Dark Romance | Mafia

Chapter Twenty-eight

Stella's POV:

Albert stepped closer to the car. A thin neat and clean folder was clutched in his hand.

AK opened the door and stepped out. The cold night air rushed in with him. He snatched the document from Albert without a word.

Albert extended a pen, his lips curling in clear disgust. AK took it, scribbled something sharp and fast on the paper, might be a signature, then shoved everything back at him.

Then AK was back in the car.
The engine roared to life, vibrating beneath my feet as he pressed the accelerator. Streetlights blurred past us as the city disappeared behind winding roads.

"What was that?" My voice trembled despite my effort to sound strong.

Ak didn't bother to reply, I let out a quit sigh.

"What are you going to do?" Frustration evident in my tone, I couldn’t keep the fear inside anymore.

"I bought you," he replied coldly, eyes fixed on the road.

The words hit me harder than any slap ever could.

Bought.

My chest tightened, air lodging painfully in my throat.

Am I a thing now? Something to be traded? One man sells me, another buys me. Is this all my life is worth?

A tear escaped before I could stop it, sliding down my cheek, hot and humiliating. I turned my face toward the window, letting the darkness hide my expression as the car continued forward.

Time slipped away. My thoughts swallowed me whole, so deep that I didn't even realise when the car stopped.

"Mind getting out?" AK muttered, his voice rough, tired.

I blinked, pulled back into reality. He was already outside, the night air wrapping around me as he held my door open. I stepped out slowly, my legs so weak that I could barely stand.

I looked around. My eyes were so swollen and heavy that I could feel their weight.

Iron gates. Tall walls. A mansion looming ahead, its lights glowing softly like watchful eyes.

"Why are we here?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

"You're going to live here."

My mouth fell open. My heart began to race.

"I----I can't----"

"Enough." His tone was sharp, final.

"Just go. I have things to do."
He rolled his icy blue eyes as if I were nothing more than an inconvenience.

I stepped away from the car.

"What will I say to him?" I asked, panic creeping back in.

"He already knows," he replied, irritation etched across his face.

Before I could say another word, the car door slammed shut. Tires screeched.
AK was gone....Vanished as if he were never here.

I stared at the empty driveway for a moment, then turned toward the mansion. A sign stood near the gate.

ALESSIO ROMANO
Written in bold letters.

I inhaled deeply and went inside.
The interior smelled faintly of leather and something expensive....wood polish, maybe. The whole mansion was silent as if he wasn't home.

I sat on the sofa, my fingers twisting together as minutes stretched painfully long.

Then....

The door creaked open.
The sound sent a shiver down my spine.
I turned.

He stood there.
Mr. Romano.

Dressed in a perfectly tailored black tuxedo, broad shoulders filling the doorway. His hair was neatly combed back, yet a few strands lingered on his forehead, softening his sharp features and making him undeniably attractive.
His shoes shone against the marble floor as he stepped closer, unhurried, confident.

His gaze locked onto mine.
"Can't stay away from me, chef," he smirked playfully, his voice smooth, teasing.

Heat rushed to my face as I narrowed my eyes.

He chuckled softly and came closer. Too close. I could smell his cologne....warm, masculine, intoxicating. My breath hitched.

"You belong to me now," he murmured.

I swallowed.

"I don't belong to anyone."

His smile softened....not mocking now, but something deeper. Something dangerous.

He reached out, brushing a loose strand of hair behind my ear. His fingers were warm, lingering just a second too long. Electricity shot through me, my heart pounding wildly against my ribs.

"Not as property," he murmured. "As mine."

My pulse raced. I hated how my body reacted, how my breath came uneven, how my chest tightened when his thumb brushed my jaw.

"You're trembling," he whispered.

He leaned closer, his forehead resting lightly against mine. His breath fanned across my lips, slow and deliberate, as if giving me time to pull away.

I didn't.

For a brief moment, the world narrowed to the space between us....his warmth, my racing heart, the heat of his presence pressing close.

Then he pulled back slightly, a knowing smile playing on his lips.

"Welcome home, Stella."

"I'm not yours," my voice trembled.

"You already are," he said, leaning closer again. His presence was overwhelming.

"You don’t even realize it yet," he continued.

For a long moment, silence filled the room, broken only by the sound of my own heartbeat and the faint tick of some clock somewhere. I felt exposed, but also… strangely safe. Terrifyingly safe.

Until then....