006

Caterina.

Growing up, there was a game I played with my cousins before my dad made enough money to leave the slums.

We pretended we were princesses trying to escape the castle of an evil king.

I wondered what they would say when they learnt it was my reality.

The mansion corridors stretched endlessly before me, a labyrinth of gilded prison walls. My heels clicked softly on the polished floors, their rhythm muffled by the racing of my pulse. I'd memorized as much as I could during my earlier wandering, counting windows and doors, noting where the cameras hung like unblinking guards.

My only comfort was knowing Luca would be nowhere near me right now.

That bastard.

My jaw clenched as I thought about him. The way he leaned into me this morning, his hand brushing back my hair like I was some possession. His voice still echoed in my head.

"Loathe keeps things interesting."

Interesting?

Interesting would be watching him rot in jail. And if I could get out of here, I'd do everything in my power to make that happen.

I pressed my back against the wall, taking a deep breath to steady myself. A camera perched in the corner turned its mechanical eye lazily, and I waited for it to scan away before slipping around the bend.

My steps were light. Precise. With my heart hammering in my ears.

The mansion was deceptively quiet, but I wasn't stupid enough to believe I was alone. Luca's people were everywhere... watching, listening. The scent of polish and faint cologne lingered in the air, an oppressive reminder of the man who owned this fortress.

I was halfway down a long corridor when I heard voices ahead.

“Did you see her?”

I forced, my breath hitching.

Had they found out it wasn't me in that blasted space Luca had given to me as a room? Filled with clothing that probably belonged to some mistress or girlfriend?

Had they found Sofia?

What would they do to her?

The low murmur of two men carried through the air, their conversation growing louder as they rounded the corner.

"Yeah," one of them said, laughing. "The boss sure knows how to pick 'em. That's one hell of a piece of..."

"Careful," the other one cut in, his tone sharp but amused. “You’re talking about the boss’s snack. Don’t want to lose your tongue, do you?”

They both chuckled, and I had to grit my teeth to keep from storming out and punching them.

Snack?

Was that what they thought I was? Some trophy Luca had plucked from Alessandro to parade around like a prize?

Did they think I was some whore who wanted to sleep with him?

The thought burned, but I swallowed it down. Anger wouldn’t help me now.

“She must’ve been a hell of a fight for Alessandro to give her up, though,” one of them added, his voice dropping slightly. “The guy was fuming when the boss left with her.”

I clenched my fists, resisting the urge to scream. "You're talking about me like I'm not a person, you idiots."

“Yeah, well,” the first guard said, “who cares? The boss gets what he wants. Always does.”

I was about to move... carefully, quietly... when one of them paused.

“Wait,” he said. “Did you hear that?”

Shit.

I ducked into the nearest door, easing it open just enough to slip through. The faint creak of the hinges felt deafening in the silence. My heart was in my throat as I shut it behind me and pressed my back against the wood, listening.

“Probably nothing,” the second guard said after a moment.

“Hmm.”

Their voices faded as they moved further down the hall. I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding, relief washing over me.

But then I turned around.

The room I’d entered wasn’t a room at all... it was a passageway. Cool air brushed against my skin, and the faint scent of fresh grass tickled my nose. A sliver of light spilled through an open doorway at the end, and I crept toward it cautiously, every nerve in my body on edge.

When I stepped through, the world opened up around me.

I was outside.

Well, guessed those guards were good for something.

A sprawling golf course stretched out before me, the pristine green lawn bordered by hedges and manicured flowerbeds. It was almost surreal, the open sky above me after hours of being trapped inside that suffocating mansion. For a moment, I just stood there, drinking it in.

And then I saw him.

Luca stood not twenty feet away, his broad shoulders unmistakable even from this distance. His dark suit was immaculate as ever, though the contrast of it against the soft greenery seemed almost absurd.

He wasn’t alone.

A tall, blonde woman stood with him, her hand resting lightly on his chest. She was beautiful in that icy, unapproachable way that made me instantly dislike her. Her smile was coy, and her lips painted blood red as she leaned closer.

I wanted to turn away, to keep moving before they noticed me, but I couldn’t.

Luca’s hand slid to her hip, then lower, resting casually on her ass as though it were the most natural thing in the world. And then their mouths met... slow, deliberate, like they had all the time in the world.

I felt a rush of emotions I couldn’t quite place. Disgust, anger, maybe even something close to betrayal. Not because I cared who Luca kissed, but because of the sheer audacity of it.

Here I was, risking everything to escape his clutches, and there he was, making out with some goddess on his private golf course like it was just another Tuesday.

“Fuck my life,” I muttered under my breath.

My voice was barely audible, but in the stillness, it felt loud enough to echo. I froze, my breath catching as Luca’s head turned slightly, his eyes narrowing as if he’d heard something.

Panic surged through me, but I forced myself to stay still, crouching low behind the hedges. My mind raced, weighing my options. If I made a break for it now, he’d see me for sure. If I stayed here, it was only a matter of time before someone noticed I was missing.

I clenched my fists, biting down on the curse that wanted to escape my lips.

Think, Caterina. Think.