BELLA POVCould my life get any worse?Probably. I am the most unfortunate human to ever walk the earth so, I’d rather not find out.As much as I hated to admit it, I was settling into a routine at this house, this miserable, suffocating place that I refused to call home.Every day had started to blur together. Breakfast with Vincent, a walk around the estate, movies, overthinking, plotting ways to escape, and doom-scrolling through social media to watch other people live the life I wanted. A pathetic existence, really.The real shock, though? Vincent gave me back my phone.That alone was suspicious enough, but even weirder was the way he had changed. Gone was the arrogant, overbearing version of him I had grown used to. Now, he spoke to me like I was fragile like I mattered. And I hated that it confused me. It made me question everything.Still, there was another problem, he was barely around anymore.“Where the hell does he keep disappearing to?” I muttered, flipping onto my stomach
BELLA POVA knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts. I had been lost in my head ever since I ended the call with my father, running through every possible way I could convince Vincent to let me leave. Meeting my father felt like an impossible dream, but I had to try.The door creaked open, and Alessia stepped inside, as composed as ever in her neatly pressed uniform.“Good evening, ma’am. Don has asked you to join him for dinner.”My heart lifted at her words. Finally, a chance to talk to Vincent. I must find the right moment to bring it up. Hopefully, he is still nice.“Thanks, Alessia. I’ll be down in a few minutes.”She nodded politely and slipped out, closing the door behind her.I hurried to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and splashed cool water onto my face. My hands gripped the sink as I looked up at my reflection.I looked better.Healthier.My skin had a glow that wasn’t there before, and the exhaustion that once weighed down my face had faded. Whether it was the ex
BELLA’s POV“If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be here anymore. I’d still be rotting away in jail, and you… you’d continue to suffer in ignorance.”“I can’t believe this!” I exclaimed, my voice shaking.I really couldn’t believe it. All this time, I had blamed my dad for abandoning me, convinced he had chosen to walk away from my life. But the truth was far worse. He had been suffering while I resented him. I had let Vincent manipulate me into hating the only real family I had left.I felt so stupid.Vincent had played me like a fool. He had wrecked my life, stolen my trust, and as if that wasn’t enough, he had tried to kill my father.He was a monster.“I know this is a lot to take in,” my father said gently. “But it’s the truth. If not for Santiago, I would have died in that prison.”That name. Santiago. It sent a jolt through me. Why does that name sound so familiar?“Do I know him?” I asked, frowning. “The name, it feels like I’ve heard it before. And how did he do it? How did he
BELLAI was brooding in my room, trapped in a cycle of anger and helplessness.I hadn’t stepped out since last night. Even breakfast had been brought in by the maid, which I barely touched.I refused to see him.The bastard who should be rotting in prison for his crimes. The murderer had no right to walk free, let alone keep me locked up like a prisoner in his home.The door swung open without warning. I didn’t bother turning around. I kept my back to the intruder, staring at the empty wall like it held all the answers to my misery.“Looks like someone’s having a bad day.”His voice grated against my nerves.I turned slowly, my expression twisted into a scowl.Vincent.“What are you doing here?” I spat, my voice dripping with venom.He leaned casually against the doorframe, amusement flickering in his dark eyes. “Calm down, princess. This is my house, remember? I can go wherever I want.”Smug and Infuriating.I clenched my jaw, refusing to engage any further. I wasn’t in the mood to d
BELLA“He slapped my butt!” I yelled for the upteenth time since everybody was forgetting that fact and acting like I was the wrong one for slapping him, “he has no right to do that.”“I know Bella but you work at a bar, these type of things happen with the job and you just have to be reasonable, besides he is a VIP client.” A colleague at work responded.I was taken aback! What did they expect me to do? Stand there and let him touch me even after I had warned him twice to keep his hands to himself. It was bad enough that this was the only job I could find and I had to work my ass off to make enough money to pay for the rent and at the same time settle some of dad’s debts. That was the only thing keeping us alive because the kind of people he got involved with were always the dangerous kind that did not understand the word, please.I was standing beside the bar and waiting for my boss to step out of the VIP’s lounge. He had gone in there to pacify the customer I had slapped since he
BELLA I groaned softly as my eyelids fluttered open slowly. I winced in pain as the slight throbbing in my head turned serious and I couldn’t move as fast as I wanted to.It took a few seconds before I was able to keep my eyes open and take a good look around my surroundings. I was in an unfamiliar room and it wasn’t bright enough for me to take everything in but I knew one thing for sure, I wasn’t in my room.“Where am I?” I whispered to myself as I tried to sit up but something pulled me back down and that was when I noticed the chain and the fact that I had been tied to the bedpost.My heart skipped a beat as I struggled against the chain. I knew it was useless but I was panicking and unable to keep calm any longer. What was going on? I glanced around in fear just as the memories of what had happened earlier began to pop up in my mind.Dad was with some strange men, they had beaten him up badly and when I tried to stand up for him, Dad said something really odd and there was this
