Dangerously Devoted

The first thing Lucia Moreno did when she opened her eyes was check if her socks were still on. They were. Bright blue. Fluffy. Perfect. The second thing she did was notice the three maids standing at the foot of her bed like soldiers awaiting execution. She stretched, slow and deliberate, her brown silk hair spilling across the blue flowery sheets like liquid. One maid actually flinched. Lucia sat up. "Yes? What are you waiting for? Go prepare my bath, woman." The first maid bolted to the bathroom like her life depended on it. Smart woman. "You." Lucia pointed at the second maid, who went pale. "I'm going to be late for school, so pick out something for me. Something simple today. Maybe a blue off-shoulder and blue jeans." The maid practically sprinted to the walk-in closet. "And do I need to tell you to help me wear my flip-flops?" The third maid scrambled to retrieve the fluffy blue bunny flip-flops from under the bed. Her fingers trembled as she slid them onto Lucia's feet. Then her nail grazed Lucia's ankle. Through the sock. Barely. "Oh my God!" Lucia shrieked. "My foot! Ouch! Are you trying to kill me, you stupid b***h?" She kicked the maid square in the mouth. The maid's lips burst open. Her head cracked against the wall. She crumpled to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut. Lucia stared at the unconscious body and sighed. "What a loser. Get her out of here. And tell her she's fired once she's done with her beauty sleep." The remaining two maids dragged their coworker out without a word. "Just had to ruin such a beautiful day for me." Lucia scoffed, flipped her hair over her shoulder, and walked to the bathroom. TWENTY MINUTES LATER "DADDY!" Lucia's voice echoed through the marble foyer as she ran down the stairs, her blue designer heels clicking against the floor. She and Matteo had a bond that made outsiders uncomfortable — the kind of love that seemed impossible for a man who had built an empire on blood. Matteo, seated at the head of the dining table, chuckled at the sound of her voice. Sebastian, seated beside him, did not. Lucia reached the table and planted a kiss on her father's cheek. She didn't look at Sebastian. She never looked at Sebastian. "Lucia... manners. You can see someone seated beside me," Matteo said, though his tone carried no real scolding. Lucia's eyes drifted to Sebastian like she was doing him a favor. "Oh. You're here." She sat down and began eating — eggs and bacon with a cup of tea. Then she bit down on something hard. An eggshell. The crunch was loud enough for Matteo to hear. He stopped eating, watching his daughter's face twist with fury. Lucia spat the egg onto the floor and stood up so fast her chair scraped against the marble. "Who prepared this breakfast?!" Every maid in the room froze. No one stepped forward. "I said — who the f**k prepared breakfast?!" Her voice cracked through the room like a whip. Slowly, a maid stepped out of the line. Her hands were shaking. "I-it was me, Miss Lucia." Lucia smiled. It was not a kind smile. She crossed the room in three steps and slapped the maid so hard she spun before hitting the ground. The sound echoed. The maid whimpered, clutching her cheek. Sebastian's hands curled into fists under the table. "You trying to break my teeth, huh?" Lucia screamed. "If you can't cook, then don't f*****g step into a f*****g kitchen!" "I'm sorry, Miss Lucia," the maid sobbed. "Sorry? You're sorry?" Lucia's smile returned. "Okay. Prove it." She pointed at the half-chewed egg on the floor. "Eat it." The maid's eyes widened. She looked at the egg, then back at Lucia, her face draining of color. "You can't?" Lucia asked, folding her arms. The maid shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "I'll eat it... I'll eat it..." She began crawling toward the egg. Her tears dripped onto the marble floor. Matteo continued eating. He didn't look up. He didn't intervene. "STOP." Sebastian was on his feet. The maid didn't wait for permission. She scrambled up and ran out of the room like the devil was chasing her. Sebastian turned to Lucia, his blue eyes cold enough to freeze fire. "Seriously? You're that heartless? Telling her to eat something that's been in your mouth?" Lucia scoffed. "Coming from a guy who killed an entire family." The words hit like a bullet. Sebastian's jaw tightened. His eyes closed. For a moment, he was somewhere else — a house on fire, screaming, a six-year-old boy looking at him with wide eyes, and then— He opened his eyes. He leaned closer to Lucia, close enough that she could feel his breath. "You disgust me." Lucia leaned closer too, her lips curving into a smirk. "Read my lips, sugar." "I don't care." She grabbed her school bag and sauntered out of the room, her hips swaying with every step. Sebastian watched her go. Then he turned to Matteo — who was looking at him with a knowing smirk. He shook his head and stormed out. ••• Lucia stood outside, still