LOGINViola hesitated, glancing down at her filthy state. "Vanessa... my clothes are dirty. I should wash—""Did I stutter?" Vanessa’s voice turned completely cold. "I told you to come to my room."Viola swallowed hard. She didn't have a choice. Vanessa was never good news, and arguing in the hallway would only make things worse. Keeping her head down, Viola quietly followed her into the bedroom.The second Viola stepped onto the plush carpet, Vanessa pushed the heavy door shut.Click.She locked it.Viola’s stomach dropped at the sound. She stood awkwardly near the door. Vanessa didn't yell. She didn't even raise her voice. She simply walked over and sat gracefully on the edge of her bed, crossing her arms.The silence stretched out. Vanessa just sat there, staring at Viola. The quiet in the room was suffocating, making Viola’s heart beat faster against her ribs."Now tell me," Vanessa finally spoke, her voice conversational, almost eerie in its calmness. "What were you doing in Sebastian'
The midday sun beat down hard on Viola’s back. She grabbed another handful of stubborn weeds, pulling them from the dry soil and tossing them onto the growing pile.She wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her dirty wrist, letting out a shaky breath.Her mother had put her to work out here hours ago—a punishment simply because Viola had forgotten to place fresh roses in Vanessa’s room.She kept her head down, mechanically pulling the grass. Her bruised knees actually felt much better today, but her lower back was aching fiercely from being hunched over for so long. She just wanted to finish and get out of the heat.She stared down at the dirt, but her thoughts drifted despite herself.Two days ago…The cold touch of the ice pack against her bruised knees.His rough hands spreading the cooling gel across her skin.“Don’t lie to me again, Dulzura. I hate liars.”Heat rushed to her face.She yanked another weed from the ground a little harder than necessary.“Stop thinking
Viola gasped sharply. Her back arched slightly off the mattress. "Aaah..." A soft, pained sound vibrated in the back of her throat. A single tear slipped from the corner of her eye. "You're hurting me," she whispered brokenly. "Am I?" he murmured. He didn't break eye contact. He watched the way her fists twisted the bedsheets, the way her teeth sank into her lip. Beneath the agonizing pain and the freezing cold, a sudden, unfamiliar heat pooled deep in her belly. Her body was reacting to the raw dominance in his stare. It was too intense. It was too much. She broke eye contact first, staring up at the ceiling as her chest heaved. Minutes passed. The quiet room filled only with the sound of her ragged, trembling breaths. He finally lifted the ice away. He tossed the pack onto the table and picked up the small glass jar the maid had left. He scooped out a generous amount of clear, cooling gel. His large, rough hand gently wrapped around her calf. Viola’s breath hitched as he began
Viola flinched, a quiet gasp escaping her lips. "W-What are you doing?" she asked, her voice tight with panic.He completely ignored her. He gripped the hem of her long white cotton dress and began to slowly push the fabric up her legs."Please, don't," she whispered frantically, her face burning so hot she felt like she was dying.She quickly reached down, her trembling fingers wrapping around his thick wrist to stop him. It was completely useless. He didn't even pause. Sebastian just stopped moving the fabric and gave her one dark, heavy look.Viola’s breath hitched. Defeated, she slowly released her grip, her hand falling flat against the mattress.With slow, deliberate movements, the fabric slid over her shins, bunching up until it rested just above her knees.He stopped.The tension in the room spiked, turning suffocating and cold. Viola watched the muscles in his broad shoulders tighten beneath the crimson silk. His gaze was locked on her bare knees. The skin was mottled with da
Every step up the grand staircase felt like another type of punishment.Viola leaned heavily against the wall in the quiet corridor, trying to catch her breath. A sharp, burning throb radiated from her bruised knees, sending shooting pain all the way up her thighs. She desperately needed a painkiller, but there was no time.She pushed herself off the wall, dragging her aching feet until she stopped in front of the heavy mahogany door. Her heart was beating so fast she could feel it in her throat. Her face was flushed hot from the sheer exertion of walking.She raised a trembling hand and knocked softly."Come in." His deep voice bled through the thick wood.Viola turned the brass handle and pushed the door open.She stilled on the threshold.Sebastian was standing in the middle of the spacious room. The moment the door opened, his amber gaze locked directly onto hers, and time simply stopped.The morning sun poured through the glass doors behind him, illuminating the deep crimson silk
The master wing of the Hierro estate was always submerged in quiet, isolated from the rest of the sprawling mansion. The morning sun cut sharply through the tall glass doors of Sebastian’s bedroom, casting long, stark shadows across the dark wood floor.He sat leaned back in a heavy leather chair, the faint, sharp scent of gun oil hanging in the air. He wore black slacks and a deep crimson silk shirt, the top buttons left undone against the rising heat of the day. A disassembled handgun rested on the small table beside him. He held the magazine in one hand, running a clean cloth over the dark metal. The slow, rhythmic slide of fabric against steel was the only sound in the room.Mateo stood a few feet away, his hands clasped firmly behind his back as he delivered the morning report."What is my dearest father doing these days?" Sebastian asked quietly. His voice was flat, his eyes never leaving the weapon in his hands."He is secretly meeting with a few of the older bosses, Jefe," Mat
Dinner ended exactly as it began—stiff, quiet, and suffocating.Viola didn’t wait for Vanessa or her mother to stand up. The moment Rafael pushed his chair back, she slipped away from the table. She kept her head down, tracing the edge of the hallway until she found the heavy glass doors leading to
The heavy oak doors of the Hierro estate always felt too tall, like they were designed to make whoever walked through them feel small.Viola pulled the sleeves of her oversized sweater over her knuckles. She kept her head down, hoping her hair would fall over the sides of her face. Maybe if she sta
Viola spent the rest of the day hiding in her tiny bedroom.She didn't go down for lunch, and she skipped dinner entirely. She just sat on the edge of her bed, her knees pulled tight to her chest, waiting. She expected her mother to burst through the door at any second. She expected to be dragged t
The study in the Hierro estate always smelled the same. Old leather, expensive scotch, and decaying power.Sebastian stood near the massive mahogany desk, looking out the large window that overlooked the manicured gardens. He wasn’t wearing a suit jacket, just his dark shirt, unbuttoned at the coll







