"It... it hurts... It stings..." Valerie's faint voice could be heard again.

Rovano was still cleaning the remaining blood from every part of the girl's body. Then, once he was done, he leaned in close to Valerie's face, kissed her thin lips, and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Be quiet," he said once more before stepping back, "you must learn to endure it, for this will become a regular occurrence for you in the future."

Valerie shuddered in horror; how could that man remain so impassive and calm? Valerie felt her wounds were excruciatingly painful and stinging, especially if anything touched them.

Rovano brought a towel, warm water and a first-aid kit. He cleaned Valerie's wounds quickly and immediately bandaged them so they would dry fast, allowing him to see the carving without blood.

Usually he would call a doctor, but this time the victim wasn't a man, nor was she a girl he could simply discard after bringing her here. Rovano felt a flicker of emotion taking hold of him; he wanted Valerie to be his, yet with an unfamiliar feeling.

Once finished, Rovano helped Valerie sit up and slowly stand. Valerie's sense of shame had vanished the moment Rovano stripped her; all she felt now was pain.

"Drink this, painkiller," he ordered Valerie.

Rovano gave her a painkiller at double the dose; at least that would keep Valerie quiet for a while, though the girl herself wasn't sure if the medicine would actually ease her pain.

The bed was in disarray and covered in blood; Rovano then dragged Valerie into the bathroom after she had taken the medicine he'd given her. The girl limped along as Rovano dragged her.

"Wash your face, tidy your hair. Change out of everything you're wearing into what I've prepared," Rovano ordered firmly.

Valerie remained silent, staring at the large mirror before her. She was a mess; her whole body was a shambles.

"Why?" Valerie whispered, breaking down into tears once more.

Rovano merely raised an eyebrow. Valerie now turned to him with a wounded look in her eyes.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Valerie asked again.

"You are my prey. My target. You are mine forever. That wound is a mark of my ownership," replied Rovano, "hurry, we're leaving here soon."

"Why me..." Valerie whispered again, as if unsatisfied with Rovano's answer.

The man sighed again; he approached Valerie once more until she stepped back and her shoulder touched the bathroom wall. Rovano gently cupped Valerie's cheek; their eyes locked.

"Because you are meant for me. You should be grateful I didn't kill you," hissed Rovano.

His gaze dropped to the two mounds of Valerie's breasts, which were not as small as they appeared beneath her clothes. They seemed quite proportionate and just right for him to hold?

"I think I need to mark you again."

Rovano's head dropped; he bit and sucked the top of Valerie's right breast rather hard, and the girl groaned as she felt the sting and pain again. Before Valerie could resist, the man quickly pulled away once he felt it was enough.

"Ahh!!" Valerie groaned, clutching her breast which felt as if it had been stung.

"I can give you anything, even the world itself. You just need to obey," said Rovano with an even more satisfied expression; the man licked the top of his lip and then grinned at Valerie again.

"I'm not your slave!" Valerie's voice finally came out more firmly.

At the very least, she managed to muster the strength to retort to Rovano, even if only with words; her legs were throbbing, her chest ached, and her spirit had been utterly shattered by that man.

'BUGH!

Valerie was utterly shocked; Rovano had just punched the wall, injuring his hand, fresh blood flowing from the man's right hand.

He glared at Valerie fiercely, his emotions rising to his head and boiling over the moment he heard Valerie say the word 'slave'.

That word was too sensitive and carried a terrible connotation. He hated it; Valerie was not his slave.

"Who said you're a slave? You're mine! Valerie, YOU'RE M-I-N-E, YOU'RE NOT A SLAVE!"

Rovano shouted loudly right in front of Valerie's face, so the girl could only turn her face away and close her eyes, her body trembling with fear once more.

Rovano grabbed her chin, forcing her face to look at him. Then he gripped her cheek.

"Open your eyes!" Rovano snapped again, and Valerie flinched once more.

"Open your eyes and look at me, Valerie!"

Her lips trembled as she held back her tears; slowly she opened her eyes and Rovano was staring at her intently, tears beginning to well up again, filling her green eyes.

"You are mine, forever."

Valerie's mouth opened; she wanted to speak but her voice suddenly failed her and she could only sob.

Rovano remained like that, staring intently at her whilst Valerie continued to sob, her tears flowing ever more freely.

She could smell blood, though she wasn't sure whether it was from the cut on her leg or from the wound on Rovano's hand.

The grip on Valerie's cheek began to loosen; she could feel a dull ache in her cheek once the grip had fully released, and she could only look down afterwards, staring at the tiles-watching her tears fall to the floor.

Her body jolted again as Rovano stroked the top of her head; this man seemed to have a split personality. Now he was stroking the top of Valerie's head with tenderness.

