I didn't mean to keep her. She was just a job. A simple contract from the Bratva-snatch the girl from a glittering party, disappear into the night, and wait for the ransom. In my world, things are simple like that. You take what you're paid to take. You break what you're told to break. And if someone refuses to pay... you make an example out of them. Her name is Seraphina Shaw. Soft voice. Curious eyes. Too innocent for the darkness she's been dragged into. She doesn't understand men like me. Men who grew up surrounded by blood and violence. Men who don't hesitate when a gun is in their hand. I'm the nightmare parents warn their daughters about. The kind of monster who doesn't fall in love-because monsters don't deserve it. But then her father refuses to pay the ransom. The order from the mafia is clear: make her suffer until he changes his mind. And if the money still doesn't come... I'm supposed to kill her. It should be easy. I've ended lives for less. But the longer she stays locked in my safehouse, the more dangerous things become. She looks at me like I'm not the villain of her story. Like there's still something human left inside me. She's wrong. I'm not her savior. I'm the man who stole her freedom... and now I can't imagine giving it back. Because somewhere between the lies, the danger, and the nights she should hate me... I decided something reckless. I'm not letting her go. Not to her father. Not to the mafia hunting us. Not even to the life she had before me. The world I live in destroys everything it touches. And if she stays with me long enough, it might destroy her too. But by the time she realizes the truth... it will already be too late. Because in my world, there are only two ways this story ends: She learns to love the monster who stole her. Or she dies trying to escape him. Start: March 14 End: ///

I came for breakfast, stayed for the glitter, and now Trump and Modi are making out with my approval.

[Story 2] #KatarinaUniverse1 Copyright © 2025 Rita Diya Ayu. All Rights Reserved Namaku Katarina, atau bisa juga dipanggil Karina. Usiaku tiga belas tahun. Dari namaku saja, sudah jelas aku anak perempuan, bukan? Iya, aku anak perempuan, tunggal. Aku hidup berdua saja dengan Mama, tidak ada Papa. Mama bekerja di kantor kejaksaan. Aku tak begitu tahu jabatannya, mungkin karena aku tak pernah benar-benar bertanya. Yang kutahu, Mama jarang pulang tepat waktu. Dulu, waktu aku masih kecil, aku sering menangis. Tangisku memecah sunyi rumah saat Mama tak kunjung pulang. Bibi yang bekerja di rumahku selalu berlari terpogoh pogoh saat mendengar tangisanku. Dia selalu berkata "Aduh, Karin. Jangan nangis, sayang. Nanti cantiknya hilang, lho." Begitulah caranya menghiburku, dan itu selalu berhasil membuatku berhenti menangis. Lambat laun aku mulai terbiasa, aku tidak lagi menangis saat mama tidak ada di sisiku. Aku jadi suka menyendiri. Aku tak suka keramaian, bising membuatku pusing. Orang-orang bilang aku introvert. Aku cuma tersenyum setiap kali mereka menyebut kata itu. Introvert? Hanya karena aku menyukai ketenangan? Mereka salah. Aku bukan seseorang yang takut bergaul atau menutup diri dari dunia. Aku bersosialisasi dengan baik, punya teman, tahu cara tertawa. Hanya saja, ada bagian dari diriku yang tak bisa dimengerti orang lain. Karena aku ... sedikit berbeda. Aku bisa melihat apa yang tak bisa orang lain lihat. Aku bisa merasakan kehadiran yang tak terlihat. Aku bisa menyentuh mereka yang seharusnya tidak ada. Roh. Arwah. Mereka yang sudah pergi, tapi belum benar-benar hilang.