Chapter 2 BOUND AND DEFIANT

The Varela estate loomed against the night sky like a fortress, cold, unyielding, and impossible to escape.

Serena's wrists ached from the rough rope Santi had used to bind her again, her skin raw where she had fought too hard. But the physical pain was nothing compared to the blinding rage burning inside her.

She wasn't just a prisoner, she was a pawn. And if there was one thing Serena De Luca refused to be, it was anyone's pawn.

Santi shoved her forward through the marble foyer, his grip firm but not rough. She sensed the tension humming through him, his frustration barely masked beneath his usual cocky demeanour.

"You've got a death wish," he muttered as they walked toward a spiral staircase. "No one talks to Adriano like that and lives."

"I'm not afraid of him," she spat back.

Santi laughed under his breath. "Maybe you should be."

Serena lifted her chin, refusing to give him the satisfaction. Fear would only make her weak, and she couldn't afford weakness in a place like this. Not with Adriano Varela watching her every move.

At the top of the stairs, Santi opened a door and pushed her inside.

The room was bigger than any bedroom she'd ever seen dark leather furniture, sleek lines, and no warmth. Heavy floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the sprawling grounds, and everything screamed power and control.

Adriano's space.

Her heart pounded at the realization he wasn't sending her to some basement cell.

He was keeping her here. Close.

The door shut behind her with a cold finality.

---

Serena took a shaky breath, scanning the room for anything that could be used as a weapon. A fireplace poker rested by the hearth, heavy and sharp. Not ideal but it could crack a skull if she swung hard enough.

She had no intention of being Adriano's prisoner for long.

Her thoughts shattered as the door opened again.

He stepped inside a shadow wrapped in tailored black.

Adriano's presence filled the room, the faint scent of leather and danger clinging to him. His dark eyes found hers instantly, and a cruel smile tugged at the corner of his mouth when he saw the defiance still burning there.

"You're comfortable, I hope," he said smoothly.

Serena forced herself to meet his gaze. "If you're waiting for me to break, you'll die waiting."

Adriano chuckled softly. "You think this is about breaking you?" He stepped closer, his movements fluid and deliberate. "I don't want to break you, princesa. I want to own you."

The words sent ice down her spine. "You'll regret this."

"I don't regret anything." He tilted his head, studying her like a puzzle he intended to solve. "You're exactly where you belong. Under my roof. Under my control."

"You'll never control me," she snapped.

His smile deepened-slow and dangerous. "We'll see."

---

Adriano should have walked away.

He'd brought her here to send a message to her father to tell him that no one touches what belongs to the Varela cartel. But now, standing in front of her, his self-control was fraying.

Her fire, her stubborn refusal to submit it fascinated him.

He should've found a way to kill Luciano that didn't involve dragging his daughter into this. He should have let Santi lock her up somewhere far from him.

But he didn't trust anyone else to handle her.

And if he were honest, he wanted her here.

He circled her slowly, watching her jaw tighten as she refused to flinch. "Why do you hate him?" The question slipped out before he could stop it.

Serena frowned. "What?"

"Your father." Adriano stopped in front of her, his eyes cold. "Why does a daughter so loyal to the De Luca name talk about her father like he's nothing to her?"

A flicker of something crossed her face-pain, maybe. But it was gone before he could place it.

"Not everything is your business, Varela."

He smirked at her defiance, even as irritation curled inside him. "Everything about you is my business now."

---

Serena's pulse thundered in her ears as Adriano moved closer.

He was testing her boundaries, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of a reaction.

"My father won't come for me," she said, her voice sharper than intended. "He doesn't care enough."

Adriano's expression hardened. "You're wrong. Even if he doesn't care about you he cares about what you represent."

"You mean leverage," she bit out.

"Exactly."

He was too close his warmth brushing against her skin. The way his eyes lingered on her mouth made heat coil in her stomach, a betrayal of her body she couldn't control.

"You think you own me," she whispered. "But you don't."

Adriano leaned down until his breath fanned across her lips. "No," he murmured, his voice silk and steel. "Not yet."

The air grew thick with tension, crackling like a live wire between them.

Then, just as suddenly, he stepped back-leaving her breathless and furious.

"You're mine until I decide otherwise," he said coldly. "Don't forget it."

---

In the hallway, Mateo leaned against the wall, watching the door to Adriano's wing with a tight jaw.

He had followed Adriano into hell and back, but this keeping Serena De Luca felt like a mistake.

He hated the way Adriano looked at her like he was on the edge of losing the control that made him dangerous. And Mateo knew better than anyone that when Adriano lost control, people died.

"You don't like this," a familiar voice murmured.

Mateo turned to see Camila approaching, her dark eyes glittering with something dangerous.

"No," he admitted. "I don't."

Camila laughed under her breath. "She won't last. Adriano gets bored easily."

Mateo studied her, sensing the jealousy hidden beneath her careless tone. "You're worried he won't come back to you."

Her smile sharpened. "I'm not worried. No one touches him like I do."

His gut twisted. He wanted to warn her-Adriano was already slipping away he held his tongue. Camila's obsession was her own problem.

And if Adriano wasn't careful, it would become everyone's problem.

---

Back in his room, Adriano poured himself a glass of whiskey, his mind replaying every moment with Serena.

Her hate should make her easier to control. But all it did was make him want to push harder to see how far her fire would burn before it broke.

And the worst part?

He didn't want to stop.

He wasn't sure if he ever would.