002

Caterina.

"Her. I want her."

Alessandro’s face darkened, his facade of charm splintering like glass. His hands balled into fists at his sides as he took a threatening step toward Luca.

"You can't have her," Alessandro said, his voice low and venomous. The pleasant murmur of the party continued around us, blissfully unaware of the storm brewing in the eye of the ballroom. "She's mine."

Luca raised a brow, completely unbothered. If anything, he seemed amused by Alessandro's sudden outburst, as if he'd expected it and found it utterly predictable.

"Yours?" Luca repeated, his voice dripping with mockery. He gestured lazily toward me without breaking eye contact with Alessandro. "She doesn't look like she agrees."

Their words felt like distant thunder, rumbling just outside my comprehension. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Luca, even as unease coiled in my stomach.

How could he stand there so calmly, declaring ownership over me like I was a pawn in their game?

Alessandro ignored the jab, stepping closer until he was chest to chest with Luca. His height gave him an advantage, but Luca's presence was a storm Alessandro couldn’t match.

"I don't care what kind of arrangement you think you have with me," Alessandro growled, his voice just low enough to keep the confrontation from the guests' ears. "She's off-limits."

Luca's eyes flicked to me, then back to Alessandro. His smile widened, sharp and predatory. "Funny," he said softly. "I don't recall asking your permission."

The words hung between them, taut as a wire about to snap. I glanced around, desperately hoping someone would notice, but the crowd remained blissfully ignorant.

“Gentlemen,” my father’s voice cut in, strained but trying for politeness. He stepped forward, his hand outstretched in what he probably thought was a gesture of peace. “This is an engagement party, not a boxing ring. Let’s not make a scene.”

Luca’s attention shifted, and I swore I saw a flicker of recognition in his eyes as he regarded my father. It was fleeting, but enough to set my nerves alight.

“Ah, Mr. De Luca,” Luca said, his tone colder now, edged with something darker. “Still meddling in things you don’t understand, I see.”

My father paled, the colour draining from his face so quickly it was almost alarming. He glanced nervously at Alessandro, then back at Luca. "You don't belong here," he said stiffly. "This isn't your concern."

But Luca’s smile had returned. "Oh, but it is," he said with a deceptively light voice. "After all, it was your poor judgment that brought me here in the first place."

I couldn't take it anymore.

“What are you talking about?” I demanded, my voice cutting through the tension before I could stop myself. All three men turned to me, their gazes heavy with implications I couldn’t untangle.

My father’s face twisted in panic, Alessandro glared as though I’d betrayed him by speaking, and Luca… Luca just looked at me with an unreadable expression.

"Caterina..." my father started, but Luca silenced him with a sharp glance.

“She doesn’t know, does she?” Luca asked, his voice tinged with mock pity. He turned back to me, his green eyes locking onto mine. “Your father owes me more than money, Amorino. He owes me answers. But right now, I’ll settle for you.”

The words hit me like a blow.

Here I was, being sold like a blood mare to Alessandro to pay my family's debt and there was something else. He kept this from me?

I looked at my father, searching for denial in his expression, but all I saw was guilt.

“Is this true?” I demanded, my voice trembling. “Did you...”

“Enough!” Alessandro barked, his composure snapping. “I won’t let you manipulate her, Luca.”

"Let me?" Luca laughed, the sound rich yet dangerous.

Alessandro lunged, but Luca caught his wrist with effortless precision, twisting it just enough to make Alessandro flinch. "Careful," Luca murmured. "You wouldn’t want to cause a scene, would you?"

“Let go of him!” my father hissed, stepping forward, but Luca’s gaze stopped him in his tracks.

“Stay out of this, old man,” Luca said, his voice sharp. “You’ve done enough damage.”

The hostility between them was palpable, a current so strong even I could feel it. But no matter how much I searched their faces, I couldn’t piece together how they knew each other or why Luca’s presence had shaken my father so deeply.

“Both of you stop!” I said, my voice stronger now. My pulse was racing, my hands trembling at my sides. I didn’t know what game they were playing, but I wasn’t going to be their pawn. “This is my life you’re fighting over!”

For a brief moment, silence fell between us. Then Luca smiled again, softer this time, though no less dangerous. “You’re right,” he said simply. “This is your life.”

Before I could respond, he turned back to Alessandro and my father, his smile vanishing. “Both of you, shut it.”

And then, without warning, he reached for me. His arms looped around my waist with ease, and before I could even protest, he hoisted me off my feet as though I weighed nothing.

“Put me down!” I screamed, thrashing against his grip. My fists pounded against his chest, but it was like hitting stone. “I said put me down, you lunatic!”

Luca ignored me, striding toward the exit as if I weighed nothing. The crowd parted like water before him, their stunned whispers and gasps following us. I caught a glimpse of Alessandro’s livid face, his hands clenched into fists, but he didn’t move.

My father, on the other hand, took a hesitant step forward.

“Luca!” my father barked, his voice cracking with desperation. “Let her go!”Luca didn’t even glance back. His focus was on the door, on his exit, as though nothing else mattered.

“Luca!” I screamed again, louder this time. “Put me down right now, or I swear I’ll...”

“Or you’ll what?” he interrupted, his voice infuriatingly calm. “Keep yelling? Scratch me with those pretty little nails? I hate to break it to you, but I’ve been through worse, amorino.”

His words only fueled my anger. I twisted harder in his grip, my legs kicking. “Drop me! Now!”

That finally seemed to catch his attention. He paused, just outside the ballroom, and looked down at me with a raised brow.

“You sure about that?” he asked, his tone as mocking as ever.

“Yes, you arrogant bastard!” I shrieked, my voice echoing in the cavernous hallway. “Drop me!”

His lips curled into a slow, dangerous smile. “As you wish.”

And then he did it.

He let go.

I barely had time to gasp before I hit the floor. Hard. My knees and palms smacked against the cold marble, the impact jolting through my body. Pain flared instantly, sharp and unrelenting, and I let out a shocked cry.

That bastard had dropped me on the hard floor.