Fractured reflections

As Victoria was dragged away, her curses and threats echoing through the halls,

Ren turned to me, standing feets away.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, his gaze sweeping over me from head to toe.

I shook my head, my voice barely above a whisper. "I'm... I'm fine."

His gaze searches mine , looking for any sign of injury or trauma.

Satisfied that I'm unharmed, he lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

then he stepped closer , close enough that his hand reached out and brushed against my cheek.

"Good. I can't have my precious Elena harmed, now can I?"

His breath whispering against my ear.

"Because if anything happened to you, I'm not sure I could control myself."

The intimate gesture sent a shiver down my spine, a strange mix of fear and something else I couldn't quite identify.

Ren's eyes darkened, and I knew in that moment that I was inextricably bound to him, trapped in a web of power, violence, and an unsettling attraction.

His thumb traced my bottom lip slowly, sending an unexpected shiver through me.

The touch was soft, yet possessive.

"I can feel it, you know..." His voice dropped lower, like a secret meant only for me, an intimacy that made my heart beat faster than it should.

"The way your heart races when I'm near."

I tried to step back, but he followed me, not giving me a moment's space.

"No, it doesn't," I stammered, the words barely escaping my lips.

His eyes gleamed with amusement at my denial, his gaze never leaving mine. "Oh, but it does."

Without warning, his other hand came up to rest on the wall behind me, caging me in.

His face was so close that I could feel the heat of his breath against my skin. "I can hear it, little birdie."

I swallowed hard, looking up into his eyes.

"Never" I said, the challenge in my voice betraying the lie.

I could feel the truth of it in my chest.

"Stop" I stuttered, nervous.

He leaned in, closing the already small gap between us.

My gaze darted behind him, catching a glimpse of the bloodstained floor, the maids hurriedly cleaning up after his sister's merciless act.

He followed my gaze, and for a moment, there was something colder than usual in his eyes as he looked at the maids.

The sight of violence, of death he was used to it.

It was just another part of the house he ruled.

When he turned back to me, it was as though the brief flash of humanity had never existed.

His eyes were cold.

"You're trembling," he said,

"I want to go back to my old life" I whispered, even though it wasn't much.

I had been poor, a waitress struggling just to make ends meet.

But it was better than this horror, better than the dark world I had found myself trapped in.

His expression hardened at my words, the flicker of something dangerous passing through his gaze.

He scoffed, a bitter laugh slipping from his lips.

"Back to your old life?" His grip on my waist tightened, his fingers biting into my skin. "And what exactly was so great about your old life, hmm?"

-------------

My injured thigh slowly healing as the days passing by.

The events replayed in my mind, an endless loop of Victoria's wild-eyed desperation, the crack of the gunshot, and Ren's unforgiving grip on his sister.

I shuddered, realizing just how easily I could have been the one staring down the barrel of that gun.

I cursed my own foolishness, my impulsive decision to save Ren's life.

What had I been thinking? Had I truly believed I could escape the consequences of such an act?

I pressed my forehead against the cool glass of the window, gazing out at the vast expanse of the Valenti estate.

Beyond the manicured gardens and towering walls, I knew a world of danger and darkness existed , a world that Ren Valenti commanded with an iron grip.

The sound of the door opening startled me, and I whirled around to see Ren himself striding into the room,

"Elena," he murmured, his gaze sweeping over me. "I trust you're... comfortable."

I swallowed hard, my eyes darting around the room, searching for an escape route that didn't exist.

He stood still, looking at me, i start to grow anxious with each second passing by

"What are you going to do?" I asked, hating the tremor in my voice.

Ren's lips curled into a humorless smile.

"About Victoria?" He shrugged, his movements fluid and graceful.

"She has always been... unpredictable.

A product of our past, I suppose."

I frowned, sensing the underlying tension in his words. "What do you mean?"

Ren sighed, running a hand through his neatly styled hair.

"Victoria and I have not had an easy life, Elena."

