ARMANDO
I paced back and forth in my office, my mind racing. The phone call I’d just finished still echoed in my head, and the more I thought about it, the more my blood boiled. My informant’s words had been clear—our shipment had been intercepted, and it was no ordinary operation. This was a hit from our number one rival. I reached into my desk drawer and pulled out a cigar. I needed to calm down, think things through. But even as I lit the cigar and took a few slow puffs, the anger simmered just beneath the surface. It didn’t take long before I slammed my fist down on the desk, the wood rattling under the force. How the hell did this happen? We had planned everything. The route, the timing, the security. It was all handled quietly, kept within the tightest circle. So how did they know? I grabbed my phone, my hand shaking with anger as I dialed Matteo. “Get to my office. Now.” It wasn’t long before Matteo stepped through the door. He was quick, I’ll give him that, but it didn’t do much to cool my temper. “What the hell happened?” I snapped the moment he was inside. “How did they know? How did you let this happen, Matteo?” Matteo shut the door behind him and stood with his hands clasped in front of him. “Boss, it was an unexpected attack. They caught us off guard.” “Off guard?” I repeated, my voice rising. “We’ve been doing this for years. Nothing is supposed to catch us off guard! The route was a secret, everything was a damn secret!” He nodded, but his face stayed calm. “It was a secret, boss. We kept everything the way we always do. The only people who knew were you, me, and a few of our most trusted guys.” I took another drag from the cigar, letting the smoke fill my lungs as I tried to make sense of it all. How could they have known if only my inner circle had the details? There was only one answer. “There’s a rat,” I said, my voice cold. “Someone’s feeding them information.” Matteo’s eyes flickered with surprise, but he didn’t argue. “You think one of our own is working for them?” “How else could they know about the shipment?” I asked, staring him down. “We were careful, Matteo. We didn’t let anyone outside the circle in on the plan. If they knew, it’s because someone told them.” He didn’t say anything for a moment, just nodded slowly as he processed the thought. “I’ll start looking into it,” he said. “Quietly. We’ll find the rat.” “We better,” I muttered, pacing again. “I don’t care who it is. I don’t care how long they’ve been with us. Once we find them, they’re dead.” Matteo didn’t flinch at my words. He knew I meant every word, and he knew what kind of person we were up against. The rival family had been gunning for us for years, and we’d always stayed one step ahead. But this time, they’d hit us where it hurt. “I’ll handle it, boss,” he assured me. “But maybe you should take a step back for the night. Clear your head.” I stopped pacing, turning to look at him. “You want me to take a step back? We just lost millions in that shipment.” “I know,” Matteo said carefully. “But you’re pissed right now, and that’s not gonna help us figure this out. We’ll find the rat. But for tonight, maybe we just need to take a breather. You don’t have to make any decisions while you’re this angry.” I scoffed, turning away from him again. “A breather?” “There’s a new club that opened up,” he suggested. “Why don’t we head out there for a bit? Blow off some steam. You’ll feel better after a drink or two. Maybe some company.” I narrowed my eyes, considering it. The idea of unwinding sounded ridiculous given the situation, but Matteo had a point. I was angry—too angry to think straight. My fists clenched at my sides, and I realized that if I stayed in this office any longer, I was going to destroy something. “I don’t know,” I muttered, still unsure. “It’s one night,” he urged. “And you know as well as I do that this isn’t the first time we’ve been hit. We’ll bounce back, like we always do. But if you keep going at it like this, you’ll burn yourself out before we get to the bottom of it.” I took another drag from the cigar, feeling the tension in my shoulders. He wasn’t wrong. I needed to think clearly, and I wasn’t going to do that while I was like this. “Fine,” I said after a moment. “We’ll go.” Matteo gave a small nod, and I could see the relief in his eyes. “I’ll call for the car.” I crushed the cigar in the ashtray and grabbed my jacket from the back of the chair. The tension was still there, still coiled tight in my chest, but maybe a night out would help ease it. If nothing else, a few drinks would dull the edge of my anger. As I shrugged into my jacket, I couldn’t stop thinking about the rat. Whoever it was, they had betrayed me, and that was something I didn’t forgive. The night out might help me cool off, but it wouldn’t change the fact that someone in my crew had turned on me. And when I found out who it was, there would be no mercy. Matteo held the door open as I stepped out of the office. “We’ll head out the back,” he said, “keep things low-key.” I nodded, already calculating in my head how I would handle this. The club could wait—just for a few hours. But after that, I was going to get to work. The rat wouldn’t hide forever. They never did. As we walked down the hallway, Matteo fell into step beside me. “We’ll get through this, boss,” he said, his voice calm. “We always do.” I didn’t answer.ARMANDO The music in the club was deafening; a mix of heavy bass and fast beats that rattled through the VIP section. The air was thick with the smell of sweat, alcohol, and perfume.Neon lights flashed over the room, painting everything in shades of pink, purple, and blue while girls in tiny bikinis moved through the space, dancing on platforms and flaunting their bodies like they were on display. It was all a blur—girls grinding against poles, hands grabbing at cash, the sound of laughter mixed with the music. None of it could drown out the storm of thoughts in my head.I sat in the corner of the VIP section, a glass of whiskey in my hand. The booth was plush, expensive, and isolated from the chaos of the main floor. Matteo was beside me, completely in his element. Two girls were draped over him, their barely-covered bodies pressed against him as they giggled and whispered things I didn't bother to catch. He had one hand wrapped around a glass, the other resting on the ass of one
