Chapter 2: Caged Like an Animal
Elena’s wrists ached. Thick leather cuffs bound them above her head, secured to the cold metal bar behind her. She had spent hours—maybe more—pulling at them, her skin raw from the effort. Her body trembled, exhaustion creeping in, but fear kept her awake. The room was dim, nothing but a single overhead light casting shadows across the concrete walls. The air smelled of leather, smoke, and something else—something dark, something dangerous. Her pulse pounded as footsteps echoed from the hallway. She stiffened. The door creaked open, and they entered. Alessio walked in first, his tall frame dominating the space. He was still dressed in his dark suit, his tie loosened slightly, as if he hadn’t been in a hurry to return. Cold, calculated, unreadable. Gabriel followed, dressed more casually, his shirt unbuttoned at the top, his sleeves rolled up. A devil with mischief in his eyes. Elena’s stomach twisted. Neither of them looked like men who had forgotten about her. “Still awake?” Gabriel murmured, his voice teasing, mocking. “I thought you’d be crying by now.” Elena glared. “Go to hell.” Gabriel chuckled. “I like her fire.” Alessio wasn’t amused. He walked toward her slowly, stopping just close enough for her to feel the heat of his presence. His eyes trailed over her, studying every inch of her restrained form. “Are you ready to listen now?” he asked. Elena clenched her jaw. “I’m not your prisoner.” Gabriel smirked. “That’s funny, considering those cuffs.” She pulled at them again, uselessly. “You can’t keep me here forever.” Alessio tilted his head slightly. “Can’t we?” Panic crawled up her spine. She had no idea how far they were willing to go. No idea what they wanted from her. Alessio reached out, gripping her chin between his fingers. His touch was cold, firm. “You need to understand something, Elena.” His voice was dangerously quiet. “You don’t have a choice.” Her breathing grew uneven. Gabriel leaned in, his lips brushing her ear. “Unless, of course, you’d prefer death. That is an option.” She swallowed hard. Alessio released her, stepping back. “Tell me, Elena. Are you loyal?” She frowned. “To who?” Gabriel smiled. “Wrong answer.” Pain exploded through her body as a sharp slap landed against her cheek. Not hard enough to bruise, but enough to make her gasp. Gabriel’s smirk widened. “Try again.” Her skin stung, but she bit back the pain. She refused to cry. Refused to give them the satisfaction. Alessio watched her, his expression unreadable. “You saw something you weren’t supposed to see. That makes you a liability.” She lifted her chin. “Then kill me.” The room fell silent. Gabriel’s eyes darkened. “You’re brave, princess. Stupid, but brave.” Alessio sighed, his gaze steady. “We don’t kill without reason. You have value, whether you see it or not.” Her hands clenched into fists. “I’m not a pawn in your world.” Gabriel tsked. “Oh, sweetheart. You already are.” Elena’s stomach twisted, but she refused to let them see her fear. Alessio nodded toward Gabriel. “Uncuff her.” Gabriel arched a brow. “Are you sure?” “She won’t run.” Elena tensed. That confidence in his voice made her blood turn cold. Gabriel smirked and stepped forward, pulling a small key from his pocket. “Let’s see if you behave, princess.” The cuffs clicked open, and her arms dropped. Blood rushed back into her limbs, pain tingling through her muscles. She tried to move, but before she could react, Gabriel grabbed her wrist, yanking her forward. Her body collided with his, her breath catching. “Careful,” he murmured, eyes flickering with something dark. “Wouldn’t want to upset me.” She glared up at him. “Let go of me.” Gabriel tilted his head, considering. Then, slowly, he released her. She stumbled back, her legs weak. Alessio watched her closely. “You don’t run. You don’t scream. You don’t fight. Understand?” She met his gaze, defiance burning in her chest. “And if I do?” Alessio’s lips curled into something that wasn’t quite a smile. Gabriel grinned. “Then we make you regret it.” The room felt smaller, the air heavier. Elena took a shaky breath, trying to keep her composure. She had to be smart. Had to find a way out of this. But when she looked at them—their dark eyes, their unshakable control—she knew one thing for certain. She wasn’t getting out of here easily. Gabriel stepped closer, dragging his fingers down her arm, slow and taunting. “Let’s play a game, sweetheart.” Her skin tingled where he touched. She jerked away. “I’m not playing anything with you.” Gabriel chuckled. “That’s not how this works.” Alessio walked past them, heading toward the door. “She’ll learn.” Gabriel hummed in agreement. “Oh, I’m looking forward to that.” Elena’s heart pounded. The door swung open, and before she could react, two guards stepped in. “Take her to the main house,” Alessio ordered. “She sleeps in our wing from now on.” Elena froze. Gabriel leaned in, his lips inches from her ear. “Welcome home, princess.” Her stomach dropped. She had thought this was the worst of it. She was wrong.Chapter 3: Punishment and TemptationElena’s wrists were still sore from the cuffs.She sat stiffly in the backseat of the sleek black car as it rolled through the city streets, her heart pounding in her chest. She wasn’t blindfolded. They wanted her to see where they were taking her. That meant one thing—they were sure she wouldn’t escape.The thought made her stomach twist.Alessio sat beside her, silent, his presence heavy, suffocating. Gabriel was in the front seat, his feet propped up on the dashboard like he didn’t have a single worry in the world.“Enjoying the ride, princess?” Gabriel’s voice was laced with amusement as he glanced at her through the rearview mirror.She ignored him, her nails digging into her palms.Gabriel chuckled. “Already giving me the silent treatment? That’s cute.”Elena clenched her jaw. She wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of a reaction.The car slowed as they turned onto a private road, tall iron gates sliding open. The estate was massive, more of
