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Caterina.

It doesn't take much for anything that could go wrong to go wrong.

I woke up with a deep sense of unease twisting in my stomach, while my mind for some reason decided to keep on playing the events of yesterday over and over in my mind like a cruel joke I had somehow played on myself.

Why had I made that deal?

What kind of devil had somehow possessed me to bet on my own freedom on my father... a man who had never once chosen me over his own selfish ambitions?

Damn me!

My hands clenched the silk sheets as I exhaled sharply. It wasn't like I had a better plan.

But still...

I should have thought before speaking.

Sixty million dollars in two months? The number did one on my stomach.

How had my father even accumulated that kind of debt with Luca alone?

Was it the money Dad wanted to take from Alessandro? What had he even done with it? And more importantly, did he even care enough to try and get me back?

"He wouldn't do it." I scoffed to myself.

.

A sharp knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts, letting my heart skip a beat before I even realized something... Luca doesn't knock.

That bastard just appeared whenever he felt like it, waltzing into my space like he owned it.

Which, I supposed, he did.

I released a steadying breath before walking over and opening the door to find Raphael standing there, impassive as always, that sharp gaze of his assessing me.

"Luca's having breakfast in the dining area," he said simply, extending a hand.

All I could do was stare at him, then at what he held. My phone.

My phone!

I snatched it from his grasp, immediately feeling some sort of strange mix of relief and weariness.

Why was he giving it back to me? And why was he doing that without some kind of taunt or condition attached?

Luca hadn't mentioned this yesterday.

I spread a glance at Raphael. "Why are you telling me that?"

His expression didn’t change. “I was told to.”

“By Luca?”

He didn’t answer, just turned and walked away.

I couldn't help the frown that graced my lips as I held onto my phone tightly, before closing the door. I had no idea what to do with the information he gave, but I did know one thing.

Having my phone back was an advantage.

At least now I could check what the hell was going on in the outside world.

Sliding onto the bed, I unlocked the screen and opened the news. I wasn't surprised to find my name plastered everywhere. Articles, photos, speculations– all of it centred around my disappearance, my reappearance with Luca, and of course, the party.

That silly party where I just had to kiss Luca.

My lips twitched as I read through the headlines. The public was eating it up.

"Mafia Princess or Mafia Pawn? Caterina De Luca’s Shocking Abduction"

"Caterina and Luca: Love or Hostage Situation?"

"Alessandro: The Heartbroken Groom-to-Be Left at the Altar"

Ha!

I nearly laughed at that one. If only they knew the monster behind Alessandro’s perfect smile, the cruelty hidden behind his pretty words.

That smile dimmed when I came upon a message from my father.

"Exercise a little patience."

I couldn't help the little scoff. Patience? That was rich coming from him. He was the reason I was in this situation in the first place.

A handful of messages from one of my close friends caught my attention. Apparently, they were restricting access to me, blocking anyone from contacting her directly.

And then there was Alessandro.

The first few messages were sickly sweet. "I’m coming for you." "I’ll get you back, my love." "We’ll fix this."

Then, the tone shifted.

"Ungrateful bitch."

"Whore."

He had the audacity...

I knew I should have slapped him harder... anger surged through me, and before I could think better of it, I pressed the call button for my father.

The line barely rang before he picked up.

"Caterina."

"What the hell did you do?" I snapped, skipping pleasantries. "How did you even get sixty million in debt? Do you even know what you’ve done to me? They could have killed me! Do you even care about that?"

"Caterina..."

"And tell me, how exactly am I supposed to get sixty million in two months? You know my business isn’t doing that well. How could you..."

"Caterina, listen to me..."

"No, you listen to me!" I shouted, gripping the phone tightly. "You’re going to find that money. You have two months. If you don’t, I’m gone. And that’s on you."

I hung up before he could respond, my entire body vibrating with fury. The sheer recklessness of my father never ceased to amaze me.

Every single time, he had always put himself first, always gambled without caring who paid the price.

This time, the price was me.

"Oh, fuck him!"

I grabbed the nearest object... a porcelain vase on the side table... and hurled it at the wall. The crash echoed through the room, shards scattering across the floor.

"Tsk, tsk. That was a limited edition," a voice drawled.

I froze. My stomach twisted.

Luca.

I turned sharply to find him leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching me with something that looked dangerously close to amusement. He looked... different.

Not in a suit.

A plain black t-shirt clung to his torso, emphasizing every inch of his toned muscles, paired with grey sweatpants that somehow made him look even more attractive. His dark hair was damp, slightly tousled, like he had just stepped out of the shower.

I couldn't help but swallow the lump in my throat.

Damn it.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him, forcing myself to focus on his smug expression rather than how annoyingly good he looked.

Luca pushed off the doorframe and strolled further into the room, unfazed by the shattered vase. "We have an agreement now, amorino, which means you don’t have to stay here twenty-four seven."

I blinked. "What?"

"You can leave," he clarified with a casual shrug. "Until the two months are up and your father inevitably fails."

Who replaced Luca with some sort of clone?

I stared at him, completely thrown off. I hadn't expected this, that he would actually let me go.

But then he continued. "Of course, there are conditions."

I should have known.

"You’ll be required to come back here at least twice a week. Raphael will pick you up when you’re ready."

That didn’t sound… terrible. I could work with that. But then...

"And you won’t be with another man."

I scoffed. Again.

"Oh, so I’m free, but only within your rules? Figures."

Luca’s smirk didn’t waver. "You expected anything else?"

"We aren’t in a relationship. You’re just my captor. Maybe you should learn to behave."

Something dark flickered in his blue eyes. In a heartbeat, he was in front of me, his fingers gripping my jaw... not painfully, but firm enough to make her meet his gaze.

"Careful, Caterina," he murmured. "You forget who you’re talking to."

My pulse thundered, but I refused to look away. "And you forget that I’m not yours."

Luca’s thumb brushed over my bottom lip, his touch featherlight yet possessive. "Don’t worry about my women, amorino. I don’t share. So you better agree."

And for the umpteenth time within minutes, I swallowed again as my body betrayed me even as my mind screamed at me to fight.

Damn him.

Damn me.

And damn the way my heart raced whenever he touched me.