Amelie’s POVMy heart thumped loudly in my ears, my eyes still on Luca who stood at the door.I hadn’t moved.The dress still lay crumpled on the floor, my defiance burning bright in my veins.There was no way I was going to just give in to what they wanted. I would fight till the very end.Matteo’s grip on my chin tightened, but I didn’t look away.I refused to break.Luca exhaled, stepping closer, his sharp eyes scanning the scene. His expression was unreadable, but I felt the shift in the air.I had pushed too far.And I was not sure if I regretted it yet or not. But the look onLica’s face told me I was going to.“I see,” Luca murmured. “You still think this is a game.”My stomach twisted.Matteo let go of my chin, taking a step back as his brother took his place in front of me. It was the same face but a different aura. This one brought goosebumps to my body.Luca crouched in front of me, his fingers reaching out—not roughly, not cruelly—but with the cold patience of someone who
_Amelie’s POV_My heart raced as I took in the people all around me.They ranged from people who used to work with my father to people I had no idea what their identity was. But one thing was certain, Luca had planned this to the very end because they were all influential people in the mafia world.And showing up like this means the word was going to spread.Amelia DaVinci was a pet to her step brothers.Kidnapped and forced to be a pet, just exactly the kind of life I wanted. Yay.The hall was filled with smoke and power.Men in dark suits lounged in high-backed chairs, cigars smoldering between their fingers. The air was thick with whiskey, murmured conversations, and the weight of too many eyes watching me.Because they knew.They knew who I was.And they saw what I had become.I felt suffocated, like I was going to die. And wanted nothing but to run away from their sight. But I couldn't even take a step without my ‘master’ pulling my back.Matteo had the leash in his hand like
_Amelie’s POV_The moment the doors to the gathering hall slammed shut, I knew I was in trouble.Too much trouble.Luca walked ahead, he didn’t say a single word to us and his pace was slow. Too controlled.And that was even scarier than anything. Because knowing who he was, Luca was deadlier when he was quiet. Matteo stayed at my side, his grip still firm on the leash attached to my collar.Nico followed behind.They had switched positions but Luca always remained in front. Showing that he was the leader. No one talked as we walked. Not even Matteo who always had some sort of snide remark to throw at me.And that made the tension suffocating.I could still feel the eyes of the men at the gathering, burning into my skin, watching as Santiago DaVinci’s daughter was dragged onto her knees like an animal.I knew it would only be a matter of time before father came fire me, because this wasn’t just about me. If Luca kept doing this, his name would be dragged through the mud and ther
_Amelie’s POV_I laid on the cold floor, my body aching in too many places to count.Matteo had definitely not held back with the whip, he had hit me with no control. And now moving even the slightest bit sent a jolt of pain through me.The silence in my room felt different this time.It wasn’t just isolation.It was a defeat.I wasn’t broken. Not yet.But it seemed as if I was so close to breaking. I was starting to understand what it would feel like.The bruises on my thighs throbbed each one a reminder of Matteo’s punishment and all I had gone through.The collar around my neck felt tighter. Heavier.Luca had tightened it, ignoring my protests. Even dogs didn't have their collars this tight, I told him. And the look in his eyes told me that was exactly the point he wanted to make.And the worst part?The part that made me sick?Luca was right earlier.I had embarrassed myself tonight.I had tried to stand tall. Hold my dignity. Refuse to kneel.But in the end?I was still forced
Amelie’s POVThe bruises still throbbed. My body still ached from last night. But there was no time to recover.There was never any time to recover. I kept waking up to bruises on my body because they kept thinking it was fun to bruise me up.The door was pushed open and I pulled myself up, startled. My eyes widened in confusion as two men barged unto the room, marching straight at me. “Theq boss wants you out now.” one of them said, dropping a vague explanation to me. The boss? He was clearly talking about Luca. But why would Luca want me?I was yanked out of the room by one of Luca’s men, my wrists bound in front of me, the collar still digging into my throat. They didn’t bother letting me clean up. Its been twenty four hours since I showered and I hated the way my skin felt. I was dragged down a dim hallway, through the grand double doors of a room filled with men I didn’t recognize.Mafia.Dangerous men.And they all turned to look at me like I was something to be evaluated.