ELEANOR Armando barged into my room without warning, the door flying open like it had no weight at all. I jumped, my heart leaping to my throat. He didn’t knock. He didn’t say a word before entering. He just… invaded.“W—What if I’d been naked?” I stammered, pulling the edges of my nightgown tighter against my body, every inch of me on high alert.He didn’t even blink. “So what?” His voice was cold, dismissive. “This is my house. I can walk into any room I want, anytime I want. Especially yours.”I swallowed hard, trying to steady my voice. “That doesn’t give you the right to—”“I own you,” he cut me off, his voice sharp and final. “You’re mine, Eleanor. Don’t forget that.” He took a step forward, his eyes boring into me like I was nothing more than a possession he’d purchased. “You have no privacy here. None.”His words hit me like a slap. I felt the sting, the weight of his control. I had no say in anything. Not in this house. Not with him.He was so rude, ugh!For a moment, I coul
ELEANOR I was jolted awake by a knock. It was still dark outside, the room heavy with silence except for the persistent rapping on the door. Groaning, I turned over, pulling the pillow over my head. Maybe if I ignored it long enough, whoever it was would go away. But the knocking continued, steady and unrelenting. I blinked at the time on the bedside clock—who could it be by 4 a.m?I sat up, my mind immediately going to Armando. But no… it couldn’t be him. He’d made it clear last night that knocking wasn’t something he did—especially not in his own house. Sighing heavily, I dragged myself out of bed and shuffled to the door, hoping this wasn’t some twisted game he was playing. I opened it to find one of the housemaids standing there, her head bowed slightly in a polite greeting.“Good morning, Miss Eleanor,” she said, her voice soft but formal. She held up a neatly folded maid uniform with both hands, offering it to me like it was some kind of gift. “Mr. Armando instructed me to bri
The tension in the mansion was palpable as Armando stormed into the living room, his face a mask of rage. His voice cut through the silence like a knife, booming, "I want everyone to get in here now!"The maids and servants scrambled out from every corner of the house, their footsteps echoing through the hall as they rushed to obey. Every single one of them gathered at the center of the living room, heads bowed, hands clasped nervously. All except Eleanor.Armando’s eyes swept the room, narrowing when he realized she wasn’t there. His temper flared instantly, his fist clenching at his side.“I said every fucking person should be here now!" he bellowed, his voice loud enough to make the walls vibrate.A second later, Eleanor came running out from the kitchen, her heart pounding in her chest as she hurried into the room. She barely had time to catch her breath before Armando’s hand lashed out, delivering a hard slap across her face. The force of the blow sent her crashing to the floor,
ELEANOR I sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the wall in front of me. My mind was a whirlwind of confusion and frustration. How in the world did Armando expect me to clean this entire mansion all by myself? The place was massive—rooms upon rooms, endless hallways, marble floors that stretched on for what felt like miles. It was a task meant for a full team of maids, not just one person. Yet, here I was, stuck in this nightmare with no way out.I buried my face in my hands, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill over. What did I do to make him so angry? Was it the food? No, it couldn’t have been. I made sure to check the seasoning—twice, even. There was no way it was too salty or bland. But then, why was he so furious? The way he erupted at the dining table, the way he threw the tray to the floor, it was like I had committed some unspeakable crime. None of it made any sense.My thoughts drifted to the possibility of running away. But where would I go? How f
ELEANOR I stood in front of the mirror, staring at my reflection. The maid’s dress fit awkwardly on my frame, the stiff fabric clinging to me like an unwanted second skin. I sighed, adjusting the apron that felt too tight around my waist. It had been a few days since Isabella brought it to me, and now I was officially one of Armando’s housemaids. The reality of it sank in deeper with each passing second.I had avoided leaving my room up until now, relying on the maids to bring me meals whenever I needed food. But today, that changed. Today, I would be walking through Armando’s mansion, being shown around like I was part of his staff—because, in his eyes, I was.Isabella knocked on my door, her voice soft. “Miss Eleanor, are you ready?”I took a deep breath and nodded, even though I wasn’t sure I was ready for what awaited me. “Yeah… I’m ready.”She opened the door and stepped in, her expression kind as usual. “I’ll show you everything Mr. Armando expects to be cleaned. It’s a lot, bu
ELEANOR There I was outside Armando’s door, my hand hovering just an inch away from knocking. My heart was racing, my body heavy with exhaustion. A deep breath filled my lungs as I tried to brace myself for whatever awaited me on the other side. I didn’t want to be here. Every part of me screamed to turn around, walk away, and hide in my room. But I knew I couldn’t.Just as I was about to knock, I heard his voice from the other side, calm but commanding. "Come in."My hand froze. How the hell did he know I was standing there? I hadn’t even knocked. My chest tightened, and I swallowed hard, feeling a wave of nervousness sweep over me. I turned the knob slowly, pushing the door open, the familiar scent of his expensive cologne washing over me as soon as I stepped inside.The room was dark. I couldn’t see much—just the shadows of the furniture scattered around, but I couldn’t see him. That made me even more nervous. I stayed near the door, not daring to go any further.“Good evening, Mr
ELEANOR I dragged myself across Armando’s room, forcing my body to move as I wiped down the already spotless floor. My arms felt heavy, my back ached, and my mind… my mind was drowning in a sea of thoughts. I couldn’t focus on the exhausting task in front of me. The more I tried, the more my mind wandered, slipping further and further away from the present.I had been enduring Armando’s cruelty for so long that I didn’t even remember what it felt like to be free anymore. Every day was the same—his threats, his anger, the way he watched me like I was nothing more than property. It wore me down, piece by piece, until I barely recognized myself.My sister’s face flashed in my mind, and my heart clenched. She was the reason I was still here, why I was enduring all of this. The money Armando had paid for me… it went to her treatment. But lately, I started to wonder if I was doing the right thing. If I stayed here, I might not make it out alive. What good would I be to her then?It had bee