BELLAHe really had me locked up in the room like some animal. An entire day went by and he didn’t show up, the maids came up frequently with food but I simply refused to eat or touch anything.All I wanted was for them to just let me go. So when they brought breakfast the next day, I grabbed the table knife in the tray and held it out to them as I yelled at them to stay back.“I don’t want to hurt anyone, I just want to go home. I don’t belong here so let me out.”“You can’t just keep me in here like this when I didn’t do anything wrong. I won’t stop until you let me out.” I kept pleading with them to let me go but the maids kept saying the same thing: that it was their boss’s order that I wasn’t allowed to leave the room.I was so angry! Who did he think he was to take away my freedom like that?They tried to take the knife from me but were unsuccessful so one of the two maids slipped out to get help. I was certain he was going to show up and that was exactly what I wanted. “Let m
BELLA“There’s an event tonight and you’re coming with me,” I stated in an authoritative manner.“And why would I do that?” She shot me a glare.“You’re holding me here against my wish so why on earth would I go anywhere with you?” She clapped back at me angrily.“Because I said so.” I hissed, she opened her mouth to say something again and I just knew she was about to counter me so I grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to me.She tried to shake me off but I held her still by grabbing her chin roughly,“Don’t get me wrong, that wasn’t a request and for your own safety, when I say something, you fucking do it without making a single sound.”I had lost a drug shipment for a client and was not in the right frame of mind at that time plus I hated how she always fought back, she was supposed to be submissive. For a man like me that was used to people being afraid of me, she was definitely different.“So what am I to you? Some kind of puppet or what?” She countered. I scoffed in disbelie
BELLAI was brooding in my room, trapped in a cycle of anger and helplessness.I hadn’t stepped out since last night. Even breakfast had been brought in by the maid, which I barely touched.I refused to see him.The bastard who should be rotting in prison for his crimes. The murderer had no right to walk free, let alone keep me locked up like a prisoner in his home.The door swung open without warning. I didn’t bother turning around. I kept my back to the intruder, staring at the empty wall like it held all the answers to my misery.“Looks like someone’s having a bad day.”His voice grated against my nerves.I turned slowly, my expression twisted into a scowl.Vincent.“What are you doing here?” I spat, my voice dripping with venom.He leaned casually against the doorframe, amusement flickering in his dark eyes. “Calm down, princess. This is my house, remember? I can go wherever I want.”Smug and Infuriating.I clenched my jaw, refusing to engage any further. I wasn’t in the mood to d
BELLA’s POV“If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be here anymore. I’d still be rotting away in jail, and you… you’d continue to suffer in ignorance.”“I can’t believe this!” I exclaimed, my voice shaking.I really couldn’t believe it. All this time, I had blamed my dad for abandoning me, convinced he had chosen to walk away from my life. But the truth was far worse. He had been suffering while I resented him. I had let Vincent manipulate me into hating the only real family I had left.I felt so stupid.Vincent had played me like a fool. He had wrecked my life, stolen my trust, and as if that wasn’t enough, he had tried to kill my father.He was a monster.“I know this is a lot to take in,” my father said gently. “But it’s the truth. If not for Santiago, I would have died in that prison.”That name. Santiago. It sent a jolt through me. Why does that name sound so familiar?“Do I know him?” I asked, frowning. “The name, it feels like I’ve heard it before. And how did he do it? How did he
BELLA POVA knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts. I had been lost in my head ever since I ended the call with my father, running through every possible way I could convince Vincent to let me leave. Meeting my father felt like an impossible dream, but I had to try.The door creaked open, and Alessia stepped inside, as composed as ever in her neatly pressed uniform.“Good evening, ma’am. Don has asked you to join him for dinner.”My heart lifted at her words. Finally, a chance to talk to Vincent. I must find the right moment to bring it up. Hopefully, he is still nice.“Thanks, Alessia. I’ll be down in a few minutes.”She nodded politely and slipped out, closing the door behind her.I hurried to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and splashed cool water onto my face. My hands gripped the sink as I looked up at my reflection.I looked better.Healthier.My skin had a glow that wasn’t there before, and the exhaustion that once weighed down my face had faded. Whether it was the ex
