Reina's POV The weight of the silence pressed down as Mr. Harrow adjusted his glasses, pen poised over the stack of documents. “Miss Vale,” he began again, voice professional, steady, “as executor of your father’s estate, I need your decision. The proposal outlined in the will is clear. If you decline the marriage arrangement with Mr. Andrew Coleman, the entire estate—assets, properties, investments—will be transferred to him.”Lucy leaned forward with a smug gleam in her eye. Andrew sat poised, as if seconds away from tasting victory.I kept my face still. Cold. Controlled.“I’m already married,” I said.The room fell into stunned silence.Mr. Harrow’s pen froze. Lucy’s head jerked toward me, her eyes widening. Andrew blinked, expression caught between disbelief and rage.“I’m sorry?” Harrow asked, clearly thrown.“I said, I’m married,” I repeated, voice even. “Legally. Before all these. Out of state. And the last I checked, his name is not Andrew Coleman.”Lucy slammed her hands on
Reina's POV Oh god.How can he be so—dazzling. Is he the sun?I gripped the edge of the door harder than necessary. The metal felt cool under my fingertips, grounding. Because everything else in me was on fire.He smiled—and just like that, the room disappeared. No walls, no floor, no time. Just him. That lazy, boyish curve of his lips that hit somewhere between confidence and danger.“Hi,” he said, his voice smooth like silk dipped in gravel. “I just moved in next door. Saw you come in earlier... figured I’d stop by and introduce myself.”My brain short-circuited.He kept going, oblivious to the meltdown happening behind my carefully neutral face.“I’m new in town,” he added, eyes twinkling just enough to feel like a tease. “Still getting my bearings. Hope you don’t mind if I come to you for help from time to time?”Words. Right. Say something. Anything.Instead, I blinked like a deer. My mouth opened—and something not English fell out.“I’m good! I mean… nurse! No—I mean, I’m rarel
Reina’s POVReality Check, A.K.A. Total Collapse“Fuck!”The word exploded from my lips the second I saw the time.Mr. Morelli was going to kill me.I launched out of the floor like I’d been tasered, heart slamming against my ribs. I dashed to the bathroom, half-tripping on the way, and flicked on the light——and froze.Oh god.I stared at my reflection like it was a jump scare. My face looked like it had lost a wrestling match with a tornado. Hair completely wild, like someone had been fisting it in their sleep. Was that… was that drool on my chin? My eyes were swollen, heavy with sleep and regret. And what the hell was that gunk crusted in the corner?Fantastic. Just fantastic!I leaned in closer, squinting.No. No, no, no—why do my freckles look like they’ve migrated to an entirely new zipcode? Were they always that uneven?Did he see all of this?Shame coiled in my chest like a snake. No wonder he kept laughing. That hot neighbor. Roman. He probably thought I was a damn ghost—dish
Reina's POV “Oh my god…” I choked, the sound barely escaping my lips.His knuckles were split, red and raw, the dried blood cracking as he flexed his fingers. He hadn’t just ordered this violence—he participated in it. With relish.The second I heard his voice—smooth, arrogant, and soaked in bloodlust—I felt it all crashing back.“Ah,” he said, his voice like velvet dipped in venom. “Welcome home, dolcezza.”Of course, I thought bitterly. Of course I’m back to this.The grotesque image from earlier at Don Marcello’s mansion slammed into my mind like a freight train. That poor man—strung up like livestock. Limp. Broken. The other one that had his tongue cut out also like a fucking livestock.And now… this.Another broken body.Another monster perched on a throne.Birds of the same damn feather, I thought as I stared at Cassian’s bloodied knuckles, his sick smirk, the way he observed pain like it was art.They all wore suits, smoked cigars, and thought pain was poetry.My instincts ove
Cassian's POV I yanked her closer again, my voice dropping to a venom-laced rasp. “Did he breathe on you? Look at you like you were his?”Her lips trembled. “I’m not a property to be owned by anyone.”The laugh that clawed its way out of my chest wasn’t human. It cracked through the air, sharp and manic.“No?” I tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet my gaze. “Then why do you keep coming back?”She didn't reply. Couldn't.Because we both knew why.“You hate this,” I said, dragging her fingers to the raw cut on my knuckle. “You hate me. But here you are. With trembling hands and bleeding sympathy—for a man who doesn’t even have a name in this house. While I, the devil you can’t stand, am the one holding your leash.”I pressed her palm to my chest—over my heartbeat. Let her feel the violence thudding beneath my skin.“You can never be free, Reina,” I growled. “Not out there. Not in here. You walk out that door again and come back late, I’ll make you pay. You breathe for someone else,
Cassian’s POVI stilled.Those bruises weren’t mine.Not this time.And the sight of it broke something in me.As I untied her left hand that was already chained, I kept my gaze fixed on her bruised hand.They were fresh, raw, ugly fingerprints on delicate flesh. A sick hue of blue-black blooming like rot beneath porcelain skin.My chest went still. Then… it erupted.The fury didn’t come loud. It came quiet. The kind of quiet that meant something inside me had broken. Irrevocably. The kind of quiet that always preceded the storm.I yanked her closer, examining the marks as her body stiffened.“Who did this?” I asked, low and grave.She flinched.“I said—who did this?”“I—it’s nothing. It’s no one. It was just an accident,” she whispered.My head snapped up. Her eyes were too wide, her voice too soft. A practiced tremble. A damn lie wrapped in innocence.“An accident?” I echoed, darkly amused.“I bumped into someone in the hallway. That’s all,” she said quickly. “It’s nothing deep or p
