Bound To The Devil

chapter 20

Valarie’s gaze darted between Luca and Damien, her instincts screaming that something was deeply wrong. "Luca, why won’t you come home? Mom and Dad are worried sick. They think you’re studying, but I know that’s a lie. What’s he done to you?"

Luca opened his mouth to respond, but Damien beat him to it. "Your brother is exactly where he belongs. Safe. Protected. Cared for in ways your family never could."

Valarie’s jaw tightened. "You’re delusional if you think I’m going to let this continue."

Damien chuckled darkly, his grip on Luca’s shoulder tightening. "Oh, but it already has."

Luca felt trapped between them—his sister, burning with righteous fury, and Damien, possessive, cruel, and unwavering. The tension in the air was suffocating, and he knew that tonight would not end without consequences.

Valarie's eyes flickered with concern . "Are you okay?" she asked, her voice laced with worry.

Luca nodded quickly, glancing at Damien, who pulled out a chair for him. "I'm fine. Let's just eat and talk."

As they settled in, the tension between Damien and Valarie thickened. She studied him with open hostility, her jaw set in a firm line. "I don't know what kind of game you're playing, Volkov, but I'm not going to let you control my brother."

Damien chuckled, swirling the wine in his glass before taking a slow sip. "Control? That's a strong word, Valarie. Luca is exactly where he wants to be."

"Is that so?" she scoffed, crossing her arms. "Because from where I'm sitting, it looks like he's your prisoner."

Luca swallowed hard, his fingers tightening around the silverware. "Valarie, please—"

"No, Luca!" she cut him off. "This is insane. You got kidnapped, and suddenly you're dining with him? Do you even hear yourself?"

Damien leaned forward, his icy gaze locking onto hers. "You seem to forget that your brother is an adult, capable of making his own decisions."

"Decisions?" she sneered. "Like what? Living under your thumb? Being kept like some possession?"

The air crackled with tension. Luca could feel Damien’s temper simmering beneath the surface, but to his surprise, the mafia king smirked. "Possession, you say? Maybe. But if he was truly unhappy, he wouldn’t be here."

Valarie turned to Luca, desperation in her eyes. "Tell me the truth, Luca. Are you here because you want to be, or because he won’t let you leave?"

Luca hesitated. His mind screamed the truth, but he couldn’t say it. Not here. Not now.

Damien reached for Luca’s hand possessively, his grip firm. "He’s right where he belongs."

The restaurant's atmosphere was thick with tension as Damien Volkov and Valarie Ivanov sat across from each other, their eyes locked in a silent battle of wills. Luca sat between them, his body rigid, his hands trembling beneath the table. This was the moment he had feared—a direct confrontation between his captor and his sister.

Valarie’s sharp gaze was unwavering, her jaw clenched as she took in the sight of her brother, dressed in the finest tailored suit, looking like a prized possession rather than a free man.

“So,  the great Damien Volkov,” she said, her voice dripping with disdain. “The man who thinks he can own my brother like he owns everything else.”

Damien chuckled, swirling the dark liquid in his glass before taking a slow sip. He leaned back, exuding an air of untouchable authority, his predatory gaze flickering between Luca and Valarie. “Own? That’s an interesting choice of words.” His lips curled into a smirk. “Luca is here by his own will, isn’t that right, my love?”