BELLA POVCould my life get any worse?Probably. I am the most unfortunate human to ever walk the earth so, I’d rather not find out.As much as I hated to admit it, I was settling into a routine at this house, this miserable, suffocating place that I refused to call home.Every day had started to blur together. Breakfast with Vincent, a walk around the estate, movies, overthinking, plotting ways to escape, and doom-scrolling through social media to watch other people live the life I wanted. A pathetic existence, really.The real shock, though? Vincent gave me back my phone.That alone was suspicious enough, but even weirder was the way he had changed. Gone was the arrogant, overbearing version of him I had grown used to. Now, he spoke to me like I was fragile like I mattered. And I hated that it confused me. It made me question everything.Still, there was another problem, he was barely around anymore.“Where the hell does he keep disappearing to?” I muttered, flipping onto my stomach
THIRD POV“I want a clean job, Bianchi. Hit hard and fast. Take our best men and get me that bastard, there shouldn’t be any mistakes.” Vincent said through gritted teeth, his voice laced with barely contained fury.His body burned with rage, and the only thing that could satiate it was the blood of the fool who dared to strike at him once again using underhanded tactics.“I must show him what happens when he crosses me,” Vincent continued, his fists clenching at his sides. “I’ve been too lenient. He needs to learn… no, he will learn that I will always be above him.”Bianchi gave a sharp nod. “He messed with the wrong man, Don. I’ll drag him here myself.”Without another word, Bianchi turned on his heel and strode out of Vincent’s office, his expression set in stone. Downstairs, a dozen of their best men were already waiting, weapons checked, eyes sharp.Bianchi smirked as he surveyed them. “Hello, boys. Ready to have some fun?”“Yes, sir!” they answered in unison, excitement cracklin
BELLA“I’m going crazy,” I mumbled, kicking my feet against the mattress in frustration.None of this makes sense. I must be losing my mind. How does a man go from being the most insufferable human on the planet to someone… nice?Vincent was rude. Vincent was mean. Vincent had the patience of a malfunctioning time bomb and the arrogance of a king who conquered a kingdom just to burn it down for fun. That was the Vincent I knew, the one I tolerated at best and loathed.“So why, in the name of all things logical, was he being sweet earlier?”I groaned, rolling onto my stomach and burying my face in my pillow before mumbling into the fabric, “Is he possessed? Is there such a thing as a nice ghost?”Then I scoffed. Who was I kidding? Even a ghost would take one look at his body and decide, Yeah, no thanks. Not worth the trouble.Vincent was a walking disaster, a wrecking ball that had single-handedly turned my already messed up life upside down. Kidnapping me, dragging me into his stupid
VINCENT POVI let out a low chuckle, wincing slightly as the movement pulled at my freshly stitched wound. “So you do care, after all,” I teased, my voice laced with amusement.Bianchi scoffed. “Care? Please. I’m just looking out for myself. If you kick the bucket, guess who has to clean up the mess? Spoiler alert, it’s me, and I’m not interested.”I smirked as I tilted my head slightly. “You sure? You’d make a decent boss, Bianchi.”“Absolutely not,” Bianchi deadpanned. “I enjoy my life. I like my tailored suits without bullet holes. I like sleeping without one eye open. And most importantly, I like drinking my whiskey without wondering if it’s been poisoned.”I chuckled again, shaking my head. This argument with Bianchi never gets old.“Do I need to remind you that you are my second in command and you are already in danger?.”“Yeah, yeah.” He said dismissively.Bianchi leaned forward, his tone shifting to something more serious. “But in all honesty, we can’t let something like last
THIRD POV“Don, keep your eyes open. Don’t fucking close them!” Bianchi’s voice cut through the chaos, sharp with desperation as he slammed his foot on the gas. The tires screeched against the pavement, the city lights blurring into streaks of neon as they tore through the streets. He had been in situations like this before, but this was different.Vincent was shot. Vincent.The man Bianchi thought was untouchable, unstoppable, invincible.His hands clenched the steering wheel so tightly. He risked another glance at Vincent, but the sight nearly sent his stomach plummeting. Blood seeped through his jacket, spreading and soaking the fabric until it clung to his body like a second skin. His normally sharp, defiant eyes were half-lidded, his head tilted slightly, as if sleep was winning the battle he barely seemed to fight.“Vincent, keep your goddamn eyes open!” Bianchi barked again, his voice cracking with urgency. But Vincent didn’t react.Didn’t even flinch.His breathing was shallow
THIRD POV The door flew open, slamming against the wall with a loud bang, and Bella yanked at the chain binding her wrists. The cold metal bit into her already raw skin, but she didn’t care. “You asshole! Get me out of this shit!” she snarled, her voice dripping with rage. A maid stepped into the room, unaffected by Bella’s fury. She barely reacted, only blinking before setting a tray down at the foot of the bed. Then, without a word, she approached Bella. Bella’s face burned with embarrassment. As if it wasn’t enough that Vincent had left her looking like she’d just been fucked, now he dared to send a maid to witness her naked and chained like some helpless prisoner? Her anger surged. “What are you doing here? Why did that bastard send you?” she growled, tugging violently against the restraints. The maid remained calm, pulling a small key from her pocket. “Please stop struggling, ma’am, or you’ll hurt yourself. I’m here to free you.” Bella stilled, breathing heavily, wat