1: Mya's POV Strong fingers grabbed my chin, squishing my cheeks together and forcing me to look in the mirror. "Come on, sister, show me a big smile." The voice of my brother, Ryan, taunted.I glared at him through the mirror, my bright blue eyes shooting icy daggers at him. But my defiance only made him laugh and squeeze my cheeks to the point it hurt and made my eyes to water. "Oh come on," He cooed, his brows drawn together in a mockery of sadness. "Don't cry now you'll ruin your make-up. It's a happy day, you should be happy right now."I wanted his hands off me. My entire back was still stinging in pain from two nights ago, after he had whipped me till I passed out. And now he has the gall to look at me and tell me to smile."Is she ready yet?" One of my three elder brothers, Carlos asked."What's the fucking hold up?" My third brother, Nathan asked. Anger welled up inside me. I wish I had three knives. So I'd kill my brothers. Carlos and Nathan came closer, and the fou
MYA The soft click of the bathroom door lock sounded louder in my ears than it should have. I leaned my back against the cold wall, sliding down until I was sitting on the floor. My heart raced in my chest, so loud I could hear it pounding in the silence.Married. I was fucking married.My chest tightened as my mind spiralled. How had I let it happen? When did I even say “I do”? The words had slipped out of my lips, but I couldn’t remember speaking them. It was all a blur—a horrible, suffocating blur of whispers, stares, and his piercing green eyes.I rubbed my sweaty palms against my dress. The silk fabric felt smooth under my fingers, but the sensation did little to calm my nerves. My gaze darted around the bathroom, taking in everything. I stared at myself in the mirror, the veil was gone, but my makeup was still intact, though I could feel the cracks forming beneath it.And then there was the kiss.My stomach twisted. His lips hadn’t even touched mine, not really. But the gho
MYA When I regained consciousness, the world was spinning and my head was throbbing like it would soon fall off my head. My body felt like it had been tossed around, and the cold, hard ground beneath me did little to ease the discomfort. I blinked, forcing my eyes to adjust to the dim lighting around me. The air reeked of sweat and it made it really hard to breathe. It took me a moment to realize where I was.I was in a narrow dark alleyway, huge scary men surrounded me having a discussion right above my head. “She looks good enough. How much?”“Better than most we find. Let’s start the bidding at five hundred.”Five hundred? My mind scrambled to catch up. Bidding? What the hell is going on?Panic set in. They were talking about me. I was their bargaining chip. My stomach churned as fear coursed through my veins.I inched back, desperate to put some distance between myself and the men. My movements were slow, my limbs barely making a sound. I needed to escape now that they wer
MYAWANTED! The room was stifling, and every beat of my heart echoed loudly in my ears as I tried to steady my trembling hands. The man’s body sprawled on the floor, and panic consumed me. I had no time to waste; someone would come looking for him soon.I took a shaky breath and glanced around the room. The least I could do was make it seem like nothing had happened—at least for a while. I dragged his limp body toward the bed and positioned him as though he were sleeping. My stomach churned at the way his head rolled to one side, blood trickling from the bash on his temple.It wasn’t perfect, but it might buy me some time.I cracked the door open and peeked into the dimly lit hallway. It was quiet except for the muffled voices in the distance. My heart raced as I stepped out, shutting the door gently behind me.I hadn’t made it far when I heard a familiar voice.“There you are,” the boss said, his lips curling into a smirk as he looked me over. He crossed his arms, leaning casual
ANGELO “An heir,” they said. “The continuation of the family line is paramount.” I didn’t care about heirs, about continuing some legacy that felt more like a curse. Marriage wasn’t something I wanted—not now, not ever.But the noise wouldn’t stop. Their insistence had grown louder lately, and I’d run out of excuses to push them away. Then Victor, my most trusted advisor, had reminded me of a long-forgotten contract.“The girl your father betrothed you to when you were about eleven—have you considered calling in that agreement?” Victor had asked, his voice calm but purposeful.I’d frowned, trying to erase any memory of the arrangement. “You’re joking,” I muttered. “That was years ago. That contract is as good as dead.”Victor shook his head. “Her family never annulled it. They owed your father a considerable debt, and as far as we know, they haven’t paid it off. Legally, the arrangement still stands.”I leaned back in my chair, my fingers drumming against the edge of my desk. “A
MYA TIT FOR TAT I stared at the unfamiliar room, disoriented, before everything that happened the previous day came rushing back. The wedding. The running. The almost becoming a whore. Angelo. I sat up, my hands instinctively flying to my body. I checked between my legs, my clothes. Everything seemed intact. My dress wasn’t torn, and there was no pain, no soreness between my legs. That was good, I guess. I clutched the blanket, I was utterly confused. Was this really the same man everyone feared? The man with a reputation so terrifying even my brothers, who thought they were invincible, trembled at the mere mention of his name? Maybe he was toying with me, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Maybe last night had been a show of restraint so he could enjoy watching me squirm before pouncing when I least expected it. The thought sent shivers down my spine. I pushed the covers aside and slipped out of bed, my feet touching the cool floor. I made my way to the adjoinin
MYAI stared at Angelo, His voice was calm, like he wasn’t saying the most humiliating thing I’d ever heard. I felt like I was shrinking in front of him, and there was nowhere to hide.“I don’t fuck virgins,” he said with a hint of finality as if that was the end of the conversation.My cheeks burned, and I clenched my hands into fists to stop them from shaking. “I’m not a child,” I said, my voice quieter than I wanted it to be. It was nowhere close to intimidating.His eyebrows rose slightly, and a small smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Oh, really?” he said, leaning back in his seat. “Then tell me, what do you know about sex?”I don’t know what I was expecting but this question was definitely not it. My mouth opened, but no words came out. I knew the basics, sure—what everyone my age knew—but I didn’t have an answer that would satisfy him. He was older, experienced, and there was no way I could bluff my way through this conversation.“Exactly,” he said when I stayed silent.
