“Because you want it to?” she asked.
“No,” he breathed. His honesty seemed to surprise her. “Because it keeps you alive,” he finished.
Silence fell between them again, but this time it felt different. He could tell that she had lost some of her fight, and that was the moment he’d been waiting for.
Her shoulders lowered slightly—not in surrender, but acceptance.
“Fine,” she said quietly. Luca didn’t move because, honestly, he didn’t know how to react to her concession. Instead, he juststood in front of her, watching for her to make the next move. “I’ll stay,” she added. “But don’t think that means that I’m yours.”
Luca’s mouth curved slightly, not quite a smile, but something darker—satisfaction. “If that’s what you want,” he said. He stepped back, finally giving her space, but not really because space wouldn’t change anything. Not now, and not because she had finally agreed to stay and let him protect her. “You can tell yourself whatever you need to,” he added.
He turned toward the door and paused just long enough. “This doesn’t change the fact that no one touches you without going through me first.” Her breath hitched, but he didn’t look back. He didn’t need to, because Luca Camorra already knew that she wasn’t leaving. And neither was he. Not until this war ended. He’d fight until the very end—even if it meant the end of him.
Isabella
The door clicked shut behind him, and just like that, the room felt smaller. Not physically, but in a way that pressed in on her chest, tightening around her ribs until just breathing felt like work. Isabella didn’t move at first. Instead, she stood exactly where he left her, staring at the closed door as if it might open again, like he might come back and take it all back. But he didn’t. And she knew that he wouldn’t because Luca Camorra didn’t take things back. His words were final and permanent.
Her chest rose slowly as she dragged in a breath, followed by another. He had asked her to stay. He wasn’t making a request. That word echoed in her head—stay. She promised him that she would, but it wasn’t really a choice that she had made. He made it a condition for her survival, and that thought made her laugh softly under her breath.
“I stay, or I die,” she whispered to herself. Saying it out loud didn’t make it feel less real. If anything, it made it worse, because now, she couldn’t pretend this was only temporary. This wasn’t just a bad night out at a club or a misunderstanding. This was her life now. Her father was hidden somewhere she couldn’t reach him, and her family might have betrayed her. Right now,the only man standing between her and death owned the ground she walked on. Her hands curled at her sides. No—he didn’t own her. He was protecting her, and the difference mattered to her. It had to because it was the only way that she’d stay with him.
Isabella pushed away from the bed, pacing the length of the room, her thoughts moving too fast, colliding into each other. “Think,” she breathed to herself. “Don’t panic.” She knew well enough that panicking got people killed. She had learned that early in life. Control—that was what she needed right now. She needed control over something—anything, really.
Her gaze swept the room again. There were no visible locks, no bars, and no chains holding her back. But that didn’t mean freedom. That just meant the cage was invisible. Her lips pressed together as she tried to figure out her next move. Fine—if she was trapped, then she wasn’t going to be useless.
She crossed to the door and opened it with no hesitation and no fear. The hallway outside was quiet—but not empty. She didn’t expect it to be. Two men stood at opposite ends, both straightening slightly the second they saw her. They were there to watch her. She always had someone watching her—even at her father’s house.
“Can I help you, miss?” one of them asked. He was polite, but firm. There was no way that he was going to let her out of his sight. He had his orders from Luca, and he wouldn’t fail his boss.
Isabella lifted her chin. “Yes, you can move out of my way.”
The man didn’t even blink. In fact, he seemed somewhat amused by her. “No.”
Her jaw tightened as she thought of a good excuse to be out of her room. “I need to see Luca,” she quickly said.
“He’s unavailable,” the guard insisted.
“I’m not asking permission,” she spat. “I need to see him, now.”
“You’re not leaving this floor.” His voice was calm, and that made her temper flare—but she forced it down. Losing control wouldn’t help her right now, not here, and not with them.
“Then call him,” she ordered. The guard studied her as though measuring his options and trying to decide what to do next. She felt as though she was holding her breath waiting for him to respond to her demand. He reached for his earpiece, and she let out the breath that she had been holding.
“Boss, she’s asking for you,” he said. Silence filled the hallway as the man waited for Luca to respond. He finally nodded and said, “Understood.” The guard lowered his hand. “He’ll see you.” Luca granting her permission to see him just plain pissed her off. He was making sure she stayed exactly where he wanted her and letting her know that he was the one in complete control.
Isabella stepped past the guards without another word. This time, they didn’t stop her because Luca had given her permission to leave her room. Isabella was beginning to understand that they were all puppets in Luca’s play, and she felt the need to cut her strings. She just needed to figure out a way to do that and stay safe.
Isabella walked into his office and noticed that it was darker than before—quieter even. The city lights spilled through the glass, cutting sharp lines across the floor and him. Luca was standing near the window again, as he always did. It was like he was looking over everything that he owned.
He didn’t turn when she entered the room. “Couldn’t stay in your room?” he asked, still staring out of the window.
She closed the door behind her. “No.”
“Good,” he breathed, catching her off guard.
Her brows pulled together slightly. “What?” she asked.
He turned to face her, slowly and deliberately. “I didn’t bring you here to sit in your room and sulk all day,” he said.
