You are mine, Cecilia.

It was a cold, Joshua decided to take the shortcut through the alleyway on his way home. The streets were quiet, the only sound the occasional hum of distant traffic. He walked with a light step, his mind on Cecilia and the plans they had made for the weekend. He couldn’t help but smile, thinking of her bright eyes and warm laugh, the way she made everything seem right in the world.

But as he turned the corner, his smile faded. Standing in the middle of the alley were two men, both tall and broad-shouldered, dressed in dark suits that seemed out of place in this part of town. Something about their presence sent a chill down his spine, but Joshua pushed the feeling aside. He kept walking, his pace steady, his eyes focused straight ahead.

The two men didn’t move, blocking his path. As Joshua approached, one of them stepped forward, his face partially obscured by the shadow of his hat. “Joshua Granger?” the man asked, his voice low and emotionless.

Joshua frowned, a knot of unease tightening in his stomach. “Who’s asking?” he replied, trying to keep his voice steady.

The man didn’t answer. Instead, he reached into his coat and pulled out a small, folded piece of paper. He handed it to Joshua without a word.

Joshua hesitated, glancing at the other man who stood silently, his hands in his pockets, watching with an unnerving calm. With a sigh, Joshua unfolded the paper, his eyes scanning the brief message scrawled in elegant handwriting.

"You should’ve stayed away from her."

Joshua’s heart sank as he realized what the initials stood for. Edward Poletto. The infamous mafia king. He’d heard stories about the man—whispers of his power, his ruthlessness, his obsession with control. But Joshua had never thought he’d be on Edward’s radar, much less that Edward would see him as a threat.

“I don’t know who you think you are,” Joshua said, crumpling the note in his hand, “but you’re making a mistake. I don’t want any trouble.”

The man who had handed him the note finally looked up, and Joshua saw the cold, empty eyes of someone who had seen too much death. “It’s not about what you want,” the man said quietly. “It’s about what Mr. Poletto wants.”

Joshua felt his pulse quicken. He took a step back, his instincts screaming at him to run, but he knew it was too late. These men weren’t here to talk. They were here to finish a job.

“What did he tell you to do?” Joshua asked, his voice barely above a whisper, even though he already knew the answer.

The second man, who had been silent until now, stepped forward. “He told us to make sure you disappear,” he said bluntly.

Joshua’s breath caught in his throat. Panic surged through him, but he fought to keep his composure. “Listen, I don’t want any part of this,” he said, his voice shaking. “I just want to be with Cecilia. I love her. That’s all.”

The first man’s expression didn’t change, but something flickered in his eyes—pity, maybe, or regret. “Love doesn’t matter to someone like Edward Poletto,” he said. “He wants what he wants, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to get it.”

Joshua’s mind raced, searching for a way out, but there was none. These men had him cornered, and there was no one around to help. He was alone, at the mercy of a man who had none.

“You don’t have to do this,” Joshua said desperately. “Please, just tell him I’ll leave. I’ll go far away. He’ll never see me again.”

The first man hesitated for a fraction of a second, but the second man was already pulling out a silenced pistol from inside his coat. “It’s too late for that,” he said coldly.

Joshua’s eyes widened in horror as he realized what was about to happen. He took another step back, his hands raised in a futile attempt to protect himself. “Wait—”

But the gunman didn’t wait. The sound of the silencer was barely more than a whisper, a soft, deadly *thwip* as the bullet left the chamber. Joshua gasped, clutching his chest as he staggered backward, the pain sudden and overwhelming. His legs gave out beneath him, and he crumpled to the ground.

As he lay there, struggling to breathe, the world around him started to fade. The two men stood over him, watching dispassionately as life drained from his eyes.

“Cecilia…” Joshua whispered, his voice weak and fading. He could see her face in his mind, her smile, her eyes filled with love. The thought of never seeing her again was more painful than the bullet lodged in his chest.

The first man knelt down beside him, his expression unreadable. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly, though his voice lacked any real emotion. “But you should’ve stayed away.”

Joshua wanted to scream, to fight, to do something to stop the darkness that was closing in around him, but his body wouldn’t respond. All he could do was lie there, his vision blurring, until the world went completely dark.

---

Across town, in a lavish penthouse overlooking the city, Edward Poletto stood by the window, staring out at the skyline with a glass of whiskey in his hand. The city lights reflected in his cold, calculating eyes, but his mind was elsewhere—on Cecilia.

He knew it was done. Joshua was out of the picture, just as he had ordered. It wasn’t the first time he had eliminated a rival, but something about this one felt different. A part of him hated that he’d had to go this far, but another part—darker, more possessive—felt a twisted sense of satisfaction.

Edward loved Cecilia in his own way, but his love was tainted by obsession, control, and a refusal to let anyone or anything stand in his way. Joshua had been an obstacle, one that had to be removed to make room for the future Edward envisioned with Cecilia. He had tried to be patient, to let Cecilia come to him on her own, but it became clear that she never would as long as Joshua was in the picture.

And now Joshua was gone.

