Chapter 4-She's Trouble

Massimo's Pov

I never should have brought her here.

The moment I carried her unconscious body into my house last night, I knew I’d made a mistake. A very big one. I’d never seen a girl stupid enough to enter the forbidden room, sit beside me like she owned the world, then touch me like she wanted to die. And yet… I let her live.

That alone was dangerous.

I stood outside the bedroom door, staring at the handle like it had personally offended me. The house was quiet. Even the guards downstairs seemed to hold their breath. Everyone knew I was angry. The kind of anger that made grown men pray.

I pushed the door open.

She was awake—eyes wide, body stretched on the dark sheets, wrists tied to the bedposts with silk ropes. Her legs were slightly open, her chest rising fast, cheeks flushed. She looked like sin staring back at me. Sin I had no intention of touching.

A smart man would have killed her last night.

I wasn’t feeling smart.

She looked at me like I was something between a nightmare and a dream. Most people shook when I walked in. She… spread her legs wider. Trying to get my attention. Trying to make me look where I damn well refused to look.

I held her eyes. Cold. Sharp. Her breath hitched, and I could practically feel the heat rolling off her body. She wanted me to react—wanted me to want her.

I wouldn’t.

I was not weak like that.

So I stared. Silent. Letting the tension choke the room. Every second that passed only made her body tremble more. I hated that my gaze drifted—just for a second—to her mouth. That lower lip she kept biting.

I didn’t let myself look again.

I turned away and walked out.

The door clicked behind me, and I forced myself down the stairs before I did something I would regret. I’d never walked away from a woman who offered herself to me. Mostly because none ever dared approach. They were too scared. Too smart.

Not her.

She was trouble. I should’ve sent her home last night, unconscious. Instead, I tied her up in a guest room like a damn fool.

I walked straight to the study and poured a drink. Whiskey burned down my throat, but my mind stayed annoyingly clear.

Why the hell did I hesitate?

A knock tapped once on the wooden door.

“Come in,” I said.

Markus walked inside—my right-hand man, my oldest friend. He had a careless smirk on his face, the kind that always meant trouble.

“You really want to send her home?” he asked.

I shot him a sharp look over the rim of my glass. “That’s exactly what I said.”

Markus raised both brows, slowly, like he couldn’t believe what he heard. He followed me out of the room, his steps were loud on purpose, trying to annoy me.

“Just checking,” he said. “Because… you let her touch you.”

I froze mid-step, jaw tightening.

“And she’s still breathing.” Markus shrugged. “Miracle.”

“She just got lucky,” I said, voice cold.

“Lucky,” he repeated, amused.

He was testing me. He wanted to see how much the girl had gotten under my skin. I wouldn’t give him that satisfaction.

“Not this again, Markus.” My tone sharpened. “Did you forget I have a fiancée? Doesn’t that mean something to you?”

Markus snorted. “You don’t let even her touch you.”

I glared at him until he shut up. I walked toward the bar, ignoring the tight pull in my chest Isaac had stitched shut a long time ago. Loving someone made you weak. Touch made you softer. Both got you killed.

I picked up a bottle of whiskey again, poured more into my glass. Markus watched like he was waiting for the glass to crack in my hand.

I didn’t drink. I just held it.

“Send her home,” I said.

Markus hesitated. His face lost that teasing look. “There’s a problem.”

“There’s always a problem,” I muttered. “Spit it out.”

“Pablo offered three million for her.”

My fingers froze around the glass.

Three million.

That meant he wanted her bad. Too bad. Pablo didn’t spend that kind of money on random girls. He spent it on girls he wanted to ruin.

The muscles in my jaw ticked.

“She’s none of my business,” I said.

“She will be the moment she steps out that door,” Markus replied. “It’ll be a free ticket with her name on it. Pablo will take her. He’ll make sure you never see her again.”

I rolled my shoulders. “Good.”

Markus looked at me like I’d grown two heads. “Good? You don’t mind him… taking her?”

My silence told him I didn’t want to answer. Because the truth was worse than any answer I could give him.

Markus continued, voice low and even, “You know what he does to women.”

My glass trembled. Just a little. Barely.

“I already told you,” I said through clenched teeth. “I don’t fucking care.”

Markus nodded slowly. “Sure. If you say so.” He sounded unconvinced.

He started to walk away, toward the stairs.

“Well,” he said casually, “if you insist… I’ll send her straight to Pablo then.”

That sentence went through me like a blade.

My chest tightened. My hand shot up before I could stop myself.

“Wait.”

Markus stopped, turning just enough to look at me over his shoulder. His mouth twitching with a smile he was trying so damn hard to hide.

“Yes, Don?” he asked mockingly. “Do you need something?”

I stared at him, grinding my teeth so hard my jaw ached.

I tried to find a different answer—any answer—but only one came out. One that tasted like defeat.

“Let her stay,” I forced out. “Just for a while.”

Markus’s lip broke into a full smile.

“Yes, Don.”

He was about to walk away again but I stopped him.

“One more thing.” I said and he turned his full attention to me.

“What is it Don?”

“Find out everything about the girl.”