_Amelie’s POV_I had been waiting for my punishment all through the day, I didn't know when I had fallen asleep on the floor.Luca never took so long to punish me and for some reason, this made me feel so frightened.A sharp kick to my side jolted me awake, and my eyes were barely able to open. Pain flared through my body, and I barely stifled a groan.I tried to push myself up, but it felt like there was a boulder pressed on my back. My cheek was still pressed against the cold floor, my limbs heavy and unresponsive.Whoever it was didn't even wait a minute before I was kicked once again.“Get up,” he growled.Matteo’s voice was as cold as the marble beneath me.I blinked against the dim light filtering through the room, my body screaming in protest as I tried to move. The bruises on my body from my last punishment made even the smallest shift unbearable.Another sharp kick landed against my thigh, sending a fresh wave of pain through me.“I said, get up.” He hissed, poking me with
_Amelie’s POV_I walked into the casino, Matteo right behind me. I didn’t think we would be going to a fucking casino, especially not with me dressed like this. This was one of the popular Casino here in Italy, and it was frequently visited by my father. Luca asked me to come here… I didn’t know what he had planned. The air was thick with cigar smoke and low conversations. People betting and and trying to swindle each other. A few weeks ago I was sitting on one of these chairs, and now…The moment I was led into the room, all eyes were on me.Felt as if everyone had stopped what they were doing, staring right straight at me.I felt them rake over my body, lingering too long, drinking in my shame.I wanted to wrap my arms around my body, to at least provide a little bit of shield to myself. But Matteo had specifically warned me about this in the car. He had said that my punishment would be worse if I even tried to shield my body.He had looked me dead in the eyes, telling me no
_Amelie’s POV_I stirred at the sound of my door creaking open.My body tensed before my mind fully woke up. Someone was in my room.It had taken me so long to fall asleep and when I finally did, someone decided to sneak into my room. My body didn’t hurt as bad as it used to, so I was able to move without much pain.I sucked in a breath, my fingers inching toward the lamp beside my bed.If I can grab it before they get too close, I’d be able to defend myself.Hopefully, I will be able to knock the person out before anything happens.The moment my fingers wrapped around the lamb, a voice cut through the dark.“Don’t.”I froze, unable to believe it. Matteo.What was he doing to her? Especially so late at night?The thought of getting raped by him crossed my mind and I panicked. A part of me wanted to believe that Matteo wasn't going to do that, but I didn't know what to think.Even in the darkness, I could sense him—his presence filled the room, thick with something I couldn’t place.
Amelie’s POVThe cameras were everywhere.I felt them before I saw them—tiny red lights blinking like electronic veins stitched into the walls, silent and watchful. The glassy eye in the corner of the hallway followed every step I took, and I could almost hear Santiago whispering through it. One wrong move, little girl. I dare you.It had been three days since I woke up in this gilded prison—back under my father’s roof, under his roof but never his protection. Surveillance had replaced silence. Guards stood like statues outside my door. My every movement was reported, tracked, catalogued. I wasn’t a daughter here.I was a variable. A problem to be solved or erased.Even when I breathed, it felt like too much noise.At dinner, I sat across from Dante DaVinci, my cousin, the family's golden vulture, smiling like the devil’s intern. He’d always been beautiful in that cruel, heartless way. Clean lines. Cold smirk. He was the kind of man that looked like he belonged in a courtroom or a fun
_Amelie’s POV_My eyes peeled open and the first thing that came to my notice was that the bed was cold.Too cold.It bit into my back like ice, the sheets stiff and unfamiliar against my skin. My limbs ached as if they’d been dragged through gravel. My head throbbed. Each breath I took felt like it was pulled through a cracked rib. The air smelled like—Cigars.Leather.Cologne.My heart clenched. No, no, no—Not this place.I forced my eyes open. The ceiling above me was ornate—ivory moldings and golden inlays etched in patterns I used to trace with my fingers as a little girl. I was home.My childhood room was gone. This was one of the guest rooms. Sterile. Controlled. A room for visitors… or prisoners.I turned my head too fast.A shockwave of pain burst behind my eyes. I whimpered, gripping the sheets. My arms—bruised. My wrists—red. Like I’d fought back. Did I fight back?Then it hit me.Matteo. The wine. The bitter sting. His voice.“Because you’re going home.”I shot up, but m
_Amelie’s POV_The next few days had been quiet.I didn't know what the brothers were planning. I didn't even leave my room for anything. Food got delivered to me, and everything I needed was brought to my doorstep.And so when the knock came at my door, I was surprised. I wasn’t expecting anyone.Not this late. Not after the days I’ve been having.But nothing about this place ever followed a schedule—except for how often they liked to ruin me.Knocking was so pointless when they could just walk in if they wanted to, not like it would be the first time. But I opened the door anyway.Matteo stood on the other side, leaning against the frame like he hadn’t just threatened to gut me in the interrogation room a few days ago. He held something in his hand—a glass. Red liquid. Wine. His favorite weapon.My eyes flicked from the glass to his face.I didn't know why he finally decided to come to me, but I wasn't certain if I wanted to know. “Celebrating?” I asked, voice dry.My eyes held
