Chapter 3

BELLA’s POV

“Fuck!”

My stomach groaned in protest as I attempted to get up.

Over the past few days, I’d been rejecting food. I didn’t know why the fuck they still kept me here. My father refused to pay what he owed. Am I not supposed to be… dead?

I’d barely seen Alessandro nor Domenico in these past few days. Only different workers coming to bring me food.

Today, one of them stood in front of me without any food. Instead, she tossed me a piece of clothing and eyed me warily.

“Wear that. The bosses want to see you in their study,” she muttered, intertwining her arms in front of her chest.

My brow furrowed.

I reached out to pick up the piece of fabric, my legs trembling as I struggled to get up on my feet.

I unrolled the material, and my jaw instantly clenched. It was a skimpy, metallic silver two-piece set—a barely visible top and a tiny string skirt that wouldn't even cover my hips.

The fuck?

I’d look just like a whore if I wore it.

I shook my head, hurling the rag back at her. “I’m not wearing this trash.”

The maid dropped her interlocked arms and corked me an annoyed look.

Without hesitating, she lifted two fingers to her mouth and blew a sharp whistle.

Within seconds, three other stout, broad-shouldered maids burst into the room.

Before I could even understand what the duck was going on, they grabbed my limbs.

‘’Wait! What the fuck do you think you’re doing!’’ I thrashed wildly, wiggling and kicking with everything I had left, but in my weakened, starved state, my strength was a joke.

They pinned my arms to the bed, yanking off my clothes and violently forcing my body into the microscopic two-piece while I struggled to catch a breath.

Once the straps were pulled tight, two of them grabbed my arms and forcibly dragged me out of the room.

As my legs scraped against the marble, I forced my brain to focus through the haze of fury.

I locked my eyes onto every detail of the estate for a future exit strategy.

Third floor…West wing…Heavy oak doors on the left—security hub? No keycard readers on the guest rooms, but biometric scanners on the double doors near the staircase. A high arched window at the landing with a decorative wrought-iron ledge—surveillance camera mounted in the top corner, blinking red every four seconds.

Before I could process more, they shoved me through a pair of tall mahogany doors and retreated, slamming the entrance shut behind me.

My breath caught in my throat.

Alessandro and Domenico were seated behind massive dark wood desks, buried in between papers, a glass rimmed over their noses.

At the sound of the door closing shut, both of their heads snapped up—and their eyes instantly dropped to my exposed legs.

Goosebumps erupted across my skin as the blast of cold air-conditioning hit my bare midriff and thighs.

My instincts flared and I moved my hand in between my legs, trying to tug the skirt downwards.

My breath shook as I eyed them warily. “What the fuck is going on? Are you so pathetic that you have to force your staff to strip me and put me into…this—this mess!’’

Neither of them answered immediately.

I watched as their dark eyes visibly darkened with lust, sweeping slowly up the length of my bare legs, taking in every exposed inch.

Domenico stood up first.

He had a smirk on his face as he took long strides to me, something metallic dangling in his right hand.

I slowly stepped back. ‘’What are you—‘’ My breath hung in my throat as he closed the distance between us.

He didn't say a word as he reached out, his warm, calloused fingers slowly tracing the smooth expanse of my neck.

My body froze.

I tried to pull back, but he stopped reading my collarbone and moved behind me.

Before i could turn, I felt cold metal press

Hard into the skin over my shoulder blades.

I shivered.

SNAP!

He wrapped a delicate, heavy silver choker around my throat, locking it into place.

The silver bit into my skin as he adjusted it tight, far too tight.

My chest began to heave heavily and my temper exploded. “Did you just fucking chain my neck?! You insane, psychotic bastards! Take this off me right now or I swear to God—”

Before I could finish the curse, Alessandro was suddenly in front of me.

He grabbed my hips with hands of steel and hauled me forward, slamming my front flat against the cold mahogany desk.

“You talk too much, little pet.’’ He rasped against my ear.

I gasped as Domenico’s heavy hand landed on the small of my back, pushing my torso flat against the polished wood while his other hand hooked beneath the tiny string skirt, lifting it up and placing my ass high in the air.

My eyes widened.

What the fuck where they trying to do?

“Let go of me!” I thrashed, my palms skidding against the slick wood. “I’ll kill you both!”

‘’Kill? That’s a strong word little pet. You’d be dead by now if you weren’t so—‘’ Alessandro’s voice had the air in my arms rising up.

He didn’t complete his sentence. More like he expected me to finish it or just bask in the suspense.

I ignore him, my legs trembling as Domenico’s long fingers began lightly tracing a maddening trail up the back of my bare thighs, his touch feather-light against my hypersensitive skin.

Up front, Alessandro leaned down, his gloved fingers lightly skimming over the exposed curve of my waist, tracing the edge of the silver top while his breath hot-pressed against my neck.

I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood.

My hand curled into fist as a low moan threatened to spill off my lips.

No.

I’ll never give them the satisfaction.

But as Domenico’s fingers slid tantalizingly close to the space between my inner thighs, a traitorous shiver wrecked my spine.

A heavy pool of unwanted heat bloomed deep in my gut.

My chest heaved.

The next insult died in my throat, replaced by a ragged, breathless gasp as the proximity and the lingering touch sent jolts of electric arousal down my spine.

Fuck!

I hated them.

I hated myself.

And worst of all, I hated that I was shivering under their touch.