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Chapter 6 – Terms of Possession
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2025-05-03 01:34:20(Dominic’s POV)
The hospital bill crumpled beneath my fingers, sharp paper corners biting into my skin like it could bleed answers. I didn’t let go. I couldn’t. I stood in the center of my office, the silence between us louder than anything Club Lux could ever pump through its sound system.
Across from me, Anna stood with her back to the door, her arms wrapped tightly around her bag like it could protect her from the truth—or from me. Like I hadn’t already torn the lock off every door between us tonight.
She was guarded, lips pressed into a tight line, but her eyes—they gave her away. Brown, defiant, beautiful. And trembling.
I stared at the bill again. CT scans. Blood work. Chemotherapy.
Not for her. I knew her too well. She would’ve said something if it were her body breaking. This wasn’t Anna’s pain. This was someone else’s. Someone she would do anything for.
And I hated that I didn’t know who.
“Who is it?” I asked, my voice low, precise. Controlled—but just barely.
Her eyebrows furrowed. “What?”
“You heard me.” I looked up, eyes locking with hers. “Who are you doing this for?”
She blinked, thrown off. “It’s not—” She shook her head. “It’s not what you think.”
“No?” I took a slow step forward. “Because from where I’m standing, you’re lying to my face, working yourself into the ground, hiding hospital bills like you’re running some kind of goddamn con. So help me understand, Anna.”
She inhaled sharply, the pulse at her throat fluttering like a warning bell. “It’s none of your business.”
The words tasted like betrayal.
“None of my business?” I repeated, quieter this time, more dangerous. Another step. She didn’t move, but her knuckles whitened around her bag.
I stood right in front of her now. Close enough to see the way her lip quivered. She was fighting herself. I could feel it.
“You think I’m going to stand here and let you fall apart for some other man?” I said, my tone sharpening. “That I’ll just watch you throw yourself to the wolves for someone who didn’t even show up tonight?”
Her mouth opened. She froze. That one moment of hesitation was everything I needed.
“There’s no one else,” she whispered.
The relief that hit me was instant—and infuriating. Why should I care that there was no one else? Why did it matter that she hadn’t replaced me?
Because I hadn’t replaced her.
“Then why won’t you tell me the truth?” I demanded, stepping even closer, caging her in. “Why all the secrets? Why show up out of nowhere, five years after disappearing, and still lie to my face?”
“I don’t owe you anything,” she snapped, the fire flaring in her again.
And God, I wanted that fire.
“You do,” I growled. “You owe me every minute of silence you gave me. You owe me every night I spent wondering what the hell I did to lose you. You don’t get to vanish without a word and come back pretending like we’re strangers.”
Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her throat working around words she couldn’t say.
“You were everything to me,” I said, softer now, but not weaker. “And you left.”
She looked away. That alone was enough to crack something inside me.
“You think I can just ignore this?” I held up the bill again. “Anna, you’re in trouble. Whoever this is for—it’s serious. And you’re standing here like I’m your enemy.”
She didn’t speak. But her eyes glistened.
“I didn’t ask for your help,” she said, voice quieter.
“You don’t have to,” I replied. “I’m going to help you whether you like it or not.”
That got her attention. Her head snapped toward me.
“I’m offering you a deal,” I continued, watching her every reaction. “I’ll take care of all of it. The debt, the hospital, everything. You won’t lift a finger. You won’t work nights in that club. You won’t scrape by another day.”
Her brow creased. “Why?” she asked, barely a whisper.
“Because I want you.”
Her breath hitched, her posture stiffening like I’d just slapped her.
“Of course you do,” she muttered bitterly. “That’s what this is really about. Not the bills. Not the mystery. You just want me on a leash again.”
“No,” I said. “I want you where I can protect you. Where I can see you. You think I’m going to let you disappear again? Not a chance.”
She took a half step back. I mirrored her.
“What’s the catch?” she asked, voice tight, skeptical.
I gave her the truth.
“You’ll work for me. Personal assistant. Days, evenings. You’ll be on-call. Close.”
Her stare narrowed. “And?”
I let the silence linger before finishing, voice low and certain.
“And at night, you’re mine.”
Her eyes widened. The shock, the disbelief—it hit all at once.
“You want me to what?”
“You heard me.”
“You’re disgusting,” she spat.
