The door to Dante’s lair opened as Dante fired a bullet at his victim’s head. Allegra walked in and scrunched up her face in a frown at the sight in front of her.“You should put up a sign if you’re going to do this.” She said as she closed the door.Dante rolled his eyes at her statement, tossing the gun aside. “What did you think I was going to do? Watch a movie?”Allegra scoffed as she walked up to him, only stopping when there was barely any space between them. She slowly trailed her fingers down his chest in a seductive manner, giving him an innocent smile as she did. “I know that’s not what you use this place for, but you could at least lock the door.”Dante chuckled and roughly grabbed her wrist to stop what she was doing. “Why are you here, Allegra? Didn’t you and Nico say that you didn’t want to be included in whatever I was doing?”She rolled her eyes, pulling her hand out of his grip. She eyed him while rubbing her wrist, her eyes giving away her anger. “Dante, whatever you
It had been two days since the argument between Dante and Chiara. Dante had spent the first day and most of the second, working. It was such a relief for Chiara to go the dining room and find it empty, save for the food on the table. Today, as she entered the dining room, she stiffened when her eyes locked with Dante’s. With a deep breath, she turned around to leave, an action that was cut short when Dante called her.“Chiara,” He called, his husky voice making her shiver, but she said nothing. “Answer me when I call you,” She kept quiet and he sighed. “Come here, now.”With much reluctance, she took the seat closest to him and stared quietly at the empty plate in front of her. She heard a groan from Dante, and when she looked at him, he looked away.“We’re going out after dinner, get ready when you’re done eating.” Again, she said nothing, silently scooping mashed potatoes onto her plate.Her actions infuriated Dante, he hated the way she ignored him. Although not permanent, she was
It had been twenty minutes—maybe half an hour—since Chiara and Dante arrived at the club and Chiara couldn’t be more bored than she was today. The music seemed to be drowned out by the tension between the both of them, yet, Chiara still found the place too noisy to read in. Why did Dante drag her here? Was this some kind of not so obvious punishment?“This is boring…” She muttered to herself, her eyes subconsciously doubting towards Dante to see if he cared about what she had said.Maybe he did and maybe he didn’t, it didn’t change the fact that Dante was still ignoring her, instead choosing to talk to the men who had been hovering around since a few minutes ago.She sighed, leaning into her chair with her eyes closed. She never knew it was possible to get bored at a club. When Dante remained silent despite her silent behaviour, Chiara suddenly got up, giving him a subtle glare.“I’m going to the bathroom,” She said, only leaving when Dante gave her a small nod.Chiara walked to the
Chiara’s eyes fluttered open and she took a look at her unfamiliar surroundings. Where was she? The ast thing that she remembered was going to the bathroom. “Finally awake…” A familiar gaze said besides her, and Chiara weakly shifted her gaze to the person that spoke.“N-Nico?” She stuttered as her vision became clearer. “W-what am I doing here?” She questioned, trying her stand. Her sore arms collided with the back of the chair where she sat and it finally dawned on her that she was tied up.“Untie me! Why are you doing this?!” She questioned as she struggled to free her hands, despite how much it hurt.He bent until his breath touched her face, causing Chiara to shudder. “I’m doing this for Dante. He’s not safe as long as you’re here.”Nico’s words hit Chiara like a truck. She closed her eyes to stop the tears that threatened to fall. How many times would she hear this from the people close to Dante? It wasn’t her fault that Dante had chosen to make her his pet, and why did nobody
The sunlight slipped through the curtains, casting delicate golden streaks across Chiara’s room. The light painted her face, and she groaned, turning in the other direction. Chiara wasn’t a morning person, and the thing that she hated more than mornings was being woken up from her naps. Her eyes fluttered open, and she blinked a few times to adjust her vision.“Have a good nap, darling?” she heard Dante’s voice from across the room and turned to him, giving him an irritated glance.He stood by her window, a cocky smirk on his face as he looked at her. The way the sunlight outlined his features, made him look attractive, not that Chiara would ever tell the cocky bastard that.“Why did you wake me?” She questioned, her voice almost coming out as a strained groan.He didn’t answer and made his way to her bed, sitting down as it did. “I realised that it had been a while since we did anything. It wouldn’t be fun if the only thing that you do here is existing.“I can’t do anything with you—
Chiara dashed into the hospital, Dante besides her and Allegra a reasonable distance from the two. Her father’s words replayed in her head like a broken record, and her eyes burned with tears that remained unshed. She refused to believe it—not until she had some sort of confirmation.She ran towards the receptionist, who gave her a startled look, and took a deep breath as if it would be any way to calm herself down.“Aria Ricci…” She mumbled, nervously playing with her hair. “S-she’s my sister.”The receptionist nodded and glanced at her computer. After a few agonising moments, she turned back to Chiara and Dante, a sympathetic look on her face as she pointed to a hall a few meters away. She quickly followed the woman’s direction, only stopping when she spotted her father who was pacing around in front of the door of what looked like an operating room.Her heart dropped and she stumbled towards her father. “P-papa! What happened to Aria?”As Lorenzo was about to answer, Dante reached
