shifted around her. Her father had sold her, and she was now under the control of Giovanni Moretti-a man whose very presence seemed to bend the room to hi

blocked the early morning light. The room felt like a cocoon-beautiful, isolated, and completely cut off from the world she once knew. Her clothes

ing her into the arms of a dangerous man for the sake of his debts. And now, here she

dark, flowing hair, wide hazel eyes that always seemed to hold a quiet storm, a figure that was nothing extraordinary, yet somehow striking. But it was her eyes that spoke the

he desk where a small note had been left for h

at 8:00. Do

k the layers of her soul with every glance. She had no illusions about what he wanted. But it was the way he'd spoken to her last night, so sure, so c

llowed her down the halls, despite the emptiness of the mansion. Every step she took echoed like a soft reminder of her new reality

ed the dining

as he looked at something on his phone. He was dressed in a crisp white shirt and black slacks, the sleeves rolle

s aware of every movement she made. Giovanni didn't n

could feel his gaze follow her as she took a seat, the chair scraping against th

predator greeting its prey. He didn't look up from his phone as he spoke,

e china, the silver cutlery. It all seemed so foreign, so extravagant. She had

oice steady, though she could feel the

and unreadable. There was a sharpness to his gaze that made her

said, his voice almost amused. "

y he'd looked at her. She had tried to push it out of her mind, but

said, her voice more clipped than sh

re you're wrong, Lina," he said softly, leaning forward ever so slightly. "You don't have a choice. You're her

f to hold his gaze. "You think I'm just going to roll

s-a promise of something dark, something he hadn't yet shown her. "You'll learn that

f fresh fruit, eggs, and pastries. Giovanni's eyes didn't leave hers, his intens

ly. She wasn't sure if it was from the fear or the strange pull she felt toward him-something s

breaking the silence, "w

r chest. "I'm not afraid of you," she said, thou

nd she could see tha

el, just matter-of-fact. "But don't worry. In time,

m see how much they affected her. Instead, she stood, the c

e didn't try to stop her. His silen

hoed in her mind, reminding her that, despite her resistance