Chapter 6: When Love Turns Deadly

"Beg for it," Luca had said, his smirk even crueler.

Maya didn't beg.

But she should have.

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The grand hall of the Valencia Estate was overflowing with wealth and whispers.

Maya felt every gaze land on her the moment Luca stepped into the room with her at his side.

She barely had time to register the towering presence of the city's elites before Luca's voice rang out—loud, mocking, deliberate.

"Everyone, let's welcome my mistress, Maya Carter."

Silence.

Then the murmurs erupted.

"Wait… that's—"

"The one who dumped him for his rival?"

"God, she has no shame."

Maya's heart slammed against her ribs.

Heat crawled up her neck, a mix of anger and humiliation twisting inside her like a storm.

Every glance seared into her skin, every whisper felt like a blade.

She wanted to scream that this wasn't what she came for, that she wasn't some desperate woman begging for scraps of his affection.

But her voice, her pride was caught in her throat.

She swallowed hard.

She would not let them see her break.

Luca's fingers burned into the small of her back as he leaned in, voice dripping with cruel amusement.

"You wanted a second chance, didn't you? Well, now you get to prove how much you deserve it."

A waiter passed by.

Before she could react, Luca plucked a tray of drinks from his hands—then shoved it into hers.

"Serve."

Maya's body went rigid.

The weight of the tray.

The weight of the stares. 

The weight of him.

Her nails dug into her palm, but she didn't give him the satisfaction of a reaction.

A cruel hush settled over the room. Then—laughter. Low at first, then growing, spreading like crazy.

A woman in an emerald gown smirked behind her champagne flute.

"She went from his fiancée to his servant? Gosh, that's tragic."

Another voice. A man's. "And yet she's still beautiful."

Maya's breath caught.

The words weren't meant to comfort her—they were meant to remind her exactly why she was here. Because Luca had the power to drag her down just as easily as he once lifted her up.

Luca leaned in again, his voice a dark whisper in her ear. "What's the matter? Not used to being at the bottom?"

Her grip on the tray tightened.

Not yet.

She simply lifted her chin, turned, and did what she had to.

The whispers grew.

She heard the snickers.

Saw the smug glances.

And then—

Her.

Brielle.

Sitting effortlessly poised on a velvet lounge chair, a flute of champagne in hand.

She didn't need to say a word.

Her smile said everything.

You lost.

And then Luca sealed it.

With a smirk as sharp as a knife, he strode toward Brielle, eyes locked onto Maya before grabbing her sister by the waist—

And crashing his lips against hers.

Aggressively.

The room erupted.

The final, ultimate humiliation.

Maya stood frozen, her nails biting into the silver tray.

Brielle gasped dramatically into the kiss before winding her arms around Luca's neck, deepening it.

She's playing along.

Making sure I see every second of it.

Luca's hand slid lower, fingers pressing possessively into Brielle's waist, his mouth moving against hers like he was desperate—like he wanted to erase Maya entirely.

Brielle moaned. Over the top. Loud.

Maya's stomach twisted.

She forced herself to look away—

But Luca caught her.

His dark eyes flicked toward her mid-kiss.

Holding her there.

Making sure she saw.

She wasn't going to break.

Not here.

Not in front of them.

So she grabbed her hands off of his and turned. Walked past the murmurs.

Out onto the balcony, where the cold night air finally let her breathe.

But Luca wasn't done.

She barely had time to compose herself before she felt him behind her.

"Where the fuck do you think you're going?" 

His voice was dark. Teasing.

She turned, lifting her chin. "Away from you."

He laughed. Actually laughed. Then stepped closer. "You wanted a second chance, Maya. Then prove you deserve it."

"Prove it?" She scoffed.

"You think I don't deserve you? Then why the hell are you still chasing me?"

Something snapped between them.

The tension had always been there, but now it was suffocating.

Luca's eyes burned into hers, his breath uneven, his hands gripping the railing tight enough to turn his knuckles white.

"You think I'm chasing you?" he sneered. 

"You have no idea what I'm capable of, Maya."

She let out a shaky breath. "Then show me."

His lips curled into a smirk. 

"You wouldn't survive me."

"Maybe I don't want to."

His body tensed, his gaze darkening.

She should've backed down.

Instead, she stepped closer.

His hands gripped the railing, caging her in.

His breath fanned across her face, lips inches from hers.

"Tell me, Maya," Luca murmured. "Do you still feel it?"

Her throat tightened.

"Feel what?"

He smirked. "The bond."

She did.

She hated that she did.

It was still there, a cruel thread woven between them, pulling her closer even when she should have been running in the opposite direction.

His nearness sent sparks through her veins, the scent of whiskey and expensive cologne curling around her senses like a drug.

She clenched her jaw, forcing herself to breathe past the ache in her chest.

"It doesn't matter," she said, but her voice was barely above a whisper.

Luca tilted his head, watching her. 

"Liar."

But she didn't have to—

Because before either of them could move—

Brielle's voice.

Sickly sweet. Innocent.

Maya's breath hitched as Brielle stepped closer, her manicured fingers curling around Maya's wrist in a grip that looked gentle—

But wasn't.

Her nails pressed into Maya's skin, sharp enough to bruise.

"You really thought you could come back from this?" Brielle murmured, her voice syrupy sweet.

"That Luca would actually choose you over me?"

Maya swallowed hard. "This isn't a game, Brielle."

Brielle's smile widened. "Oh, but it is. And, sweetheart, you already lost."

She leaned in, lips grazing Maya's ear like a lover's whisper. "You're a stain on his past, not a part of his future." She leered.

"No one wants you here anyway."

Maya tried to struggle out of her grip—

But she was shoved. It was too late.

The world tilted.

Maya gasped—

As she slid off the balcony railing beneath her.

"Oh no." Brielle gasped.

Maya's heart stopped.