3- The Price of Silence

“I—” I swallowed hard, my voice barely more than a whisper. “I don’t know how to be strong in your world. But I can learn.”

Dante stared at me, his expression unreadable. For a moment, there was nothing but silence between us, heavy and suffocating. Then, slowly, a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

“We’ll see.”

The smirk that curled on Dante’s lips made my stomach twist. It wasn’t the kind of smile that promised safety or reassurance. It was a challenge. A cold, merciless dare that sent shivers down my spine. Every part of me screamed to run, to escape, but there was nowhere to go. I was trapped in this dark, unfamiliar world, and now my life hung on his judgment.

“We’ll see?” I repeated, my voice trembling. “What does that mean?”

“It means,” Dante said, his tone casual, almost bored, “that I’m giving you a chance. You’re weak now, but you want to prove me wrong? Then do it. Show me you have some worth.”

I swallowed hard. “How?”

He stepped closer, his tall frame casting a shadow over me. I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe as his eyes bored into mine, dark and unreadable.

“I’ll decide that,” he said softly, his voice a low, dangerous whisper. “But don’t get any ideas. This isn’t a mercy. If you fail me, if you prove that you’re nothing but a liability...”

He didn’t need to finish the sentence. The cold edge in his voice, the way his gaze lingered on me with that mixture of disdain and curiosity—it was clear what the consequences would be. If I didn’t find a way to survive in his world, he would kill me. No hesitation.

I tried to stand taller, fighting the urge to shrink under his stare. “And what if I succeed?”

His smirk widened, but there was no warmth behind it. “If you succeed, you might live long enough to regret it.”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. I was trying to bargain for survival, but in his world, survival didn’t come with peace. It came with suffering, with sacrifice, and I wasn’t sure if I was ready to pay that price. But I had no other choice.

The driver shifted uncomfortably by the door, casting a glance at Dante. “Boss, we should go. We’ve got business tonight.”

Dante barely acknowledged him, his gaze still fixed on me, like I was some kind of puzzle he was trying to figure out. “Get her to the house,” he finally said, his voice hardening. “Keep her out of sight.”

“Wait,” I blurted, my voice cracking. “You’re just... leaving me?”

Dante’s eyes narrowed, the coldness returning to his expression. “You think you’re important enough for me to deal with personally? I’ve got bigger things to worry about than some girl who wandered into my world by mistake.”

The sting of his words hit me harder than I expected. I wasn’t sure why—maybe because, deep down, I thought if I could just get him to see me as more than a problem, more than just some weak girl, I might stand a chance. But to him, I was nothing. Just another obstacle in his path.

“I—” My throat tightened, and I didn’t even know what to say. “I didn’t ask for this.”

“No one does,” he said, his voice flat. “But here we are.”

With that, Dante turned away from me, signaling to the driver to handle the rest. My chest tightened as I watched him walk toward the door, his long strides purposeful, every movement calculated and in control. It was as if the moment he stepped away, I ceased to exist in his world.

“Let’s go,” the driver grunted, gripping my arm roughly as he pulled me toward the car.

I wanted to protest, to fight, but my limbs felt heavy, weighed down by fear and the overwhelming reality of where I was. This wasn’t a dream. This wasn’t some nightmare I could wake up from. I was in his world now—a world that followed rules I didn’t understand, where the lines between right and wrong didn’t seem to exist.

The car door slammed shut beside me, and I found myself once again in the backseat, staring blankly out the window as the city blurred by. My hands clenched into fists in my lap, knuckles white as I fought back the tears that threatened to spill over. Crying wouldn’t help. Crying wouldn’t save me.

I had to think. I had to figure out what Dante meant—how I could prove myself, how I could survive. But nothing in my life had prepared me for this. I was just a college student, trying to live day to day in a world that already felt too big for me. Now, I was caught up in something far worse, something darker than I’d ever imagined.

“You should listen to him,” the driver muttered, breaking the heavy silence.

I blinked, turning toward him. “What?”

“Dante.” He didn’t look at me, his eyes focused on the road ahead. “He doesn’t give chances. If he says he’s giving you a shot, take it. And don’t mess it up.”

My chest tightened. “I don’t even know what he wants.”

The driver’s jaw clenched, and for a moment, I thought he wouldn’t answer. But then he sighed “He wants strength. And if you can’t give him that, he’ll have no use for you.”

“I’m not... I’m not like him,” I whispered, more to myself than to the driver. “I’m not cold. I’m not—”

“You don’t have to be like him,” the driver interrupted, his voice hardening. “But you need to survive. In this world, that’s all that matters.”

I bit the inside of my cheek, the taste of blood sharp on my tongue. Survive. That was the only thing I could do now. But how?

The car slowed as we pulled up to a large iron gate, the driver rolling down his window to enter a code. My stomach knotted as the gates slowly creaked open, revealing a massive estate surrounded by tall stone walls. It looked more like a fortress than a home, cold and imposing, just like the man who ruled it.

As we pulled up to the entrance, the driver stopped the car and opened my door. “This is where you stay now. Don’t try to leave. You won’t make it far.”

I stepped out, my legs trembling beneath me as I took in the size of the mansion before me. The reality of my situation pressed down harder, suffocating. This wasn’t just about being held captive. It was about being pulled into a world I didn’t understand, a world that could break me if I wasn’t careful.

The driver motioned toward the door, and I forced myself to walk, my feet feeling heavier with each step. As the door swung open and I stepped inside, I was met with the cool, sterile air of the estate—a world of luxury, but one devoid of warmth, devoid of life.

“You’ll be taken to your room,” the driver said, his voice distant now, as if I were just another task to complete. “Remember what I said. Survive.”

Survive.

I wasn’t sure how, but it was all I had left.