Chapter 4: A Night of DespairElena couldn’t sleep.She lay on the massive bed in the dark room, staring at the ceiling, her heart pounding against her ribs. The walls felt like they were closing in, trapping her inside this nightmare. She could still feel their touch—Alessio’s firm grip on her chin, Gabriel’s teasing fingers brushing against her skin.She hated them.Her body was exhausted, but her mind wouldn’t rest. The events of the night replayed over and over—her failed escape, the way they humiliated her, the way they looked at her like she was already theirs.She needed to get out.Sitting up slowly, she glanced at the door. It was locked. Of course, it was.Her eyes shifted to the large window on the far side of the room.Her pulse quickened.She slipped out of bed, her bare feet touching the cold floor. Moving carefully, she crept toward the window, pressing her palms against the glass. The estate stretched out before her, vast and filled with armed guards.Her stomach twist
Chapter 5: Shattered HopeElena sat on the cold floor, her arms wrapped around her knees. The room was dark except for the faint glow of the moon through the high window.She had tried everything—banging on the door, searching for weak spots, even attempting to break the glass. Nothing worked. The room was a prison, and she was their prisoner.Her wrists ached from the struggle. Her throat was raw from screaming.No one had come.Not even Gabriel, with his teasing smirk. Not even Alessio, with his cold, piercing stare.She hated them.Hated the way they controlled her. Hated the way they looked at her like she was already theirs.But what scared her most wasn’t them.It was herself.Because when they touched her, when they looked at her with those dark, unrelenting eyes… something inside her stirred.And that was dangerous.The door creaked open.Elena’s head snapped up, her heart pounding.Alessio stepped inside, his expression unreadable.Behind him, Gabriel leaned against the doorf
Chapter 6: The Contract of OwnershipElena sat frozen, her hands still stained with blood.Her mind refused to process what had just happened. The gunshot still rang in her ears, and the weight of the pistol lingered on her fingers, even though it had long since slipped from her grasp.She had done it.She had pulled the trigger.Killed a man.The world around her felt distant, like she was drowning in thick, suffocating silence.A warm hand touched her chin, lifting her gaze.Alessio.His dark eyes studied her, unreadable. He looked neither pleased nor disappointed. Just… patient.“You did well,” he murmured.Elena flinched as if he had struck her.Gabriel crouched beside her, his golden-brown eyes gleaming with amusement. “I have to admit, princess, I thought you’d break before pulling the trigger.”Elena’s stomach twisted violently.She wanted to scream. To run. To undo what had just happened.But there was no undoing it.She had blood on her hands now.And they knew it.Gabriel’s
Chapter 1: The Wrong WitnessElena Rossi knew she shouldn’t have come here.The music pounded through the walls of the exclusive club, the kind of place only the rich and dangerous could afford to enter. She wasn’t supposed to be here, not dressed in a cheap black dress and heels that made her feet ache. But desperation had pushed her through those doors.She needed a job, a way to pay rent before her landlord threw her out. A friend had told her about a waitress position here—high tips, fast cash. That was all she wanted. But now, standing near the back hallway, she knew something was terribly wrong.A gunshot cracked through the air.Elena’s body locked in place. The sound wasn’t part of the music. It was real. Sharp. Deadly.Her heart slammed against her ribs as she turned the corner. The hallway was dimly lit, stretching into the private sections of the club. She shouldn’t go further. She should turn around. Run.But her body disobeyed.She took a step forward, her breath held tig
Chapter 6: The Contract of OwnershipElena sat frozen, her hands still stained with blood.Her mind refused to process what had just happened. The gunshot still rang in her ears, and the weight of the pistol lingered on her fingers, even though it had long since slipped from her grasp.She had done it.She had pulled the trigger.Killed a man.The world around her felt distant, like she was drowning in thick, suffocating silence.A warm hand touched her chin, lifting her gaze.Alessio.His dark eyes studied her, unreadable. He looked neither pleased nor disappointed. Just… patient.“You did well,” he murmured.Elena flinched as if he had struck her.Gabriel crouched beside her, his golden-brown eyes gleaming with amusement. “I have to admit, princess, I thought you’d break before pulling the trigger.”Elena’s stomach twisted violently.She wanted to scream. To run. To undo what had just happened.But there was no undoing it.She had blood on her hands now.And they knew it.Gabriel’s
