Chapter 2- The Devil’s House
845 Words
I should have run.
The moment I saw Lorenzo De Luca standing in front of my apartment hallway looking like sin wrapped in a black suit, I should have slammed the door shut and disappeared.
Instead, I stood there frozen like an i***t while his dark eyes studied me carefully.
There was something terrifying about the way he looked at people, calm, controlled, unreadable.
Like he already knew exactly how every situation would end.
“Get inside,” he said quietly.
My eyebrows furrowed immediately. “Excuse me?”
One of the men behind him shifted awkwardly as if waiting for me to obey instantly.
Lorenzo sighed softly, almost impatiently.
“The hallway isn’t the right place for this conversation, Amelia.”
The way he said my name sent chills down my spine.
Like he had said it before.
Like he knew me.
I tightened my grip on the apartment door. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
A dangerous silence followed my words.
The bodyguards exchanged looks again, but Lorenzo simply slipped one hand into his pocket and tilted his head slightly.
“You think you have a choice?”
Anger flared inside me instantly.
“I didn’t steal your money.”
“No,” he agreed calmly. “Your father did.”
“My father’s mistakes have nothing to do with me.”
His jaw tightened slightly at that.
For the first time since arriving, emotion flickered across his face.
Interesting.
“You’d be surprised,” he murmured.
Before I could respond, my landlord suddenly appeared at the end of the hallway.
“Amelia!” the old woman snapped before noticing the men in suits. Her expression changed immediately. “What’s going on here?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but Lorenzo spoke first.
“She’ll be moving out.”
My head whipped toward him so fast my neck almost cracked.
“I will WHAT?”
The old woman blinked nervously. “Moving out?”
“Yes,” Lorenzo answered smoothly. “Tonight.”
“I never said that!”
He finally looked directly at me again, his dark eyes almost amused now.
“You’re staying here?”
I hated how weak my voice sounded when I answered.
“Yes.”
Lorenzo slowly glanced around the apartment behind me.
Peeling paint.
Broken kitchen light.
Tiny living room.
Cheap furniture.
Then his gaze returned to mine.
“You’re lying.”
Heat rushed to my face immediately.
God, I hated rich people.
“I don’t need your pity.”
“And I don’t offer pity.”
Something about the way he said it made my stomach twist.
This man wasn’t kind.
Wasn’t soft.
Wasn’t safe.
Yet somehow, standing near him made me feel more protected than I had felt in years.
Which was ridiculous.
Dangerous men should not feel comforting.
“Mr. Luca—” one of the guards interrupted carefully before handing him a phone.
Lorenzo glanced at the screen briefly before his expression darkened slightly.
“Outside,” he ordered the men.
Within seconds, they disappeared down the hallway, leaving us alone.
My heart pounded nervously.
I suddenly became very aware of how close he was standing.
Too close.
“You’re scared of me,” he observed quietly.
I crossed my arms defensively. “Shouldn’t I be?”
Instead of answering, he stepped even closer.
My breath caught.
God.
He smelled expensive.
The stupid realization annoyed me immediately.
“Your father owes dangerous people money,” Lorenzo said softly. “People far worse than me.”
I almost laughed.
“Am I supposed to feel grateful you threatened me politely?”
A small smirk appeared on his face for the first time.
And somehow, that was even more dangerous than his cold expression.
“You’re mouthy.”
“You showed up at my apartment with bodyguards.”
“And yet you’re still arguing with me.”
I lifted my chin stubbornly. “Maybe I’m stupid.”
“No,” he murmured while staring directly into my eyes. “You’re brave.”
The compliment caught me so off guard that I forgot how to speak for a second.
Then his phone rang again.
The softness disappeared from his face instantly.
Just like that, the terrifying mafia boss returned.
He answered the call without taking his eyes off me.
“Speak.”
Silence.
Then suddenly, his entire expression turned deadly.
“I said don’t touch him until I arrive.”
A cold chill slid down my spine.
Lorenzo ended the call before slipping the phone back into his pocket.
“What happened?” I asked before I could stop myself.
His gaze darkened slightly.
“They found your father.”
My stomach dropped.
“Is he okay?”
Lorenzo didn’t answer immediately.
And somehow…
That terrified me more than if he had.
"Get the car ready," Lorenzo said to the guards
before I could open my mouth to say something, one of his men came and told me to follow them, and I immediately started walking because I knew better than to resist
- Writer
