Chapter 8 Chapter 8
Valeria’s POV
The mansion woke before I did.
Voices echoed down the halls. Doors opened and closed. Footsteps rushed past my room like the house itself was preparing for battle. I lay still, staring at the ceiling, my body heavy, my mind already exhausted.
Today was the shoot,the announcement.
The lie that would cage me in gold and glass, A knock came. Soft. Polite. Fake.
“Miss Valeria,” a woman’s voice said.“They’re ready for you.”
I closed my eyes for a second, then forced myself to sit up. My shoulder still hurt, a dull reminder that I was not dreaming. Everything was real. Luciano. The Fake engagement.
I swung my legs off the bed,“I’m coming.”
Two women entered with racks of clothes. Dresses in white, cream, soft gold. Fabric that screamed innocence. Luxury. A future I never agreed to,One of them smiled nervously. “Mr. Luciano picked these himself.”
Of course he did,They dressed me like a doll. Fixed my hair. Covered the faint shadows under my eyes with makeup thick enough to hide fear. When they were done, I barely recognized the woman in the mirror.
She looked calm, she looked different
I hated herself, as they led me downstairs, my mind began to run wild with every step. The sound of cameras reached me before I saw them. Clicks. Voices. Instructions.
And then I saw him.
Luciano stood at the center of it all, dressed in black, sharp and effortless. He looked like he belonged to this chaos. Like it fed him. When his eyes found mine, something dark flickered through them.
Approval.
That made my stomach twist.“Smile,” he said quietly as I reached his side. “They’re watching.”
“I won’t play your game,” I whispered back.
He leaned closer, his voice low enough that only I could hear. “You already are.”
A photographer clapped his hands. “Alright! Let’s get the couple together.”
Luciano’s hand settled on my lower back. The touch was firm. Possessive. Not gentle.I stiffened.
“Relax,” he murmured. “If you flinch, they’ll think you were forced, remember you came to me for help.”
I wanted to pull away from him. Instead, I smiled. The cameras exploded with flashes.“Closer, Luciano.”His arm slid around my waist.
“Valeria, chin up.”I lifted my chin.“Look at each other.”I turned to face him.
For a moment, the noise faded. It was just us. His dark eyes. My clenched jaw. A silent war burning between inches of space.
“i love this feeling” he said softly. “Believe me, Valerie you will get use to it.”
“I will never be yours, don't push your luck Luciano” I replied through my smile.
His lips curved slightly. “We shall see Valerie”Click. Click. Click.
Every flash felt like a nail sealing my fate.
They moved us from pose to pose. Sitting. Standing. Laughing. Almost kissing.
Luciano played the role perfectly. His smile was convincing. His touch is steady. He whispered things only I could hear.
“Your father will see this by tonight.”“His men are already watching.”“You’re doing beautifully.”Each word was another chain.Then I realized everything was a plan, Luciano was using me as I took against my father. This photoshoot was to make my father explode in rage
At one point, the photographer asked us to rest our foreheads together.
I froze.Luciano’s grip tightened slightly. A warning.I leaned in.His breath brushed my skin. “If you run,” he murmured, “I will drag you back in front of every camera in this city.”
Hatred burned in my chest. “I hope this destroys you.”He smiled for the cameras.
“It has already destroyed you Valerie, you have no one else but me”The shoot finally ended hours later. My face hurt from smiling. My body ached from tension. When the last camera lowered, I stepped back instantly.
“I’m done,” I said flatly.Luciano dismissed everyone with a wave. The room emptied fast, leaving silence behind.
The moment we were alone, I turned on him.
“You humiliated me,” I snapped. “You turned me into a weapon.”
“Yes,” he replied calmly. “And it worked.”
“You think my father will stop?” I laughed bitterly. “You don’t know him.”
Luciano’s eyes hardened. “I know him well enough to know he won’t move without certainty.”“And if he does?”Luciano stepped closer. “Then I keep my promise by sending your body parts to him as a souvenir”My stomach dropped. “You said”
“I said next time,” he cut in. “And I never bluff."Instantly I knew this fake engagement was nothing but a trap but I refused to fall into “You’re forcing me to stand between you both, I know you hate me, and wish to kill me first, but you should know, I have never lost a fight Luciano”
He studied me for a long moment. “Let's say you have lost one against me .”
My mind began to spiral. Did he stage the scene before my engagement? Was it all his plan to imprison me? He didn't deny it.
“You should rest,” he said instead. “The announcement goes public tonight.”
I shook my head slowly. “This isn’t over.”
“No,” he agreed. “This is just the beginning.”
As he walked away, his words followed me like a shadow.“And Valeria? Smile a little longer.”
“Your father is watching.”I stood there alone, my reflection staring back at me from a black glass wall. I should have known, just the moment I let my guards down, Luciano used it to his advantage. This was all a trap. And I had to get away as soon as possible, he had helped me escape the engagement, he had done his part, and now it's time for me to vanish from the scene, live the independent life I’d so desperately wanted. I had to do something, I had to look for a way to leave,
I don't trust Luciano, I won't trust him no matte
r what happens. Because there was something about him that doesn't feel right.