THE DEVIL’S SANCTUARY
586 Words
The ride to Luciano DeLuca’s estate was suffocating.
Sienna sat in the back of the sleek black car, her wrists resting loosely on her lap, though her fingers twitched with the urge to claw at the leather seats.
The men sitting on either side of her were silent, their presence a suffocating wall of control.
Outside, the city blurred past in streaks of neon and shadow, a world she had once moved through with ease—confident, untouchable.
Now, she was a commodity in transit, a pawn being delivered into the hands of a man who did not believe in mercy.
She exhaled slowly, steadying her pulse.
Fear was a luxury she could not afford.
The estate came into view like something out of a gothic nightmare.
The towering iron gates creaked open, revealing an expansive mansion bathed in the cold glow of strategically placed floodlights.
The architecture was old-world elegance—stone walls, arching windows, and towering columns that whispered of wealth and power.
A fortress.
The car rolled to a stop in the circular driveway, and one of the men beside her, a thick-necked enforcer with a scar slicing through his brow, opened the door.
He didn’t speak, but his expectant stare was command enough.
Sienna stepped out, the evening air crisp against her skin.
Footsteps echoed from the entrance, and her breath caught as the doors swung open.
Luca.
He emerged from the shadows with the ease of a man who owned every inch of the ground he walked on.
Luciano DeLuca was devastatingly composed, his presence an unspoken threat.
The black dress shirt clung to his form, sleeves rolled up just enough to expose the ink coiling along his forearms.
His sharp jawline was shadowed with stubble, his cold blue eyes drinking her in with unreadable intent.
This was not a man who would tolerate defiance.
Which meant she would have to be careful with how she wielded hers.
“Sienna.” His voice was rich, smooth—like silk stretched over steel.
She tilted her chin. “Luca.”
His lips quirked, though amusement never reached his eyes.
“Come inside.”
It wasn’t a request.
Sienna hesitated for only a fraction of a second before stepping past him, into the devil’s sanctuary.
The interior of the estate was no less intimidating than its exterior.
High ceilings, chandeliers that cast a warm glow over marble floors, walls lined with ancient books and expensive art.
A place designed to impress.
To intimidate.
She did not allow it to.
Luca moved past her, leading the way through the cavernous entry hall.
“You understand what this arrangement means, don’t you?” His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it, a quiet warning.
Sienna followed, her footsteps barely making a sound. “It means my father was weak enough to trade his daughter for his mistakes.”
Luca stopped.
Turned.
His gaze was sharp enough to cut. “It means you belong to me now.”
Her breath hitched.
Not at the words themselves, but at the finality in them.
The certainty.
She met his stare without flinching. “Belong is a strong word.”
A slow, dangerous smirk spread across his lips.
“You’ll learn, Sienna. In this world, ownership is everything.”
She held his gaze for a beat longer before finally looking away.
For now.
Let him think he had won this round.
He had no idea that a pawn, when placed correctly, could bring down an empire.
- Writer
