Chapter 16 Chapter 16
Valerie POV
He seized my hand with brutal force, his fingers digging into my skin before I could react. In one swift motion, he spun me around, lifting me clean off the ground and throwing me over his shoulder. Panic exploded inside me. I screamed and kicked, pounding my fists against his back, but his grip only tightened, ironclad and unyielding. No matter how hard I fought, every struggle was useless.
“Let me go, Luciano! You can’t do this!” I shrieked, my voice echoing down the corridor.
He didn’t respond. Not a single word. He carried me through the hallway with long, determined strides, turning sharply toward the left wing of the mansion. My heart slammed violently against my ribs. This wasn’t the direction of my room. Fear crept into my chest, cold and suffocating.
“Luciano, put me down now!” I screamed again, my throat burning. Still nothing.
We stopped abruptly in front of a massive wooden door. He pushed it open and marched inside, tossing me onto the bed with careless force. Pain shot through my body as I landed, the air knocked from my lungs. I groaned, scrambling upright, smoothing my dress with shaking hands as I rose to my feet.
He stood there, towering over me, his face hard and unreadable. I stepped closer, until only inches separated us. My pulse roared in my ears, anger flooding my veins like fire.
“Don’t you ever try to decide my life for me,” I snapped, my voice trembling with fury. “I am not a child. I know exactly what I want, when I want it, and how I want it.”
He didn’t flinch, but I could see something dark flicker in his eyes.
“You are the last kind of man I would ever choose for myself,” I continued, my words sharp and merciless. “I agreed to this arrangement for one reason only,to get Noah out of my way. That’s it. Don’t mistake my cooperation for submission.”
My chest rose and fell rapidly as I struggled to contain the storm inside me.
“I will not let you push me around,” I yelled, my voice cracking despite my resolve.
“You don’t get to control me, to dictate where I go or what I do. This is my life, and you have no right to it.”
The room felt too small, the walls closing in as my anger collided with fear. I clenched my fists, forcing myself not to back away, not to show weakness.
“I know what I want,” I said, my voice dropping but growing steadier. “And you don’t get to tell me otherwise.”
Silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating. My heart thundered as I stood my ground, fighting back the rage that threatened to consume me completely. No matter how intimidating he was, no matter how powerful he thought himself to be, I refused to let him see me break.
Not now. Not ever.
“As long as you are under my roof, you are mine, Valerie,” he said coldly. “You will obey whatever I say, the way I say it. Don’t test my patience.”
He straightened his back, his posture rigid and commanding, his hands buried deep in his pockets like he already owned the room,and me. His voice carried no anger, no raised tone, and that somehow made it worse. It was calm, certain, final.
A slow smirk curved my lips as I stepped closer, deliberately closing the distance between us. I refused to let him see fear, even if it clawed at my chest. “And what will you do?” I asked softly, daring him. “You know I’d want to end you, Luciano. How about we settle it right here, right now?”
His expression didn’t change, but his eyes darkened, sharp and calculating. “You tried once, Valerie,” he replied evenly. “You got shot. What makes you think you’d survive this time?”
The words hit harder than I expected. For a brief second, unease washed over me, cold and unsettling. I hated that he could do this to me with just a few words. I didn’t understand why his presence made me feel exposed, stripped bare, like he could see straight through my defenses. Every time he spoke, I felt vulnerable, and I despised that feeling more than anything.
Still, I held my ground. I would never let him see it.
My father never raised me to bow my head to anyone. He taught me to stand tall, to fight back, to never show weakness, especially not to men like Luciano. And I would never bow my head to him. Not now. Not ever.
I forced myself to inhale deeply, then shut my eyes for a moment, trying to steady the chaos inside me. When I opened them again, I paused, searching my mind for something, anything that might convince him to stay away from me. Words failed me. Nothing came.
So instead, I took a few steps back, putting distance between us, between my heart and his dangerous control.
“Luciano,” I murmured, calling his name gently, my voice quieter now but no less firm.
“This is nothing more than a contract,” I continued, choosing each word carefully.
“Don’t get yourself filled with false hope. Nothing will ever happen between us.”
He watched me closely, like a predator waiting for its prey to slip.
“Remember who we are,” I said, my voice steady despite the tension curling in my stomach. “We are sworn enemies. That will never change. We will never be a team. Do you understand me?”
Silence followed, thick and heavy, pressing down on my chest. My heart pounded loudly in my ears as I stood there, refusing to retreat any further. I may have stepped back physically, but I would not surrender mentally.
I met his gaze head-on, refusing to blink, refusing to let him believe he had won. Whatever power he thought he held over me, I would not allow it to define me. This arrangement may have tied us together, but it did not own my heart, my will, or my future,No matter what happened next, one thing was certain,I would never belong to him.