Chapter 5: Shattered HopeElena sat on the cold floor, her arms wrapped around her knees. The room was dark except for the faint glow of the moon through the high window.She had tried everything—banging on the door, searching for weak spots, even attempting to break the glass. Nothing worked. The room was a prison, and she was their prisoner.Her wrists ached from the struggle. Her throat was raw from screaming.No one had come.Not even Gabriel, with his teasing smirk. Not even Alessio, with his cold, piercing stare.She hated them.Hated the way they controlled her. Hated the way they looked at her like she was already theirs.But what scared her most wasn’t them.It was herself.Because when they touched her, when they looked at her with those dark, unrelenting eyes… something inside her stirred.And that was dangerous.The door creaked open.Elena’s head snapped up, her heart pounding.Alessio stepped inside, his expression unreadable.Behind him, Gabriel leaned against the doorf
Chapter 4: A Night of DespairElena couldn’t sleep.She lay on the massive bed in the dark room, staring at the ceiling, her heart pounding against her ribs. The walls felt like they were closing in, trapping her inside this nightmare. She could still feel their touch—Alessio’s firm grip on her chin, Gabriel’s teasing fingers brushing against her skin.She hated them.Her body was exhausted, but her mind wouldn’t rest. The events of the night replayed over and over—her failed escape, the way they humiliated her, the way they looked at her like she was already theirs.She needed to get out.Sitting up slowly, she glanced at the door. It was locked. Of course, it was.Her eyes shifted to the large window on the far side of the room.Her pulse quickened.She slipped out of bed, her bare feet touching the cold floor. Moving carefully, she crept toward the window, pressing her palms against the glass. The estate stretched out before her, vast and filled with armed guards.Her stomach twist
Chapter 3: Punishment and TemptationElena’s wrists were still sore from the cuffs.She sat stiffly in the backseat of the sleek black car as it rolled through the city streets, her heart pounding in her chest. She wasn’t blindfolded. They wanted her to see where they were taking her. That meant one thing—they were sure she wouldn’t escape.The thought made her stomach twist.Alessio sat beside her, silent, his presence heavy, suffocating. Gabriel was in the front seat, his feet propped up on the dashboard like he didn’t have a single worry in the world.“Enjoying the ride, princess?” Gabriel’s voice was laced with amusement as he glanced at her through the rearview mirror.She ignored him, her nails digging into her palms.Gabriel chuckled. “Already giving me the silent treatment? That’s cute.”Elena clenched her jaw. She wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of a reaction.The car slowed as they turned onto a private road, tall iron gates sliding open. The estate was massive, more of
Chapter 2: Caged Like an AnimalElena’s wrists ached.Thick leather cuffs bound them above her head, secured to the cold metal bar behind her. She had spent hours—maybe more—pulling at them, her skin raw from the effort.Her body trembled, exhaustion creeping in, but fear kept her awake. The room was dim, nothing but a single overhead light casting shadows across the concrete walls. The air smelled of leather, smoke, and something else—something dark, something dangerous.Her pulse pounded as footsteps echoed from the hallway.She stiffened.The door creaked open, and they entered.Alessio walked in first, his tall frame dominating the space. He was still dressed in his dark suit, his tie loosened slightly, as if he hadn’t been in a hurry to return. Cold, calculated, unreadable.Gabriel followed, dressed more casually, his shirt unbuttoned at the top, his sleeves rolled up. A devil with mischief in his eyes.Elena’s stomach twisted.Neither of them looked like men who had forgotten ab
Chapter 1: The Wrong WitnessElena Rossi knew she shouldn’t have come here.The music pounded through the walls of the exclusive club, the kind of place only the rich and dangerous could afford to enter. She wasn’t supposed to be here, not dressed in a cheap black dress and heels that made her feet ache. But desperation had pushed her through those doors.She needed a job, a way to pay rent before her landlord threw her out. A friend had told her about a waitress position here—high tips, fast cash. That was all she wanted. But now, standing near the back hallway, she knew something was terribly wrong.A gunshot cracked through the air.Elena’s body locked in place. The sound wasn’t part of the music. It was real. Sharp. Deadly.Her heart slammed against her ribs as she turned the corner. The hallway was dimly lit, stretching into the private sections of the club. She shouldn’t go further. She should turn around. Run.But her body disobeyed.She took a step forward, her breath held tig