made me forget the cold entirely.I twisted in his hold, nails scraping uselessly against his arm, but he didn’t flinch. His grip only tightened, not cruelly, just enough to remind me that escape was a fantasy

The rest of the day was strangely quiet.After the maids left, I finished my food alone. The house felt too big and silent, like it was holding its breath. I wandered around for a while, pacing in the long hallways, touching things I didn’t understand, trying not to think too much about why I was here.When the sky outside started to turn orange, my phone pinged.A message notification from an unknown number. I clicked on it but the user has no profile. Then the message content caught my eyes.“ I’ll be home late. Do not leave the estate.”Oh, it was him.That was it. No greeting, no explanation.Just an order disguised as an update.I dropped the phone on the bed and lay back, frustrated and restless. At some point I just rolled my eyes and sighed in frustration.---I jolted up to the sound of footsteps outside my door.Three knocks, firm and controlled.The door opened before I even answered.Two stylists walked in carrying garment bags, boxes, and a suitcase full of makeup produc