He touched her chin again, making the girl look up at him.

"Stop crying and get ready, Valerie."

The man then left; the bathroom door slammed shut so hard that Valerie was startled.

Finally, she could cry her heart out in there, pouring out all her sorrow until she was satisfied. Valerie walked towards the mirror; she stared at her pitiful reflection before her.

It had all happened so quickly, and Valerie had no choice but to obey Rovano's orders because she didn't want to die in vain at the hands of that man.

Besides, the girl had no one now; she was alone here, without a mobile phone, without anyone she knew, as she had always been confined to the mansion.

In a situation like this, who could she possibly ask for help? Valerie wasn't even very good at speaking foreign languages.

Valerie wondered what the situation was like at her family's mansion now that she was gone.

Was Nolan looking for her? Was her grandmother-Silvanna-crying for her? What about her stepmother, Natasha? She missed her terribly; Natasha had looked after her since she was a baby, even though the girl wasn't her biological daughter.

And what was the state of her grandfather-Jaden? Her head was throbbing again; Valerie couldn't stop thinking about her family.

The wound on her leg began to throb once more, but she had to clean herself-she was sticky with sweat, tears and traces of blood that smelled of iron.

Click

The bathroom door swung open again; Rovano came in carrying a towel and hung it up. Valerie, who was turning on the hot water in the shower, was startled, whilst Rovano stared at her impassively.

He looked Valerie up and down; the girl, who was not wearing any clothes and was only in her underwear, looked pitiful.

The bloodstains on the back of her body bore silent witness to the wounds she had sustained.

Rovano sighed; he thought hard, his heart suddenly softening at the sight of Valerie's condition, even though it was his own doing.

The man stepped closer, but Valerie trembled instantly; she began to back away, retreating until finally Rovano stopped in his tracks, then wondered again why the girl was moving away from him.

"I'll help you clean yourself up," said Rovano innocently.

The girl's green eyes widened in surprise; Rovano was driving her nearly mad with every move that was completely beyond her comprehension.

"No!" Valerie cried out softly, "S-sir, you don't need to do that, I can-I can manage on my own."

Deep down, Valerie felt nothing but fear; if she let Rovano touch her again, she was afraid the wound on her leg would be made even worse.

"Please, let me clean myself."

Rovano looked at her intently; the man seemed as though he wanted to speak again, yet for some reason he remained silent. The bathroom floor felt colder than before; with every step, it sounded like a threat to Valerie, and the man simply left without saying another word.

Rovano gave Valerie a light blue knee-length dress with black flats.

She hadn't bathed properly because the wound on her thigh was still very fresh; the splashes of water hitting it made her cry uncontrollably.

The warm water flowing over every part of her body soothed her troubled soul; the faint, metallic scent of blood was still detectable, though faintly. The girl stared fixedly at the pool of water in the bath, which was beginning to recede and was still red but no longer dark.

The girl stepped out of the bath, dried herself off and immediately put on the clothes Rovano had given her.

Once she was done, she looked in the mirror; her reflection looked far better than before. Valerie took a deep breath, trying to calm herself and give her heart a little encouragement; she could get through this, she could find a way out.

Valerie stepped out of the bathroom; she peeked in cautiously and saw that Rovano wasn't in the room. Once she was fully inside, Valerie's gaze fell upon the blood on the mattress-still fresh and not yet completely dry. It was her blood.

The red colour meant the wound was quite deep.

The girl limped towards it, every step she took feeling incredibly heavy, as if a knife were still piercing her thigh, which was wrapped in a makeshift bandage.

Valerie stood beside the bed; the wind blew fiercely through the open balcony door, lashing against her frail body.

Valerie lifted her skirt slightly, feeling the bandage wrapped around her thigh; the blood had seeped through it, just a little, and Valerie could not bear the pain. She did not realise that Rovano was peering at her from behind the bedroom door, watching her every movement.

With every breath, the man observed the expression of pain on Valerie's face, as if finding a small comfort in it.

The man was smartly dressed in a shirt matching the colour of Valerie's dress; he had rolled up the sleeves to his elbows. Black jeans and dark brown Doc Martens made Rovano look even taller.

Valerie sighed again; she then closed her eyes for a moment, her face contorted as if on the verge of tears, as she cast off all her pain.

A pain she had never felt in her entire life.

The girl then exhaled quite loudly and audibly, as if she had just cast off her misfortune.

Rovano cursed in frustration; this girl was acting up too much and wasting a lot of time. She was far too dramatic.

"Are you going to wail about it until you die?" Rovano dragged Valerie out of there, "Wasting time."

They left the villa and Valerie paused for a moment as Rovano guided her towards the gate; she was struggling to walk, her steps growing increasingly unsteady.

