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Elena Morelli was never meant to be part of the underworld. Living a quiet life as an aspiring artist, she had no idea that her bloodline held a secret—one that made her a target.

One night was all it took to destroy the illusion of safety.

Dragged to a nightclub by her best friend, Elena made a reckless decision—to let go, to indulge, to forget the dull routine of her life for just a few hours. That was when she met Alessio DeLuca.

He was devastatingly handsome, dangerously intense, and completely unlike anyone she had ever encountered. With his tailored suit, cold silver eyes, and commanding presence, he exuded power.

She didn’t know who he was.

She didn’t know that stepping into his world would cost her everything.

What was supposed to be a fleeting one-night stand turned into something far more sinister when she woke up to a nightmare—Alessio wasn’t just a man. He was the ruthless leader of the DeLuca crime family, and he wasn’t done with her yet.

Captured: The Cold Embrace of a Monster

Alessio DeLuca had built his empire on control. He didn’t make mistakes. He didn’t allow weaknesses. But the moment he saw Elena, something in him cracked.

He thought she was just another distraction.

Until he found out who she really was.

Elena Morelli wasn’t just some girl. She was connected to the mafia in a way she never knew—the hidden daughter of a disgraced Morelli boss. A bloodline that should have been erased.

To Alessio, she was a problem. A loose end. Someone who should have never existed.

And yet, he couldn’t kill her.

Instead, he took her. Caged her in his world.

She fought him at every turn, refusing to bow to his will. But Alessio was a man who got what he wanted—through pain, through fear, through desire.

Elena would learn obedience.

Or so he thought.

The War Within: Hate, Lust, and Something More

Elena refused to break.

She wasn’t a mafia princess. She wasn’t some pawn to be used. And she would never belong to a monster like Alessio.

But the more she fought, the more obsessed he became.

He punished her defiance. Tested her limits. Took pleasure in bending her to his will.

But what Alessio never expected was that she would start to unravel him, too.

The cruel control he prided himself on began to slip.

Her fire, her innocence—it was supposed to be nothing. And yet, it became everything.

But Alessio wasn’t a man who could love. Love was weakness.

And Elena? She was a distraction he should have destroyed.

Unraveling the Truth: A Legacy of Blood

Just when Elena thought she understood her captor, the truth about her past began to surface.

She wasn’t just any Morelli.

She was the heir to something far more dangerous than either of them realized—a bloodline tied to secrets that could shift the balance of power in the underworld.

Assassins came for her. Enemies rose from the shadows. And Alessio realized that letting her go was never an option.

Not because of duty.

Not because of power.

But because she had become his.

And now, he would kill for her.

The Final Choice: Love or Ruin

With war looming between the mafia families, Elena had a choice—stay with the man who had stolen her life, or risk everything to escape.

But running meant death.

Staying meant surrender.

And falling for Alessio DeLuca?

That meant ruin.

Yet, as the walls closed in and the truth of her past threatened to consume her, Elena realized one thing:

She wasn’t just his captive anymore.

She was his queen.

And Alessio?

He would burn the world to keep her.

Ruthless Mafia Captive

Elena's pulse pounded as she took slow, hesitant steps toward Alessio. His face was streaked with blood—some his, most of it Dante's.

His eyes were locked onto hers, dark and unreadable, like a man who had just claimed his prize.

She should have let him take her away.

But the words tore from her lips before she could stop them.

Alessio's expression didn't change. "Now isn't the time, Elena."

She clenched her fists. "Then when? After you kill the next person who tries to tell me who I really am?"

His jaw tightened. Dangerous. Warning.

She had spent too long being told what to do, what to believe, who to obey.

"Dante said I belong to the De Lucas," she pressed. "That I have a bloodline I don't even remember. And you—" Her breath hitched. "You knew, didn't you?"

Elena's voice trembled. "So it's true."

Alessio exhaled, his bloody fingers brushing over his jaw. "Your father—your real father—was Domenico De Luca. The last true heir of their empire." His gaze sharpened. "And that makes you their queen."

The world tilted beneath her feet.

Not a lost girl. Not just some pawn caught between men who were too powerful for their own good.

She stumbled back, but Alessio snatched her wrist.

"No," he growled. "You don't get to run from this."

Elena's chest heaved. "You lied to me."

Alessio's grip tightened. "By making sure you survived."

Elena shook her head. "You killed the only person who could have told me the truth."

His voice dropped to something lethal. "Dante didn't want to tell you the truth, Elena. He wanted to own you."

Because deep down… she knew it was true.

She had seen it in Dante's eyes—the same hunger, the same control that burned in Alessio's.

Dante wanted her because of her name.

Alessio wanted her because she was his.

Her lips parted, but she had no words—no way to fight this.

Alessio tilted her chin up, forcing her to look at him.

"You have two choices, bambolina." His voice was like velvet, smooth and inescapable. "You can take your place as their queen… or as mine."

Because his smirk was pure triumph.

Chapter 42: The Truth or Nothing