The Mafia King’s Forbidden Obsession

Selene POV The elevator in Dario's building always smelled like expensive cologne and marble cleaner a scent that used to make my heart race with anticipation. Tonight, it made my stomach churn.I clutched the takeout bag tighter, the grease already seeping through the paper. Thai food from our usual place on 42nd Street. Pad thai, extra spicy, just how he liked it. A peace offering for missing dinner again because of my marketing internship that barely paid enough to cover subway rides.The brass numbers above the elevator doors ticked by slowly. Fifteenth floor. Sixteenth. My reflection stared back at me from the polished metal l dark hair escaping its messy bun, mascara slightly smudged from the October rain, cheap blazer wrinkled from a twelve-hour day. I looked exactly like what I was: a girl from Queens trying to keep up in Manhattan.Twenty-second floor.The hallway stretched before me, all gleaming hardwood and modern art that probably cost more than my mom's monthly medical

Selene POV Is he? The words echoed in my head during the entire silent ride back to campus. Vincent dropped me off at the same corner where he'd picked me up, like nothing had changed, like I hadn't just been threatened by a man who spoke about my father like he was still breathing. My father. The man I'd mourned my entire life without ever really knowing him. I stumbled through the rest of my classes in a daze, my professors' voices fading to background noise. Every time I tried to focus on marketing strategies or consumer psychology, Caspian's arctic gray eyes flashed through my mind. Your father would be disappointed if you refused. By the time I made it back to my dorm room, my hands were shaking so badly I could barely get my key in the lock. "Selene?" Jessica looked up from her laptop, her expression shifting from casual interest to concern. "Jesus, you look like you've seen a ghost. What happened?" I couldn't tell her. Couldn't explain that I'd been kidnapped by a man wh

Selene POV The car waiting outside my dormitory wasn't the same black sedan from yesterday. This one was sleeker, more expensive a midnight blue Bentley that probably cost more than most people's houses. The driver stood beside it, hands clasped behind his back, wearing the same kind of perfectly tailored suit that seemed to be the uniform of Caspian's world. He opened the door for me without a word, and I slid across leather seats so soft they felt like silk. The interior smelled of expensive cologne and danger a scent I was beginning to associate with the Santoro family. We drove through Manhattan as the sun set behind the skyline, painting the city in shades of gold and blood. I watched people on the sidewalks going about their evening routines couples heading to dinner, friends meeting for drinks, families walking home from work. Normal people living normal lives. Lives I would never have. The car turned into a private drive I hadn't noticed yesterday, winding through wrought

SELENE’S POV First, I let go of Dario’s hand, and then I gave him an inquisitive stare. “I didn’t know.” He mouthed, but it was hard to believe him. “I swear, Selene. I am as shocked as you are.” He looked like he was telling the truth, but that was the same look he had on his face when he promised me that he was never going to hurt me for any reason. I chose to believe that he was being honest, after all, he didn’t look like he wanted to be in that messy situation. “Alex is going to be very offended.” He whispered, thinking that I wasn’t going to hear him. “How am I supposed to break this news to him?” His voice became a bit more audible, and then he realized from the way I looked at him that I could hear him. “I am sorry, Selene.” He apologized, his eyes displaying both guilt and shame, but no remorse. “I meant every word I said, Dario. This is just an arrangement.” I had already made up my mind to care less about anything he did with his life, it didn’t matter to me. Stan

CASPIAN’S POV I felt her skin. Selene’s slender body pressing against mine was strangely giving me so much warmth, and no matter how hard I tried to pull away, it seemed I was cursed to remain there.“What are you doing, Caspian?” I questioned myself. “She is your son’s wife-to-be,” I added, but it didn’t seem like Dario was going to be doing anything with her.He had chosen to be dominated instead of being a dominator. What a shame!“What are you doing?” Selene broke the silence, her breath shaky while she kept her eyes on me. She wanted to push me away, but fear and the euphoria of the moment wouldn’t let her.All she did was keep on staring while she muttered some inaudible words. “I haven’t felt this close to any woman in a very long time,” I confessed, something that I knew I was going to regret later on.“There is something about your skin, Selene. Even my eyes can see it.” I leaned closer, feeling her breath while she swallowed hard.“Please, let go. I want to go to sleep.”