Alicia's POV

I panicked the moment Dante left the room for the second time. My heart thudded against my ribs like a trapped bird. I pressed a palm to my chest, trying to steady it, but my mind kept flashing to what I'd just witnessed an entire family destroyed on his command, lives snuffed out for a debt that wasn't even theirs.

"How can anyone be that heartless?" I whispered, the words trembling out of me. His voice still echoed in my head. That will be your fate if you ever disrespect me again.

I forced a long breath. "No," I murmured. "I won't let this man be the end of me. I'm getting out."

The door clicked softly when I tried it. Not locked. I eased it open, poking my head out. The hallway was empty. A flicker of relief darted through me. Today I will study every corner of this place. Tonight, I'd run.

I slipped into the bathroom, showered quickly, then pulled on a white gown from the wardrobe. My legs felt like water but I made myself walk down the stairs. The mansion was unnervingly quiet. From a window I glimpsed Dante leaving with several men. Only a handful of guards remained, silent as statues. Perfect, I thought. The fewer eyes, the better.

I wandered the house as casually as I could, memorising doors, corridors, stairwells. Every little axis became part of my mental escape map. The guards didn't speak; their faces were carved from stone. Even the staff averted their eyes. It was like living among ghosts.

Back in my room I exhaled shakily. "It doesn't matter. One thing's for sure.... I will escape this place," I told myself. Then I lay on the bed, replaying the map until I could trace it with my eyes closed.

When darkness finally settled over the house, I moved. I pulled a black jumpsuit from the wardrobe someone else's, but it fit. "Thank you," I whispered to the unknown girl and zipped it up.

Following my memorised path, I slipped into the corridor. The coast was clear. No footsteps, no murmurs. It was too easy, but I didn't care. Keep moving, I told myself. Just keep moving.

I reached the last window before the outer grounds. My pulse roared in my ears. Almost free. I swung a leg over the ceiling and a hand shot from the shadows, clamping around my ankle.

"Please... help me..." a hoarse voice whispered.

I froze, biting back a scream. My plan could shatter in an instant. I twisted free, heart hammering, and dropped to the ground outside. My landing jarred my knees but I didn't stop.

I vaulted the first fence and grinned through the ache in my ribs. I'm doing it. I'm actually....

Then I saw it.

A severed head hung from the branches ahead, blood dripping in slow, deliberate beads. The metallic smell hit my nose and turned my stomach. The ground around it was dark, slick.

Fear gripped me but I forced my feet to move. There had to be a way out beyond the trees. I pushed forward, deeper into the shadows and that was when I heard it.

A soft click.

A glint of steel.

And then a familiar voice behind me, low and cold:

"Going somewhere, little dove?".

Alicia's POV

After my attempt to escape here was bursted by the don himself.

I've been locked indoors since that night trapped with no food, no water, and no clue what time it is. Day or night, light or darkness... it all blends together now. The only constant is the crushing silence, broken only by the occasional grumble of my empty stomach.

It's been three days. Three long, agonizing days.

They said he wasn't around. That this was my punishment until he returned. And despite Madam Sonia's pleas, he stood firm in his decision.

Cruel.

I still don't understand how Madam Sonia stays loyal to him. Maybe he's threatened her life too, maybe she has no choice. Yet, she keeps saying he's a "nice guy." Nice? That's laughable. What kind of "nice guy" leaves a woman who he wants to get pregnant starving and locked away like a criminal?

I was already losing myself... but now, I was starting to lose my mind.

The worst part? I am supposed to carry his child. His.

What would happen once the baby's here? Will he starve us both at the slightest disobedience? Will he use the child to control me even more?

The thoughts wouldn't stop. They hit me over and over like violent waves threatening to drown me in fear, confusion, and anger.

"God," I whispered, pressing my palm to my forehead. "My head... it's too much."

I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to hold on-trying to stay sane.

I needed to breathe. I needed calm.

So I closed my eyes. Inhaled deeply.

And just like that, my body gave in to exhaustion.