The tense atmosphere was something Chiara had accustomed herself to since she moved in with Dante, yet as she packed her bags, she felt troubled. She knew she had to fill in for Aria and take care of things at home until her father recovered, but she had never told Dante about it. Sure, she hated the fact that her life was being lived on Dante’s terms, but she didn’t want to cause trouble for her father at the same time.A knock on her door broke her out of her reverie. The door creaked open and Dante walked in, wearing the same cold expression he had on since Chiara visited Aria at the hospital. Dante wasn’t the kind of person to feel bad for someone he didn’t know, so something must have happened to him, but she knew that he wouldn’t tell her.His gaze shifted to her travelling bag and they both tensed, the tension between them becoming more uncomfortably palpable. “Are you planning on leaving? I didn’t give you permission to do that.”Chiara bit down on her lip, her gaze shifting t
It had been a while since Chiara was able to have those quiet days she had savoured before. She used to crave for days without Dante—days she would spend with herself, her family or with work. Now, it seemed the days that she had spent with Dante was what she wanted.It was a particularly quiet day today. The restaurant was virtually empty and the only thing Chiara entertained herself with was the novel that she was reading from her phone. She lacked the inspiration to play anything on her piano. In fact, the only thing she wanted to do was to sleep until Aria woke up.The restaurant’s entrance door swung open and Chiara whipped her head up to look at the person who had entered. It was the man she had talked to yesterday, Stefan, was it?He smiled as he walked up to her, taking a seat on one of the stools in front of the bar table. “Hey, Chiara.”Chiara smiled at him, her gaze shifting to her fingers. She had thought of Stefan a lot since yesterday. He was nice and didn’t make her fee
The implications of what happened with Dante hadn’t settled in Chiara’s head until she woke up the following morning. All her embarrassment and shame hit her at once like a truck. She felt her stomach twist and ran to the bathroom, emptying her stomach’s contents into the toilet. When she was done throwing up, she cleaned herself up and sat down in silence, lost in thought.If she let him do what he did the other night, did that mean he was succeeding in breaking her and making her want his touch?She was broken out of her reverie when the nearby birds started to chirp their annoying little tune. She wasn’t a fan of the noise, but too lazy to chase the birds, she headed for the door instead.As she opened the door, she felt her heart skip a beat. There was a blood trail leading to her bedroom door, and she was sure that it hadn’t been there before.Scared, she let out a loud scream, attracting the attention of Dante and his staff. They all rushed to where she was, but Chiara hadn’t no
Hours had passed since it happened, but the feeling hadn’t left Chiara. She’d spent all day hiding in her room, avoiding Dante, yet all she could think about was the way his tongue felt the other day. She should have been ashamed—but she wasn’t. Everything about that moment had felt right to her.Her core twitched, and she bit her bottom lip, letting out a soft moan. She could still remember the dizzying heat of being close to her first orgasm—and the hollow, aching emptiness when he stopped and told her to leave. Part of her had wanted to beg him to continue. But the other part—the part that refused to give Dante the satisfaction of breaking her—had made her comply and walk out.Still, she craved the feeling again. But…She was familiar with the concept of self-pleasure, thanks to walking in on Aria once. Aria had left her with a few vague, awkward words, and Chiara had ended up doing her own research. She’d never looked at Aria the same since.Now, as she sat on her bed, her gaze ne
Chiara pressed her hand firmly against Dante’s chest and pushed him away. Her breathing was heavy—partly from the anger pulsing through her veins. She wiped her lips roughly with the back of her hand, like his touch had burned her.She had almost forgotten who Dante really was.The last punishment hadn’t been that long ago, but somehow, she had let herself believe—just for a second—that he didn’t still see her as his possession.If she hadn’t been sitting on Dante’s bed, she would’ve collapsed onto the floor again. Her throat tightened painfully, and she bit down on her bottom lip like it could stop the tears threatening to spill.She had chosen the punishment. She had agreed to it. But now... she wished she had just listened to Dante and stayed at his house.“M-My throat still hurts,” she stuttered, pressing her back harder into the bed frame, like she could sink into it and vanish from his view.Dante’s lips curled slightly. His eyes crinkled with amusement as a low laugh escaped hi