“Maybe,” I said, calm as stone. “But I get what I want. And what I want—is you. In my space. In my bed. Close enough that you can’t keep lying to me.”
“You are out of your mind,” she said, stepping away. “You think I would ever agree to that?”
“You will,” I said simply. “Because whoever this bill is for… they’re running out of time. And you know it.”
She froze.
Got you.
Her lips parted, but no sound came. Her throat worked around the words she couldn’t say, and her fingers dug into her bag like it was the only thing keeping her upright.
“Don’t do this,” she said finally, her voice cracking. “Don’t reduce this to some... twisted game.”
“This isn’t a game,” I said. “This is me putting everything on the table. You want to save whoever this is? Let me help. Let me own it. And you.”
Tears shone in her eyes, but she blinked them away fast, replacing them with a look that should’ve cut—but didn’t.
“You’re a bastard.”
I gave her a slow, cruel smile. “And you’re out of time.”
She turned sharply, ripping the door open with enough force to make it slam against the wall.
I didn’t follow her.
I didn’t need to.
Because desperation always wins. And whether it was tonight, or next week, or the moment that next bill came in…
Anna Rodriguez would come back to me.
And when she did, it would be on my terms.
Bab terkait
Ruthless Desires Chapter 7 – A Deal with the Devil
(Anna’s POV)The door to my apartment groaned in protest as I shoved it open, the hinges shrieking like they knew what kind of night I’d had. I stepped inside, every muscle aching, my heels dangling loosely from my fingers, the thin straps digging into my skin. The second the door closed behind me, a wave of silence pressed in—thick, suffocating.But it wasn’t comforting.It never was, not anymore.The apartment was small. Just a cramped two-bedroom above a pawn shop, the wallpaper peeling in the corners and the air constantly tinged with the scent of lavender cleaning spray and something faintly medicinal—hospital antiseptic that clung to my skin like guilt.I dropped my bag onto the couch, and the papers inside scattered with a muffled rustle. I didn’t have to look to know what they were. The envelope had been threatening to split open for days now. Sure enough, there it was—Lily’s name in the upper left corner, stamped with the crest of St. Bartholomew’s Pediatric Unit and a number
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-05-03Ruthless Desires Chapter 8 – The Devil's Signature
(Anna's POV)The sun hadn’t even risen when I found myself standing outside Dominic’s penthouse building.The streets were still half-asleep—gray and washed in early morning fog. The city that never slept had finally quieted down for a few precious hours, and even the usual noise of traffic was distant. The building loomed like a fortress in front of me, glass and steel reflecting the dim lights of the city. It hadn’t changed, and neither had the way it made me feel—small, unwelcome, and utterly out of place.The uniformed doorman barely glanced at me before buzzing me up, like he already knew who I was and why I was here. Like Dominic had told him to expect the broken woman with a hospital bill tucked into her coat and desperation carved into her bones.The elevator ride felt endless. I watched the numbers light up, one by one, until the penthouse button glowed, and the doors opened directly into his world.And there he was.Dominic.He stood framed by the soft glow of pendant lights
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-05-03Ruthless Desires Chapter 9 – Boundaries Redrawn
(Dominic’s POV)The soft click of the penthouse door echoed behind her as Anna left—sharp, final, like the last note of a symphony that had no encore.And yet it didn’t bring closure. If anything, it unsettled me more.I stood there for a long moment, leaning against the edge of my desk, eyes still on the stack of freshly signed documents. The contract between us wasn’t just legal—it was personal. It was control. It was a tether, one I’d waited five years to wrap around her again.She was mine.But not the way I wanted her. Not yet.She had signed with her hand, not her heart.Even in compliance, Anna was defiant. Every line she read, every page she signed—her jaw had been clenched, her voice brittle. Like each word carved into her was a scar.She hadn't surrendered.She’d traded herself—for survival. For something she refused to name.And that knowledge—that she hadn’t come back for me—gnawed at me like acid beneath my skin.A few hours later, I was leaning against the side of my car
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-05-03Ruthless Desires Chapter 10 – Gilded Cage