fuming. She turned and saw four bodyguards behind her. Four. She was going to lose her mind. Free. She just wanted to be free — free from this house, free from being watched every second of every day. She turned back around and kept walking. She had another set of guards to get fired. PEARL HIGH Pearl High wasn't just a school. It was a hierarchy. Children of the top mafia lords walked these halls like royalty. Everyone else walked like prey. Grade A — Children of the Top 5 most successful and dangerous mafia lords. Grade C — Children of the Top 30. Grade F — Children of those who worked for the mafia lords. If you were Grade F, your life was a joke. A mockery. You were likely to get killed — or worse. Trust me when I say being dead is better than being bullied in this school. A black Lamborghini pulled up in front of the gates. A pair of blue designer sneakers stepped out. Lucia Moreno. She's here. I heard her father just reached Top 1. She's dangerous. Stay away — that's the only warning. Because her father was Top 1, she was feared. She had no friends. Not that she cared. Lucia walked into the school with her head high and her guards trailing behind her. She needed to get rid of them. Fast. "I need to use the toilet," she announced. They followed her. She stopped. "Wait. You don't plan on following me into the toilet, do you? Ever heard of privacy?" They bowed and turned their backs. Lucia rolled her eyes and stepped inside. The bathroom was empty. Perfect. She scanned the room until her eyes landed on a nearby window. She measured it with a glance. A perfect fit to sneak out — the only problem was reaching it. Her gaze fell on an empty bucket in the corner. She turned it upside down and climbed on top. Still too short. So she jumped, grabbing the window sill with both hands, her backpack dangling from her fingers. She swung one leg up, then the other, using every ounce of strength to pull herself through. She dropped to the other side and landed in a crouch. Victory. She dusted off her hands, pulled out her phone, and called her father. He picked on the first ring. "Dad... help... I... I don't know where I am. I'm scared, Dad. I don't know what to do." She was already running, putting distance between herself and the school. "What? Lucia? What about the guards?" Matteo's voice was sharp with panic. "I don't know, Dad. One minute they were beside me, and then I was knocked unconscious. I escaped when I woke up, but now I'm lost." Matteo was fuming. "Don't cut the call." He picked up his other phone and called the head guard. "Where is my daughter?" "Toilet," the guard answered. "Toilet?! Check, you stupid i***t!" The head guard signaled. Two guards entered the bathroom. Empty. "She's gone." "You're fired. You worthless pieces of shit." Matteo cut the call. The guards stared at each other, wondering what had just happened. "Dad, I think I found the road to my school," Lucia said, standing exactly where she needed to be. "Stay there. Sebastian will come pick you up. I'm sorry, sweetie. I fired those guards. I'll get you new competent ones soon." He hung up. Lucia danced in place, victorious. Then she heard a honk. A red car pulled up. The window rolled down. Sebastian's face appeared. "You have five seconds to get in, or I'm driving off." Lucia rolled her eyes. "Cranky much?" She got in. Sebastian floored the gas. "You know, for someone who got lost, you don't look scared," he said, glancing at her. "What? You don't know anything. I'm terrified." She rested her head against the window. "Now don't talk to me. I don't want to catch whatever you poor people get to become slums." Sebastian's jaw tightened. He slammed the brakes. Her head cracked against the glass. "Ouch!" she yelled, glaring at him. "Sorry. My leg slipped." He was smirking. "Idiota," she muttered, closing her eyes. They drove the rest of the way in silence. ••• "I was terrified, Dad. I thought I was never going to see you again." Lucia's voice wobbled perfectly. Her eyes were wet. Her bottom lip trembled. Sebastian stood in the corner, rolling his eyes. "I'm here, sweetie. I'm here." Matteo pulled her into a hug. His love made him blind. Lucia smirked over his shoulder before burying her face in his chest again. "After receiving your call, I made a decision," Matteo said, pulling back. “This has been going on for too long. All those guards are incompetent. They clearly don't know how to do their job. So here's my verdict." Lucia looked up at him, waiting to hear the words she'd been dreaming of. You're grown up now. You can protect yourself. "Sebastian will take over as your bodyguard." The room went silent. "What?!" Lucia screamed, stepping back. "You heard me, sweetie." "Sebastian will be your new bodyguard," Matteo repeated. Lucia's head whipped toward Sebastian. A smirk was spreading across his face. Slow. Deliberate. Terrifying. "I'd love to," he said. His face was blank — but his eyes promised hell. Lucia's stomach dropped.