INICIAR SESIÓNDrisana The glass doors parted as Agnes and I stepped outside. A cool breeze greeted us. I closed my eyes for a brief second and inhaled deeply.Chicago never really slept. Cars still moved through the streets. Headlights stretched into the distance. Somewhere nearby, a siren wailed before fading into the night.“You pushed yourself too hard today,” Agnes said quietly as we walked toward the waiting car.“There was a lot to fix. There will still be things to fix tomorrow.”“I know. But at least now we’re moving in the right direction,” she smiled. “I’m sure Mr. Rossi would be happy to hear that.”The mention of his name made something tighten inside my chest. I kept my eyes ahead.“I’m not doing it for him.”She didn’t say another word. The chauffeur hurried over and opened the rear door. I slid into the back seat first. Agnes followed, settling beside me.As the car pulled away from the curb, I rested my head against the window. The city lights blurred together outside. My eyelids
The pounding in my head was the first thing I noticed.It felt like someone was driving nails into my skull. I groaned and buried my face deeper into the pillow, hoping the darkness behind my eyelids would somehow make it stop. It didn’t.Slowly, I forced my eyes open. Morning sunlight filtered through the curtains. I blinked several times, trying to focus. Why did my head hurt so much? I pushed myself upright. The room spun. I immediately regretted moving.“…What happened?”Fragments of last night flashed through my mind. Wine. A silk nightdress. Armani. His face and voice. He said something about leaving. I frowned. None of it made sense. It felt more like a strange dream than a memory. I rubbed my temples.“No…” I muttered to myself. “I definitely dreamed that.”The thought had barely crossed my mind before my stomach lurched violently.“Oh…”I clamped a hand over my mouth and stumbled toward the bathroom. I barely made it to the toilet before throwing up. The nausea seemed endle
ArmaniShe looked at me with bloodshot eyes.“I should be terrified of you. I should never want to look at you again. But somehow…”She pressed a trembling hand against her chest.“I still feel safe when you’re around.”She shook her head desperately.“Why? Why does it have to be you? I don’t understand what’s wrong with me. I hate you…”She swallowed hard.“But I hate myself even more. My mind keeps telling me to leave. But my heart…” She closed her eyes. “It still beats for you.”She looked up at me, her expression full of confusion and self-loathing.“Tell me… what kind of person falls in love with the man who destroyed her life?”The words hit me harder than the slap she’d given me days ago. I couldn’t speak. Nothing I said could make this better. She let out a weak laugh, wiping at her tears with the heel of her hand.“Look at me. I’m still standing here wishing you’d hold me.”I closed the distance between us slowly. Carefully. As if approaching a frightened animal.“Drisana…”S
ArmaniThe meeting dragged on longer than it should have. I barely heard half of what was being said.They were discussing something about numbers, reports, and shipments. Everything blurred together. My mind stayed at the mansion. With her.A knock came against my office door.“Come in.”Diego stepped inside.“Boss. A messenger from Enzo.”I frowned. “Send him in.”A middle-aged man entered a moment later. He bowed respectfully before handing me a sealed envelope.“It’s from Don.”I broke the seal immediately. The letter was short.The family is gathering in two days. Return to the estate before everyone arrives. Your presence is required.No explanation. There never was. I folded the paper.“When did he send this?”“This morning.”I checked the date again. I’d have to leave tonight. The drive alone would take hours. I rubbed the bridge of my nose. I couldn’t leave now. Not when Drisana hated me. Not when she’d tried to escape only yesterday. But ignoring Enzo wasn’t an option either
Drisana5:43 p.m.Seventeen minutes. That was all I had. For the past four days, Armani had come to the bedroom at exactly six o’clock with dinner. Every single time. I looked at the clock again.5:43.I moved. The walk-in closet was the first stop. I yanked every spare bedsheet from the shelves and threw them onto the floor. One after another. I grabbed the first sheet and ripped it down the middle. The fabric fought back. I planted my foot against it and pulled harder. It finally gave way.I repeated the process until strips of fabric covered the floor. My hands burned. I didn’t stop. One strip after the other. I tied them together as tightly as I could, testing every knot before moving to the next.If one knot failed, I’d fall. I wasn’t giving myself another chance. Minutes later, I held the makeshift rope in both hands. Long enough.I dragged one end to the footboard of the bed and wrapped it around the heavy wooden frame several times before pulling the knot tight. It didn’t move
Chapter 54 Armani The bedroom door clicked shut behind me. I didn’t look back. If I did, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to walk away. I made my way to the study in silence. The moment I stepped inside, I closed the door and rested both hands on the edge of my desk. My head dropped. Everything had fallen apart in a single night. I let out a slow breath and ran a hand through my hair. I had planned every step, every possibility, every threat, every escape route except her. I underestimated her. A bitter laugh escaped me. She had beaten me at my own game. She’d fooled the men I assigned to protect her. She’d reached Mexico without anyone realizing. She’d found Sloane, came home, found the hidden room, and somehow, she’d guessed the passcode. Her birthday. Of course it would be her birthday. I closed my eyes. I should’ve known she’d try it. I knew what I’d done was wrong. I’d known from the beginning. Normal people didn’t fill rooms with photographs or install hidden cameras and keep
DRISANA He was already smirking when our eyes met. Chills ran down my spine. “Mr Stalker?” I didn’t mean to say it, but that was the first thing that came out of my mouth. The smirk vanished as soon as I turned to face him. “W—What? I wasn’t stalking—” he began. “How do you know about th
ARMANI “Will you be my boyfriend?” I stared at her. If I said that didn’t catch me off guard I’d be lying. It was so sudden. There she goes again. Amusing me without doing too much. She stared back with her chin up like whatever she had just asked was completely normal. The courage of this w
ARMANI *Who are you?* Eight months and she picks tonight to ask. Not a random Tuesday. Not after one of those late conversations where something almost real slipped through before one of us pulled it back. Tonight. When her fiancé had brutally thrust inside her best friend in doggy style and h
DRISANA Carter was calling again. I watched his name light up my screen and let it go dark without touching it. Seventeen missed calls since last night. I had lain in the dark with my phone face up on the pillow, staring at that unanswered text until the light outside my window changed color







