My heart lurched, of shock and indignation lighting up every nerve. I stared at him, searching for any sign that he was joking, but Alessio De Luca didn’t joke. The room was thick with tension, and I could feel the heat climbing up my neck, flooding my chest with a mixture of fury and something I refused to name.
“No,” I said, my voice defiant but quivering at the edges. “You can’t just—”
He tilted his head, that dark, predatory smile deepening. “Can’t just what, Bella?” He took a step closer, the distance between us shrinking until there was nothing but the soft sound of our breathing. “Buy you, brand you, and then let you go about as if nothing happened? What did you expect?” His voice was low, each word cutting, dragging me further into this twisted dance.
I swallowed hard, unable t
