NO ONES POV

"Dante! Put me down! What are you doing?!"

Viella shrieked, her voice losing into pure panic.

Dante didn’t say a word. He didn’t even look back at Alina, who stood frozen. Female guards mouth hanging open as they watched what was happening .

"You said you missed me," Dante’s voice vibrated through his back and directly into Viella’s chest.

"And you mentioned how ’deep’ my love is. Since you’re so lonely in this mansion, I’ve decided to ensure you’re never alone for the rest of the night."

"Wait, that was a joke! It was a joke, you ice block!" Viella hammered her fists against his back, but it was like hitting a brick wall.

As they rounded the corner of the landing, she caught one last glimpse of Lily, who looked absolutely unfazed infact waved at her, while Alina, whose face had turned a deep, envious shade of purple.

Dante kicked the bedroom door open and stepped inside, the heavy click of the lock echoing behind them

"Dan-"

The protest died in her throat as he dropped her onto the silk covers. Before she could scramble back, his weight followed. In one fluid, overwhelming motion, he pinned her hands above her head with a single grip, his fingers locking around her wrists. His other hand settled firmly against her neck-not choking, but heavy enough to make her pulse throb against his palm.

The coldness that usually radiated from him had vanished, replaced by a searing heat.

"Tell me, Viella... how much did you miss me, hm?"

His voice was a dark vibrating right against her skin. His eyes were fixed on hers.

"I- you- uh..." Viella’s mind went completely blank. Her heart was pounding so loudly she was sure he could feel it.

Wtf why am I stuttering right now? she screamed at herself internally

Dante let out a low chuckle.. The air in the room was getting thicker. Only their steady breathing could be heard.

"Kitten got her tongue cut off?" he taunted, his eyes tracking the frantic rise and fall of her chest.

"Who you calling kitten huh- yelp!"

Viella’s defiance was cut short as Dante moved. He slid his hand from the curve of her neck to back of her neck down the length of her spine, his touch a searing trail of fire against her skin. With a sudden, firm tug, he jolted her upward, pulling her body flush against his hard chest.

Viella could feel her body getting hotter, her breath hitching as her senses became overwhelmed.

Being this close, she could feel the steady, powerful thrum of his heart-and it was racing just as fast as hers. The heat he was radiating was enough to make her head spin.

"You were so bold in the hallway," he whispered, his lips brushing against the shell of her ear. "Calling me ’darling’... ’honey’... telling everyone how much you missed me. Where did all that energy go, Viella?"

He pulled back just enough to look her in the eye, his gaze dark

"Was it all just a show

But before he could say more, the sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway outside the door.

The heavy tension snapped. Dante smirked, a sharp and knowing expression, and abruptly let go of Viella’s wrists. He stood up, smoothing his coat as if the last few minutes of heated proximity had never happened. The cold mask was back in an instant.

"Just so you know, there will be worse punishment if you disrespect the people who work under me, Viella. And especially Alina,"

he said, his voice loud enough to carry through the door.

With that, he turned and left the room. Just as he stepped out, Alina entered, her eyes darting between the door and the bed. She saw Viella’s disheveled state-her hair messy, her face flushed and a triumphant smirk spread across her face. She was convinced Dante had just finished scolding her or scaring her into submission.

"Heard what Dante told you?!" Alina sneered, crossing her arms. "You better know your place. Oh, wait... it’s going to be mine soon~"

She let out a delighted giggle and walked away, her footsteps light and happy as she followed after Dante. For a reason she thought Dante was playing with her but after hearing what he just told Viella she’s conceived the plot still working just fine.

Viella didn’t hear a single word of the taunt. She remained frozen on the bed, her mind a complete daze. The ghost of his touch was still seared into her skin, and the overwhelming heat beneath her surface refused to fade. She hadn’t known he had this kind of effect on her body....

Her face grew even hotter as the realization set in. No, no, Viella... you can’t fall for that man, she scolded herself, pressing her cool palms to her burning cheeks.

I have to leave this place. He’s a trap, the plot is a trap...

As she tried to steady her breathing, a sharp, throbbing headache began to come.

