Masuk“Tonight we are?” I echoed, mouth slightly agape.Alessandro’s eyes gleamed with amusement. “Yes.” His voice was a whisper against my ear as he stepped in close behind me, the heat of his body ghosting over my damp skin. “You can be shy the whole time if you want.”His lips brushed my earlobe. “I think it’s cute.”“Men aren’t cute,” I groaned, swatting at his hand half-heartedly as I pulled away to get dressed, my cheeks burning.“Whatever, let’s go,” I muttered, trying to sound casual as I turned away with cheeks still burning.Fifteen minutes later, we were gliding through the city in one of Alessandro’s sleek black cars. Antonio didn’t speak at all. Neither did Alessandro. Not at first. But his hand rested possessively on my thigh the whole way steady, warm, and impossible to ignore.When the car finally pulled up, my jaw almost hit the floor.Lucrezia.A place I’d only ever seen in magazines or overheard in whispered gossip. The kind of restaurant where celebrities dined behind ve
"Will Alessandro divorce me and marry Leah?","Nikolai",I snapped out of my thoughts and looked up to Alessandro, seeing that Carmen had left and it was just the two of us now."Yes?" I cleared my throat. "Sorry, what did you say?"Alessandro, who looked so handsome, with his messy styled short dark hair and his expensive suit with his shirt opened... he looked like he belonged here, like an expensive piece of art, didn't say anything for a moment but then there was me...Fuck, I felt so uncomfortable.I shifted in my seat, trying to pretend I didn’t feel like every breath was too loud, every movement wrong, every second that passed a mistake ticking louder in my ears."I asked what you wanted to drink." He said, his eyes piercing into mine. "What's wrong?"Swallowing the air, I forced a smile, though it felt stiff and artificial on my face. “Nothing, really. I just... zoned out.”I shouldn't have come here... maybe this is a mistake, it's too soon, after being kidnapped and after kn
“Pack your things and we go,”I couldn’t tell if he was being serious or if this was some twisted game he was playing but I wasn’t ready to be part of anything involving him.“No.”The word came out before I could stop it.Alessandro’s eyes darkened immediately and moved more nearer to me. Before I could retreat, his hand shot out and seized my jaw with a grip that sent a jolt straight down my spine. It was not harsh but firm enough to still my breath."Nikolai you know it that I don't usually repeating myself", His thumb brushed the edge of my lower lip as he leaned in, his voice a rasp of thunder."Alessandro not toda....", He didn’t allow me to finish my wordsHis lips instantly crashed into mine with a force that stole every breath from my lungs. It wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t sweet. It was raw, claiming, possessive as if he could silence every protest with a kiss.I struggled, at first.Not because I didn’t want it... but because I did. Too much. That terrified me more than his grip
There he was.Alessandro. Back at home yet it was still midday. He stepped inside with his jaw clenched tight.His gaze flicked from me to Jack in a split second, taking everything in, the tension, the silence, the photo frame now slightly tilted on the table.For a moment, none of us spoke.Then I stood up quickly. “Alessandro... I—uh—Jack’s here because we needed to talk about last night.”Alessandro’s eyes locked on mine. “You okay?”I nodded once. “Yeah. Just… trying to piece things together.” His gaze shifted to Jack, then back to me. “Alright.” He retorted. No questions. No accusations. Just that calm, heavy voice of his. He walked into the room further, not bothering to take off his coat, and dropped into the armchair across from us deliberately not joining us on the couch, but close enough to watch.Jack cleared his throat awkwardly. “Mr Alessandro. Uh, sorry for barging into your place",Alessandro just nodded his head with his expression blank. “It’s fine.”I sat down again,
I stiffened and took a step back; My pulse hammered in my neck. My lips parted slightly, but no words came at first. I kept shaking my head in small, jerky movements, denying her words as if that could somehow erase them.Does she work for Alessandro now?Is this a trap?Did he know?“Running away? I’m not going anywhere…” I said slowly, my voice strained and sharp at the edges, too calm to be believable.Leah stepped closer. She didn’t look threatening, her heels clicked lightly against the tiled floor, her red lips curved in a way that should’ve seemed kind. But I didn’t trust the softness in her voice or the way she glanced over her shoulder like she was watching for someone else.“I’m not here to hurt you,” she whispered. "Don't bother lying, I know how heartless you're and what you capable of doing", I spoke and her eyes darkened, but she held my gaze steadily.“I know you know me but I’m not working for him, I have come to help you” she said, her voice low and urgent now, like s
I woke to the distant rumble of tires grinding against gravel. The truck swayed beneath me, the metallic clatter echoing like distant thunder in my skull. My eyes fluttered open, sticky with exhaustion. The dim, shifting light filtered through tiny cracks in the wooden slats above us. Dust danced in the air, and the sharp tang of fuel and rust invaded my nose.I blinked until the shape in front of me came into focus.Marko.His back was pressed against one of the crates, his hands bound behind him with thick black zip ties. Despite everything, he looked oddly calm , like he was used to this. Like he’d already made peace with whatever came next.I coughed, throat raw and dry. “Marko?” I croaked.He looked up, relief flickering through his eyes. “You’re awake...”My body screamed in protest as I tried to sit up, my arms awkwardly twisted behind me. I hadn’t realized how hard it was to move when your limbs weren’t your own anymore.“Where are we?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper. Pani
EMMA’S POVI woke with a start, heart slamming against my ribs. The dream dissolved the second my eyes opened, something dark, tangled and forbidden but the heavy ache in my chest refused to leave. I dragged a hand down my face, exhaling shakily, then swung my legs over the side of the bed.The hou
The moment Marco dropped me off back at home , I didn’t bother going upstairs to my room. I walked straight through the foyer, past the stupidly grand staircase, and into the kitchen like I owned the place.The wide marble island was spotless, as always. A bowl of fruit sat in the center like some
A week.Seven days of the same suffocating routine, and somehow it felt longer than the entire month before it.Every morning, I stayed in bed long past seven, waiting for the inevitable knock but I heard nothing.The first three days, I had expected anger, punishment, maybe even some cruel form of
EMMA'S POVThe next morning came too soon.Sunlight sliced through the heavy curtains like it had a personal grudge against me. I woke up with a dull headache, mouth dry, body heavy from crying myself to sleep. For a second I forgot where I was, then the scent of expensive linen and the faint trace