MYA SHOPPING SPREE The car ride was silent, but not the comfortable kind. It was crazily awkward and I was sure as hell that if we could hear each other’s thoughts, it would be so noisy. I sat stiffly in my seat, my hands clasped tightly on my lap, trying to appear composed like I wasn’t having a full blown conversation in my head. Angelo drove with one hand on the wheel, the other resting casually on his lap. His face was unreadable, his eyes focused on the road. I sneaked a glance at him, wondering how someone could look so calm while being so intimidating. He made me feel so small. I shifted in my seat, trying to adjust without drawing attention to myself. The leather creaked slightly, and I froze, feeling his gaze avert toward me briefly before returning to the road. “You’re too tense,” he said suddenly, his deep voice cutting through the tension. I blinked, caught off guard. “I’m fine,” I replied quickly. He didn’t respond, but the corner of his mouth twitched, almos
Mya I wrinkled my nose as I averted my gaze. He reeked of feminine perfume and that irked me. It made me feel irritated and I cursed myself for not noticing the different scent clinging to his heady cologne. Perhaps if I had noticed that, I’d not have asked him to wait. The thought of what he was clearly doing before returning home made me uncomfortable. “Couldn’t this wait until morning?” he asked, his voice calm and a little irritated, like he had somewhere better to be. I shook my head quickly, deciding to get on with it. “No. You’d be gone before I woke up.” He tilted his head slightly, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Fine. Go on, then.” I took a deep breath, trying to gather my thoughts. “I… I just wanted to thank you,” I began, my voice lower than I intended, almost shaky but I had that in control. His brow arched, and he crossed his arms. “Thank me? For what?” “For helping me,” I said, forcing myself to meet his gaze. “For making sure I’m… safe here. For everything so
Mya The next night Angelo didn’t come home until late, I’d been waiting in the living room with a book I wasn’t really reading. When I heard the front door click open, I couldn’t help but look up, feeling something close to relief at the sound of his footsteps. But that relief was short-lived when he walked in, his shirt rumpled, hair tousled, and that same scent of perfume lingering in the air around him. “Goodnight,” he said, his tone indifferent as he walked past me without a second glance. I nodded, swallowing the questions that rose to my throat. “Goodnight,” I murmured, but he was already halfway up the stairs. The next night was the same. He left before I even woke up, and when he returned, it was late, and he looked just as rough. The faint lipstick mark on his collar didn’t go unnoticed. I didn’t say anything, though. What could I possibly say? By the third night, I told myself I wouldn’t wait up for him. It wasn’t like I had any reason to. Yet there I was again, curled
Mya Back in my room, I finally felt like I could breathe again. Being home brought a comfort I hadn’t realized I needed. After everything that happened on the trip—the near-accident, the tension with Angelo, the endless emotional twists—it was good to be in a space that felt like mine, where I could think clearly. I stretched out on my bed, letting myself sink into the softness. My mind wouldn’t stop wandering, though. It kept going back to that moment on the plane. When Angelo’s hands had slipped under me, ready to lift me up, and then our eyes met. Those few seconds felt like forever, his gaze holding mine as if he were searching for something. I don’t think I’d ever been more tense in my entire life, the feeling was one of a kind and it was definitely something that I wasn’t going to be forgetting anytime soon. The way he’d pulled back after that, as if burned, left a strange ache in my chest. He dropped me like a hot towel as soon as he could and that hurt more than I would
The morning we left the villa, I found myself unusually eager to head back home to Italy. This entire trip had been a whirlwind—one moment I was hiding from gunfire, the next, I was head over heels for Angelo’s effortless charm and sharp looks. The man had a way of taking up my head space, even when he was quiet. I smoothed the hem of my dress as I stepped into the car, determined not to overthink anything on the journey. It was a sleek, black luxury vehicle that screamed Angelo in every way—demure, commanding, and just a little intimidating. He was already inside, sitting with one leg crossed over the other, his suit impeccable. His head tilted slightly as he glanced my way. “Comfortable?” he asked, his voice low. Of course I wasn’t comfortable. How could I be? “Yes,” I replied, trying to sound just as relaxed, though my heart was racing. As the car began to move, the gentle hum of the engine filled the air. I looked outside because it was the safest choice, staring anywhere el
