JACKPOT

Vanessa's POV

Bella had dragged me in front of her mirror, yanking me from my chains and pulling me into her room. I didn’t know why I was here, but all I wanted was to get out.

She tossed a dress in front of me, practically throwing it onto the bed. "That won’t do," she sneered. "You need something sexier to satisfy Dante. I don’t want to hear him complain about a maid failing him. I want you to be perfect." Her voice dripped with a wicked smirk I caught in the mirror.

My throat went dry as I swallowed, blinking. Why is she pushing me at Dante? He hadn’t asked for anything. So why was she so eager?

"I don’t think I—" I started, but she shut me down, pressing her finger to my lips. "Enough talk. More dressing."

She spun me around to face her, and I couldn’t help but shiver at the strange thrill she seemed to get from this. Before I knew it, her hands were on me, tugging off my dress until I was down to just my bra and underwear. I stared at her, trying to figure out what the hell was happening, but she just sneered back.

"Why are you gawking at me? You got all filthy running around—I’m just here to ‘clean you up.’"

" You have a ot to learn if you want to survive here, the last horrible thing i saw in the mansion was a girl getting killed for seducing Dante to take the key of the mansion. What a pity! She was so nice "

I opened my mouth to ask, " Who.....killed her?"

She stared at me for a while and scoffed, " That's such a stupid question! You know who killed her, Dante Romano, the king of no mercy. If you want to get out of here alive, you need to learn all the skills you need"

" And why would you help me! "

" So you can get killed! Moreover, you are wild one, you will get killed in four days, try me!  " She said not flinching a bit.

I replied, “ The strong ones never give up, if i survive i will kick your ass till it hurts! “

“ Let’see, here the supposed strong become weak and become fed upon! We shall see! “

Immediately, she took another dress putting it on my skin after admitting to wanting me killed.

Something felt off, but I just stood there, letting her pull and tug at my clothes without a struggle. I felt like a doll being dressed up. 

Then, suddenly, Dante barged into the room. His expression was furious, his gaze sharp—until it landed on me, softening a little. I flinched, instinctively turning around, but it didn’t help much; I was still mostly exposed.

His rough voice broke the tense silence. "Why did you bring her here? I thought I told you to stay away from my property."

I clenched my jaw, muttering under my breath, “I’m not your damn property.”

Bella laughed, giving me a mocking pat on the shoulder. "She needs a glow-up. Remember when you almost killed a maid for dressing badly? I don’t want to see a repeat of that."

Dante exhaled sharply. "And who said she’s here to be a sex worker? Are you going to teach everybody coming into my mansion how to satisfy me? You know what, keep your nonsense to yourself; she has work to do."

“ If you don’t keep her on a leash, she is going to run! “ Bella screamed.

Before I could react, Dante grabbed my arm and hauled me out of the room. I barely had time to cover myself with his coat, feeling exposed as we moved through the halls.

Dante’s Room

He shoved me inside and let me go, heading straight for his cigarette box. I gathered myself, standing as he sat down, his gaze dark as he smoked, eyes roaming over me with an intensity that sent shivers down my spine.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I reached for the bed, hoping to grab a sheet for cover, but his voice cracked like a whip. "Touch that, and you’ll regret it."

I hesitated, pulling my hand back, trying to muster enough courage to meet his stare. He didn’t blink, his eyes locked on mine, making my knees tremble. Slowly, he stood, moving closer until his face was inches from mine, his green eyes boring into me. He grabbed my chin, forcing me to keep looking at him.

“You’ve got the nerve to look me in the eye while half-naked? You don’t realize I could take every last piece off you in seconds,” he said, his voice dark and taunting.

“No,” I whispered, barely managing to hold his gaze.

He smirked, releasing my face with a flick. "Thought so."

He started circling me, blowing smoke into my face. “Where did you meet Vincent?”

I struggled to breathe but managed to respond. “I’ve only seen him at the bar. We don’t know each other personally.”

“Then why does he want you without hurting you?” he pressed.

“My father is wealthy and well-respected,” I lied smoothly. “If it’s ransom he’s after, he’d never hurt me.”

He laughed, dark and knowing. “You’re still keeping up the act, huh?”

“What act?”

He pulled out my ID card. “Vanessa, you’re in deep trouble.”

My heart skipped, fear creeping in as I realized he’d seen through all my lies. My confidence drained, and I couldn’t hide the tremble in my knees or the tremor in my voice.

He brushed a strand of my hair behind my ear, his tone oddly gentle. “Now you understand why I don’t trust easily. Why lie?”

The memory of my sister washed over me, and I fell to my knees, tears flooding my vision. “Please don’t punish me. My father sold us off, and I haven’t seen my sister since. Just help me find her—then you can do whatever you want with me,” I pleaded.

He hesitated, then surprised me by kneeling and wiping my tears. He helped me stand, and before I could comprehend, his hand found my waist, and his lips crushed against mine. My hands reached his ppockets and i could feel that there was a gun there.

For a moment, I let myself give in, thinking, JACKPOT!