10

Gabriella's mind raced as she processed the words that Enzo had uttered but she found herself froze in place allowing his kiss her deeply, his hand holding on to her waist and pulling her closer to him.

When Enzo slowly pulled away Gabriella cursed deeply under her breath. What had happened to her? Why had she not shoved him off or given him a tight slap across the face, instead she had allowed him to have his way with her in front of all these people.

The room erupted into applause, but Gabriella could only focus on Enzo's smirk. She knew that he was enjoying this, watching her squirm under the weight of his announcement.

How dare he do this to her? Wasn't it enough torture to have her trapped in his estate, now he was claiming she was his fiancée further trapping her in here.

"Let us enjoy tonight, courtesy of me and my beautiful woman," Enzo said. They all applauded again and scattered through the hall. Some walked to refill their drinks and others discuss Enzo's announcement in awe.

Gabriella's mind raced as she tried to come up with a plan. She couldn't let Enzo manipulate her like this. She couldn't let him control her life any longer.

Taking a deep breath, Gabriella straightened her spine and squared her shoulders. She turned to face Enzo, determination burning in her eyes.

"I am not your fiancée," she stated firmly, her voice steady and strong. "I will not stand here and have you lie to this people."

Enzo's smirk faltered slightly, his eyes narrowing as he saw the fire in Gabriella's gaze. But he quickly recovered, the cocky smile returning to his face.

"Oh, but my dear Gabriella, you are already mine, remember your father offered you to me," he said confidently. "You belong to me now, body and soul. And I will decide what you are to me, fiancée, plaything, whatever I want."

Gabriella clenched her fists, her jaw set in anger. How could he say such nonsense to her? Plaything?

Never!

She would rather die than be touched by him.

"You can't do this," she protested weakly. "Your family won't even want me as a bride, my family background is bad enough," she added trying to reason with him but Enzo seemed unfazed by her words.

"You should know by now that I do not care about that, and whatever I say here is final," Enzo replied, his voice devoid of emotion. "You are now mine, Gabriella. And there is nothing you can do about it."

Gabriella looked around the room, her gaze meeting the faces of the guests. They all seemed to be amused by the spectacle that was unfolding before them. She felt like an exhibit in a zoo, being paraded around for their entertainment.

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She wouldn't give Enzo the satisfaction of seeing her break down.

"Fine, play your stupid games all you want," Gabriella said, her voice barely above a whisper. "But I will never be yours."

Enzo chuckled softly, he held her by the arm pulling her closer to him. He leaned into her ear and whispered, "We'll see about that angel."

Gabriella scoffed yanking her arm off Enzo's grip, she turned and walked away, ignoring the whispers and stares that followed her at her action.

She couldn't stay there any longer. She needed to get away from Enzo and his suffocating presence.

As she made her way through the crowd, she felt sick to the stomach. She felt her hands trembling as it held the glass of champagne in her hand.

Her, the fiancée of Enzo Saviano?

She found an opening and came out into a balcony on the top floor of the mansion. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. The cool night air helped clear her mind, but as she looked out at the city lights below, she felt a sense of hopelessness wash over her.

How would she ever be able to break free from Enzo's hold on her?

Suddenly, a voice interrupted her thoughts. "You know you should be inside enjoying the celebration."

The voice startled Gabriella, she turned to see who it was, as she came face to face with a man.

He was tall, with dark hair and piercing blue eyes that seemed to see right through her. He was dressed in a sleek black suit, looking like he belonged in a fancy magazine spread rather than standing on a balcony with her.

"I...I needed some fresh air," Gabriella stammered, unsure of how to respond to this stranger.

The man nodded understandingly, his gaze softening as he looked at her. "I can imagine being in a situation like this can be overwhelming. Especially with someone like Enzo."

"Do you know Enzo?" she asked cautiously, hoping that this stranger wasn't just another one of Enzo's men.

The man chuckled, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Oh, I know Enzo. Let's just say we have a, shall we say, complicated history."

Gabriella raised an eyebrow, intrigued by this man's cryptic words. "And who might you be?"

The man extended a hand towards her, a charming smile on his lips. "I'm Luca. And you, my dear, are in need of a savior. Lucky for you, I happen to be in the business of saving damsels in distress."

Gabriella's heart raced with hope as she looked into Luca's eyes. She took his hand, feeling a spark of connection between them, but there was something about his gaze she couldn't figure out.

"I heard Enzo has a thing for cutting people's head when they touch what belongs to him," Gabriella said even though she hated the idea of associating herself as Enzo's.

Luca chuckled raising her hand up as he leaned in and kissed the back of her hand, "Not this head, it's quite special to him and I hope someday it will be special to you."

Who was this man? Gabriella thought to herself. He exuded so much confidence and if she was not mistaken, he didn't seem afraid of Enzo Saviano.