Edward took a sip of his whiskey, the liquid burning down his throat, but it did nothing to quench the fire that had taken root in his chest. He knew Cecilia would be devastated when she found out—if she found out. But he also knew that, in time, she would come to understand. She would realize that everything he did, he did for her, to protect her, to give her the life she deserved.

At least, that’s what he told himself.

But as he stood there, staring out at the city below, Edward couldn’t shake the nagging doubt that had begun to creep into his mind. He had won this battle, but at what cost? Would Cecilia ever truly be his, or had he just sealed his own fate by taking away the one person she truly loved?

Edward pushed the thought away, setting his glass down with a little more force than necessary. He had no time for doubts. He was Edward Poletto, and he got what he wanted—no matter the cost.

And now, all he had to do was wait. Wait for Cecilia to come to him, wait for her to realize that he was the only one who could give her the life she needed. The only one who could keep her safe.

But deep down, Edward knew that the hardest part was yet to come. Winning Cecilia’s heart would be far more difficult than getting rid of Joshua. And the man who always got what he wanted wasn’t sure if he was ready for what came next.

________

Cecilia had just returned home after a long, she fumbled for her keys. Her small, humble home was nestled at the edge of the estate, a place she had always found comfort in. But tonight, an eerie sense of unease seemed to linger in the air.

As she finally unlocked the door and stepped inside, she sighed in relief. She kicked off her worn shoes. The house was quiet, too quiet. With a flick of her wrist, she turned on the light.

A scream tore from her throat as her eyes landed on the figure sitting in her living room.

Edward Poletto was lounging on her couch as if he owned the place, his tall, muscular frame taking up most of the space. The dim light from the lamp cast ominous shadows across his chiseled features, making his intense, dark eyes seem even more piercing. He didn’t move or speak; he simply watched her with an unsettling calmness, like a predator observing its prey.

“You? Mr.Edward!” Cecilia gasped, her heart racing in her chest. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Edward slowly rose from the couch, his movements deliberate and controlled. His sharp gaze never left her as he closed the distance between them. There was something dangerous in the way he looked at her, something that made the air in the room feel thick with tension.

“You didn’t think you could avoid me, did you, Cecilia?” His voice was low, almost a whisper, but it carried the weight of an unspoken threat. 

Cecilia instinctively took a step back, her pulse quickening as she tried to maintain her composure. “I—I don’t understand. What do you want?”

Edward stopped just inches from her, towering over her petite frame. His presence was overpowering, suffocating. “What I want,” he said slowly, his voice dripping with menace, “is you, Cecilia. You belong to me.”

Cecilia felt a shiver run down her spine at his words. There was no mistaking the possessiveness in his tone, the cold, calculated way he laid claim to her as if she were a piece of property. She clenched her fists, summoning the courage to stand up to him, even though fear was coursing through her veins.

“You can’t just barge into my home and say things like that,” she managed to say, her voice trembling. “I’m not some...some object for you to own, Edward.”

A smirk tugged at the corner of Edward’s lips, though his eyes remained cold and unyielding. “Oh, Cecilia,” he murmured, his hand reaching out to brush a stray lock of hair from her face. The gesture was deceptively gentle, but it only made her feel more trapped. “You don’t get to decide that. I do.”

Cecilia swallowed hard, desperately trying to keep her fear in check. “Please, Edward...just go. Leave me alone. I don’t want any part of this.”

But Edward ignored her plea. His hand moved from her hair to her chin, tilting her face up so that she had no choice but to look into his eyes. “I’ve been patient,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper, “but my patience is wearing thin. You’re mine, Cecilia. No one else’s. And it’s time you accepted that.”

Tears welled up in Cecilia’s eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She had to be strong, had to find a way to escape this nightmare. “You killed him, didn’t you?” she whispered, her voice shaking with emotion. “You killed him because he loved me...because you couldn’t stand the thought of me being with someone else.”

Edward’s expression darkened, and for a moment, Cecilia saw a flicker of something almost like regret in his eyes. But it was gone as quickly as it appeared, replaced by the cold, ruthless man she had come to fear. “He was in the way,” Edward said simply. “I did what I had to do.”

Cecilia’s heart broke at the casual way he admitted to murder, as if it were nothing more than a minor inconvenience. “You’re a monster,” she spat, her voice full of anguish. “I will never love you. Never.”

Edward’s grip on her chin tightened, and his eyes flashed with anger. “You don’t have to love me, Cecilia,” he said through gritted teeth. “But you *will* be mine. One way or another.”

With that, he released her, stepping back as if to give her space, though she knew it was only a temporary reprieve. “I’ll give you some time to think it over,” he said, his voice eerily calm once more. “But don’t take too long. I’m not a man who likes to be kept waiting.”

And with those chilling words, Edward turned and walked out of her house, leaving Cecilia standing there, trembling and alone. The door clicked shut behind him, but the sense of dread he left behind was suffocating, wrapping around her like a noose.

Cecilia sank to the floor, her body shaking with silent sobs. She had never felt so helpless, so utterly at the mercy of someone who seemed determined to control her every move. The realization that there was no escape from Edward’s grip settled over her like a dark, oppressive cloud. No matter what she did, no matter how hard she tried to resist, she knew deep down that Edward Poletto would never let her go.