I couldn't hide my surprise. Ren Valenti, the enigmatic and feared crime lord, was opening up to me about his family's dark history.

His gaze distant, lost in the shadows of the past.

I shrank back as he stepped closer, the air thick with tension.

"I will not allow anyone, not even my own flesh and blood, to jeopardize my hold on this empire."

His hand reached out, cupping my cheek, his touch both alluring and terrifying.

"You are mine Elena."

I stiffened under his touch, my breath hitching.

His hand was warm, his thumb brushing over my cheekbone with a tenderness that felt out of place, wrong ... given the cold resolve in his eyes.

I wanted to pull away, to tell him that I wasn't his, that I would never belong to him, but the words stuck in my throat.

"Ren" I whispered, my voice trembling. "You can't keep me here forever."

His dark gaze locked onto mine, a dangerous glint flickering in their depths.

"Forever?" he said

"I haven't even begun to show you what forever with me would look like."

I stepped back instinctively, but his hand slid from my cheek to the back of my neck, holding me in place.

The gesture was intimate, but it carried a weight of control that made my pulse race with fear.

"You think I do this because I enjoy trapping you?" His voice softened, almost breaking.

"I keep you here because it's the only way to protect you, Elena. You don't understand what the world outside these walls would do to you if they knew how much you mean to me."

I stared at him, incredulous. "Protect me? Ren, you kidnapped me! You're the one I need protecting from!"

His jaw tightened, and for a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of pain cross his face.

But it was gone as quickly as it came, replaced by that impenetrable mask he always wore.

"You can hate me all you want," he said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.

"But don't ever doubt that you are mine. Every breath you take, every thought in your pretty little head, it all belongs to me."

I pushed against his chest, desperate for space, but he didn't budge.

"This isn't love, Ren," I spat. "It's obsession. It's control."

He laughed, low and bitter, "Obsession?" he echoed.

"You think I don't know that? I've spent years burying parts of myself for this empire, sacrificing everything to keep it alive. But you…" He trailed off, his eyes raking over me like I was the only thing in the world that mattered.

The weight of his words settled over me, a chill running down my spine.

Slowly he turned and left the room.

As Ren left the room, the door locking behind him, I sank to the floor, my head in my hands. The tears I had been holding back finally spilled down my cheeks, a silent testament to the despair that threatened to consume me.

The sound of the door knocking drew my attention, and I tensed, i stood up quickly.

I heard Max's voice "Miss Marlowe," he said, his voice low and measured.

"Mr. Valenti has requested your presence in his study."

I swallowed hard, "What does he want?"

Max's lips twitched, "That, I'm afraid, is for Mr. Valenti to share with you."

I followed Max through the winding corridors of the Valenti mansion.

As we approached the ornate study, I could hear muffled voices , one unmistakably Ren's, the other a woman's, laced with a desperate edge.

Victoria.

Max paused at the door, his hand on the handle.

My heart pounding in my ears, and steeled myself for whatever awaited me on the other side of that door.

When I stepped into the room, the weight of the scene hit me like a thunderclap, freezing the air in my lungs.

Ren stood behind his massive desk, an imposing figure cloaked in an aura of absolute authority.

His gaze was ice, piercing and merciless as it bore down on the figure kneeling on the polished marble floor.

Victoria.

Her once...impeccable poise had shattered, her disheveled hair framed a face streaked with mascara-tainted tears. She clutched at the hem of her dress, trembling as if trying to hold together the last threads of her dignity.

"Please, Ren," she choked out, her voice raw and trembling. "You can't do this. I'm your sister."

Ren's jaw tightened, the faintest flicker of something , regret, maybe?

His fingers drummed against the sleek surface of his desk, a slow, deliberate rhythm that echoed in the room like the ticking of a clock counting down her fate.

"And you, sister," he said, his voice low and cutting, "are a threat."

"The Valenti empire," Ren continued, each word deliberate and precise, "has no room for weakness. And you, Victoria, have proven time and time again that you are incapable of handling the responsibilities that come with our name."

