The Debt

Serena's POV

The night felt suffocating. The kind of night where the air was too thick, too still—like the city itself was holding its breath.

I pulled my coat tighter around me as I hurried down the dimly lit sidewalk, the distant hum of traffic and occasional shouts from the late-night crowd a weak distraction from the gnawing anxiety twisting in my stomach.

I had felt it all day. That strange, unnerving sensation of being watched.

At first, I told myself I was being paranoid. That my father's debts had nothing to do with me. That the threats he whispered about when he thought I wasn't listening were just another symptom of the mess he had made for himself.

But deep down, I knew better.

I turned onto my street, my apartment building just a few feet away. Relief washed over me—until I saw it.

A sleek black car.

It was parked too perfectly, angled just slightly toward the entrance like a predator lying in wait. The tinted windows concealed whoever was inside, but I didn't need to see them to know.

They were here for me.

My hands fumbled in my purse for my keys, shaking slightly as I forced myself to breathe.

Calm down. Get inside. Lock the door. Call the police.

Before I could reach the steps, the back door of the car swung open.

A tall, imposing figure stepped out. His movements were slow, controlled, as if he had all the time in the world.

Lorenzo De Luca.

I had never met him in person, but I knew who he was. Everybody did. He wasn't just a man—he was a force. The name spoken in hushed whispers, the shadow behind every deal, the reason men like my father stayed awake at night.

And now, he was standing in front of me.

He was even more intimidating up close. Dressed in a sharp black suit, his presence radiated power. Everything about him was calculated—his stance, his gaze, the way he studied me like I was something he had already claimed.

"Going somewhere, dolcezza?"

His voice was deep, smooth, and laced with something dark.

I gripped my keys tighter, forcing myself to meet his gaze. "What do you want?"

His lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. More like amusement. "I think you already know."

Dread coiled in my stomach.

"My father…" My voice wavered. "Whatever he owes you, I don't have it."

Lorenzo took a slow step forward. I took one back, my body reacting before my mind could.

"Your father made a deal, cara mia. A debt too large to repay. And when he couldn't offer money… he offered something else."

The breath rushed out of my lungs. No. No, he wouldn't.

Lorenzo reached out, his fingers brushing a loose strand of hair from my face, the gesture intimate—possessive.

"You belong to me now, Serena."

I jerked away, my pulse pounding in my ears. "I'm not a possession."

His gaze darkened, his amusement flickering into something else. Something colder.

"You're mine," he said again, as if the words were law. "And I don't like repeating myself."

He moved too fast. One second, I was standing on the sidewalk, and the next, his hand was gripping my wrist, pulling me toward the car.

"Let go of me!" I struggled, my heart hammering against my ribs, but his grip was unyielding.

"Don't make a scene, dolcezza," he warned, voice low and dangerous. "You don't want to find out what happens if you do."

I clenched my jaw, my entire body trembling with anger and fear.

He didn't even look angry. Just… patient. Like he was waiting for me to realize how pointless it was to fight him.

I glanced around, desperate for help, but the street was empty. The city that was usually so alive, so chaotic, had abandoned me.

And that was when I knew.

I wasn't walking into this life. I was being dragged.

And no one was going to stop him.

Lorenzo's POV

Serena Castillo.

I had seen her picture before, but standing in front of me now, she was… unexpected.

I had anticipated fear. Weakness. A girl who would break easily.

But the fire in her eyes? The way her body trembled, not just with fear but with anger? That was something else entirely.

She had no idea how much more dangerous that made her.

I tightened my grip on her wrist as she struggled, her breathing sharp and uneven. She was still trying to fight me, even when it was obvious she had already lost.

"You're only making this harder on yourself," I said, my voice calm.

She glared up at me. "Go to hell."

I chuckled. "Already there, dolcezza. You just joined me."

She yanked at my hold again, and for a moment, I almost admired her determination.

Almost.

But I didn't have time for games.

I leaned in slightly, my lips near her ear. "Your father owed me a debt. One he could never repay. He chose this, Serena. He chose you."

Her entire body went rigid.

Good. She was starting to understand.

"I don't care what my father did," she spat. "I'm not part of your world."

I tilted her chin up, forcing her to look at me. "You are now."

Her breaths came quicker, her pulse wild beneath my fingers. There was something intoxicating about watching the realization sink in—the understanding that her life was no longer her own.

I should have felt nothing. This was business. She was leverage, a contract paid in flesh.

And yet…

The way her lips parted, her lashes trembling as she fought every instinct screaming at her to submit—it intrigued me.

I had taken countless things in my life. Power. Loyalty. Blood.

But Serena Castillo?

She was going to be my greatest possession yet.

I opened the car door and pulled her inside, ignoring her last desperate attempt to resist.

She thought she still had a choice.

She would learn soon enough.