No One’s Pov 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

The list of her lonely life sent a jolt of pure shock through her system, but the last word hit her directly in her ego. How dare he call me broke! I mean, it was true, but hearing it from a billionaire mafia lord in a luxurious mansion really added insult to injury.

Her mouth parted open in total shock. Dante didn’t miss the opening. Instead of the fork, he placed his thumb against her lower lip, tracing the swollen and reddened flesh he had claimed earlier.

"In the end, I am the one who won the bet," he whispered, leaning in until his breath fell over her face. "Technically, you have to be mine willingly now. That was the deal, wasn’t it?"

"Ho- how..." Viella finally found her voice, though it was barely a breath. "How did you manage to find everything? This is a book! You’re a character! How can you know about my world?"

"Why? You want to know so you can find a way to run away from me?" Dante’s eyes flashed, the warmth vanishing as they turned dark. The air in the room grew heavy.

But as quickly as the darkness appeared, it smoothed over. He leaned down, his lips brushing her forehead.

"It’s okay," he said, his voice a low "Even if you manage to escape this world... even if you find a way back to that tiny apartment and your little convenience store... I will follow you to your original world, Vivien. You can’t hide from me. I will eventually burn down everything to find you."

Viella felt a cold shiver crawl down her spine.

Dante looked perfectly calm but she could see the terrifying obsession burning deep in his gaze. It was the look of a man who had already decided her future for her, across two different dimensions.

She quietly nodded, deciding that silence was her safest weapon for now.

Dante’s face broke into a charming, satisfied smile as he began to feed her again. He watched her with a heavy intensity, tracking the way her throat moved as she swallowed.

He looked like a man trying to restrain himself. He clearly wanted more, but the sight of her exhausted state seemed to be the only thing keeping his darker impulses in hold for now

Suddenly, his phone vibrated. His eyes flicked to the nightstand. He noticed it had been moved but he didn’t call her out on it. He simply picked it up and answered with an icy tone.

"Didn’t I tell you not to disturb me and to handle everything yourself?" he snapped.

"Sorry, boss, but it’s urgent," the voice on the other end crackled. "Also, Mr. Lucian is outside the estate. He’s been shouting for an hour, demanding to see you. We can’t keep him quiet much longer."

Dante groaned, rubbing his temples. "Fine. I will be there in 30 minutes. Until then, keep him busy."

Viella’s ears perked up the moment she heard the name Lucian.

"Is it my brother?" she asked, her eyes lighting up.

Dante cut the call and turned toward her, his eyes narrowing. The warmth from a moment ago vanished. "Since when did you start calling him ’brother’?"

"Oh, please," Viella rolled her eyes, "He’s literally my sibling. Why are you jealous of my own family?"

"Because you aren’t Viella. You are Vivien," Dante said, his voice dropping into a low growl.

Viella paused, the realization hit her. Oh, right. I totally forgot.

Since waking up in this world, she had become so enmeshed in the character’s life that she viewed Viella’s family as her own. Infact she been using her name as well.

Dante’s expression grew gloomy as he watched her sink into deep thought. His mind was already spiraling into dark places. Who was she thinking about so intensely? Was it Lucian? Or was it... Elias? The mere thought of them touching her mind made his blood boil.

"But I only see him as my older brother, that’s all," Viella said, shrugging her shoulders casually to dissipate the tension.

Dante didn’t bother defending himself against her suspicions. Instead, he pulled a small pill from a foil pack and held out a glass of water.

"What’s this?" Viella asked, pulling back slightly.

"This is medicine for your pain," Dante said, his voice flat but firm. "You’ll feel relief after taking it. You can barely move your legs, Amore Mio. I’m not a total monster."

Viella looked at the small white tablet suspiciously. Definitely not a good thing, she thought.

"If you don’t take it," Dante said, his gaze dropping to her lips with a sudden predatory focus, "then I have no choice but to feed it to you myself. And we both know how that ends."

The threat was loud and clear. Images of him crushing his lips against hers again flashed in her mind, and instantly Viella snatched the pill from his palm. Before he could even hand her the glass, she tossed it back and swallowed it dry.

The pill got stuck halfway, and she immediately broke into a coughs. Her face turned bright red as she clutched her throat.

Dante’s eyes turned cold as ice. He moved instantly, sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling her upright. He pressed the glass of water to her lips, his hand firm behind her head, forcing her to drink until the coughing subsided.

"Slowly," he hissed, his voice a mix of irritation and a strange protectiveness. "Do you have a death wish, or are you just that determined to be difficult?"

Viella took several long gulps, the water soothing her scratched throat. She pulled away, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, still glaring at him.

"I’d rather choke than have you ’help’ me again," she rasped.

"Sure then. I’ll help you get choked on something else," Dante said, punctuating the sentence with a wicked wink that left no room for misinterpretation.

