ログイン"Are you afraid of me, dulzura?" he asked, a quiet amusement bleeding into his rough voice.Viola blinked. She nodded instantly, like a child.Then she paused. She squinted at his face, her drunk brain slowly processing the question. Slowly, she shook her head.Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"Viola looked at him. The heavy buzz of alcohol made everything feel slow and heavy, but the answer in her head was clear."Because you always come," she whispered simply.Sebastian went still.For a long moment, he just looked at her. The quiet, innocent words caught him off guard, cutting straight through his defenses. He stared at her flushed face.A low, quiet laugh left his lips. The rough sound vibrated directly against her palms where they rested on his chest.Viola narrowed her eyes at him. Why is he laughing?She stared at the sharp lines of his face. Without the cold, terrifying mask he usually wore, with that quiet laugh escaping him, he didn't look frightening anymore. He didn'
Viola tried to stand up, desperate to get away from the table, but the sudden movement was a mistake. The alcohol and the adrenaline clashed violently in her system. The floor tilted. Her knees buckled beneath her, and she pitched forward.She braced herself to hit the hard table, but she never did.Sebastian stepped in. Sliding one arm behind her back and the other under her knees, he lifted her completely off the floor in one smooth, effortless motion.Viola gasped, instinct making her grab handfuls of his dark suit jacket to steady herself. He smelled like clean linen and expensive tobacco."She is done for the night," Sebastian said coldly.He didn't wait for Giovanni’s reply. Holding her securely against his chest, Sebastian turned and carried her away from the booth, leaving the Italian standing there fuming.He walked her toward a private glass elevator. The doors slid shut, instantly cutting off the deafening music and the heavy bass.The sudden silence made Viola’s ears ring.
The alcohol hit her empty stomach with devastating speed.Within minutes, the flashing strobe lights of the club smeared into blinding streaks of neon. The heavy bass thumped so hard it rattled against Viola’s ribs, making her violently nauseous. She squeezed her eyes shut, pressing a trembling hand to her forehead to stop the room from spinning."Hey, Gio."The voice belonged to the man with the slicked-back hair and the gold chain—the one who had just called her a freak. Viola opened her heavy eyes as he leaned across the sticky table."Let me take her for a spin on the floor," the man slurred, gesturing toward Viola with his cigar. "See if the little weirdo can dance."Giovanni didn't even look at her. He just took a sip of his whiskey and waved his hand lazily. "Go ahead. Bring her back when you're done."Viola’s heart launched into a frantic rhythm. "No," she whispered quickly, pressing herself deeper into the leather sofa. "No, please. I feel sick. I just want to go home."Giova
Viola gasped, a sharp jolt of pain shooting up her leg. Tears instantly sprang to her eyes. She bit her lower lip so hard she tasted copper, fighting the urge to cry out. "I wasn't asking," Giovanni whispered against her ear, his grip tightening. Terrified, Viola snatched the heavy glass from his other hand. Her fingers shook so violently the liquid splashed over the rim. She brought it to her lips and swallowed a huge mouthful of the alcohol. The liquor burned like actual fire, scorching her throat and settling into her empty stomach with a heavy, sickening heat. She coughed, gasping for air as the cheap burn brought fresh tears to her eyes. The entire table erupted into mocking laughter again. Giovanni finally let go of her thigh, looking incredibly pleased with himself. "Good girl." The alcohol hit her bloodstream fast. Viola hadn't eaten since the morning. Within ten minutes, the flashing strobe lights of the club began to blur, and a heavy, dizzying fog started to pull at th
The deafening bass of the club vibrated straight through Viola’s thin heels and into her bones.She stood paralyzed at the edge of the VVIP booth. Giovanni Belladonna stared at her through the haze of cigar smoke, his creeping green eyes slowly taking in the short, tight black dress her mother had forced her to wear.A slow, terrifying smile spread across his face. He patted the empty space on the leather sofa directly beside him."Come sit," he ordered smoothly.Viola’s legs felt like heavy lead. Every instinct in her body screamed to run back down the glass stairs, but she forced herself forward, taking a stiff seat beside him. She kept as much distance as she could, her knees pressed tightly together, her hands gripping her own thighs to stop them from shaking.Giovanni leaned in closer. The strong smell of alcohol and smoke rolled off him."You look beautiful tonight," he murmured, his voice dropping low enough that only she could hear it over the music. His eyes slowly dragged do
Viola stood frozen in the archway of the living room.A maid hurried past and took the heavy garment bag from her stiff fingers, but Viola barely noticed. Her attention was locked on the velvet sofa.Giovanni Belladonna took a slow sip of his wine. His dead, creeping green eyes dragged over her messy hair, her pale face, and the faded gray dress hanging off her shoulders.Her mother was sitting across from him. Octavia had a bright, sickeningly sweet smile on her face—a smile Viola rarely ever saw."Viola," her mother said, her tone dripping with fake warmth. "Come here. Your fiancé was just asking for you."Viola’s legs felt like lead. She forced her feet to move, taking slow, stiff steps into the room until she was standing near her mother’s chair. She kept her eyes on the floor.Giovanni set his wine glass on the table and stood up. He walked toward her, stopping just a fraction too close. Viola had to fight the overwhelming urge to take a step back."My father is speaking with Raf
The afternoon sun beat down on her as she navigated the busy city sidewalks. The dress bag was heavy and awkward, bumping against her legs with every step. But as she walked, the physical exhaustion faded into a quiet, heavy loneliness.She passed by a group of college students—girls laughing loudl
The next day passed in a strange, quiet blur.After breakfast, Sebastian left the estate and did not return. Viola had expected to spend the day terrified in his private suite, but without him there, she had nothing to do. The silence of his massive rooms eventually drove her back downstairs to the
The hot water of the shower did nothing to melt the freezing chill of the dark storage room.Viola stood under the spray until her skin turned pink, but the hollow, suffocating feeling still clung to her bones. She dried off with shaking hands, pulled on a faded gray dress, and tied her damp hair b
The freezing water hit her so hard it knocked the breath straight out of her lungs.Viola gasped, her eyes flying open as she choked on the water sliding down her throat. She pushed herself upright, her wet hair plastering to her face. As her vision cleared, she saw a trembling maid standing near t







