Chapter 1 The Doll in the Cage

Lina Romano had never been afraid of men like Giovanni Moretti. At least, not until she met him.

The first time she saw him, he was standing at the head of a long, gleaming marble table, surrounded by shadowy figures in tailored suits and dark glasses. His presence was magnetic-an aura of command that could freeze the air in the room. The men who worked for him, the ones who would have struck fear into most people, treated him with a kind of reverence. He was a king. They were his soldiers, his tools in a game that no one outside of his world would ever understand.

But it wasn't his power that made her wary-it was the look in his eyes.

Giovanni Moretti was a man who saw straight through people. He didn't look at her with the kind of lustful hunger most men would-he looked at her with something far darker. His gaze wasn't the gaze of a predator, but of someone who knew a truth she hadn't even realized about herself. A truth that whispered she didn't belong in his world, and yet, there she was, standing in the middle of his empire.

And now, her world was about to change.

Lina's phone buzzed in her pocket, a reminder of her fragile reality. She had been living the life of a shadow for the past few days, ever since her father had made his final decision to sell her off to Giovanni. It was meant to be a temporary arrangement, a means to settle an old debt that had spiraled out of control. But as she stared at the enormous, intimidating mansion that loomed in front of her, she realized her father's word of "temporary" was more of a euphemism.

It was clear now: there was no leaving this place. There was no escaping Giovanni Moretti.

She took a deep breath as she stepped out of the sleek black car, feeling the cool breeze of the night air graze her skin. The mansion was alive with shadows, its towering structure casting long, dark shapes against the blood-red sky. The heavy gates swung open with a soft creak, and the security guards stepped aside, their eyes cold and impassive.

No one spoke. No one needed to. This wasn't a world where words were necessary-only power.

The door of the mansion opened before she even had time to knock. A tall, stern-faced man stepped aside, nodding curtly as Lina entered. Her heart pounded in her chest as she crossed the threshold. The grand chandelier above her head cast an almost eerie glow over the luxurious marble floors and the intricate tapestries that decorated the walls. Everything here screamed opulence, power, control.

And then, at the far end of the room, she saw him.

Giovanni Moretti stood with his back to her, his silhouette dark against the towering windows that framed the moonlit night. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and impossibly handsome in a way that was almost dangerous. His tailored black suit clung to him in all the right places, the sharp cut of his jawline only adding to his enigmatic presence. He didn't need to turn around to command attention.

He was the king in this kingdom, and she was the pawn who had been dropped into his grasp.

"Lina Romano," he said without turning, his voice smooth, like velvet dipped in ice. "I've been expecting you."

The sound of her name coming from his lips sent a shiver down her spine. He wasn't asking-he was making a statement, one that left no room for uncertainty. This was her fate now. And it wasn't one she could escape.

"Giovanni," she said, her voice tight, a little too much steel in it. She hadn't been raised to cower in front of men, but there was something about him that made her skin prickle. "I didn't expect you to be so... welcoming."

Finally, he turned, and Lina saw his face for the first time up close. His dark eyes swept over her, his gaze unreadable, but there was something raw beneath the surface-something that caught her attention and made her throat tighten. She had always been able to read people, but Giovanni was a mystery. One that she wasn't sure she wanted to unravel.

"You're here, aren't you?" Giovanni's lips curled into a small, almost imperceptible smile. "You're not exactly in a position to be making demands."

Lina bit her lip, feeling the weight of his words settle on her like a heavy stone. But she wasn't some delicate thing to be pushed around. She had her own pride.

"You didn't have to take me. You could have just let me go," she said, her words sharper than she intended.

"I don't do 'letting go,'" Giovanni replied, his tone still cold, but there was an edge to it now-a warning. "I take what I want. And you, Lina Romano, are exactly what I want."

The way he said her name sent an unexpected jolt through her, making her pulse race, her chest tighten. She had never been one to react to men like this, but there was something magnetic about Giovanni. Something intoxicating that both repelled and pulled her in all at once. It was as if he were calling her into his world without saying a word, and she was too captivated to resist.

"Don't pretend like you have a choice in this," Giovanni continued, stepping closer, his eyes never leaving hers. His presence surrounded her, thick and heavy, as though the space between them had evaporated. "You think you're still in control? You think you can just walk out of here? I own you now, Lina. Your life, your future-it's all mine."

Lina's breath caught in her throat, but she didn't back down. "You think I'll just roll over for you?" she scoffed, but even as the words left her mouth, she couldn't quite deny the spark of something dark inside her. Something dangerous.

Giovanni smiled, but it wasn't a smile that reached his eyes. No, his eyes remained cold, calculating, as if he could see every layer of her and peel it back to reveal the woman beneath. "I don't care what you think you're capable of. You'll bend, eventually. They always do."

His words hit harder than any slap, but Lina stood tall, refusing to show him how much they affected her. "We'll see," she said, her voice steady despite the quickening beat of her heart.

Giovanni's eyes flickered with something like amusement, and for a moment, it almost seemed like he was enjoying this-this battle of wills between them. Like a chess game, where every move was calculated, every word a weapon.

"Perhaps," he said softly, "but I think I've already won."

With that, he turned and walked toward the staircase, his long strides echoing in the silent room. Lina stood there, her heart pounding in her chest, a storm of emotions swirling inside her. She had just entered a world where nothing was what it seemed. And Giovanni Moretti was a man who always had the upper hand.