Viella blinked, her mind buffering for a second. When the realization of his double meaning joke finally hit her, her face went from pale to a red instantly .

"You—!" She reached for the nearest plate, ready to smash it over his arrogant head, but Dante was already through the door, the tray in one hand as he disappeared with a chuckle.

Before she could even shout a proper insult, she felt her body becoming weak and her eyelids became heavy.

Don’t tell me those were some kind of drugs... she muttered, her head lolling back against the plush pillows. Within seconds, the room blurred and she fell into a deep sleep.

Meanwhile, in Dante’s Study

The atmosphere in the study was thick with tension. Lucian was pacing from here to there, his knuckles white as he prepared to strike.

The moment the door opened, Lucian lunged, his fist swinging toward Dante’s jaw.

Dante didn’t even flinch. He caught Lucian’s wrist mid air, tossing it aside with a bored flick of his hand.

"Were you the one who kidnapped my sister?!" Lucian roared, his voice shaking with fury.

"It isn’t called kidnapping," Dante said, stepping past him to the desk, a cold smirk playing on his lips. "It’s called taking what’s mine."

"Seriously?!" Lucian’s anger suddenly shifted. "Man, I’ve been worried to death! You could’ve at least told me before taking her!"

Dante only shrugged, taking off his coat and draping it over the back of his chair before sitting down.

"Seriously, tell me what you’re planning," Lucian continued, throwing his hands up in frustration. "First, you told me to act like my old evil self toward her. Then you became cold and started acting like a lost puppy with that stupid, low class maid. Then Viella suddenly broke off the engagement, and now you’ve kidna- I mean, taken what’s yours? Literally, what is going on?"

"You don’t have to worry about anything," Dante replied, his voice dropping into a icy tone "Everything is under control. And about Viella breaking up..." His eyes darkened, a flash of pure possessiveness sparking in the depths of his pupils. "It doesn’t count. We are getting married. That is final."

"WHAT?!" Lucian gaped at him. "You guys are getting married? But the breakup news is everywhere already! It’s the headline of every tabloid in the city!"

"Is that so?" Dante’s smirk widened. "Show me."

Lucian snatched his phone out, frantically scrolling through the news apps. His face fell as page after page came up with ’404 Error’ or completely unrelated stories. He let out a long, defeated sigh. "You removed them. Of course you did."

Lucian leaned over the desk, his expression turning serious. "Look, Dante. I know you aren’t going to listen to me, but as a brother, I want to know... do you really love my sister? Not that trash maid?"

Dante raised an eyebrow, a calm expression on his face. "Do you think once Dante Valerio Moretti sets his eyes on someone, he ever changes his mind?"

Lucian rolled his eyes, knowing that was the only "romantic" answer he was going to get from a man like Dante. "Fine. Just... don’t be too harsh on her. She’s been through enough." He paused, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"Though, is there any update from Elias?"

Dante’s fingers tightened around his glass until his knuckles turned white, veins popping in the back of his hand. The mere mention of Elias made the air in the room feel heavy.

"My men have kept their eyes on him, yet there hasn’t been a single movement," Dante replied . "It’s as if he vanished into thin air"

Lucian flopped onto the couch, looking thoughtful. "Hmm. Either he finally realized he’s outmatched and ran away, or he’s off somewhere planning a very messy revenge."

"He is not the type to run away or give up easily." Dante’s eyes flared with a killing intent. He remembered all too well that Viella was the last person to meet Elias before her escape attempt. The thought of them sharing a final moment together made him want to burn the city down.

"You’re right," Lucian agreed, though he shifted uncomfortably. He cleared his throat, trying to change the subject. "Though... where’s Lily? She wasn’t at the main estate."

Dante looked at him, his gaze sharp. "I thought you didn’t like ’low-class maids.’ Why the sudden interest in her whereabouts?"

Lucian immediately looked away, focusing intensely on a painting. "She’s my sister’s head maid. She’s supposed to be with her to tend to her needs, that’s why I’m asking. Nothing else."

Dante raised an eyebrow, a mocking smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. He leaned back, perfectly mimicking the arrogant tone Lucian had used just months ago. "’We are of high status, Lucian. Low-status girls like these maids don’t deserve to breathe the same air as us, let alone wear the crown.’ Isn’t that what you told me?"

Lucian snapped his head back, glaring at Dante.

By

Dante’s smirk only widened. He realized in that moment that both of these siblings had the exact same glaring face. The same defiant spark in their eyes, the same stubbornness. The resemblance was so striking that it hit him with a sudden pang of longing.

He was already missing his Vivien. Even though he knows she’s tucked into his bed sleeping peacefully yet he craved the feeling of her warmth, her anger, her glaring everything.

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TO BE CONTINUED