Chapter 14

Aurea’s POV

Who on earth are these men... that even the law is too terrified to cross them?

If even the police couldn't save me...

Then who could?

"Brother, do you think we should tell our princess who we actually are?" Velarius murmured, staring down at me with a mocking pout on his handsome lips.

"Naa, I think our princess should have the pleasure of finding out all by herself," Vincenzo replied smoothly, the two of them carrying on as if they were just having a casual conversation over coffee.

"Now... call Nina," Velarius commanded, sliding my old phone into my trembling hand.

My eyes went wide. How on earth had they gotten ahold of my phone? I stared at them, frantically shaking my head to let them know I wouldn't do it. 

"You better call her right now," Vincenzo growled. This time, every ounce of playfulness vanished from his voice. His eyes turned entirely black, a suffocating darkness settling over his features as I gasped for air. "You don’t know us, princess. We could do anything to you. We could kill you right here in this room and bury your body in the grounds, and absolutely no one would ever find out or dare ask questions."

Tears pricked my eyes. I desperately wanted to live. I couldn't die here—not without ever finding my real birth mother.

With violently shaking hands, I unlocked the screen and dialed Nina’s number.

"It's not even five in the evening, and you're already calling me again?" Nina answered, her voice laced with immediate concern. 

"I-I changed my mind," I blurted out in a single, rushed breath.

Both brothers tracked my words like hawks. Simultaneously, their large hands slid onto my chest, deliberately kneading and massaging my breasts through my uniform to mess with my head.

"Is there a problem, Rea?" Nina’s sharp voice came through the line.

"No! No problem at all," I choked out, an almost crying tone leaking into my voice as I desperately tried to make the conversation end so the brothers would stop touching me. "I just... I want to stay. If I leave, I know Rita, Jade, and Leo are going to be very sad."

There was a brief pause on the other end. "Okay then. You know you can come to my place anytime you want, right?" Nina said, waiting patiently for me to confirm.

"Yes. Thank you," I whispered, immediately hanging up the call.

The moment the screen went black, Vincenzo leaned down to plant wet, open-mouthed kisses across my collarbone.

"P-please... let me go," I sobbed, a fresh wave of tears breaking free.

"Princess, don’t you think it’s entirely unfair that you didn’t serve food this evening?" Vincenzo murmured, pulling back just enough to stare directly at my mouth. A dangerous, predatory flash ignited in his dark eyes. "I want my food now."

I opened my mouth to answer him, but his lips crashed onto mine in a hot, consuming kiss. My eyes went wide at the sudden aggression. I began to thrash, kicking my legs wildly in a desperate bid to break free, but a heavy hand pinned my knees down, ruthlessly parting them.

Vincenzo deepened the kiss, biting and suckling my lips with a bruising intensity, his tongue demanding entry, but I kept my jaws locked tight. Suddenly, a cold hand squeezed my left breast. A whimper escaped my throat at the unexpected sensation. Vincenzo immediately seized the opportunity. My head tilted back as he took advantage of my momentary lapse, leaving me unable to pull away."

I started struggling again, but the panic truly spiraled when I felt a large hand slowly sliding up the hem of my maid dress. My eyes snapped open, colliding directly with Velarius’s piercing grey gaze. A wicked, sinister smirk played on his lips.

"Don’t you think I should have a taste down here too, hmm?" Velarius whispered, his fingertips resting dangerously against the edge of my panties.

Vincenzo finally pulled his lips away from mine, leaving me breathless.

"P-please! Miss... Miss Jade will be looking for me!" I cried out, a small, desperate hope flaring in my eyes as my stomach suddenly let out a loud, hollow growl for food.

The brothers went still. Neither of them said a word for a long moment. Finally, Vincenzo eased his grip, allowing me to slide off his lap until I was standing on my knees on the floor. If it weren’t for his steadying hands lingering on my waist, my jelly-like legs probably would have collapsed right beneath me.

"Okay, princess. Go. Have all the time you want to yourself today," they murmured, a dark, unreadable expression settling over their faces.

But before I could move, Vincenzo pulled me into one last deep, aggressive kiss that practically knocked the remaining breath from my lungs. Simultaneously, Velarius hauled me against his rock-hard chest, capturing my lips in a bruising goodbye while his massive hands firmly gripped my backside.

"Run along, princess..." Velarius whispered hoarsely against my ear, biting the sensitive lobe slightly. "Run before we change our minds."