Cassian’s POVThe traitor’s body was dragged out like the trash he was. His screams still echoed faintly down the corridor, but I was done with him. Let him live. Let him heal.Because when he returned, he wouldn’t be feeding them real intel—only the bits and pieces I permitted. Misinformation. A masterful script of lies designed to fracture them from the inside out. Let them swallow it whole.Two traitors in one day.I could feel the headache pulsing behind my temples.My thoughts drifted to the other one. The first of the day—the one whose bones cracked beneath my fists until they screamed with pain louder than his throat ever could.The one Reina tried to help.He’d tried to broker a deal with one of my offshore suppliers. Claimed it was to streamline costs. Turned out, he was diverting product—skimming from my operation and rerouting it to a rogue buyer linked to the Croatians.I didn’t kill him.No. Death was too final for that kind of betrayal.I had him locked in the sublevel w
Cassian’s POVThe minutes crawled by.I sat there, waiting, in the dim, luxurious expanse of my private wing. Only the low hum of the mansion beyond the windows filled the silence. My wheelchair was positioned just so, facing the door.She was late.Good for her.Let her hesitate. Let her dread.It made the hunt and fun that much sweeter.Then—finally—a soft, tentative knock.My smirk curved slowly and deliberately across my mouth.Let the game begin."Enter," I called lazily, voice carrying the sharpness of a blade hidden beneath silk.The door creaked open, and she stepped inside. Reina. My little captive angel. Her hair still damp from the shower, her frame taut with nervous energy she tried — and failed — to hide.Perfect.I watched her cross the room, head bowed slightly, hands folded in front of her like she thought modesty would save her here.I let the silence thicken until she was standing right in front of me."Tell me about your day," I said, voice low and dark, trailing de
REINA’S POVHow can I forget what happens if I disobey when he taught me that yesterday?“You’re dressed like that to provoke me?” His gaze slid down my legs, to the soft silk blouse tucked into the short. “Or do you think being pretty earns you control?”I stayed quiet. Every instinct told me to push back. But I needed him to crack first.“You disobeyed,” he said. “And now you’ll learn.”He grabbed one of the resistance bands and tossed it toward my feet. “On the floor. On your knees.”“I’m not here to be punished. I’m here to help you move again.”“You’ll help me when I say you can. Right now—” He wheeled closer, his face barely a breath from mine. “—you’re going to remember your place.”My heart thundered, but I sank to my knees on the mat. Not because I wanted to surrender. Because I needed him to believe I would.And because I knew how ruthless his punishments are.He looped the resistance band around my wrists, tight enough to make my skin prickle.“Hold that position,” he said,
Reina’s POVI stood under the shower far longer than necessary, letting the hot water beat down on my skin as if it could erase the night. As if it could scrub away the filth, the shame, the ghost of his touch still seared into my flesh.But no matter how hard I scrubbed, it wouldn’t come off.By the time I stepped out, my skin was red and raw.I should’ve thrown on my usual oversized hoodie and sweatpants — my armor, my invisibility cloak.But they wanted evidence, didn’t they?They wanted me to seduce the devil himself?Fine.Let them choke on the smoke of what they asked for.I reached for something different. A silky blouse that clung just a little too well to my curves, tucked into a high-waisted short that stopped just above my knee. Not slutty. Not overt.But it whispered of temptation.A brush of color on my lips. A spritz of perfume behind my ears. I stared at my reflection in the mirror and almost didn’t recognize the woman looking back.I hated her.But she would survive.S
Reina's POVThe morning sun mocked me.It slipped through the velvet curtains in warm shafts, lighting the corners of my room like a spotlight on shame. I lay on top of the blankets, wondering how I got to my room. The last thing I remember from last night was being in the garden. Maybe I came up half asleep, that's why I can’t remember. I looked down. Wait, I took my clothes off too?Strange.My body felt wrung out, like someone had twisted every nerve, every bone, every thought, and left me in pieces.I should’ve gone back to bed. But I couldn’t.My thoughts immediately shifted to the feel of his hands still seared into my skin. To the shameful moments of choking on his cock and the sick memory of the tub, of his body brushing mine under the water like it belonged there.My thighs clenched together involuntarily at the thought, and I groaned in disgust.What the hell is happening to me?Last night, I’d tasted something I’d never wanted to know existed inside me — something dar
