She jerked upright, clutching the sheets. “What the hell—”

“You sleep like someone with no fear,” he said calmly. “Interesting.”

Her pulse quickened. “What do you want now?” She looked around furtively. No sign of the woman from yesterday.

“Downstairs. Fifteen minutes.” His voice was ice. “Dress appropriately.”

He turned and left, the heavy door clicking shut behind him.She sighed. She needed to leave this place. But how?

A few moments later, two maids walked in without a word, carrying an elegant navy-blue dress, heels, and a tray of cosmetics. Stephanie said nothing as they began helping her bath and dress. Her mind was racing. She needed time. A plan. Freedom.

And then it hit her—an opening. She turned to the maids like an answer to her prayers. The younger maid stepped out for a second.

Stephanie moved fast. She grabbed the older one by the wrist and yanked her close, dragging her behind the dressing screen and covering her mouth before she could scream.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” she hissed, her grip iron-strong. “But I will if you don’t cooperate.”

The maid’s eyes widened.

“Take off your uniform. Now.”

"The Master will kill me!"

"Not before I kill you first!"

Ten minutes later, Stephanie was wrapped in a grey uniform, a cap pulled over her hair. She joined a group of actual maids carrying fresh linens toward the service gate. No one questioned her. No one looked twice. She blended in perfectly.

The moment she stepped outside, her lungs filled with fresh air, her heart racing like it could break through her ribs. She ducked behind a dumpster and ran—barefoot, breathless—until she found a rundown gas station and a payphone that still worked.

She jammed coins into the slot, she had taken it from the maids pocket and punched in a number she hadn’t used in months.

“Pick up… pick up…”

Click.

“Hello?” a groggy voice answered. “Who–"

“Gianna, it’s me. Stephanie, I need help. Now.”

"what the—"

"now Gia! I'll explain later. I'm at—I don't know where i am. You can trace this call right? I'll be waiting."

She hung up, hoping against hope.

Twenty minutes later, Gianna’s silver Fiat screeched to a halt outside the station.

Stephanie threw herself into the passenger seat, trembling. Her friend’s eyes widened at the bruises, the filthy uniform, the panic.

“What the hell happened to you?!”

“Drive. I’ll explain everything. And I hope you've got coffee at home."

Gianna’s apartment was a small tech-infested cave, screens blinking with endless code, wires tangling like jungle vines. She was a tech girl, had been a prodigy from high school. Her father was rich but she didn't stay with him. Instead choosing to run her life with her own money.

Stephanie sat on the couch, gulping down water.

Gianna brought her hot coffee, she accepted it with Gratitude.

"Okay? So, what happened?" Gianna asked with an inquisitive gaze.

Stephanie sighed.

“Damian Russo kidnapped me. Forced me to marry him. Said my father killed his brother. I tried to reach my dad—he’s innocent, Gianna. I'm sure of it. Father would never kill a man. But Damian—he keeps insisting. I need to find out what really happened, prove my father's innocence. That's the only way i can be free."

Gianna’s mouth hung open.

“You married Damian freaking Russo? As in THE Russo?"

Stephanie gave her a look. “Not by choice.”

“Holy hell. That’s not even news—it's worth breaking tables! Now i see why you didn't pick when I called you two days ago.. You were getting married." A mischievous chuckle.

"is he as hot as they claim? " Gianna asked winking teasingly. Stephanie's cheek flushed. She thought back to the previous night, how she half wished she was the one with him that night, doing those things to him. She blushed annoyed at herself.

Gianna saw it.

"ooohhh. He is. Guess someone is already falling. You should make the most of it though. Not everyone gets to be kidnapped by a sexy demigod" Gianna said with dreamy eyes.

"No one is falling for anyone" She said stoically.

"Okayyyy!" She raised her hands in mock surrender " So what now? "

“I need you to dig. Everything you can. On both of them, my father and Damian. I need to understand things fully before taking a decision. A lot of things are at stake here."

Gianna nodded, already typing furiously. “This’ll take time. Here—” She tossed her a burner phone. “Use this for now. Don’t call anyone else. I’ll text when I find something.”

The drive back was tense.Gianna dropped her a while away from the estate to avoid detection. With a promise to be back if anything happened, she drove off, leaving Stephanie to find her way back.

She had slipped out. Now she had to slip back in.

Disguised again in maid’s clothes, she approached the estate from the north woods. Just as she reached the outer fence, a bullet grazed the stone wall beside her.

Gunfire erupted.

She dropped low, crawling through leaves and branches, heart thundering in her ears. She had gone out on her own. If she died now, she doubt her body would be found.

Who the hell was shooting? Was it her father’s men again? Or Damian’s enemies?

She didn’t wait to find out. She ran.

By some miracle, she made it through a side entrance used by the kitchen staff. She slipped in behind a group of maids unloading crates and climbed the back stairwell two floors up. The guards were not at the door. Strange. She didn't wait to wonder about it. She slipped into the room.

When she entered her room, she was gasping, covered in dust and sweat.

And then—she froze.

Damian was already inside, Sitting in the chair by the window. Legs crossed. A glass of whiskey in hand.

His gaze met hers, unreadable.

“You were to meet me downstairs in Fifteen minutes " He checked his watch "This is close to two hours since then. ” he said calmly. “Go anywhere interesting today, Mia moglie? "

Stephanie didn’t flinch. “I went to breathe. Something you seem allergic to.”

He stood, slow and dangerous. “Guardami negli occhi quando menti.(Look me in the eyes when you lie).You breathed for far too long. What did you think you would find? ”

“Probably something that would send you to your grave? ” Her smile was anything but genuine.

He gave her a glare. Then he stepped closer. “Do you know what happens when you disobey me?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Do you know what happens when you underestimate me?”

The silence was a live wire between them.

“You have no allies,” Damian said darkly. “Your father has gone quiet. Sei mia. Solo mia(You are mine. Only mine.). I won't say it again. Don't test me"

“And what if I do?” She was daring him, provoking him.

He leaned in, close enough to brush his breath against her cheek. “Then you’ll watch this empire burn with your name stitched to the flames. And your father's name".

Her chest heaved. “You don’t scare me.” she met his stare.

He straightened, setting the glass down. “That I know, Cara"She wanted to protest, he shushed her. "Stai zitta, mia moglie.Ti ho sposata, amore mio, e ora mi appartieni.” (Be quiet, my wife, I married you, my love, and now you belong to me.)

Without another word, he walked out, the door slamming behind him.

Stephanie watched him go, angry.

And what in heavens name was he saying in Italian???