A Word She Doesn’t Belongs
904 Words
📖 Chapter 9: A World She Doesn’t Belong In
The moment the gates opened—
I knew this wasn’t just another house.
It was a different world.
Tall black gates. Armed security. A driveway so long it felt like we were entering a private kingdom.
My fingers tightened slightly in my lap.
“This is where you live?” I asked softly.
Dante glanced at me.
“Yes.”
Of course he did.
Nothing about him was normal.
The car stopped in front of a massive mansion.
White stone.
Glass walls.
Lights glowing softly like something out of a dream.
Or a warning.
A man quickly opened my door.
“Welcome back, sir.”
Sir.
That word alone made everything feel heavier.
More real.
I stepped out slowly, looking around.
Everything was… perfect.
Too perfect.
“Come,” Dante said, his voice calm as always.
I followed him inside.
The interior was even more overwhelming.
Marble floors.
High ceilings.
Expensive everything.
I suddenly felt very… small.
Like I didn’t belong here.
Like I didn’t fit into this world at all.
“You’re quiet,” he said.
“I’m thinking,” I replied.
“About leaving?”
I stopped walking.
Then looked at him.
“No.”
That answer came faster than I expected.
And it surprised both of us.
He led me deeper into the house.
Past staff who lowered their heads respectfully.
Past rooms I didn’t even understand the purpose of.
Until—
We stopped.
“This is your room,” he said.
I blinked.
“My room?”
“Yes.”
I frowned slightly. “Not… yours?”
His lips curved just a little.
“You want it to be?”
My face warmed instantly.
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to.”
I looked away quickly.
This man was impossible.
The room was beautiful.
Soft colors.
Large bed.
Balcony view of the city.
Everything felt… calm.
Safe.
Which was strange, considering who he was.
“Get some rest,” he said. “You’ve had a long day.”
I turned to him. “And you?”
“I have work.”
Of course he did.
Dangerous work.
The kind he never explains.
“Dante…” I called softly.
He paused at the door.
I hesitated.
Then—
“Are there going to be more women like today?”
The question slipped out before I could stop it.
He turned fully this time.
His expression unreadable.
“Yes,” he said.
My chest tightened.
“But—” he continued, walking back toward me slowly, “none of them matter.”
He stopped in front of me.
Close.
Too close.
“The only one that does,” he added quietly, “is you.”
My heart skipped.
Again.
I hated how easily he did that.
“But they won’t stop,” I said.
“No,” he agreed. “They won’t.”
“Then what do I do?”
His eyes locked onto mine.
“You stay beside me.”
Simple.
Direct.
Dangerous.
A knock suddenly interrupted us.
Dante’s expression darkened slightly.
“Come in.”
The door opened.
And my heart dropped.
Victoria.
She stood there like she owned the place.
Elegant.
Confident.
Dangerous in a completely different way.
“Dante,” she said smoothly, stepping inside without hesitation.
Then her eyes landed on me.
And everything changed.
“Oh,” she added, her gaze slowly scanning me. “So this is why you’ve been… distracted.”
My stomach tightened.
Dante’s voice turned cold.
“Leave.”
Victoria smiled faintly.
“I just came to check on you,” she said. “You disappeared from the school without a word.”
“I said leave.”
This time, there was no softness in his tone.
Only authority.
Only warning.
Victoria’s eyes flicked between us.
Then back to me.
Something sharp flashed in her gaze.
“You should be careful,” she said to me. “Men like him don’t keep girls like you for long.”
My chest tightened.
Before I could respond—
Dante stepped forward.
Positioning himself slightly in front of me.
Protective.
Clear.
Final.
“She’s not ‘girls like that,’” he said coldly. “She’s mine.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Tense.
Victoria’s smile faded slightly.
“Is that so?” she murmured.
“Yes.”
One word.
But it carried weight.
Power.
Truth.
For the first time—
I saw something in her eyes.
Not confidence.
Not control.
But something darker.
Jealousy.
“Interesting,” she said softly.
Then she turned and walked out.
But the tension she left behind?
It didn’t go with her.
The door closed.
Silence filled the room again.
I exhaled slowly.
“That was… intense.”
Dante didn’t respond immediately.
His jaw was tight.
His expression dark.
“She won’t stop,” I said quietly.
“I know.”
I looked at him.
“Is she dangerous?”
His eyes met mine.
“Yes.”
My heart skipped.
“But not to you,” he added.
“You sound very sure.”
“I am.”
The way he said it—
There was no doubt.
No hesitation.
Just certainty.
And somehow…
That should have comforted me.
But instead—
It made me realize something.
I wasn’t just in a relationship anymore.
I had stepped into a world where:
Power mattered.
Enemies existed.
And love?
Came with danger.
- Writer
