CHAPTER 5

SOFIA JOHNSON

I’m still thinking about Dante’s words when Lucas intertwines his fingers with mine and leads me toward his car.

He smiles, opens the car door for me, and soon we are driving down the silent road.

When we approach my building, he stops the car and turns to me with expectation in his eyes.

“Did you like meeting my parents?” he asks, almost nervous.

My heart races, and for a second I think about telling the truth, about screaming that dinner was hell. But I take a deep breath and lie, keeping my voice steady:

“Yes… they were very kind.”

A lie. His mother hates me and his father… his father knows every inch of my body.

“I’m glad you liked them.”

He parks in front of my door and turns off the car.

“Sofia… I want to ask you something.”

“Lucas, I…” I begin, but he interrupts me, leaning closer.

“Give me another chance. Please.”

My body stiffens. He looks at me with eyes full of regret, but none of it erases the image of him with another woman, nor all the times he betrayed me.

“My mother… she needs to believe we’re still together. And I… I love you, Sofia.”

I laugh bitterly, shaking my head.

“How can you love someone while cheating on them, Lucas? And it wasn’t once, it was several times. That’s not love, it’s convenience. It’s selfishness.”

He sighs, grabs my hand tightly.

“I made a mistake, I know! But I can change. Forgive me…”

I look into his eyes, searching for sincerity, but all I find is desperation. I pull my hand away slowly.

“Good night, Lucas.”

The next morning, I wake up still exhausted.

Classes at the university don’t help distract my mind, but at least Sam is by my side, as always, laughing at everything and trying to ease my tension.

We’re leaving the parking lot when my body freezes.

My car is there, but something about it makes all my classmates stop to stare.

On top of the hood lies a huge bouquet of black roses. The contrast is perfect and terrifying against the pale paint.

“Oh my God…” Sam brings her hand to her mouth, shocked. “Is this… for you?”

I feel the air stuck in my throat as I slowly approach.

The flowers are luxurious, releasing an intense, hypnotic perfume. Several students stop to whisper, and I feel their eyes weighing on me.

“Wow.” Sam gently touches one of the petals. “This guy is desperate to win you over. Red roses mean love… but black ones…” she laughs softly. “Black ones mean something much more intense. Lust.”

My heart races. Trembling, I reach out and grab the card tucked between the flowers. I open it carefully, and my world collapses.

Signed in strong, elegant handwriting is the name I fear the most.

Dante.

And attached, a short, direct note that makes my heart stop.

“I’ll be waiting at the same hotel. Wear that black lingerie, it looks perfect on you.”

“So it was Lucas after all?” Sam continues excitedly, unaware of my expression. “Wow, Sofia, I never thought he could be this intense.”

I force a smile, quickly hiding the card.

“Yeah… I guess he wants to make up for it.”

Before she can notice my lie, a girl walks past us. Laura.

Always envious, always ready to spread poison. She looks at the bouquet and then at me, her eyes shining with jealousy.

“Wow, Sofia, I didn’t know you had that much value.” Her tone is acidic, mocking.

I roll my eyes, and she smirks even more.

“I still can’t believe you managed to win over someone like Lucas Moretti.”

My body trembles with anger and fear, but I smile at Sam, pretending to be calm.

“I need to go now. See you tomorrow, Sam.”

As I throw my backpack onto the seat and prepare to get into the car, I catch the reflection of a vehicle out of the corner of my eye.

A black, luxurious car parked a few meters away. In the next instant, it speeds off, disappearing down the street.

My body goes cold. I know who is inside.

Dante.

I take a deep breath, start the car, and force myself to drive, but my phone vibrates in my hand. A call. His name on the screen.

I answer, swallowing hard.

“You can’t do this,” I whisper, trying to stay calm.

His deep, controlled voice comes from the other side, every word dripping with power.

“I only sent flowers, Sofia. It’s a… caring gesture. But don’t be mistaken, it wasn’t a request. I expect you at the hotel.”

I grip the steering wheel tightly.

“And if I don’t go?”

A heavy silence follows, and then his low laughter makes my skin crawl.

“Then I’ll send my men to fetch you… or I’ll come myself. Which option do you prefer?”

Shit.

I hang up without giving him my answer.

At 8:00 p.m., I stop in front of the hotel room door, my heart pounding in my chest.

My sweaty hands tremble slightly as I raise one, trying to gather the courage to knock.

Part of me begs to leave, to run away before it’s too late. But my feet seem glued to the floor.

Before I can decide, the door opens.

My breath vanishes in an instant.

Dante is there.