Darkness finally came, not from the locked room, but from the sleep I could no longer fight.

A soft touch on my leg startled me awake.

"You stubborn little dove," his voice whispered near my ear, smooth but laced with menace.

I flinched, my heart pounding. "What time is it? How did you get in here? What do you want?"

He chuckled a low, unsettling sound. "I told you to stop asking me that, little one. Next time, I might not be so... gentle."

I scoffed, but the sound caught in my throat when I tried to sit up and felt cold metal on my wrists. Handcuffs?

"What the hell is this?" I asked, staring at him with a mix of shock and confusion.

"Don't look at me like that," he said sharply, his eyes narrowing. "You brought this on yourself. Did you really think you could run from me?"

He stepped closer, his hand trailing slowly along my exposed leg. I jerked away instinctively, but his grip tightened.

"I told you not to think of stupid things. You belong to me now."

His tone wasn't loud but it was final. Commanding.

Something in my chest squeezed, and despite the fear, I felt my body betray me with a tiny, involuntary gasp.

He noticed.

"You like that, don't you?" he said, a smirk creeping across his lips.

I looked away, embarrassed, but he wouldn't have it. He grabbed my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you," he said, low and firm.

For a moment, the room was filled with tension, his control pressing down on me like a weight I couldn't shake.

Then, without warning, he stood up and began undoing his trousers.

My eyes widened. "What are you doing?" I asked, panic rising.

He smirked again. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

I immediately shut my eyes, willing myself to disappear.

I shut my eyes tight, not out of modesty but strategy.

Let him think I was scared. Let him believe he had won.

But deep down, something in me clicked. I can't keep being the victim.

I forced myself to breathe calmly, then slowly opened my eyes, meeting his gaze with a softness I hadn't shown before.

"You want me to look at you?" I whispered, letting my voice drop into something gentler... warmer.

That smirk on his face faltered for a split second. Just as I hoped.

"I'm not trying to run away from you ,not anymore," I said, letting my eyes trace his face, keeping my tone low and persuasive. "But you scare me when you act like this. I want to understand you... really understand you."

He tilted his head, intrigued. "Is this another trick?"

I shook my head slowly. "No. I just realized something... Maybe I've been too stubborn. Maybe if I listened, things wouldn't have turned out like this."

His eyes scanned mine, trying to read me, unsure if I was bluffing. That was my cue to lean in emotionally.

"You like control, don't you?" I asked softly. "But I could give you something better than fear..."

He blinked, caught off guard.

"You think you've won because I'm chained. But men like you don't keep women locked up because they're strong. You do it because you're scared."

He frowned.

"You're scared someone might actually get into your head... someone who could make you feel."

Silence fell over the room.

"I see you, Dante," I said, barely above a whisper. "You want someone to submit but not out of fear. You want someone who chooses you, even after knowing what you are."

He stared at me for a long moment. His hands, which had been at his waist, slowly dropped.

"I'll make you a deal," I said, seizing the moment. "Uncuff me. Let me show you loyalty without chains. You can always put them back on if I betray you."

He stood still, his expression unreadable. But something in his eyes shifted, something uncertain.

Got you, I thought. Then an evil smile spread broadly on his face which confused me.

Alicia's POV

"You sure know how to use your skill as a woman, hun," he said, his voice soaked in arrogance as he leaned casually against the wall, arms folded like a king surveying his property.

I rolled my eyes at him, not bothering to hide the disgust on my face.

"Hmmm..." he muttered under his breath, clearly amused. "Do that again. I find it sexy," he added, his voice dropping lower, almost like a purr.

I shot him a confused look, unsure whether to be flattered or irritated. His gaze was intense, the kind that made your skin crawl and burn all at once.

"From now on, you'll do exactly as I tell you," he said, his tone turning cold and sharp like the edge of a blade. He took a step closer, and for a moment, his presence became overwhelming, intimidating in a way I hadn't expected. I refused to respond, keeping my lips sealed in defiance.

