Bound by Shadows

Dante~

She thought she could defy me.

She thought she could run.

Now, she would learn.

I stood in my office, the heavy mahogany desk between us, the marriage contract laid out in front of her like a death sentence. A pen rested beside it.

Valentina sat in the chair opposite me, her arms crossed tightly, her jaw locked in defiance. Her emerald eyes burned with hatred, but I saw the flicker of fear beneath it.

She was furious. She was trapped.

And she fucking knew it.

"You think I'll sign this?" she spat. "You're insane."

I leaned back in my chair, exhaling slowly. "You don't have a choice, piccola."

Her nails dug into her palms. "My father will never let this happen."

I smirked, then picked up my phone and pressed a button.

"Sir?" my right-hand man, Enzo, answered immediately.

"Put De Luca on," I ordered.

Valentina stilled, her breath hitching slightly.

It only took a few seconds before Alessandro De Luca's cold, indifferent voice came through the speaker.

"What do you want, Ricci?"

I watched Valentina's face carefully. She looked relieved to hear his voice.

Naïve girl.

"I have your daughter," I said smoothly. "She tried to run from me. Again."

There was silence on the other end.

Then a sigh. "And?"

Valentina's head snapped up, her expression twisting in confusion. "Papà?"

Alessandro didn't respond.

Her brows furrowed, her breathing uneven. "You—you need to get me out of here."

He sighed again, as if she were a burden. "I told you before, Valentina. Your choices are not my concern."

A choked breath left her lips. "What?"

I watched as realization crashed over her.

She wasn't his daughter. Not really.

She was a pawn.

A failed deal.

A burden he didn't care to retrieve.

"You—you can't mean that," she whispered, her voice cracking.

"I have more important matters to deal with," Alessandro said coldly. "Handle your own mess, Dante."

The line clicked dead.

Valentina just sat there, staring at the phone in disbelief.

Her hands trembled.

Not in fear.

In heartbreak.

I leaned forward, my voice low. "Now you understand, don't you?"

She blinked rapidly, as if trying to hold back tears. "No." She shook her head. "He—he'll come for me."

"He won't."

"He—"

I slammed my palm against the desk, making her jump.

"He left you."

Her lips parted, a sharp breath escaping her, but she had no words.

Because she knew I was right.

I reached for the pen and slid it across the desk toward her.

"Sign the papers, Valentina."

She swallowed, her gaze flickering between me and the contract.

"I'd rather die," she whispered.

I exhaled slowly, then stood, rounding the desk until I was behind her.

She stiffened.

I leaned down, my hands gripping the armrests of her chair, my mouth brushing against her ear.

"You will marry me," I murmured. "You will be mine. And the moment you sign that paper..." My fingers trailed along her throat, feeling her pulse race. "You will learn what it truly means to belong to me."

She clenched her jaw. "I hate you."

I smirked, brushing my lips along the side of her neck. "Hate me all you want. It won't change your fate."

Her breathing turned ragged. I could feel the war waging inside her—the anger, the helplessness, the desire she refused to admit.

She hated me.

But she also couldn't ignore the way her body responded to my touch.

"Sign the papers, piccola," I whispered against her skin.

She squeezed her eyes shut.

And then—her fingers curled around the pen.

Victory.

She gritted her teeth as she signed her name, every stroke of ink filled with resentment.

When she was done, she slammed the pen down, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

I picked up the document, skimming over her signature.

Then I smirked.

"You're mine now."

She looked up at me with fire in her eyes. Defiant. Beautiful.

"You will never own me," she said, voice shaking.

I chuckled, reaching down to grip her chin, tilting her face up to mine.

"Oh, piccola," I murmured, my thumb tracing her bottom lip.

"I already do."

To Be Continued...

*OH MY LORD YES WE ARE HIS FINALLY MARRIED. So you guys I think he will fall in love eventually and about her she actually got manipulated with that kiss in chapter 6 tsk😒 AND HER FATHER THAT DAMN BASTARD I HOPE HE ROTS IN HELL I can't believe him even though I wrote him. *