No One’s Pov

Vivien closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, forcing her shakey heart to steady. She knew that if she showed even a bit of fear, she would be playing right into his hands.

To survive, she had to be more than a victim, she had to be something interesting enough to keep him from turning her body into corpse.

"Oh, baby~"

Suddenly, Vivien stepped out. She stood tall, her hands still dripping from the wounds.

Elias’s smirk widened. He stared at her, mesmerized. In his eyes, she was breathtaking- covered in blood, standing face to face. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

But it would’ve been much better if it was her blood.

The fact that it belonged to his filthy men only made him feel bit annoyed.

"Aww, you’re so smart, Viella. You stepped out instead of hiding~"

He took slow steps toward her until he stood directly in her space. He reached out, his fingers cold and caressed her cheek. He didn’t wipe the blood away instead he spreaded it into her skin.

Vivien didn’t react. She met his gaze with a bored look. "Uh... I was just checking your security level, you know. Quite good, I have to say," she said, her voice sounded nonchalance.

"I am glad you love it," Elias whispered, "But alas, because of you, I lost three men today." He tilted his head, his eyes searching hers. "Tsk, tsk. What shall we do now~?"

Vivien let out a short puff of air, leaning slightly into his space. "You lost them because they were weak, Elias. Aren’t the weak deserves to die?"

Elias froze. For a second, the only sound was the distant wail of the alarm. Then, he let out a low chuckle that grew into a dark hollow laugh.

"You’re right indeed..."

The laughter vanished instantly. His expression went flat.

He looked past her at the remaining guards who stood trembling.

"Weak are supposed to die," he repeated, his voice devoid of any emotion.

In a blur of motion, Elias swung the metal bat.

There was a crack as it connected with the skull of the guard. The man dropped instantly. Elias didn’t even look at him, his gaze remained locked on Vivien, his face now splattered with fresh blood.

"See?" he murmured

Vivien nodded slowly. "See I did nothing wrong. Infact I did you a favor to remove those weak men"

"Hmmm, technically you didn’t," Elias conceded, his voice light.

Vivien let out a quiet breath, her muscles beginning to relax just a fraction. He’s buying it. I just need to keep him talking.

"But-"

Her breath hitched. Elias leaned in closer, the scent of his cologne hit her.

"You tried to escape, didn’t you? So shouldn’t we do something about that?" he asked, his head tilting.

"Like I said, I was just-" Vivien started,

"Shhhh." Elias didn’t let her finish. He pressed a cold finger firmly against her lips, silencing her.

Before she could react, he scooped her up. Vivien’s heart started beating fast, but her eyes kept darting down, landing on the hidden fold of her dress. The long glass piece was still there, tucked securely against her thigh. She just needed one chance.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her voice tight.

"Taking my baby back to where she’s supposed to be."

He carried her back through the dark corridor and stepped into the room she had just fought her way out of.

Seeing the bodies of the first three guards and the bloody mess on the floor, Elias clicked his tongue in disapproval.

"Tsk, tsk. You really did dirty the place, Vivien."

He tossed her onto the bed. "Take these bodies away and burn them," he commanded over his shoulder.

"Yes, boss," the man muttered, scurrying to drag the corpses out.

The heavy door slammed shut once more, leaving the two of them in the dim light. Elias turned to face her, his eyes dark and with sort of excitement.

He began to unbutton his cuffs.

"Since you did all that, you have to face the consequences too, Vivien," he murmured.

Elias turned and left, the heavy door echoing as it slammed shut.

Vivien sat on the edge of the bed, her mind racing. What was he planning? Was he bringing more guards? The silence of the room was suffocating.

Then, the door creaked open again.

Elias returned, carrying a first-aid kit. He didn’t say a word as he sat before her, grabbing her injured hand. He began to clean the glass cuts and the bruised knuckles from her punch, but there was no tenderness in his movements.

He worked with roughness, swabbing the open wounds with antiseptic.

Vivien hissed, her fingers twitching in his grasp. "Careful," she breathed through gritted teeth.

Elias froze, his grip tightening until the bones in her hand creaked.

He looked up, his eyes wide. "Look at this," he whispered, tracing a cut on her palm.

"Such beautiful, porcelain skin... and now it has a wound in it. It’s a flaw, Vivien. A smudge on my masterpiece."

