Isabella’s POV
I walk into the cold, sterile office that I’ve come to dread every single day. The sharp scent of expensive leather and the muted hum of the city outside make everything feel… disconnected. ‘So this is my life’, I think, swallowing down the lump in my throat.
Alessandro isn’t here yet. Good. I could use a few seconds to breathe. To remember who I am-before he walks in and takes it all away again.
I adjust the collar he forced me to wear today. The damn thing digs into my skin, a constant reminder of my submission. I hate it. But at the same time, it feels like the only thing keeping me tethered to reality. Like I’m his.
The sound of his footsteps approaching pulls me from my thoughts. My stomach tightens. There’s no use pretending I’m not shaken by him anymore. He’s like a storm, wild, unpredictable, and devastating.
“You’re here,” he says, his voice like ice scraping across glass. I can’t ever get used to it.
I turn around slowly. ‘God, why does he do this to me?’ His eyes are as cold as ever, but there’s something more behind them today. A hunger that I can’t place. It makes my heart race and my pulse quicken.
“You know why I’m here, right?” he asks, his tone smooth, almost too calm.
I swallow hard, the words on the tip of my tongue, but I force myself to remain quiet. If I speak, I’ll only dig myself deeper. There’s no way out of this contract, this… life. I agreed to it. I signed it with my blood, figuratively.
“Isabella,” he says, stepping closer, the sound of his voice like a rope tightening around my chest. “Tell me. Do you feel it too? The tension between us? Or do you just exist in my world as my legal advisor… and my plaything?”
The words sting, even though I know they’re true. He’s right. I’m just a tool. He never gives me anything real, just what he wants from me. Physical satisfaction, no emotional connection. Ever.
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “I don’t know,” I whisper, hoping it’s enough to end this charade.
His eyes narrow. ‘Oh shit, what did I just say?’
“You don’t know?” he repeats, his voice low, dangerous. “You will know, Isabella. I’ll make sure of it. But first…”
Before I can react, he’s standing in front of me, lifting my chin with his cold fingers. His touch feels like fire and ice, searing into me even though I hate it.
“You’ve been such a good girl, haven’t you?” he murmurs, his lips brushing against my ear. “So obedient. So ready to do everything I ask of you… even when it makes you ache.”
I can barely breathe. My head spins, and every inch of my skin feels like it’s alive with a thousand electric shocks.
“But that’s not enough, is it?” His voice is suddenly cruel, pulling me back into the world where I’m nothing more than his possession. “You crave more, Isabella. You ‘need’ it.”
I clench my fists at my sides, trying to hold onto some semblance of control. “What do you want from me, Alessandro?” The words leave my mouth before I can stop them.
He smirks, his fingers trailing down my arm, sending a shiver through my body. “Everything, baby. I want you to know what it means to belong to me. Completely. Just like before.”
His eyes are dark, filled with a promise of something I can’t escape. I should walk away. I should tell him I can’t do this anymore.
But my body betrays me.
‘You belong to me’-the words echo in my head like a curse.
Before I can process what’s happening, his lips are on mine, forcing me into a kiss that’s both rough and possessive. I’m lost in him, in the taste of his mouth and the burn of his touch.
He pulls back suddenly, leaving me gasping for air. “You’re mine, Isabella. And you’re going to remember that. Every damn day.”
The harshness of his words cuts through me, but I can’t stop the ache building inside me. My body responds against my will. Every part of me craves him. It’s sick, twisted, and wrong… and yet, I can’t stop myself.
I should run. But instead, I stand there, frozen, waiting for whatever he decides to do next.
The door opens, and my heart skips a beat. Another woman. A blonde. She’s too damn pretty for her own good, wearing that smile that says, I’m the one he really wants.
I feel a pang of jealousy, but I push it down. I’m his wife, in name only. He’s always been free to do whatever he wants. With whomever he wants.
And me? I’m just the woman who bears his name… and his contract.
“Get out, Isabella,” Alessandro commands, his voice low and controlled. “I’ve got business to attend to.”
I nod, swallowing the hurt that rises in my throat. I turn, walking away, but not before hearing him speak again.
“You’ll be back, won’t you?” His voice cuts through the silence, filled with dark certainty. “You can’t stay away from me for long.”
I hesitate at the door, my fingers brushing the handle.
Why do I keep coming back?
I push the door open and walk out, but not without one final glance at the man who holds my fate in his hands. The man who owns me in ways I can never escape.
I don’t have a choice, do I?
A voice. A whisper. “Don’t think you can just leave me behind, Isabella. The worst is yet to come.”
I stop in my tracks, my heart hammering in my chest. Is he playing with me? Or is he telling me the truth?