Victoria's breath hitched, her tear filled eyes widening in horror.

She reached for him, a desperate gesture that seemed to fall into the void between them. "No, Ren, please! I can be useful, I ..."

Her plea was silenced with a sharp gesture of his hand. The motion was so swift, so absolute, that it felt like the entire room obeyed him, falling into an oppressive silence.

Two of his men materialized from the shadows, their faces as blank and unyielding as stone.

They moved with the efficiency of those who had done this countless times before.

Victoria's scream broke through the quiet, a raw, agonizing sound as they gripped her arms, lifting her to her feet with ruthless precision.

I watched, paralyzed, as they dragged her toward the door. Her cries echoed, a haunting melody that seemed to bounce off the walls and sink into my bones. "Ren! Don't do this, I'm your sister!"

Ren remained still, his hands now clasped behind his back,

When the door slammed shut behind her, the silence that followed was suffocating. Ren turned slowly, his back to me now, his shoulders tense, as though the weight of his empire rested solely upon them.

He didn't speak, didn't glance my way. But the air in the room was heavy with an unspoken truth.

When the sounds of Victoria's desperate pleas had faded, Ren's gaze finally found mine, and I felt a shiver of fear run down my spine.

"You see, Elena," he murmured, his voice low and dangerous,

"In my world, there is no room for weakness. Only the strong survive."

He stepped around the desk, his movements predatory, and I instinctively backed away, my heart racing.

Ren's hand shot out, gripping my chin, forcing me to meet his unwavering gaze.

"I will not tolerate any more threats to my empire. Do you understand?"

I nodded, trembling, unable to find the words to speak.

"What are you going to do to her?"

Ren's expression hardened, a glimmer of something akin to regret flickering in his eyes.

"You think I don't know what you're feeling right now, Elena?" he murmured, his voice low and venomous. "Fear. Disgust. Maybe even pity for her."

I flinched at the venom in his words, but he didn't release me. His thumb brushed against my jawline, deceptively gentle, a mockery of tenderness.

He leaned in, his breath brushing my ear, "I am not a man ruled by sentiment."

I felt the sting of his words like a blade, cutting deep, and yet I couldn't look away.

"She's your sister," I choked out, hating how weak my voice sounded, how small I felt in his shadow.

Ren laughed, a low, cruel sound that sent a shiver racing down my spine.

"Blood means nothing when it spills so easily." He stepped back, releasing me, and I staggered slightly.

He moved to the desk, picking up a sleek, silver blade from its surface. Its edge caught the dim light, gleaming like a predator's smile.

"Do you think I enjoy this?" he asked, his tone almost conversational as he turned the blade over in his hands.

"Do you think I relish the sight of my own sister dragged from this room, begging for mercy she doesn't deserve?"

I didn't answer. I couldn't.

He slammed the blade down on the desk, the sound sharp and jarring, making me flinch.

"Elena. Power isn't given, it's taken. And anyone who threatens it becomes collateral, no matter who they are."

The room felt colder now, the shadows darker, deeper, as if they were closing in around me.

"You'll learn this lesson" Ren said, his gaze cutting through me like the blade on his desk. "Or you'll end up like her."

The warning hung in the air between us, a noose tightening around my neck.

"Now," he continued, his voice calm again, as if he hadn't just torn the world apart in front of me, "tell me, Elena. Are you going to be a threat to me too?"

The weight of his question crushed me, the answer lodged in my throat. Because in that moment, I realized that defiance wasn't an option. Not with a man like Ren.

I shook my head, my voice barely a whisper. "No."

"Good." His smile was cold.

The door behind me opened, and Max stepped in, silent and watchful. Ren didn't look at him, his attention still fixed on me.

"Take her back to her room," he ordered, his voice dismissive. "She's seen enough for tonight."

Max nodded, gesturing for me to follow. But as I turned to leave, I felt Ren's eyes on me, a weight I couldn't escape.

And as the door closed behind me, his words echoed in my mind like a death sentence.