(Anna’s POV)The penthouse was a fortress in the sky.A glass-walled temple to wealth and power, where every inch gleamed with polished opulence and cold perfection. Floor-to-ceiling windows wrapped around the main living space like eyes on the city, as if Dominic needed to own the skyline to feel in control.From the outside, it was a dream. From the inside, it was a trap.My cage.Sleek leather furniture, minimalist art pieces, smart lighting that changed with the time of day—it was the kind of place designed to impress, not comfort. Even the silence was intentional here, cushioned by soundproof walls and thick carpets that swallowed footsteps like secrets.But it didn’t matter how expensive it was.I’d still traded my soul to be here.My room—if it could even be called that—was at the far end of the hall, just two doors down from his. Massive, soft bed. Pristine bedding. Closet full of neutral, fitted workwear. I hadn’t brought much, and I didn’t need to. Dominic had already stocke
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-05-03Ruthless Desires Chapter 11 – A Mother’s Promise
Anna’s POVDominic’s penthouse had the kind of silence that didn’t comfort—it oppressed. It was vast, immaculate, and cold. The air was always scented faintly of cedarwood and expensive cologne, and yet I still felt like I couldn’t breathe. The high ceilings only made the place feel emptier, like I was shouting into a void and getting nothing back but echoes of myself.I spent most of my time pacing between the bedroom, the kitchen, and his sprawling glass-walled office, where I managed an endless loop of meetings, calls, and meticulously structured schedules. I hadn’t known a crime lord’s life could look so much like a Fortune 500 CEO’s. But Dominic’s empire wasn’t built on muscle alone—it ran on discipline, strategy, and an unsettling ability to predict everyone’s next move.I should’ve known that extended to me.I sat cross-legged on the oversized bed that night, the cool tablet screen resting against my thighs as I reviewed tomorrow’s itinerary. His day was booked solid—back-to-ba
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-05-03Ruthless Desires Chapter 12 – Watching the Caged Bird
Dominic’s POVAnna was lying. The moment she leaned against the kitchen island and told me she wasn’t feeling well, I knew. Her voice was too soft, too careful—like each word had been weighed and measured before it left her lips. She couldn’t even look me in the eyes, and that wasn’t like her. Not the Anna I remembered. She was always direct, sometimes brutally so, never hiding behind pleasantries. But this morning, there was something else underneath the surface—fear, hesitation, maybe guilt.When I offered to call my private physician, Dr. Ortega, her reaction was instantaneous and unconvincing. A rushed, too-sharp "no," followed by an awkward recovery. Anna wasn’t the kind of woman who refused medical help when she needed it. She was practical, especially now with everything on the line. But today, she brushed off my concern like it was a nuisance and told me to go, insisting she only needed rest.I let her think I believed her.But I didn’t.After she went back to her room, I stoo
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-05-03Ruthless Desires Chapter 13: Breaking Her Resolve
Dominic’s POVAnna thought she could fight me.She thought she could hide behind stiff professionalism and clipped sentences, like that would be enough to keep me at bay. But I’d seen it—the flush that bloomed beneath her skin when I stood too close, the breath she held when my hand brushed against hers, the tension that curled in her shoulders when she thought I wasn’t looking. That wasn’t indifference. That was restraint. Fragile. Brittle.I had given her space. Let her pretend our arrangement was purely business. Let her wear her armor of distance and dignity. But the thing about walls was, they cracked. And I had every intention of making her shatter.Not through force.But through heat.I wouldn’t take her. Not until she came to me. Until she begged for it. Until she admitted the truth neither of us could keep denying: she was mine.And today, I would start breaking her down.She was in the kitchen when I came out of my room, the soft clink of porcelain meeting marble as she pour
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-05-03Ruthless Desires Chapter 1 - Chance Encounter
(POV Anna)The bass pounded through my body, a relentless, pulsing beat that made it impossible to think. Club Lux wasn’t just loud; it was deafening. Every thrum of music vibrated through my bones, the sound rattling in my head like it was trying to shake loose my sanity. The strobe lights—blue, gold, and sharp enough to cut—flashed across the glossy black floors, and the whole place reeked of wealth and indulgence. Polished leather booths, a mile-long bar glowing like liquid silver, and patrons draped in designer everything. This wasn’t my world, not even close.But for the right paycheck, I was willing to survive in it.“Table four, Anna! Move your ass!”I bit the inside of my cheek and adjusted the tray of drinks balanced on my arm. Callie’s shrill voice grated like nails on a chalkboard, but I kept my face neutral. No use arguing. I had bigger problems than her. Lily’s medical bills weren’t going to pay themselves.“On it,” I muttered, more to myself than to her.Weaving through
