Viella’s POV

"I AM NOT OBSESSED WITH HIM, WHY CAN’T YOU UNDERSTAND?!"

Lily didn’t even blink. She just raised an eyebrow. "You expect me to believe that?"

"Yes!"

She gave me a slow, pitying nod. "Uh-huh. After you once begged me-begged me-to slip something into his drink so you could drag him to bed?"

I choked on air. "That-wasn’t-"

"Good thing he didn’t kill you for it. Only reason you’re still breathing is your father."

I opened my mouth to argue, but she kept going like a hitman with an endless clip.

"Or that time you faked a fainting spell in front of his men so he’d have to carry you in his arms. Or when you literally paid off one of his drivers to strand the two of you at a villa overnight."

"That was-"

"-Or when you stole his phone, blocked every other woman’s number, and replaced their contacts with your name. Including his accountant."

I covered my face. It was done by original viella not meee

She smirked. "Or when you stormed into one of his meetings with the Bratva and sat on his lap the entire time so ’no one would get ideas.’ Or when you ordered his tailor to make all his suits tighter because you liked how they looked on him."

My voice came out strangled. "Lily-"

"Oh, and how could I forget? You once told a reporter you and Dante were already married just to ’make it official’ in the papers. Or when you bribed a priest to bless the engagement ring before he even proposed, saying it would ’speed things up.’"

I groaned, sliding down my chair. "STOP! I don’t wanna remember any of this!"

Lily leaned on the table, grinning like a cat with cream.

"You were the human embodiment of a hostage situation lady Viella. And now you’re telling me you’re not obsessed?"

I peeked at her from behind my hands. "I’ve changed. I swear."

She gave me a slow once-over. "Hmm. Maybe. At least you’re not actively plotting his abduction anymore."

"Ugh, I am no longer interested in him, okay?" I snapped.

Lily arched an eyebrow. "Then why were he and Nonna sitting?"

I threw my hands up. "Look, you won’t believe me-but he’s the one obsessed with me!"

She actually had the nerve to smirk. "See, my lady? I told you-act more like a real fiancée, smile more, stop threatening people around him during dinner-and he’d fall for you. Should’ve listened to my advice before."

I pressed a palm to my forehead. "I don’t want his obsession, Lily. I want peace. Quiet. A life without... whatever this is."

She gave me a long, blank stare. "Did you really lose your mind after the accident?"

That word-accident-slammed into me like a punch. My spine went rigid. "Accident..."

Lily blinked

"Yes," I said, stepping forward. "That’s exactly what I wanted to ask you."

Before she could escape, I grabbed her wrist and dragged her into my room. I shut the door, turned the lock, and crossed my arms.

"Now," I said, my voice low and sharp. "Tell. Me. Everything."

"Uh, what? That we found you lying in a pool of blood in your room," Lily said like she was reciting the weather report.

I almost choked on my own spit. "EXCUSE ME?!"

She tilted her head. "Why are you acting like you forgot?"

"Because I did forget! Now spill!"

Lily sighed like I was the most exhausting person alive. "You came home late, drunk. Next morning-boom-you’re laying in a pool of blood. We thought you were done for, but nope. You lived."

I stared. "What the-actually, what if I told you I don’t remember any of that?"

"Not surprised," she said flatly. "You forget you owe me twenty bucks."

"Lily!"

"What?"

"You’re supposed to be shocked or concerned!"

"I was concerned. Then you started talking again."

I took a deep breath. "Fine. Will you help me escape Dante’s obsession? Please?"

"I don’t get paid enough for this."

"I’ll raise your salary."

She raised a brow. "Did your dad raise your allowance?"

"...No..."

"Exactly. You can’t afford me."

She walked off, leaving me standing there.

---

Defeated, I collapsed onto the couch like a tragic heroine from one of those historical dramas-minus the elegant fainting pose. I grabbed the remote, threw on Netflix, and armed myself with a bucket of popcorn

One episode in, I was yelling at the screen, "Girl, don’t open that door!" Two episodes in, I was crying over a fictional cat’s death. Three episodes in... blackout.

I don’t even remember closing my eyes, but next thing I know-boom-I wake up in a moving car.

Not my car.

Not a car I recognize.

I sat up slowly, blinking at the tinted windows. "Uh... hello?"

---

Dante’s POV

Finishing the last meeting of the day, I glanced at the time. It was later than I thought.

Perfect timing.

It was time to pick her up.

Her name slipped past my lips before I realized it-Viella.

And with it... came her face. That maddening smirk, the way her hair caught the light, the little glint of challenge in her eyes. 7 years ago when I first saw her I had the same feeling but eveything changed the moment I met the new version of her after 7 year, she wasnt the same innocent girl i knew but now that shes back again....One memory bled into another until my jaw ached from the ghost of a smile.