He began wrapping the bandage so tightly she could feel her pulse thumping against the cloth. "You don’t understand, do you? You think this body belongs to you. You think you have the right to break it, to scar it, to put it in danger."

He leaned in, his breath against her ear. "No one... no one is allowed to hurt you but me. Not the guards, not Dante... not even you. If you bleed without my permission, it’s a betrayal."

He finished the bandage with a tug and stood up, looking down at her.

He scanned the room, his gaze lingering on the pools of drying blood on the floor.

"As your punishment, you will have no food. No water. And especially no clean-up," he said, his voice dropping into hollow tone. "I want you to sit here in the filth you created. I want you to breathe in the scent of those dead men until you realize that your ’strength’ only leads to rot."

He walked to the door, pausing with his hand on the bolt. "Hope you enjoy the smell, my love."

He stepped out, and before the door fully closed, a group of men hurried in. They worked in silence, placing a camera in the corner of the ceiling and walked out.

Looking at the camera, she knew there was no way she could act recklessly now. Every movement was recording and any show of strength would only make him tighten the noose.

Hours passed in a blur.

The room felt smaller as the unease settled deep into her bones. It was a sensation, as if someone was constantly stroking her hair with cold fingers.

She knew exactly who it was. She shot a sideways glance at the camera, a sneer placed on her lips internally. "He’s watching. He’s probably leaning back in some dark room, watching my misery." She forced herself to look away, refusing to give him the satisfaction.

But time was cruel. The blood on the floor had already started to rot, the smell starting to clung to the back of her throat.

The smell grew stronger and stronger that made her stomach churn. She stayed still, her mind racing to find a way out, but the exhaustion was beginning to cloud her thoughts.

Two more hours passed.

She was losing it. The growing hunger and the stench was a hand wrapped around her neck.

With gritted teeth? she finally looked directly into the camera lens, her eyes glistening with teary frustration.

On the other side of the screen, Elias watched the monitors. Seeing that glint of moisture in her eyes, his smirk widened into something truly predatory.

He stood up, satisfied, and began to walk down to the cellar.

The heavy door opened and Elias stepped into the dim light. He looked at her weak figure slumped on the bed, looking like a broken doll.

Instantly, the rotten air hit him- a smell so foul it would have made a normal man gag. But he didn’t care.

He walked toward her, his boots crunching on the glass shards he’d never bothered to clean.

"There she is," he whispered, his voice smooth

"The little bird who thought she could fly away. Tell me, Vivien... does the air taste like regret yet?"

Vivien nodded weakly, her head drooping as if she no longer had the strength to hold it up.

A smile spread across Elias’s face. He leaned down, his shadow swallowing her whole as he caressed her cheek with his cold hand. The smell of the rot between them didn’t seem to faze him he was intoxicated by the sight of her defeated form.

"Now, that’s a good girl," he whispered, his thumb dragging across her lower lip, right where he had bitten her earlier.

Vivien kept her gaze lowered, her long lashes shadowing the coldness in her eyes. She let her body go limp, pretending to be the pitiful creature he wanted, but her fingers were inches away from the glass. She was a predator in a cage, waiting for the exact moment he let his guard down.

Meanwhile Somewhere Else-

The mansion, which only hours ago had been a sanctuary of flowers, had transformed into a cold fury.

The decorations had been torn down.

Dante was beyond pissed. The air around him seemed so intense that even his most capable soldiers keep their distance.

He had fired the entire security, his voice a low growl that promised far worse if Vivien wasn’t found.

Elias had been bold to take what belonged to Dante Moretti on his own wedding day.

Nonna sat in the study, the warmth gone from her face. Her expression was cold like Dante.

She hadn’t said a word, but her silence was enough. Every resource the Moretti family owned across the globe was being squeezed for information.

Elias had made a fatal error. He hadn’t just attacked a rival, he had touched Dante’s obsession.

Dante stood alone in his private office, the light reflecting off the dagger. He ran a gloved thumb along the edge.

"Soon, this will be inside your heart, Elias," Dante muttered, his eyes glinting with a madness. "And I will make sure you stay alive long enough to feel every inch of it."

"Lily!" Dante roared.

Lily appeared at the door instantly, "We found a signal, Boss. An old industrial cellar near the coast. It’s being jammed, but the frequency matches Elias’s previous hideouts."

Dante didn’t wait. He grabbed his coat and headed for the door "Get the cars. I want that place leveled- but leave Elias to me."

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TO BE CONTINUED