Owned by the devil’s heir

ONE

The bell above the bakery door gave a soft, tired chime as Adrianne locked it behind her.

It was late—later than usual.

The street outside was quiet in that unsettling way that made everything feel too still, like the world was holding its breath. The glow from the bakery sign flickered faintly, buzzing against the dark sky. Adrianne turned the key twice, then checked the handle out of habit.

Locked.

She pulled her coat tighter around herself and stepped away.

Her reflection briefly caught in the glass—tired eyes, dark lashes, hair slightly messy from a long shift. She didn’t stare at it for long. She never did.

Normal nights ended like this. Quiet walk home. Head down. No trouble.

That was how she liked it.

Or at least, how she had learned to survive.

She turned toward the street.

That was when she heard it.

A sound—low, sharp. Not loud enough to be obvious, but wrong enough to make her stop mid-step.

Voices.

Then something heavier. A thud.

Her stomach tightened instantly.

Adrianne slowly turned her head toward the alley beside the bakery. It was narrow, poorly lit, the kind of place people avoided unless they had a reason not to be seen.

Another sound followed.

A voice—calm. Controlled. Too calm.

She shouldn’t have looked.

But she did.

And that was the moment everything shifted.

In the dim light, she saw him.

A man stood at the center of the alley, dressed in a dark suit that blended into the shadows like it belonged there. He wasn’t moving much. Didn’t need to. Everything around him felt… still. Controlled.

At his feet, another man was on the ground.

Not getting up.

Adrianne’s breath caught in her throat.

The man in the suit tilted his head slightly, as if listening to something she couldn’t hear. Then he stepped back once, adjusting his cuff like this was routine. Like nothing about the scene meant anything.

Then he turned his head.

And looked directly at her.

Even from that distance, she felt it.

Not surprise.

Not panic.

Recognition.

Her body went rigid.

She should run.

She knew that instantly.

But her legs didn’t move.

The man in the alley slowly straightened, his attention now fully locked on her. The light caught his face just enough for her to see it properly.

Sharp features. Dark eyes. Expression unreadable.

Dangerously calm.

He wasn’t rushing toward her.

He wasn’t calling out.

He just… watched.

Like he was deciding something.

Adrianne took one step back.

Then another.

Her hand fumbled for her phone in her coat pocket, but she didn’t pull it out yet. Instinct told her it wouldn’t matter.

The man in the alley shifted slightly, finally speaking.

His voice carried across the distance—low, controlled, almost quiet.

“Don’t.”

That was all he said.

One word.

And somehow it stopped her more than any shout could have.

Her fingers froze around her phone.

The man took a slow step forward, just enough for the streetlight behind him to catch more of his shape. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Expensive suit. The kind of presence that didn’t belong near small bakeries or quiet streets.

The kind that belonged somewhere far more dangerous.

“You saw something,” he said.

Not a question.

A statement.

Adrianne swallowed, forcing herself to speak even though her voice felt tight.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

A pause.

Then, faintly—almost like it was nothing—he exhaled.

Wrong answer.

He stepped closer again.

Not rushing. Not threatening loudly. Just closing distance in a way that made her chest tighten.

“You’re lying,” he said simply.

Her grip on her phone tightened.

“I didn’t see anything.”

Another step.

Now the space between them felt smaller. Too small.

Adrianne forced herself to hold her ground, even as her instincts screamed at her to move.

“I was just leaving work,” she said quickly. “I didn’t see you. I didn’t see anyone.”

Silence.

The man studied her for a long moment.

Then his eyes flicked briefly toward the bakery behind her. The locked door. The empty street.

He already knew she was alone.

That realization made her stomach drop.

Finally, he spoke again.

“You should go inside.”

Adrianne blinked.

“What?”

“Inside,” he repeated, voice still calm. “Now.”

It wasn’t advice.

It was instruction.

Something about the way he said it made her body react before her mind did. Her feet didn’t fully understand it, but they moved anyway—half a step backward toward the bakery door.

Then she stopped herself.

“No,” she said, more firmly this time. “I’m going home.”

The man tilted his head slightly.

For the first time, something flickered in his expression.

Not emotion.

Interest.

“You’re going home,” he repeated quietly.

“Yes.”

A beat of silence.

Then—

“Unlikely.”

That single word landed heavier than it should have.

Before she could respond, a second presence shifted behind him.

Another man stepped into the edge of the light.

Luca Santoro.

Adrianne didn’t know his name yet—but she would remember his face.

He looked at her briefly, then at the man in the suit, like he was waiting for a signal.

The first man didn’t look away from her.

“Casper,” the second man said quietly.

So that was his name.

Casper.

The name didn’t feel like it belonged to someone normal. It felt… final.

Casper didn’t respond immediately. His attention stayed on her a second longer.

Then he spoke again.

“You’re coming with us.”

Adrianne’s heart dropped.

“What?”

“I didn’t agree to that.”

Casper’s expression didn’t change.

“You don’t have to agree.”

Something cold slid through her chest.

“That’s not how this works,” she said, voice sharper now. “I didn’t do anything.”

A pause.

Then he stepped forward again—closer this time.

Close enough that she could see his eyes properly now.

Dark. Focused. Unshaken.

“You saw something,” he repeated. “That makes it my problem.”

Her pulse spiked.

“I won’t tell anyone.”

“I don’t care.”

That was when fear started to turn into something else.

Anger.

“You can’t just—” she started.

But she didn’t finish.

Because Casper raised his hand slightly—not touching her, not grabbing her—just signaling.

And Luca moved.

Not toward her violently.

But toward the street behind her.

Blocking the only easy exit.

Her breathing changed instantly.

She noticed it then—the control of it all. The way nothing here was accidental. The way she was already positioned without realizing it.

Casper noticed her realization.

“That door,” he said calmly, nodding toward the bakery, “won’t help you.”

Her fingers tightened.

“What do you want from me?”

A beat.

Then, quietly:

“Time.”

“That’s it?”

Casper studied her for a moment longer, like he was weighing something she couldn’t see.

Then he said it.

“You’re going to come with me. Tonight.”

Her voice shook slightly now.

“And if I refuse?”

For the first time, something darker passed through his expression.

Not anger.

Decision.

“You won’t.”

Silence.

The alley felt smaller now.

Tighter.

Like it was closing in.

Adrianne’s mind raced.

Run. Scream. Fight.

But nothing made sense against this kind of calm.

Casper took one final step forward.

Now he was close enough that she had to tilt her head slightly to keep eye contact.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said.

It should have comforted her.

It didn’t.

Because his voice didn’t promise safety.

It promised control.

Behind him, Luca waited.

Still.

Watching.

Adrianne’s chest rose and fell faster now.

“You’re insane,” she whispered.

A faint pause.

Then Casper replied:

“No.”

A beat.

“I’m efficient.”

And somehow, that was worse.

The silence stretched between them again.

Then Casper finally spoke the words that changed everything.

“You belong with me now.”

And for the first time that night…

Adrianne Hayes realized she had just stepped into a world she would not be able to walk out of.