Chiara looked at her phone anxiously, the ringing starting to give her a headache. The date had just started, and she felt like an idiot for calling him so soon. When the beeping cut off, her anxiety turned into relief.“H-Hello, it’s Chiara.” She paused, waiting for a response. When she got none, she continued talking. “C-Can you pick—”“I’m already here. Come out of the bathroom so we can leave.”She let out a breath she didnt know she was holding, and made a beeline to the door as the call ended. As she went back to where Satefan and her had been eating, the scene that met her eyes made her freeze in place. She stared, stunned. Dante stood in front of an unconscious Stefan, his fist bloody—and she could tell from the blood on Stefan's face, that it wasn’t Dante's blood.“W-What happe—?”“It doesn’t matter. Let’s leave.” He extended his bloody hand for Chiara to hold, and she stepped forward hesitantly, her eyes locked on it in silence. He sighed and pulled it back, wiping it on his
Chiara arrived at the venue looking anxious and still trembling from her conversation with Dante. Her hand instinctively went to her throat and then quickly back to her side. She wasn't ready for another punishment, but she knew she was going to get one the moment she walked out of Dante's house.She drew in a sharp breath to calm herself and walked into the restaurant, her eyes scanning the place. Her grandfather had booked the entire venue to prevent her from sitting at the wrong table, and as she spotted the only person seated, her heart drummed loudly in her chest. His gaze was still fixed on his phone, but Chiara could recognize that face from anywhere."Stefan," she mumbled to herself, but he seemed to hear her as he looked up from his phone and straight into her eyes.As he smiled at her, she tensed but reluctantly dragged her feet toward him."Why was he the one here?" she thought to herself, biting her bottom lip as she tried to distract herself with the menu."Chiara," he mu
Two days. That was how long it had been since Dante and Chiara shared that kiss. She could still remember the cold look he gave her after pulling away—he hadn’t said a word before leaving her alone. They hadn’t spoken since. He always seemed to be anywhere Chiara wasn’t.“Why does he seem to be avoiding me?” she murmured, resting her head on her pillow. She stared blankly at the ceiling, trying to make sense of it.The kiss played again in her head, and her hand subconsciously went to her lips. There was something about Dante’s kiss—especially since he’d stopped kissing her so possessively—that lingered differently.“…It was just a kiss…”His words echoed like a broken record. He had said the same thing after the kiss at Nico’s funeral. Maybe to him it was nothing. But to an inexperienced Chiara, it meant so much more.“I can’t be thinking about him like that. I don’t have Stockholm syndrome,” she muttered, closing her eyes in a vain attempt to shut out the thoughts.Her ringtone buzz
Chiara woke up alone. The cold side of the bed where Dante had slept was a silent relief—her body wasn’t sore, and for a brief, foolish second, she almost believed last night hadn’t happened. But the hollow ache in her throat told the truth. She moved carefully, like the air itself might shatter her, until she found him in the kitchen, stirring a pot like he hadn’t broken her just hours ago.He turned at the sound of her footsteps, smiling too easily. “Good morning, Darling. I made you tea—for your throat—”“Does this seem like a joke to you?” Her voice cracked with anger, though her legs kept moving, dragging her closer to him.Dante’s smile faltered, his voice turning cold. “Maybe it is, Darling. What part of your punishment did you find amusing?” His gaze locked on hers, sharp and cutting. She flinched. He saw it—and smiled wider. “There it is.”He lifted the cup toward her like an offering. “Now, instead of picking a fight you’ll lose, come drink your tea. Your throat must be raw.
"...And, if you're starting to forget that, how about I remind you by having your pretty little mouth wrapped around my dick?" Chiara went still. She still remembered the last time she was forced to give Dante a blowjob. As the memories forced its way back to her head, she could feel unshed tears stinging her eyes. "I-I'm sorry," she muttered, her voice cracking due to tears she struggled to hold back. "I-it was a mistake. Why are you being so mean? You kissed me at the funeral so why are you hurting me like its my fault it happened?" Dante flinched. This wasn't the respond that he wanted. His expression hardened and he looked at her blankly. "This isn't about the kiss. You disobeyed me and hit me, I'm only punishing you so why do you have to bring up the kiss? I kiss you whenever I want, the funeral is no big deal." Chiara winced, but kept quiet. A part of her felt hurt because of what Dante had said, but she pushed the feeling aside and watched silently as he moved towards h
Chiara was woken up by the repeated sounds of her ringtone. She sat up and looked around her room through hazy vision, trying to tune out the noise as she adjusted herself to reality. When her tiredness had subdued, she carried her phone and glance at the caller id displayed on her phone screen. It was an unknown number, and Chiara suddenly felt the urge to ignore it. Reluctantly, she answered, shuddering as her cild screen brushed against her ear. “H-hello?” She stuttered, suddenly getting a bad feeling. “Chiara? Did I wake you?” She calmed down when she heard Dante’s voice from the other end. “N-no,” She lied, trying not to ask about what happened the previous day. “I woke up a while ago…” “O-okay,” he paused for a while and Chiara could almost imagine him running his hand through his hair. “H-how are you?” She dragged her bottom lip through her teeth. “I’m good, great actually. It’s not like I’m thinking about yesterday or any—“ “It doesn’t sound like you’ve forgotten—“ “I