Chapter 7 Playing with Fire

Valeria remained awake for hours after Rafael had left, staring up at the ceiling, her pulse still unable to find its stasis.

She was probably supposed to be terrified. Should have been shattered by the truth she had just discovered.

But something had changed inside her.

Rafael DeLuca believed he owned her. Thought he had won.

He was wrong.

She wasn't simply going to endure him.

She iss going to kick him.

And the first step? Learning his weaknesses.

Because a man, no matter how great he thought he was, always had a weakness.

And she would find Rafael's.

The Game Begins

The following morning, Valeria didn't resist when Matteo showed up at her door. Without protest, she followed him down the grand staircase, her head held high.

The dining room was sumptuous, of course. Rafael sat at the end of the long table, wearing another chic, fitted black suit, sleeves rolled up, revealing the ropes of veins down his forearms.

Powerful. Effortless. Dangerous.

But she refused to be intimidated.

Without waiting for an invitation, she sat down and took a piece of bread from the platter before her. Rafael was going to play mind games, she would play right back.

His eyes glinted with mischief. "Agreed to cooperate, mi amor? "

Valeria bit into the bread slowly, locking eyes with him. "I thought starving myself wasn't going to help me."

Rafael smirked. "Smart girl."

She hated that it sent a shiver down her spine.

But she made herself stay calm. To win this game, she had to play it carefully.

She leaned back in her chair and watched Rafael sip his coffee. "Tell me something," sounding out her head. "What are you even going to do with me?"

His green eyes glinted. "Don't I already make that clear?"

Her stomach knotted, but she didn't show it. "You claim I belong to you. But what does that really mean?"

Rafael laughed and placed his cup down. "It means just what it sounds like, querida. You are mine to protect, mine to control, mine to keep."

She smiled sweetly and mockingly at him. "So, a pretty prisoner, basically?"

His smirk deepened. "Oh, no. You're much more than that."

She raised a brow. "And what if I do not give you my word?"

Rafael leaned in, elbows on the table. "Then I'll make you."

So wrath sparked in her breast. "You may trap me, Rafael, but you never really had me."

The look in his eyes turned dangerous, a flicker of something dangerous beneath the surface. "We'll see about that."

An Unexpected Invitation

That day, Valeria roamed through the estate, learning every hallway, every exit by heart. She fantasized about escape-not yet, but gathering information was her first weapon.

The estate was very quiet, eerily controlled.

And that taught her something significant.

Rafael seized the world with an iron fist. Every guard, every servant, every shadow - they all answered to him.

Which meant she could trust no one.

She was all alone, entirely in enemy territory.

It sent a shiver coursing through her body, but she kept going.

She wasn't here to break.

She was here to learn.

A voice broke through her thoughts.

"You're going into places you shouldn't be, señora. "

Valeria turned, staring straight into Matteo's face.

His expression wasn't cruel, like Rafael's, just cautious.

She folded her arms. "I take it my husband dislikes his prisoners roaming free?"

Matteo exhaled. "Your hubby doesn't like disobedience."

She gave him a pointed look. "And still, he hasn't chained me to his bed yet."

Matteo smirked. "Give it time."

That thought made her stomach curdle, but she wouldn't let Matteo see she was rattled.

Instead, she sat up straight. "If Rafael is so worried about my obedience, maybe he should say so himself."

Matteo's smirk didn't fade. "Oh, he will. Tonight."

She frowned. "Tonight?"

"You're invited to dinner," he said, moving out of the way. "A real one. With his people. "

Valeria's pulse quickened.

This was new.

Rafael had kept her in the dark from the moment she arrived.

So why now?

What was he doing letting her meet the people in his world?

A test? A trap?

Either way, she had absolutely no choice but to play along.

Dinner in the Devil's Court

Valeria was wearing a deep red dress that was a little too well-fitted; it looked as if it were an outfit designed just for her.

The moment that Matteo led her into the grand dining hall was electrifying.

POWER - the room was filled with one word and then another, each unflinchingly as loud as reality.

Men in suits. Women in diamonds. Guards standing at attention, armed

And sitting at the center of it all was Rafael.

He owned this room. Owned every person in it.

And now, she was being drawn into his world.

He rose as she walked in, his eyes raking over her. "You look beautiful, mi amor. "

Valeria refused to react. "Funny. I don't recall dressing up for you."

His chest shook with a low chuckle as he pointed at the seat beside him. "Sit."

Which she did - not because he ordered it but because she needed to know what was happening here.

As soon as she was seated, conversation resumed around them. Laughter, drinks being poured, business being conducted.

But she could feel it.

The eyes.

They were watching her, studying her.

She was no mere outsider here.

She was a liability.

She brought her wine glass to her lips, but her mind was a frenzy.

What was Rafael planning?

Why bring her here now?

It was almost as if he was reading her thoughts when he leaned even closer, his breath hot along her ear.

"Relax," he murmured. "Enjoy the night. The reason I brought you here."

She turned her head a little, their faces inches apart. "And what reason is that?"

His green eyes darkened.

"To prove that you're mine." "

Her heart stopped.

Show who?

Before she could think to demand an answer, a deep voice sliced through the noise.

"Well, well, well."

Across the table, a seated man flashed a smirk like a knife.

"Rafael DeLuca, finally bringing a woman to the table?

The room went silent.

VALERIA sensed the danger settle down around her.

Rafael's jaw ticked. "Careful, Salazar."

Salazar smirked, swirling his whiskey. "Careful? Come on, DeLuca. We all know what this is. A Montoya girl under your roof?" He glanced at Valeria, then back. "Wait? You finally wanted revenge in the bedroom? "

The tension was hellishly suffocating.

Valeria's blood ran cold.

This man knew.

Knew she belonged to the family Rafael despised.

And now, everyone in this room was waiting for Rafael's reply.

She turned to him slowly.

Saw how his jaw tightened, the way his fingers formed fists.

He was on edge.

He was angry.

And that's when it dawned on her-

This wasn't just a dinner.

This was a warning.

Salazar was testing Rafael.

Testing his control.

And in that instant, Valeria knew something - something dangerous.

What if Rafael lost control, if he exhibited weakness-

She may never leave this room alive.