REINA’s POVShame. That was all I could feel.I have never felt so humiliated in my life.Not even when Anthony ripped me apart years ago, body and soul.Not even when he and his mother left me bleeding and trembling, cursing myself for surviving.Because at least then, I knew what monsters looked like.Now?Now the monsters smiled.They whispered sweet promises with one hand, while wrapping a noose around my neck with the other.Why are men such beasts?Why do they get off on seeing women shatter, on grinding dignity into dust?I hate Cassian Morelli so bad it hurts to look at him.I wanted to run — to tear myself out of this room, lock myself away in some abandoned island and scream until my lungs gave out.I wanted so badly to plot a thousand ways to make him pay for this, to return the kindness in full.But then Joshua’s face flashed in my mind.That radiant smile that I dragged into my mess. An image flashed in my mind. The look on his face when the bullet pierced his body. His
Cassian’s POVShe stiffened.“It won’t be the first time now, Mr Morelli. Or do I need to remind you how many times you’ve done this. How many times you’ve seen me naked,” she spat angrily amidst tears.“And yet, I never seem to get enough of you. Now, sweet Reina. Hands at your sides.”Slowly, miserably, she obeyed, lowering her arms and standing there — naked, humiliated, trembling — under my gaze.Her cheeks were burning, streaked with tears, but she didn’t speak again.Didn’t plead.She was learning to take it all in.I let the silence stretch out, savoring the way her shame grew heavier with every second, until it pressed down on her like a physical weight."Now," I said, voice light, almost playful. "Touch yourself for me, little nurse."She hesitated — just for a heartbeat — before one trembling hand slipped between her thighs.But I leaned forward slightly, voice turning sharp."Eyes on me."She jerked like I’d slapped her.And then — slowly — she raised her tear-filled angry
Cassian’s POVI let the silence stretch, watched her struggle to process it — to accept it.It was beautiful.Watching her pride fracture.Watching her soul bend. Watching her grind her teeth in barely restrained fury.I loved every bit of it."But," I added, voice dangerously soft, "if you disappoint me... if you defy me... if you so much as hesitate when I give you an order..."I let the threat hang heavy in the air between us.I didn’t need to say it.She knew.She knew exactly what would happen.Joshua’s face flashed in her mind — I could see it — and she crumpled a little more.Sank a little deeper into submission.Perfect."Now," I said, brushing a knuckle over her tear-streaked cheek almost affectionately, "you’re going to kiss my cock. Just a kiss. Cause you might be tempted to do more.”Her eyes widened in horror."I—" she croaked.I backhanded her across the face — not hard enough to injure, but hard enough to shock.Hard enough to remind her.She gasped, cradling her cheek,
Cassian’s POVShe fumbled with the button of my pants using her mouth, her movements awkward, desperate.I didn't lift a finger to help her.Didn’t even move.I wanted her to struggle.I wanted her to earn every scrap of information she thought she wanted so badly.After an agonizing few seconds, she managed to undo it, the zipper rasping loud in the heavy silence between us.I shifted my hips just enough for her to pull my pants down, freeing the thick weight of my cock.It sprang free, heavy and hard, already leaking at the tip.The sight of it made her flinch slightly—whether in fear or shame, I didn’t know.Didn't care."Take it in your hands," I said, voice like velvet dragged over a blade.She froze. Eyes wide. I struggled to stay sane as I stared into her wide eyes.Trembling fingers reached up, wrapping around the base. I could feel her cursing under her breath.I hissed in pleasure at the first contact.God, she was small.Fragile.I could crush her if I wanted.And she would
Cassian’s POVThe minutes crawled by.I sat there, waiting, in the dim, luxurious expanse of my private wing. Only the low hum of the mansion beyond the windows filled the silence. My wheelchair was positioned just so, facing the door.She was late.Good for her.Let her hesitate. Let her dread.It made the hunt and fun that much sweeter.Then—finally—a soft, tentative knock.My smirk curved slowly and deliberately across my mouth.Let the game begin."Enter," I called lazily, voice carrying the sharpness of a blade hidden beneath silk.The door creaked open, and she stepped inside. Reina. My little captive angel. Her hair still damp from the shower, her frame taut with nervous energy she tried — and failed — to hide.Perfect.I watched her cross the room, head bowed slightly, hands folded in front of her like she thought modesty would save her here.I let the silence thicken until she was standing right in front of me."Tell me about your day," I said, voice low and dark, trailing de
Cassian’s POVThe traitor’s body was dragged out like the trash he was. His screams still echoed faintly down the corridor, but I was done with him. Let him live. Let him heal.Because when he returned, he wouldn’t be feeding them real intel—only the bits and pieces I permitted. Misinformation. A masterful script of lies designed to fracture them from the inside out. Let them swallow it whole.Two traitors in one day.I could feel the headache pulsing behind my temples.My thoughts drifted to the other one. The first of the day—the one whose bones cracked beneath my fists until they screamed with pain louder than his throat ever could.The one Reina tried to help.He’d tried to broker a deal with one of my offshore suppliers. Claimed it was to streamline costs. Turned out, he was diverting product—skimming from my operation and rerouting it to a rogue buyer linked to the Croatians.I didn’t kill him.No. Death was too final for that kind of betrayal.I had him locked in the sublevel w