The smile must have shown, because the man sitting across from me went stiff. I could see the panic flicker in his eyes, as if he was trying to decide whether my smile meant someone was about to get promoted... or buried.

Without another word, I stood, coat in hand, and headed for home.

The moment I stepped through the front door, I was caught in a warm, overbearing hug.

"Ah, noona, you know I’m not a kid anymore," I muttered, though I didn’t pull away.

"My little lion," she cooed, patting my cheek as if I were still twelve, "you’ll always be little boy to me. Why did you come so late? Don’t you have a date? Don’t make my little baby girl wait-go, hurry up!"

I smirked, fake bowing in mock obedience. "Yes, yes, my lady."

I made my way upstairs, loosening my tie.

The door to my room creaked open.

What the hell-?

My voice turned sharp, instinctual. "What are you doing here?"

Alina froze mid-step, a tray trembling in her hands. "I... I was just bringing you tea."

I raised an eyebrow. "I don’t remember asking you for it."

"I thought you’d need it..." Her voice was barely a whisper.

"I don’t. And don’t ever enter my room without my permission."

She nearly tripped in her haste to leave. I rubbed my temples, irritation prickling under my skin. My head had been aching more these days. Too many thoughts I couldn’t untangle.

Why... why did her name keep sticking in my mind? That maid... what was it again? Alina.

Why is she even in my memory? Why... does it feel like she’s been shoved there?

The ring of my phone cut through the thought.

"Boss," a voice crackled through, "there’s been an attack. We’re looking into it."

"You’d better find out who dared to," my voice dropped, steel-cold, "and when you do... make sure they regret breathing."

I hung up before he could answer, tossing the phone onto the couch. My body moved to the shower without thinking, steam clouding the mirror until my reflection disappeared.

When I stepped back into the room, droplets sliding down my hair, I noticed the tea still on my desk. The faint scent of chamomile.

I poured it into the plant without hesitation.

(Not noticing the changes in that plant after he poured the tea)

As I buttoned my shirt, my eyes caught on the file lying on my desk.

Viella.

The sight of her name made my pulse shift.

You’ve always been a curiosity to me.

At first, you were nothing but a nuisance-your voice, your sharp tongue, your presence scraping against my nerves like glass. And when you drugged me that night... I swore I would make you pay.

But then-

Something changed.

I couldn’t pinpoint when it began.

Once upon a time, Alina had been everywhere in my thoughts, as if she’d been placed there on purpose, forced in. But now... she’s fading. And you, Viella-

You’re everywhere.

And I don’t hate it.

No, I’m starting to... enjoy it.

That innocent drunk face of yours-do you have any idea what you did to me that night? The way your eyes, glazed and defenseless, looked at me... it’s burned into my mind.

I want to keep that look.

I want those eyes to see only me.

And that kiss....it was a fuel to my desire.

Your laugh echoes in my mind, followed by the sound of your defiance. You frustrate me, infuriate me... and yet, when you’re gone, the silence is unbearable.

I’ve dealt with rivals, traitors, and killers without blinking. But you-

You’re the only one who’s ever made me feel like I’m losing control.

And I don’t know if I want it to stop.

The knock at my door startled me from my thoughts.

"Boss, the car’s ready," my man called.

I glanced at Viella’s name one more time, my lips curving into a slow, dangerous smile.

"I’m coming."

Tonight, she’d be sitting beside me in that car.

And maybe... she’d start to understand that there was nowhere she could go where I wouldn’t follow.

---

Dante stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall, watching Viella sleep like she had no worries in the world - sprawled on her couch, Netflix still playing, half-empty popcorn bowl on the table, and a few crumbs decorating her lips.

Her maids stood stiff, as if breathing too loudly would get them executed. Lily glanced between them once, sighed like she already knew where this was going, and silently slipped away... but not before warning the others to disappear too.

Dante moved closer, crouching down beside the couch.

"You look so calm when you sleep," he murmured, eyes lingering on the faint rise and fall of her chest. His gaze flicked to her lips again. "...With crumbs still on them."

He looked at the popcorn on the table and chuckled lowly.

"Is this you, Viella? No... this isn’t the woman who used to throw wine in my face just to get my attention."

Checking the time, he exhaled slowly before sliding an arm under her legs and lifting her.

From the hallway, Lily reappeared - now wearing fake glasses and eating popcorn like she was watching a drama live.

Dante ignored her and carried Viella outside. The cold breeze hit, and Viella instinctively curled closer into his chest.

"Cara mia..." he muttered, a faint smirk pulling at his lips.

He opened the passenger door - the "princess seat" - and gently set her down. Sliding into the driver’s side, he started the car, stealing glances at her sleeping face.

After a few moments of silence

His eyes flicked toward her again, softer now but no less intense.

"You can run all you want, princess. But I always catch what’s mine."

With that he leaned in and placed a small kiss on her head

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TO BE CONTINUED