Chapter 12

Aurea’s POV 

It was almost five, and I had already packed my things, waiting patiently for my ride. I couldn't believe I would finally be away from them, I thought with a smile. My eyes darted to my phone. 4:02 PM. A few more minutes to go.

I paced the length of my bedroom, sucking my lower lip. Five steps to the window. Turn. Five steps back to the bed. My hands twisted nervously in the fabric of my skirt, my breath catching in my throat with every swing of the pendulum. 

Knock. Knock.

I froze mid-stride, one foot hovering slightly off the ground. The sound wasn't loud, but in the suffocating silence of my room, it hit me like a physical blow. 

"Aurea?" I quickly went to the door. It was one of the younger maids.

I swallowed hard, forcing my voice to sound steadier than I felt. "Yes? What is it?"

"The masters are calling for you in their study room, they requested your presence immediately."

I suddenly froze in place, the masters.

Panic flared through my veins. My hands began to tremble, and for a wild, desperate second, I looked at the window, wondering if I could jump, run, or hide. Why were they calling for me unless something was wrong? Did they find out? Did someone tell them? No, that couldn't be possible?

I squeezed my eyes shut, taking a single, shaky breath to force the terror back down.

"Thank you," I called back, my voice tight. "Tell them I am on my way."

Smoothing down my dress with numb fingers, I took one last glance at the clock. Turning the doorknob, I stepped out into the hallway. Every single step felt like I was walking on shards of broken glass. What could they possibly want from me?

I froze at the corridor turning that led to their private study. How on earth did my life end up here? I had read countless books in my lifetime, but never one where two men ruthlessly shared the same woman. Is that even legally possible in this world? I thought to myself, my heart hammering violently against my ribs as I finally came to a dead stop. Only a single, heavy oak door separated me from the monsters on the other side.

The maid had said they wanted to see me. I would do whatever was needed, and then I'd be free in a few minutes. There were no strings attached, I desperately reassured myself, taking a ragged breath and chanting the words like a lifeline in my head. I lifted my violently shaking hand to the wood and gave it a soft, tentative knock.

Silence. There was no response.

Relief flared in my chest. I immediately turned on my heel, intending to walk away and tell Miss Jade that they weren't in their rooms. But before I could take a single step, a sudden, deep voice cut through the quiet, paralyzing me.

"Come in."

On the absolute verge of tears, I turned the brass handle with trembling fingers, pushed the heavy door open, and stepped into the room, keeping my eyes glued strictly to the polished hardwood floor.

"Good afternoon, Masters..."

No one answered. The room felt completely empty, but the sudden, burning sensation of a gaze piercing through me told my instincts otherwise.

"You called for me, Masters," I continued, my voice cracking.

Again, nothing but suffocating silence. Unable to bear it, I finally lifted my gaze, only to come into direct contact with two pairs of eyes. They were staring at me, looking furious, which only made my eyes sting with tears. What had I done wrong?

"Come here," Vincenzo commanded.

I looked at them, my heart hammering against my ribs. They looked furious, and I had absolutely no idea what I had done wrong.

"Didn’t you hear him, princess?" Velarius chimed in, his voice dripping with a menacing purr.

I began taking small, trembling steps toward them until only a few feet of distance remained.

"Don’t make us come to you, princess," Velarius warned darkly. "Because if we have to get up, I don’t think you're going to like what happens next. Though, we assure you, we will thoroughly enjoy it."

A tight, painful knot formed in my stomach. Terrified of what they might do, I stepped closer, stopping right beside Vincenzo's chair. Before I could even process the movement, his massive hand shot out, wrapping securely around my wrist. With one effortless tug, he dragged me straight onto his lap.

My eyes widened in sheer shock and burning embarrassment. I sat there stiffly. Never in my entire life had I been forced to sit on a man's lap like this.

"P-please, let me go," I whispered, frantically trying to wiggle my way out of his iron grip.

A scary low groan rumbled from his chest. He muttered something fierce under his breath, his large hands clamping down on my thighs, effectively locking me in place.

"Don’t start something you can’t finish, princess," a voice warned from the side. Velarius leaned forward, his heavy hand coming to rest firmly on my knee.

"What happened to your head, princess?" He asked, his voice dropping into a chillingly quiet register, but I didn’t reply.

"We don’t like repeating ourselves, princess," Velarius cut in, his gaze locking onto the cartoon plaster on my forehead. "For the last time... who did that to your head?"

I swallowed hard, my throat completely dry. I had no idea what to say. If I told them the truth about Lyra, I was terrified it would only cause more trouble. "I-I fell down," I stammered, my voice cracking automatically. "W-when I walked into m-my room this morning."

The room turned into a suffocating silence. The air grew so heavy it became genuinely hard to breathe. I kept my eyes glued firmly to the floor, terrified to look at either of them, which made it impossible to guess what they were thinking.

the green-eyed man murmured in Italian, "Fratello, pensa davvero che siamo stupidi?" (Brother, does she really think we're stupid?)

“Don’t you think we need to punish you, hmm, princess?" Velarius murmured, his large, heavy hand resting on my waist and possessively kneading the flesh there.

Before I could answer, Vincenzo's hand slid beneath my chin and forced my gaze upward.

"Tell us the truth," he said softly.