"I said do you understand me?" he asked again, his voice firm with authority, leaving no room for questions.

Before I could think twice, I nodded... almost involuntarily, as though his words held some invisible leash around my will.

He smiled, a wicked curve of his lips that made me feel like a pawn in a game I hadn't agreed to play. "Good girl," he whispered, the words dripping with control.

"Back to where we were," he said with a satisfied air, moving toward the massive couch that sat proudly at the center of the room like a throne. He sank into it, legs spread, one arm resting lazily on the side.

"Come here," he ordered, voice sharp, direct.

I turned my face away from him, breaking eye contact deliberately. I wasn't ready to submit not without resistance.

"I told you not to do that, remember?" he snapped, his voice carrying a dangerous edge now. "Now come here. Don't make me repeat myself again, darling."

The way he said darling, it wasn't sweet. It was a warning wrapped in silk.

Reluctantly, I stood up, my body moving before my mind could resist. Like a well-trained pet, I started to walk toward him.

But his voice stopped me cold.

"No."

He stood halfway from the couch, eyes burning into mine.

"I don't want you to walk."

My heart skipped a beat.

"I want you on all fours... like a loyal dog. Slowly, you'll crawl to me with your eyes fixed on mine."

My breath caught in my throat, and yet... I smirked, lifting a brow with amused rebellion.

"Why would I, hun?" I asked, feigning confidence.

His jaw tightened.

"Because I ordered you to!" he roared, his voice echoing in the room. He was losing patience, and the cracks in his calm were showing.

A strange thrill stirred within me, and I wondered just how far he was willing to go.

"Make me," I whispered, my voice laced with quiet defiance.

He chuckled, a dark sound that made the hairs on my neck rise. He leaned forward just slightly, eyes narrowing with sinister amusement.

"You see, Allicia," he said, dragging out my name as if tasting it on his tongue, "your every act of disobedience will cost you something... something precious."

He paused.

"Your mother's life."

My heart stopped.

I froze numb, paralyzed by the weight of his words.

"You wouldn't dare," I barked back, my voice trembling more than I wanted it to. My chest tightened with panic, my fists clenched at my sides.

But he only smiled, slow and smug. "Yeah... just as I expected," he muttered with a tilt of his head, like he'd been waiting for that exact reaction. "Now, if you don't want your mother hurt... you'll do exactly as I say. Understood?"

My lips parted, but no words came out. Instead, my head dipped in submission, shame crawling over my skin like a second layer.

Is this it? Is this how miserable my life would be... from now on? I thought. Controlled, cornered, and stripped of my choices.

"Let's start again," he said, his voice colder now, any trace of amusement gone. "I want you to crawl to me on all fours. And don't you dare look away. Keep your eyes on mine."

There was no room left for hesitation. If it meant keeping my mother safe, I had to let go of my pride no matter how much it burned.

Reluctantly, I lowered myself to the floor, the cold marble stinging against my palms and knees. I felt the weight of his gaze as I positioned myself, my heart pounding louder than my thoughts.

"Good girl," he muttered, pleased.

"Now come to me. Slowly."

I did as told, one cautious movement at a time, crawling toward him like a puppet without strings. The silence between us was thick, only broken by the quiet sound of my hands brushing the floor. I kept my eyes locked on his, even though everything in me screamed to look away.

Once I reached him, I stopped. My body trembled just slightly.

He smiled. A soft, almost affectionate curve that made my stomach twist in knots. "You'd be so sweet, my little dove," he murmured, brushing his hand gently along my cheek. His touch was surprisingly tender, but the power behind it was suffocating.

"Now stand," he said.

I obeyed.

"Closer," he added, and I stepped in.

Without a word, he reached for the hem of his shirt and began to pull it up. Just as I tried to help him, he grabbed my hand gently but firmly.

"No, darling," he whispered, voice laced with quiet command. "Keep your eyes on me. Gently now. Slow."

His gaze bore into me, and I wasn't sure what I saw there.

Was it desire?

Control?

Or something much darker, something broken?.