The Mafia’s Prisoner

Chapter 4

The afternoon agenda was to clean the Delgado family’s expensive vases, a task Luna performed with painstaking care. She wiped every inch of the porcelain with steady, methodical strokes.

Yet, every so often, she found herself haunted by the young master’s gaze—a look of sheer intimidation directed solely at her. It was a cold stare, the meaning of which Luna could not begin to fathom.

Then came the sound of shattering ceramic. Luna froze in the middle of the vast main living room. At her feet, shards of a Ming Dynasty porcelain vase lay scattered like sharp flakes of snow. The clear water from inside the vessel soaked into the white wool carpet, creating a damp stain that spread rapidly. Luna felt a stinging throb radiating from her right palm. A single drop of thick, crimson blood fell, landing squarely on a piece of glistening white porcelain.

The crash inevitably drew the attention of all the servants, including Felix, who approached Luna as she stood paralyzed, staring at the debris strewn everywhere.

"I’m sorry, sir. Please, forgive me. My hands slipped and I dropped it. I am so sorry, sir."

Her voice trembled, though she fought to keep her tone low. She knelt, attempting to gather the larger shards with shaking fingers. Every movement caused the cut in her palm to gape further. The coppery scent of blood began to mingle with the aroma of the wilted lilies on the floor.

"Stop. You’ll only ruin that carpet further with your cheap blood."

Felix stepped closer. The heavy thud of his loafers echoed through the silent room. He stood directly in front of Luna, his dominant stature casting a long shadow over her. Luna could see his silhouette eclipsing the remains of the ruined vase. The man leaned down, catching Luna’s wrist in a grip that was firm but not painful.

"Look at me when I speak to you, Luna."

Luna lifted her face. She saw a flash of cold fury in Felix’s eyes. But there was something else there too—a dark, unreadable fascination. Felix pulled her to her feet. He did not release his grip. Instead, he led her toward a leather sofa in the corner of the room.

"Sit there. Do not move an inch."

"I have to clean this up before Martha sees it, sir. This vase must have been incredibly expensive."

"The price of it could fund your life for the next ten years without you ever having to break a sweat in some godforsaken cafe. Be quiet."

Felix walked toward a small cabinet in the corner. He retrieved a first aid kit made of silver metal. He sat back down in front of Luna, placing the kit on the coffee table. With meticulous movements, Felix opened a bottle of antiseptic. He took Luna’s injured hand, inspecting the tear in her palm with clinical intensity.

"This will sting. Do not scream."

The cold liquid hit Luna’s wound. She bit her lower lip so hard the pain there distracted her from her hand. Felix cleared away the remaining porcelain dust from the cut using small tweezers. His focus was razor sharp. He looked like a surgeon handling a most precious patient, not a lowly servant.

"Why are you doing this yourself? You could have called another servant to tend to me."

"I do not like my property being touched by incompetent hands. That includes you."

"I am not your property, sir."

Felix stopped moving. He looked up, staring directly into the depths of Luna’s eyes. A thin smirk tugged at the corner of his firm lips. He pressed an alcohol soaked cotton ball against her wound a little harder, forcing a muffled hiss from her.

"You work under my roof. You eat my food. You signed a contract that I approved. That makes me the legal owner of every hour of your life."

"That contract does not include ownership of a soul, Young Master."

"We shall see how long you can hold onto that principle."

Felix began to wrap Luna’s hand in a neat, white bandage. His movements were efficient. He tied the end of the gauze in a knot that was secure but not overly tight. Once finished, he continued to hold her hand, slowly stroking the surface of the bandage with his thumb. The touch felt like an electric shock to Luna.

"Do you know the historical value of the vase you just ground into dust?"

"I know it was priceless to your family."

"Wrong. To me, it was just fired clay. But to my father, it was a symbol of the glory he flaunted in front of his business associates. You have just created a diplomatic crisis within this house."

Luna lowered her head. She knew how precarious her position was. Alfero Delgado was not the kind of man to forgive even the smallest mistake. If word reached the old man’s ears, Luna would likely be thrown out.

"I will pay for the damages. Please, deduct it from my wages every month until it is settled."

Felix let out a low laugh. The sound was like the scraping of cold metal. He released Luna’s hand and leaned back into the sofa, crossing his legs with arrogant grace.

"Your wages wouldn't be enough to pay for the smallest shard of that vase even if you worked here until your hair turned white. You are too naive if you think money is the solution in this house."

"Then what do you want? I have nothing else but my labor."

"I don't need your labor to scrub floors. I have a hundred other people who can do that better than you."

Felix leaned forward, closing the gap until their faces were only centimeters apart. The scent of expensive cigars and sandalwood from Felix’s body invaded Luna’s senses. He locked his gaze onto hers, making Luna feel trapped in a labyrinth with no exit.

"You will pay your debt in a different way. From this second forward, you are no longer an ordinary housemaid. You are my personal servant. You will be wherever I am. You will do whatever I command without asking why."

"What do you mean by doing whatever you command?"

"Anything, Luna. If I tell you to stand in the rain until morning, you will do it. If I tell you to sleep in front of my door to guard me, you will not close your eyes. You are my new shadow."

Luna felt her heart racing with a mixture of fear and anger. This was a terrifying form of control. Felix was trying to bind her with invisible chains.

"This is not fair. You are taking advantage of an accident to oppress me."

"Fairness is a concept created by the weak so they can feel safe. Here, there are only consequences. You destroyed what was mine, so you must replace it with your freedom."

Felix stood up, smoothing his suit which hadn't a single wrinkle. He looked toward the broken shards on the floor as if the object had never existed. He then turned his gaze back to Luna’s bandaged hand.

"Meet me in the study in ten minutes. I have a list of new rules you must memorize. If you break even one, I will make sure my father knows exactly who destroyed his favorite collection."

Luna could only watch in silence as Felix walked away. She traced the bandage on her hand. The sting was still there, but the sense of suffocation in her throat was far more real. She had just walked into a trap meticulously laid by a predator. Felix didn't care about the vase. He only wanted total control over her.

Ten minutes later, Luna stood before the door of Felix’s study. She took a long breath, trying to calm the storm in her chest. She pushed the heavy wooden door open slowly. There, Felix sat behind his massive desk, staring at a document with an unreadable expression.

"Sit down, Luna. Our new game has just begun."

Felix did not look up, but his voice was sharp. He slid a new sheet of paper across the desk containing a grueling schedule. Luna’s eyes widened when she saw that the schedule accounted for nearly twenty four hours of her time every day.

"You want me to accompany you to business meetings as well?"

"You will be my personal assistant on the outside, and my servant on the inside. Never be more than five meters away from me unless I permit it."

"Why are you doing this? You already have Diego."

Felix finally lifted his head. He looked at Luna with a gaze full of a burgeoning obsession. He rose from his chair, walked toward Luna, and whispered something directly into her ear.

"Because I want you."