Angelo I adjusted my cufflinks, staring at my reflection in the mirror. Tonight was the last function we had to endure before returning home. This trip had been strangely peaceful, even if it came with its share of trouble. I hadn’t worked much, which was unusual for me. Instead, I’d spent days idling, something I wasn’t accustomed to. And then there was her. My so-called wife. She had been... present in ways I hadn’t seen coming. Her clumsiness, her nervous energy, her stubborn little quirks—it was all becoming a distraction. A distraction I couldn’t afford. I sighed, running a hand through my hair as I tightened my tie. Returning home couldn’t come soon enough. At least then, I could slip back into my routine—work, focus, control. The past few days had left me feeling oddly horny, and I knew exactly why. I hadn’t been able to shake this persistent tension in my body, a tension I was determined to resolve once we were back. “Angelo?” Her voice was soft, hesitant, coming from b
ANGELOThe door to her room was cracked open, and for some reason, I found myself hesitating. It was late, and I should’ve already left for the night, but something made me linger. Pushing the door open just enough to peek in, I saw her lying there. She was curled up on the bed, her bandaged hand resting against the pillow, her chest rising and falling in soft, steady breaths. The light from the lamp cast a warm light over her face, making her look... fucking beautiful and peaceful too. I leaned against the doorframe with my arms crossed, watching her.She was beautiful and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. She was so beautiful that I couldn’t exaggerate it even if I wanted to. I didn’t want to think about it, didn’t want to acknowledge it, but it was impossible not to notice. Her lashes were dark against her cheeks, and the way her lips parted slightly as she slept—it was distracting. Too distracting.I thought back to this morning. The panicked scream, the sight of her clutching
The man fell on his knees, trembling, his face pale and streaked with blood. Tears ran freely down his cheeks as he begged for his life, his voice laced with desperation. “Please… spare me. I didn’t mean any harm. I was just following orders. I swear, I didn’t want to hurt anyone.”Angelo looked completely unbothered by his tears, his expression looked like it was carved from stone, eyes cold and unforgiving. He twirled his knife lazily in one hand, the blade glinting under the lights. His voice was calm but laced with danger. “You didn’t want to hurt anyone?” he repeated, stepping closer to the man. “Yet you came here armed, disrupted my evening, and terrorized my wife. Forgive me if I find that hard to believe.”The man flinched as Angelo crouched in front of him, the knife was still in his hand. “Give me one good reason not to end your pathetic existence right now,” Angelo said.My breath hitched in my throat as I watched the scene unfold. The sheer ruthlessness in Angelo’s
MYA The sound of gunfire was deafening. My ears rang, my chest tightened, and I was too scared to breathe. My back pressed against the cold walls as I tried to make myself smaller, trembling so hard my teeth chattered. This wasn’t supposed to happen—not here, not now. For once, I thought we’d get through a single day without chaos.Angelo crouched beside me, his jaw tight and his eyes scanning the room as though he could see through walls. He turned to me, his voice cutting through the panic. “Are you okay?”I shook my head frantically, unable to find my voice. My hands gripped the edge of my dress like it was a lifeline. “No,” I finally whispered, my voice trembling. “No, I’m not okay. What’s going on?”“Shh.” His gaze softened for a brief moment. He reached for my face, cupping it with both hands, forcing me to meet his eyes. “Breathe,” he ordered.“I—I can’t,” I stammered, the words choking me. My chest felt like it was caving in.“Yes, you can,” he said, his thumbs brushing aga
Everything felt weird as I stood in front of the mirror, judging my reflection for what must have been the hundredth time. The dress I was wearing was elegant, with a soft, flowing material that clung to my frame just enough to look flattering without being too revealing. My hair was styled to perfection, and my makeup—light and natural—highlighted my features just right. I knew I looked good, but the nervous knot in my stomach refused to loosen.Why was I nervous? I hated that I felt this way. Angelo had been absent the entire day, handling whatever “important” business he’d mentioned earlier. Part of me was glad for the space, but another part—one I didn’t want to acknowledge—wondered what he’d think of how I looked tonight.I shook my head, scolding myself. Why does it matter? I reminded myself of his words, the ones that had played on a loop in my head since the day he’d said them: “I’m not attracted to you. You’re like a child.” It stung at first, but now, I knew better. I