LOGINAlessandroAfter the announcement, I had gone back to my study. The meeting was over and the men had filed out. Lucas had lingered at the door, his eyes still fixed on Elena. I had watched him go, watched the pain and rage on his face, and I had felt something cold and satisfied settle in my chest. He had lost. She was mine now. Completely and irrevocably.I gave instructions that the maids should prepare my wife for consummation. The words felt strange on my tongue. My wife. Elena. The girl I had bought at an auction, the girl I had claimed as my property, the girl I had just forced to marry me. I did not love her. I did not even like her. But she was mine and that was all that mattered.I smoked and I drank. I sat in my chair and I thought about the last time I had taken her in my bed. The way she had cried. The way she had begged me to stop. The way her body had trembled beneath mine. I had been gentle with her. Slow and careful. I did not know why. It was not how I usually took wo
ElenaThat night, Alessandro told the maids to prepare me. He was going to consummate our marriage.My heart dropped into my stomach. I was both scared and mad at the same time, the anger just kept rising and rising until I thought I might burst. But I couldn't do anything. I was trapped in this room, in this house, in this life that had been forced upon me. Every time I thought I had hit rock bottom, the floor opened up and I fell further.The maids came. There were three of them, their faces blank and professional. They moved around me like I was a doll, positioning me, arranging me, preparing me for what was to come. They did not speak to me. They did not look me in the eye. They just worked, their hands efficient and impersonal.They dressed me in a beautiful long red robe. It was made of silk, soft and flowing, and it fell to my ankles. It was the color of blood, the color of passion, the color of everything I did not feel. But underneath it, they put something else. A very light
AlessandroI watched the blood drain from her face when she saw the cathedral. The color left her cheeks so quickly that for a moment I thought she might faint. She swayed on her feet and I reached out to steady her, my hand on her elbow."What is this?" she asked, her voice shaking. "What are we doing here?""We are getting married, Elena," I said calmly. "I am going to make you my wife.""No." The word came out sharp and desperate. "No, I will not marry you. I would rather die."I laughed. It was a cold, hollow sound. "You do not have a choice. You never have. And now I am going to make sure that no one can ever take you from me again. Not Lucas. Not Malachai. Not anyone."She tried to run. I saw it in her eyes, the moment she decided to flee. Her body tensed and she started to turn. But I was faster. I grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to me, my grip tight enough to bruise."Let me go," she said, her voice rising. "Let me go, Alessandro. I will not do this. I will not marry you
Elena They took me to the car. A white limousine, long and gleaming, like something out of a dream. The driver opened the door and I got in, sliding across the leather seat as far away from Alessandro as I could manage. I pressed myself against the door, my body shaking, my hands trembling in my lap. The leather was cold beneath my fingers and I could smell his cologne, dark and expensive, filling the entire car.But Alessandro reached over and pulled me back to his side. His grip was iron, unbreakable. He held me against him like I was a possession, like I was something he owned and could do with as he pleased. His arm was wrapped around my waist and I could feel the heat of his body through the thin fabric of my gown.I fumed with anger. My blood boiled beneath my skin. But I could not do anything. I was powerless. I was nothing. Every time I tried to move away, his grip tightened. Every time I tried to speak, my voice died in my throat."You know," he said, his voice low and mocki
AlessandroAfter Lucas left, I wiped the blood off my lip and stared at the red stain on my fingers. The bastard had actually hit me. Hard. I had to give him credit for that. Most men would not dare to raise a hand against me.I took a hot shower. The water was scalding, burning my skin, but I did not care. I stood under the spray and I let the heat wash away the remnants of what I had done. Her tears. Her pleas. The way she had looked at me with those broken eyes.I wore an official cloth. A complete black suit, perfectly tailored, with a crisp white shirt and a black tie. I was taking her to Malachai today. Now. No more waiting. That bastard could show up anytime and I wanted to be done with this whole situation.I had made my decision. She was not worth my empire. She was not worth my life. She had chosen Lucas and now she could face the consequences.When I stepped out of my wing, I saw Lucas carrying Elena, bridal style. I laughed. Love sick fool. Going against me for a woman I c
ElenaI couldn't stop crying. The tears just kept coming, hot and endless, soaking into the pillow beneath my head. I stared at the stain on the bed, the dark red evidence of what had been taken from me, and more tears poured down my cheeks.I had vowed to give my body only to the man I loved. The man I would choose. The man who would cherish me and protect me and see me as something more than a possession. Not a beast in human form. Not a monster who took what he wanted without asking.Lucas had stormed out earlier in anger. I knew he was going to meet Alessandro. There was no point. The deed had been done. Nothing could change that. I would live with it for the rest of my life. I would hate Alessandro and pray for his death for the rest of my life. Every night. Every day. Every moment until my last breath.Lucas came back inside. His face was burning with rage, his eyes dark and wild. But when he looked at me, his expression softened. Just a little. Just enough."He dressed," he sai
ElenaThe east wing had four rooms and a window that looked out over the garden.I had memorised all of it by the end of day one.The bedroom was large and cold, with a bed so wide I could sleep diagonally and still not reach the other side. The bathroom had marble floors and hot water. The sitting
AlessandroThe warehouse sat at the edge of the city like a wound that refused to heal.Broken windows. Graffiti on the walls. Rust on the metal door. From the outside, it looked abandoned. Forgotten. The kind of place where teenagers went to drink cheap wine and pretend they were dangerous.But I
ElenaI pressed myself against the basement wall and held my breath.The voices upstairs were muffled, but I could hear enough. The man with the cold voice. My uncle begging. The gunshot that had made my ears ring.And then silence.I waited for more sounds. For footsteps. For another shot. For any
AlessandroThe basement smelled like sweat and blood.I sat in the leather chair at the center of the room, a Cuban cigar burning between my fingers. The smoke curled toward the ceiling, twisting in the dim light. In the corner, a man hung from chains bolted into the concrete wall.His name was Fra