Dressed in black — a fitted dress shirt and equally dark pants.

The contrast with his lightly golden skin makes every feature of his face seem even more dangerous, even more perfect.

He’s devastatingly handsome, so imposing that just looking at him disarms me.

A slow smile forms on his lips.

“I thought you had run away, Sofia.”

I swallow hard, unable to respond.

He steps aside just enough to make space, the gesture both courteous and commanding.

“Come in.”

My body obeys before my mind does.

I step inside and the memories hit me with full force.

It’s the same room as before.

I look at the bed and can still remember myself in so many positions there.

Fuck.

He closes the door behind me and walks to the table, where an open bottle of wine rests.

He pours two glasses with calculated calm, as if there were no urgency in the world. He hands one to me.

“Drink.”

I step back, shaking my head.

“You know what happened the last time I drank.”

He lets out a low, dangerous laugh.

“I know. And I still remember every detail.”

My skin burns.

“I don’t know what I’m doing here, Dante.”

He walks across the room until he’s behind me.

“What do you want from me?” I murmur, almost begging for an answer that makes sense.

His lips brush my ear as he replies:

“Everything. But we can start with your body, baby.”

A violent shiver runs down my skin as his hands slide over my shoulders, firm, possessive.

I tremble. He tilts his head, and his lips find my neck, spreading heat and danger.

“Did you accept my deal?” he asks against my skin.

“What deal?” my voice falters.

He chuckles softly, biting the curve of my neck.

“Keep being mine away from everyone, and no one will ever know about us, Sofia.”

Before I can answer, he pushes me gently against the glass wall.

The whole city lights up behind me, and then his mouth claims mine in a voracious kiss.

He lifts my body as if I weigh nothing, pinning me there, against the transparency that now feels like a showcase.

“Be mine. Say yes, or I swear I’ll ruin any chance you have of living without me.”

My hand, almost without control, slides over his body.

I feel the cold, heavy outline of a gun strapped to his back. The shock pulls me back for a second.

“Are you afraid?” he asks, his voice low, charged with challenge.

I look straight into his eyes and whisper:

“No.”

He smiles, satisfied.

“Good girl.”

With a swift movement, he grabs the gun, sliding it slowly across my breasts before lowering it further.

My entire body shudders. I hold my breath.

“Stay still.” His order is sharp, undeniable.

With disturbing calm, he opens the chamber and removes each bullet, letting them fall onto the nearby table.

“See? No danger.”

But the real danger isn’t in the gun. It’s in him.

I freeze when he slides the pistol down my stomach to the center of my legs, pressing against my clothed clit.

He bites my lip.

“You like it?”

“Yes…”

He smirks, turning me around to face away from him.

I close my eyes, feeling him lift my dress, and seconds later, he slaps my ass hard.

Once, twice, three times.

I moan, feeling him grinding against my body.

“I’ll show you what it means to be mine, Sofia…”

With one swift move, he rips my panties.

The next morning, I wake with my head throbbing, my body still marked by his touch.

I roll to the side and find Dante already awake, lying beside me, watching me with that mocking smile.

“This time, there’s no way you can escape while I sleep.”

I roll my eyes, trying to push away the feeling that I’m a prisoner of something bigger than me.

“I can’t stay longer. I need to go to class.”

“Okay, I’ll drive you, but you still haven’t given me an answer.”

I look at him.

“I need more time.”

I rush to the bathroom, trying to catch my breath, trying to understand how I ended up here again.

That’s when I hear it.

Loud knocks on the door.

Dante gets up and goes to answer. The voice that echoes from outside freezes me completely.

“Where is she, Dad?”

My stomach churns. It’s Lucas.

I clutch the robe tightly and step out of the bathroom the exact moment he enters. His eyes move from me to Dante.

“Lucas…” Dante tries to say, but he shakes his head.

“You… you’re sleeping with my father?”

His words cut through the air.

“What?” My voice comes out weak, as if it isn’t mine.

“It’s all over the internet, Sofia. You think I didn’t see it?”

My heart races.

I run to the table, grab my phone, and unlock the screen with trembling fingers.

The notifications explode. Messages, tags, mockery.

“The perfect student sold herself to pay for college.”

“Sleeping with a powerful businessman in exchange for privileges.”

Photos.

Some are of Dante kissing me against the window, others more explicit.

Pictures taken from outside, exposed to the entire world.

My whole body shakes.

A new message arrives. The name flashes on the screen: Laura.

“I always thought it was strange for a poor girl to study with us. But I never imagined you’d sleep with both father and son for money, Sofia.”