chapter 4
1485 Words
The ride to the Caruso estate was silent.
Valentina sat rigid beside Dominic in the back of his blacked-out SUV, her hands folded tightly in her lap. The engagement ring—a cold, lifeless thing—felt like a shackle on her finger.
Outside, the city blurred past in streaks of neon and darkness, but inside, the air was thick with tension.
She wasn’t stupid. She knew what this was.
A cage with velvet walls.
A prison disguised as a marriage.
And sitting beside her was the man who held the keys.
Dominic had barely spoken since they left the Moretti mansion. He sat back, legs spread, one arm draped over the seat, his other hand toying with his gun. He wasn’t tense—not like her. If anything, he looked calm.
Like a man who’d just won a war.
When they arrived, Valentina was expecting a grand estate—something like her father’s.
But the Caruso mansion was nothing like the Moretti home.
It was a fortress.
Dark stone, high walls, armed men patrolling every inch of the property. There were no family portraits, no warmth. Just power, security, and silence.
As she stepped inside, the coldness of the place settled into her bones.
Dominic shut the door behind her and gestured to the long hallway ahead. “Welcome home, princess.”
She turned to him, arms crossed. “Don’t call me that.”
His smirk deepened. “Would you prefer ‘fiancée’?”
“I’d prefer you shut up.”
The moment the words left her lips, the air shifted.
Dominic’s smirk vanished.
In one swift motion, he closed the distance between them, his hand wrapping around her throat. Firm, unrelenting.
Valentina gasped, her fingers flying to his wrist, but his grip was steady—not tight enough to choke her, but enough to remind her exactly who he was.
His dark eyes burned into hers. “You don’t get to talk to me like that.”
Her heart pounded. She refused to cower.
“Let me go.” Her voice was even, but there was a slight tremor in it.
Dominic leaned in, his breath warm against her skin. “No, Valentina. You’re mine now. You don’t get to disrespect me.”
She swallowed hard.
“Your father might have let you run your mouth,” he murmured, “but I won’t.”
His thumb brushed against the delicate skin of her jaw, a sick mockery of affection. “You belong to me now. And if you want to survive in my world, you’ll learn to act like it.”
A slow, taunting smirk curled at his lips.
Then, as suddenly as he grabbed her, he let go.
Valentina stumbled back, her pulse racing.
Dominic watched her, his gaze unreadable. “Be careful with your words, Moretti. Next time, I won’t be so forgiving.”
And with that, he nodded to one of his men. “Make sure she’s settled in.” before he turned, walking down the dimly lit hallway, leaving her standing there, breathless and shaken.
“Wait.” Valentina asked rubbing her her neck. “Where’s my room?”
Dominic arched a brow. “Our room is upstairs.”
“Our?” She took a step back. “No. No way. I’m not sharing a room with you.”
He exhaled slowly, like she was exhausting him. “This isn’t about comfort, Moretti. This is about keeping up appearances. My men need to see this marriage as real. If they don’t, they’ll assume there’s a crack in the alliance.”
She shook her head. “No one is going to care where I sleep.”
Dominic’s jaw ticked. “You’d be surprised.”
She held his stare, waiting for him to relent.
He didn’t.
Instead, he leaned in slightly, voice lowering. “I don’t trust anyone, Valentina. And after tonight, you shouldn’t either.”
Something in his tone made her pause.
Was this about protection?
She swallowed, glancing at the guards around them. Did he really think someone would try to hurt her here?
Or was this just another one of his power plays?
Either way, she was trapped.
With a quiet exhale, she turned on her heel and stalked up the stairs.
Dominic didn’t stop her. But when she reached the bedroom and slammed the door behind her, she heard him chuckle roughly.
Their shared bedroom was just as cold and lifeless as the rest of the house.
The only warmth came from the massive fireplace, its flames flickering against the walls.
Valentina ran a hand through her hair, exhaling sharply. How did she end up here?
She turned as Dominic walked in, shutting the door behind him. He shrugged off his suit jacket, unbuttoning the first few buttons of his shirt.
His movements were casual, unbothered. Like this was just another night for him.
For her? It was the beginning of a nightmare.
“You can sleep on the bed,” he said, rolling up his sleeves.
She crossed her arms. “And where will you sleep?”
He smirked. “The bed.”
Her glare could have set him on fire.
“Relax, princess,” he murmured, undoing his watch and setting it on the nightstand. “I don’t touch women unless they want me to.”
Her face heated, but she refused to let him get under her skin. She wouldn’t give him that satisfaction.
She walked over to the far side of the bed and climbed in without another word.
Dominic watched her for a moment before shaking his head with a quiet chuckle. He grabbed his gun from the table and checked the chamber, then set it under his pillow.
The lights went out.
Silence fell over the room.
Valentina lay there, staring at the ceiling, her body stiff. She could feel him beside her—his presence dark, suffocating.
And just when she thought sleep might come, a gunshot shattered the night.
Valentina shot up, heart racing.
More gunfire followed—rapid, brutal.
Shouts echoed down the halls. Chaos.
She turned to Dominic, but he was already out of bed, gun in hand.
“What’s happening?” she whispered.
His eyes were dark, deadly. “An attack.”
Her stomach twisted.
Dominic grabbed his phone and barked orders into it. “Lock the perimeter. No one gets in or out.”
Then his gaze snapped back to her. “Stay here.”
“No.” She scrambled to her feet. “I’m not—”
BOOM.
A blast from downstairs shook the walls.
Dominic cursed, grabbing her wrist. “Stay behind me.”
She didn’t argue. Not when he was the only thing standing between her and whatever the hell was happening.
They moved quickly, stepping into the hallway. The scent of gunpowder and blood hit her instantly.
The house was in chaos—Dominic’s men were already engaged in a brutal fight.
Two masked men rushed up the stairs.
Dominic didn’t hesitate.
One shot. Straight through the first man’s skull.
Blood splattered against the walls.
Valentina’s breath hitched, but she forced herself to stay calm.
The second attacker lunged, but Dominic moved like a predator—swift, controlled. One bullet to the knee, another to the throat.
The man collapsed, choking on his own blood.
Valentina couldn’t breathe.
She had seen death before, but not like this.
Not so close and personal.
Dominic turned to her. “Still want to sleep in a different room?”
She didn’t answer. She couldn’t.
Suddenly, a shadow moved in the corner of her vision.
Before she could react, a third attacker grabbed her from behind, yanking her against his chest.
The cold barrel of a gun pressed against her temple.
“Drop your weapon,” the man snarled at Dominic.
Valentina’s heart pounded.
But Dominic?
He didn’t even flinch.
Instead, he tilted his head, eyes cold. “You really think I give a f**k about her? She’s nothing but my slut”
Valentina froze.
What?
Dominic took a step forward. “Go ahead. Pull the trigger.”
The man hesitated.
Big mistake.
Dominic struck fast—one clean shot.
Blood sprayed across Valentina’s cheek as the man’s body dropped.
She gasped, stumbling back. Her hands were shaking.
Dominic stepped closer, gripping her chin. “Look at me.”
Her breathing was erratic.
“Look at me, Valentina.”
She forced herself to meet his gaze.
His thumb brushed across her cheek, wiping away the blood. His expression was unreadable.
“If you want to survive in my world,” he murmured, “you need to be stronger.”
Her voice wavered. “I don’t want to survive in your world.”
A beat of silence.
His lips curled into a smile—slow, sinister, terrifying.
“… then you’ll die.”
Valentina’s stomach twisted. That smile. It wasn’t a warning.
It was a promise.
- Writer
