Chapter 4 4

Valeria struggled, twisting against Alessandro's iron grip, but it was like fighting against steel. He was unmovable, unyielding, and no amount of kicking or shoving would change that.

"Let me go," she hissed, her nails digging into his forearm.

Alessandro didn't even flinch.

Instead, he leaned in, his lips brushing dangerously close to her ear as he murmured, "You had your chance to run, tesoro. You wasted it."

His voice was low, almost amused, but there was something underneath it-something dark, something lethal.

A warning.

Valeria's breath came fast, panic clawing at her throat.

The train was leaving.

The doors slid shut with a hiss, and the platform emptied, the last of the late-night travelers disappearing into the station.

And now, it was just them.

Alessandro's grip on her waist didn't loosen as he walked them backward, away from the open space, away from prying eyes.

No one stopped him.

No one questioned why he was dragging her toward a sleek black car waiting just beyond the platform.

Because men like him didn't get questioned.

Men like him took what they wanted.

Valeria thrashed harder. "Alessandro, I swear to God-"

"Swear to me all you like, sweetheart." He pulled open the car door, shoving her inside before sliding in after her. "It won't change a damn thing."

The door slammed shut, and suddenly, she was trapped.

The air inside the car was suffocating. Alessandro was too close, his presence too heavy, filling every inch of space.

Valeria's chest rose and fell quickly as she pressed herself against the seat, her pulse hammering.

She wasn't supposed to be here.

She was supposed to be gone.

Alessandro watched her, his green eyes like burning embers in the dim lighting. "Tell me something, Valeria." His voice was calm, too calm. "Exactly how long were you planning to keep my child a secret?"

Her heart stopped.

Then started again-too fast, too loud.

She schooled her features into something blank, something unreadable, because if she gave him nothing, he would have nothing.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Alessandro's lips curled, a cruel smirk playing on his face. "Try again."

Valeria lifted her chin. "I don't owe you an explanation."

Alessandro exhaled, slow and measured, but there was something in his gaze that sent a chill down her spine.

"Let me tell you what's going to happen," he said, voice softer now, but no less dangerous. "You're going to stop lying to me. You're going to tell me how far along you are. And then, you're coming home with me."

She stiffened. "The hell I am."

He leaned closer, his scent-clean, expensive, intoxicating-flooding her senses. "You think I'm going to let the mother of my child disappear into the night?" His fingers brushed against her jaw, his touch deceptively gentle. "You think I'll let you keep my heir a secret?"

His heir.

The word sent a fresh wave of panic crashing through her.

This wasn't just about her. This wasn't just about a mistake she could erase.

Alessandro Moretti wasn't a man.

He was a legacy.

And this child-his child-wasn't just another baby.

It was a future. A name. A bloodline that men like him killed to protect.

Valeria swallowed hard, her pulse deafening in her ears.

"I don't belong to you," she whispered.

Alessandro studied her for a long moment. Then he smiled.

Slow. Cold.

"No," he murmured. "But you will."

And with that, the car pulled away from the station, carrying her toward a future she never wanted.

The city lights blurred past the car windows as Valeria sat rigidly, her body coiled with tension. Her mind raced, calculating, searching for an escape that wasn't there.

Alessandro sat beside her, exuding an unbearable sense of control, like he had already decided the outcome of this conversation before it even began. His presence was overwhelming-sharp, suffocating, like the edge of a blade pressed too close to her throat.

The low hum of the car's engine was the only sound for a long moment before he finally broke the silence.

"You haven't answered my question."

Valeria exhaled slowly, staring out the window, refusing to look at him. "Because I don't owe you an answer."

A dangerous pause.

Then-

"You do."

She turned to face him, her eyes burning with defiance. "Do I? Because last I checked, you were the one who left. You got what you wanted, Moretti. I was just another warm body in your bed. So tell me, why do you suddenly care?"

His expression didn't change, but something in the air shifted-something heavy, something unreadable.

"You think that's what this is about?" he murmured. "You think I'd be chasing you down if this was just about a night between the sheets?"

Valeria swallowed, gripping the fabric of her coat so tightly her knuckles turned white.

He was chasing her.

And that terrified her more than anything.

She had spent years perfecting the art of being untouchable. Of slipping away before men could get their claws into her, before they could figure out who she really was.

But Alessandro had figured it out.

He had seen the truth.

And now, he wasn't letting her go.

Her voice was quieter when she spoke again. "I'm not yours, Alessandro."

His eyes darkened.

"You're carrying my child," he said, his tone softer now, almost dangerous in its quiet intensity. "That means you are mine."

Valeria felt her pulse hammer against her ribs.

She wanted to fight. To scream. To tell him he had no right to claim her.

But deep down, she knew the truth.

Alessandro Moretti was not a man who took no for an answer.

And he had just decided she was his next possession.

The drive stretched on, the city fading behind them, replaced by the quiet hum of the countryside. Valeria wasn't sure where they were going-only that it was far from where she had planned to be.

She stared at the passing landscape, her mind a whirlwind of panic and anger.

She needed to get out.

She needed to run.

Again.

But this time, she wouldn't get caught.

She turned slightly, eyeing the driver. A tall, broad man with cold eyes and a gun holstered at his hip.

Shit.

Even if she managed to open the door, even if she threw herself onto the empty road, she wouldn't get far.

Alessandro must have sensed her thoughts because his voice broke through the silence.

"Don't even think about it."

Valeria stiffened, her fists clenching.

He was watching her.

Always watching.

She let out a slow, controlled breath. "Where are you taking me?"

Alessandro's gaze never left hers. "Home."

A chill ran down her spine. "Your home?"

"Our home."

She scoffed. "You're delusional if you think I'm going to play house with you."

Alessandro tilted his head slightly, as if considering her words. Then he leaned in, so close she could feel the warmth of his breath against her skin.

"Tesoro, I don't need you to play house," he murmured. "I just need you there."

The weight of his words settled over her, suffocating and inescapable.

She wasn't just being taken.

She was being kept.

And the terrifying part?

She had no idea how to stop it.

The estate was a fortress.

Gates taller than anything she had ever seen loomed ahead, flanked by security cameras and armed guards. The second the car approached, the gates creaked open, revealing a long driveway lined with towering trees.

The mansion itself was breathtaking. An architectural masterpiece of dark stone and glass, nestled against the backdrop of endless hills.

But Valeria didn't care about its beauty.

She cared about the fact that it was a prison.

As the car came to a stop, Alessandro opened the door and stepped out first. He turned to her, holding out a hand.

She didn't take it.

Instead, she slid out of the car on her own, ignoring the flicker of amusement in his eyes.

She wasn't here to play his game.

She was here to survive it.

Alessandro gestured toward the front doors. "Shall we?"

Valeria's jaw clenched, but she walked forward, refusing to show weakness.

Inside, the house was just as extravagant as she had expected-grand chandeliers, marble floors, and art worth more than she could make in a lifetime.

But all she saw were the locks on the doors.

The security at every entrance.

The fact that she wasn't leaving unless he allowed it.

She turned to him, her voice sharp. "What now, Moretti? Do I get locked in a tower? Chained to your bed? Or are you planning to parade me around like a trophy?"

Alessandro smirked, unbuttoning his cuffs with slow, deliberate movements.

"I don't need to chain you, tesoro," he murmured. "You'll stay because you have no other choice."

Valeria swallowed down the panic clawing at her throat.

She would find a way out.

She had to.

Because if she didn't...

She wasn't sure she'd survive being his.