It had been a long time since Valerie had seen the street; there were a few people passing by up ahead, and the girl hesitated slightly to step out of the gate, especially as her leg was still throbbing.

Rovano turned and gave her a sharp look. Valerie gazed at him sadly.

"Please, don't drag me along. Can't we just walk more slowly?"

Hearing Valerie's words, Rovano almost burst out laughing. "You once ran so enthusiastically that you bumped into me; now you're complaining just from walking like this?"

Valerie's hand was still clasped by Rovano; the girl then gripped Rovano's arm with her other hand.

"M-my leg..." Valerie pulled her skirt up slightly to show Rovano the bandage on her thigh.

The bandage had been clean when Valerie finished getting dressed, but she could feel that the blood hadn't stopped flowing. The bandage was now completely red, and blood was seeping through it.

"T-the blood's coming out again..." Valerie pulled her skirt back down to its original position.

Rovano said nothing; he simply pulled Valerie along again. They crossed the street, walking at a moderate pace towards a small clinic at the end of the road.

Valerie couldn't stop admiring every step she took and the breathtaking views of Stockholm.

She had seen cities and countries across Europe online, read reviews and hoped that one day she might come here.

Now her dream had truly come true, even though her foot was injured and she was being held captive by a handsome, cold, psychopathic man-Evil, Sensual, constantly belittling her, touching her body without permission and claiming ownership over her.

What sort of man was he? Valerie felt that Rovano was the worst man in the world. Valerie struggled to find the right words to describe Rovano.

So this is what it feels like to enter a clinic? Valerie had watched dramas a few times, with scenes set in hospital wards or simply entering a clinic. But here, it turned out not to be as bustling as in the dramas.

The distinctive scent of medicine wafted from every room, but here it felt warm to Valerie-warm in the sense of the atmosphere. It wasn't as oppressive as when she was alone in the room with Rovano.

"Hello, Mr Morvane, it's been a while. Have you made an appointment with Dr John?" A nurse standing at the reception desk greeted Rovano; she then turned to Valerie, looking the girl up and down before turning back to Rovano.

Valerie turned and smiled at the woman, whilst Rovano merely stared at her blankly.

"It's an emergency; I need someone to tend to a wound," Rovano grabbed the girl's arm and gave her a slight shove towards the nurse, as if handing Valerie over for free.

Valerie looked at him with a mixture of sadness and annoyance; did he really have to be so rough that she could feel her thigh throbbing again?

Valerie was lying on the ward bed; Rovano sat in a chair not far from her, playing with his mobile phone.

The nurse with her seemed to speak the same language. She didn't use a foreign language when speaking; Valerie could understand her easily.

The nurse lifted Valerie's skirt slightly and was startled to see that the blood seeping through the bandage was already substantial; she looked at Valerie in confusion, the equipment to treat Valerie had been prepared.

Rovano watched them, but the nurse immediately closed the curtain completely, causing Rovano to snort in annoyance.

Why wasn't Rovano allowed to see Valerie in pain? The man cursed in frustration; he was still eager to see the girl suffer.

"What is this wound? It's very serious. Did you treat this yourself?" the nurse asked as she unwrapped Valerie's bandage.

The girl was very stoic; she didn't cry, perhaps because she felt she'd already shed enough tears since earlier.

"Mr Rovano treated my wound because..." Valerie's words trailed off as the nurse finished unwrapping the bandage, cleaned the blood, and then gasped in shock once more.

He found it really hard to close his jaw after seeing Rovano's name carved into Valerie's smooth thigh.

"...He did it," Valerie continued, then turned her face away from the nurse's gaze.

The nurse nodded in understanding and quickly finished her work. After that, she prescribed some medication for Valerie to take; the nurse had already informed the doctor of the examination results.

The doctor appeared to be talking to Rovano, and then he handed the medication for Valerie to Rovano as well.

"I don't know why Mr Morvane did that to you, but I hope you'll be all right. I never imagined he was the sort of man... Like that." The nurse cast a sympathetic glance at Valerie.

"Please help me, not with this wound but help me escape from that man. He's kidnapping me! I'm the daughter of the-."

"Valerie!" Rovano's voice rang out clearly from behind the curtain; the call cut short Valerie's plea for help.

The curtain swung open immediately and Valerie tried to act as if she hadn't said anything at all.

The nurse left, leaving the two of them alone.

Rovano approached Valerie and whispered, "Don't mess with me, Valerie. If you try to run away, I won't hesitate to torture you right then and there."

Valerie swallowed hard; she was so terrified of Rovano's cruel side that she could only obey and abandon her plan once more.

Rovano immediately pulled her out of the clinic.

"S-sir, please be gentle, I'm afraid the bleeding will start again," Valerie whimpered.

"Shut up," snapped Rovano without looking at her.