_Third person POV_The door shut with a clap, the three brothers staring on even though Amelie had gone out of sight.Luca remained seated at the head of the table, unmoving, the candlelight flickering against his impassive face. He didn’t know what to think about what had just happened, didn’t know what to say.Nico leaned back in his chair, eyes half-lidded but focused, burning holes into the space Amelie had left behind. Only Matteo reacted—his smirk cracked, a low sound escaping his throat before he threw his wine glass across the room.It shattered red streaking across the marble floor like spilled blood.He thought she had the nerves, and audacity to do what she had done. He had thought of her as mad, but he didn’t think she would be this mad.“That bitch,” Matteo growled, pacing a tight circle behind his chair. “She just walked out. After all that. After everything—she stripped in front of us like it meant nothing.”How could she even do that? It was like at that moment she h
:Amelie’s POVThe dress arrived in silence.I had woken up to see something that most definitely wasn’t there when I slept.No knock. No footsteps. Just a black box waiting on my bed like it had always been there. I stared at it for a long moment, half-expecting it to disappear. Like maybe it was some hallucination conjured by my exhaustion and this damned house.But it didn’t vanish.A second passed and then another. Then it finally clicked that whoever kept it there obviously wanted me to open it. Pushing the bedsheets tangled around my legs away, I crawled over to the eve of the bed where it lay.My heart thumped as I stretched my hand, reaching for the lid.The lid lifted easily, like it wanted to be opened.Inside was silk the color of spilled blood. Deep crimson, smooth like sin. Expensive. Dramatic. It pooled in the box like it knew it would cling to every curve I hated them for noticing.A dress. They had sent a dress. The dresses given time by this brothers made me loath
_Amelia_ The morning after felt like wading through thick mud. Every one of my muscles ached but admidst the exhaustion, I was going to carry out what I had set out to do today.After everything they've done to me, they were nearly a hundred percent sure I would cower and shrink but they were wrong. If anything, what I've been put through here only makes me want to defy and prove them wrong. I dressed in the simplest thing I could find, a black slip dress that cling to my bruised skin. It wasn't about allure; it was about ownership. This was my body, scarred but unbroken, and I had no plans of hiding it. I walked into the dining room just as the maids were placing the plates and cutleries down, the triplets were at the table, each doing their own thing. I took a deep breath and approached with confidence. Matteo whistled as I approached while Luca’s gaze was fixed on me as if assessing and scrutinizing. On the other hand, Nico remained impassive, his eyes follo
_Amelie’s POV_I sat in my room as I listened for any form of sound. The mansion was quiet. Too quiet.After what happened in the library with Matteo—the knife, the taunting, the way he handed it back to me like an offering—I hadn’t been able to sleep.How could I?My heart still pounded every time I replayed his words. “You’re finally becoming something interesting.” I didn’t know if it was a compliment or a threat. With him, it could’ve been both.They had brought me here as a form of revenge towards my dad. But what exactly they had planned? I had no idea.Some part of me knew they were doing all that because I had betrayed them, some other part expected them to understand that I didn't have a choice. I didn’t eat dinner that night. I didn’t want to see them. I didn’t want to feel their eyes on me—Luca’s cold calculation, Nico’s unreadable silence, Matteo’s smirk that always saw more than I wanted him to.Because all they would talk about would be me tied up in Nico’s bed. But j
_Amelie’s POV_I didn’t sleep.Not after everything that had happened.Not after Nico left me tied up, sweating, shaking, begging for a release that never came. Not after the maid’s quiet gasp when she found me. Not even after Matteo’s mocking little whistle or the cold, silent look in Luca’s eyes when they all stood over me like I was something rotting on display.I hated the looks on their faces when they all saw me. I hated how weak I seemed at that moment.But I had survived.Even though it didn’t feel like it.Even after the cuffs were removed and my robe was tightened, my wrists burned. My skin still tingled with that phantom fire. My shame stuck to me like sweat I couldn’t scrub off.I’d taken three showers since then. None of them worked.Now I stood in front of the mirror, my eyes bloodshot, cheeks hollow, the faint outline of Luca’s fingerprints still etched into my thighs. I stared at my reflection and hated what I saw.I looked like someone who had given up.I slammed the
Amelie’s POVI should’ve known better.Should’ve known Luca wasn’t done until he broke me down—until I was sobbing and stripped and choking on every last shred of my dignity.I hadn’t expected this from him, Matteo. Yes. But him? I thought he was the rational one. But even he didn’t expect the door to creak open when it did, someone stepping into the room.My heart stopped.Nico stood there. Silent. Still.His eyes went between me on my knees and Luca’s form. I didn’t know what to do, didn’t know what to feel. Slowly, I felt the embarrassment seeping slowly. I froze beneath Luca’s grip, heat flooding my cheeks—not the good kind. The kind that crawls up your spine and makes your skin crawl. Luca didn’t move right away, either. He just turned his head slightly, glancing at his brother like it was all a joke.Maybe it was to him, I was merely a clown brought for the sole purpose of entertainment. “What?” Luca said lazily. “Don’t act like you haven’t wanted to do worse.” Luca w