She squeezed her eyes shut and ignored it. She had the bracelet. She had a plan. She couldn’t afford to let her heart ruin her head.

"If I fall for him, then there will be no difference between me and the original Viella,"

She whispered into the empty, silent room. "In the end, I’ll just be the villainess trying to snatch the male lead from the female lead all over again."

The thought was bitter. She had spent all this time trying to rewrite her fate, but the biological reaction of her own heart was betraying her.

"Hahh..." Viella let out a long breath, staring up.

"How can I leave this world? This plot..."

As the words left her lips, a sharp pain hit again. The headache was growing. It felt like a warning-a physical barrier erected by the world itself to stop her from even dreaming of trying to act out of plot.

Tsk, tsk... fine! I won’t talk about leaving the plot! she snapped mentally at the invisible force.

Almost instantly, the throbbing began to reduce .

"What a pain..." she muttered, rubbing her temples. "I can’t even think about it without being punished."

She sat up slowly, her body still feeling heavy.

"All of my questions... only one person has the answer," Viella whispered, pulling her knees to her chest.

"Elias."

Approaching him was a gamble with the highest stakes. "But it won’t be easy. I don’t know when he’ll decide to kill me or worse-lock me up just like Dante has."

She shivered, the memory of their last meeting vivid in her mind. "For some reason, I felt it... his eyes burning into mine the last time. But it wasn’t like Dante’s.....it was more sick type"

"He gave me one week," she murmured, counting the shadows on the ceiling. "And there are only five days left. Will I end up dead... or will I finally wake up in my own bed?"

She paused, a hysterical bubble of laughter rising in her throat. "Duh! I’m making up such a ’main character’ line while my actual life is on the line. Ahahaha!" She slapped her cheeks lightly, trying to snap out of the spiral. "Okay, shut up, Vivien, underneath the ’Viella’ mask. Focus."

"Besides," she whispered to the empty room, "there are only 6 days left until Dante’s challenge ends. It’s not like he’s actually going to win. There’s no way he’ll discover my real identity. He’s too busy being the male lead of the book right now."

She leaned back against the headboard, her eyes narrowing.

"Six days to win the challenge. Five days to survive Elias’s deadline," she calculated, her fingers tracing the edge of the mattress. "I’m playing two different games with two dangerous men, and the prize is my life."

___________

"Lord Dante, were you too hard on Lady Viella? Please don’t be too mad... she was raised so spoiled, so it’s only common for her to act like this with lowly maids like us," Alina said, her voice a perfect pitch of manufactured concern. She hurried her steps, trying to stay close enough to catch his expression.

But Dante didn’t stop nor slow down. His long strides forced her to almost jog just to keep up.

"Hmm," was all the response she got.

Alina bit her lip, momentarily discouraged, but then she smiled to herself. Well, it’s still okay, she thought, smoothing her apron. All the male leads are cold at first. They have to be distant and unreachable until they finally fall for the heroine. It’s just the natural progression of the story. It’s okay.

She watched his broad shoulders move as he turned the corner toward the study..

Just as Dante entered the study, Alina ducked into a quiet corner, her fingers typing on phone screen. She detailed everything from the beginning to ending, hitting send with a smirk.

Meanwhile...

Miles away, besides a desk glowing lamp, Elias stared down at the flood of texts appearing on his screen.

A low chuckle started in his throat before he burst into a mocking laugh.

"Alina is such a fool, indeed," he whispered, his eyes glinting with a boredom. He didn’t bother to reply.

"Hah... you’re on your own now, little girl. I no longer care what you do."

With a careless flick, he tossed the phone. It clattered against the wood, its screen still flickering with Alina’s desperate updates, but Elias was already leaning forward, his pen scratching against the paper,

"Chapter 99," he wrote at the top of the page, his smirk widening.

"With that, she entered the tiger’s den like the little mouse she is. Hiding all the fear, she didn’t realize that the tiger hadn’t been sleeping at all- he had been waiting for the scent of her blood."

He paused, the red liquid still wet on the paper.

"Let’s see how you gonna handle everything Viella." he murmured to the empty room.

"Five days. The clock is ticking, and the tiger is hungry."

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TO BE CONTINUED