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-27
Bab terbaru
Ruthless Desires Chapter 13: Breaking Her Resolve
Dominic’s POVAnna thought she could fight me.She thought she could hide behind stiff professionalism and clipped sentences, like that would be enough to keep me at bay. But I’d seen it—the flush that bloomed beneath her skin when I stood too close, the breath she held when my hand brushed against hers, the tension that curled in her shoulders when she thought I wasn’t looking. That wasn’t indifference. That was restraint. Fragile. Brittle.I had given her space. Let her pretend our arrangement was purely business. Let her wear her armor of distance and dignity. But the thing about walls was, they cracked. And I had every intention of making her shatter.Not through force.But through heat.I wouldn’t take her. Not until she came to me. Until she begged for it. Until she admitted the truth neither of us could keep denying: she was mine.And today, I would start breaking her down.She was in the kitchen when I came out of my room, the soft clink of porcelain meeting marble as she pour
Ruthless Desires Chapter 12 – Watching the Caged Bird
Dominic’s POVAnna was lying. The moment she leaned against the kitchen island and told me she wasn’t feeling well, I knew. Her voice was too soft, too careful—like each word had been weighed and measured before it left her lips. She couldn’t even look me in the eyes, and that wasn’t like her. Not the Anna I remembered. She was always direct, sometimes brutally so, never hiding behind pleasantries. But this morning, there was something else underneath the surface—fear, hesitation, maybe guilt.When I offered to call my private physician, Dr. Ortega, her reaction was instantaneous and unconvincing. A rushed, too-sharp "no," followed by an awkward recovery. Anna wasn’t the kind of woman who refused medical help when she needed it. She was practical, especially now with everything on the line. But today, she brushed off my concern like it was a nuisance and told me to go, insisting she only needed rest.I let her think I believed her.But I didn’t.After she went back to her room, I stoo
Ruthless Desires Chapter 11 – A Mother’s Promise
Anna’s POVDominic’s penthouse had the kind of silence that didn’t comfort—it oppressed. It was vast, immaculate, and cold. The air was always scented faintly of cedarwood and expensive cologne, and yet I still felt like I couldn’t breathe. The high ceilings only made the place feel emptier, like I was shouting into a void and getting nothing back but echoes of myself.I spent most of my time pacing between the bedroom, the kitchen, and his sprawling glass-walled office, where I managed an endless loop of meetings, calls, and meticulously structured schedules. I hadn’t known a crime lord’s life could look so much like a Fortune 500 CEO’s. But Dominic’s empire wasn’t built on muscle alone—it ran on discipline, strategy, and an unsettling ability to predict everyone’s next move.I should’ve known that extended to me.I sat cross-legged on the oversized bed that night, the cool tablet screen resting against my thighs as I reviewed tomorrow’s itinerary. His day was booked solid—back-to-ba
Ruthless Desires Chapter 10 – Gilded Cage
(Anna’s POV)The penthouse was a fortress in the sky.A glass-walled temple to wealth and power, where every inch gleamed with polished opulence and cold perfection. Floor-to-ceiling windows wrapped around the main living space like eyes on the city, as if Dominic needed to own the skyline to feel in control.From the outside, it was a dream. From the inside, it was a trap.My cage.Sleek leather furniture, minimalist art pieces, smart lighting that changed with the time of day—it was the kind of place designed to impress, not comfort. Even the silence was intentional here, cushioned by soundproof walls and thick carpets that swallowed footsteps like secrets.But it didn’t matter how expensive it was.I’d still traded my soul to be here.My room—if it could even be called that—was at the far end of the hall, just two doors down from his. Massive, soft bed. Pristine bedding. Closet full of neutral, fitted workwear. I hadn’t brought much, and I didn’t need to. Dominic had already stocke
Ruthless Desires Chapter 9 – Boundaries Redrawn
