Lahat ng Kabanata ng Mafia's Captive Desire : Kabanata 71 - Kabanata 80

The ride back to the mansion was quiet. Lucy sat tucked into the leather seat, her hands curled in her lap, her eyes sneaking glances at Barry’s broad shoulders in the front. He hadn’t said a word the whole way. His profile was sharp against the fading light, unreadable, almost colder than usual.When the SUV rolled to a stop inside the gates, the guards climbed out first. Julia adjusted her skirt, gave Lucy a quick smile, then slipped out of the car.Barry was next. He opened his door, stepped down smoothly, and without a glance back, strode toward the mansion. His long coat shifted with his steps, his presence heavy, commanding, even in silence.Lucy lingered in the seat for a moment, her chest tight. She thought maybe he would wait for her, maybe say something, but he didn’t. By the time she stepped onto the gravel, he was already disappearing up the stone steps.Inside, the halls swallowed his footsteps. He didn’t pause in the entryway. He didn’t look at her. He just climbed the s

Lucy sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the floor. The silence of the room pressed heavy on her chest, and she felt as if she had swallowed stones.She leaned forward, buried her face in her hands, and let out a shaky laugh. “What am I even doing here?” she whispered to the empty room. Her voice cracked at the edges, sounding too loud in the still air.She lifted her head and pushed her hair out of her face, pacing from the bed to the window. The curtains swayed with the night breeze. She rested her forehead against the glass.“He stops me from dancing, says I’ll work with him,” she muttered, her voice sharper now, angry at the memory. “But where’s the job, Barry? Where’s the work you promised?”Her reflection in the window looked back at her, pale and tired. She jabbed a finger at it as though scolding herself. “You came here for one reason, Lucy. To pay off your brother’s debt. Not to sit in this room day after day. Not to… to feel like this.”Her voice broke on the last word. S

The music hit Lucy the moment she stepped out of the dressing room. Heavy beats, flashing lights, and the thick smell of perfume and sweat filled the air. She moved past a crowd of sweaty bodies, her heart beating faster, not from the music but from the storm inside her.She had missed this chaos. Not the work, not the stares, but the noise, the way it drowned out the voice in her head. The voice that kept whispering that Barry had stripped her of everything, even her choice to dance.She found herself by the shadows near the far wall, half hidden. From here, she could see the girls on stage, moving with practiced ease. The crowd cheered, men threw money, the lights painted everything red and blue.Her chest ached. Not because she wanted to be on stage, but because she wasn’t allowed to decide. Barry decided for her. Always him. Always his cold voice in her head, giving orders without asking what she wanted.Lucy wrapped her arms around herself, staring at the stage until her vision b

The car rolled away from the mansion gates, leaving Lucy standing at the top of the steps. The night air was still, heavy, and she felt it pressing on her chest. Her arms hugged herself tight as she pushed the doors open and slipped inside.The hall glowed bright under golden lights, but Lucy felt no warmth. Her shoes clicked against the marble as she hurried upstairs, her steps uneven, her throat tight.By the time she reached her room, her chest was burning. She shoved the door closed and leaned against it, her whole body trembling.Her voice cracked as she whispered, “Why does he do this to me?”She slid down to the floor, pulling her knees to her chest. Tears spilled, hot and stubborn. She buried her face in her arms, muffling the sound.“I came here to pay off a debt,” she whispered to herself, rocking slightly. “That’s all. That’s all I wanted. Not this. Not him.”Her breath shook as she looked up at the ceiling, her cheeks wet. “But why… why does it hurt this much when he looks

The mansion was quiet that night, the kind of silence that made Lucy’s thoughts louder than ever. She tossed on her bed for what felt like hours before she gave up trying to sleep. Her chest felt tight, her skin restless.Slipping on a thin robe over her nightdress, she pushed open her door. The hallway stretched long and empty, lit only by the soft glow of wall lamps.She told herself she only wanted air, just a walk to calm her nerves. But deep down she knew the truth, her mind wouldn’t let her rest because it kept circling back to him.Her bare feet padded softly on the polished floor. She wrapped her arms around herself, her head down, but every creak of the house made her flinch. She felt exposed, fragile.“Restless?”The deep voice cut through the silence, freezing her in place. Her breath hitched. She knew that voice anywhere.Slowly, she lifted her head. Barry leaned against the wall ahead, half in shadow, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a glass of dark whiskey. His