(Dominic’s POV)The soft click of the penthouse door echoed behind her as Anna left—sharp, final, like the last note of a symphony that had no encore.And yet it didn’t bring closure. If anything, it unsettled me more.I stood there for a long moment, leaning against the edge of my desk, eyes still on the stack of freshly signed documents. The contract between us wasn’t just legal—it was personal. It was control. It was a tether, one I’d waited five years to wrap around her again.She was mine.But not the way I wanted her. Not yet.She had signed with her hand, not her heart.Even in compliance, Anna was defiant. Every line she read, every page she signed—her jaw had been clenched, her voice brittle. Like each word carved into her was a scar.She hadn't surrendered.She’d traded herself—for survival. For something she refused to name.And that knowledge—that she hadn’t come back for me—gnawed at me like acid beneath my skin.A few hours later, I was leaning against the side of my car
Ruthless Desires Chapter 8 – The Devil's Signature
(Anna's POV)The sun hadn’t even risen when I found myself standing outside Dominic’s penthouse building.The streets were still half-asleep—gray and washed in early morning fog. The city that never slept had finally quieted down for a few precious hours, and even the usual noise of traffic was distant. The building loomed like a fortress in front of me, glass and steel reflecting the dim lights of the city. It hadn’t changed, and neither had the way it made me feel—small, unwelcome, and utterly out of place.The uniformed doorman barely glanced at me before buzzing me up, like he already knew who I was and why I was here. Like Dominic had told him to expect the broken woman with a hospital bill tucked into her coat and desperation carved into her bones.The elevator ride felt endless. I watched the numbers light up, one by one, until the penthouse button glowed, and the doors opened directly into his world.And there he was.Dominic.He stood framed by the soft glow of pendant lights
Ruthless Desires Chapter 7 – A Deal with the Devil
(Anna’s POV)The door to my apartment groaned in protest as I shoved it open, the hinges shrieking like they knew what kind of night I’d had. I stepped inside, every muscle aching, my heels dangling loosely from my fingers, the thin straps digging into my skin. The second the door closed behind me, a wave of silence pressed in—thick, suffocating.But it wasn’t comforting.It never was, not anymore.The apartment was small. Just a cramped two-bedroom above a pawn shop, the wallpaper peeling in the corners and the air constantly tinged with the scent of lavender cleaning spray and something faintly medicinal—hospital antiseptic that clung to my skin like guilt.I dropped my bag onto the couch, and the papers inside scattered with a muffled rustle. I didn’t have to look to know what they were. The envelope had been threatening to split open for days now. Sure enough, there it was—Lily’s name in the upper left corner, stamped with the crest of St. Bartholomew’s Pediatric Unit and a number
Ruthless Desires Chapter 6 – Terms of Possession
(Dominic’s POV)The hospital bill crumpled beneath my fingers, sharp paper corners biting into my skin like it could bleed answers. I didn’t let go. I couldn’t. I stood in the center of my office, the silence between us louder than anything Club Lux could ever pump through its sound system.Across from me, Anna stood with her back to the door, her arms wrapped tightly around her bag like it could protect her from the truth—or from me. Like I hadn’t already torn the lock off every door between us tonight.She was guarded, lips pressed into a tight line, but her eyes—they gave her away. Brown, defiant, beautiful. And trembling.I stared at the bill again. CT scans. Blood work. Chemotherapy.Not for her. I knew her too well. She would’ve said something if it were her body breaking. This wasn’t Anna’s pain. This was someone else’s. Someone she would do anything for.And I hated that I didn’t know who.“Who is it?” I asked, my voice low, precise. Controlled—but just barely.Her eyebrows fu
Ruthless Desires Chapter 5 – No Escape
I stumbled out of the private lounge, heart hammering like I’d just escaped a prison, but freedom never came. The moment the door shut behind me, the club swallowed me whole—blaring music, flashing lights, and bodies pressed too close together like a living, breathing cage.But the air wasn’t any easier to breathe out here. The scent of sweat, alcohol, and expensive perfume was nauseating. The bass reverberated through the floor, rattling my ribs with each heavy drop. Neon lights danced across glass walls and mirrored columns, giving everything an artificial shimmer. It felt like the world was spinning too fast—too loud and too much.I clutched my bag tighter, its weight suddenly unbearable, as if it knew what was inside. The envelope. My secret. Lily’s secret.Just go. Get out. Keep walking before—“Anna.”His voice hit me like a sniper’s bullet—low, commanding, and impossible to ignore.I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. I ducked my head and tried to vanish into the crowd, weaving through t
