"I am not a thing to be owned," Elara said, chin tilted up, her wrists still red from the guards' grip.
Dominic Moretti barely looked up from his glass of whiskey. "You were given to me like one."
The words stung, but not more than the truth behind them.
She'd agreed to this—to being traded like property. To stepping into the lion's den for a family that offered her off like an object. All because her uncle asked. All because her father begged.
But Dominic didn't know that. And he couldn't know what she was really here for.
He stood and crossed the room with slow, deliberate steps. Each one echoed through the silence like a warning shot.
"People who owe me don't get to decide how I take what's mine," he said. His fingers brushed her chin, tilting it up. "You belong to me now, Elara. At least until I decide otherwise."
Her heart hammered. Not from fear.
From the terrifying realization that part of her didn't want him to let go.
"What do you want from me?" she whispered, hating how breathless she sounded.
His thumb traced along her jawline, and she fought not to lean into the touch.
"Everything," he said simply. "Your loyalty. Your obedience. Your secrets."
If only he knew how many secrets she carried.
"And if I refuse?"
Something dark flickered in his eyes. "Then you'll learn why people fear the Moretti name."
The threat should have terrified her. Instead, it sent heat spiraling through her veins. This was the man she was supposed to destroy—cold, calculating, dangerous. The man her uncle had spent years plotting against.
But standing here, feeling the weight of his gaze, she wondered if she was the one walking into a trap.
"Dominic." A voice from the doorway made them both turn. Luca Moretti stood there, younger than his brother but no less imposing. His eyes found hers, and something shifted in his expression. "Leave her alone."
"Careful, brother," Dominic's voice carried a warning. "She's not your concern."
"She's terrified."
"She should be."
Elara looked between the two men—one who saw her as property, another who saw her as someone worth protecting. Neither knew she was here to bring down everything they'd built.
Neither knew that the scared girl act was just that—an act.
"I can speak for myself," she said, finding her voice. Both brothers turned to her, and she felt the weight of their attention like a physical thing. "I'm not going anywhere. We made a deal, Mr. Moretti. I intend to honor it."
Dominic's smile was sharp as a blade. "Smart girl."
But as Luca's worried gaze met hers, Elara realized the most dangerous part of this mission wouldn't be the lies she'd have to tell or the information she'd have to steal.
It would be keeping her heart intact when both brothers looked at her like she was something worth fighting for.
In the Moretti world, loyalty was everything. Betrayal was death.
And falling in love with your target? That was a complication no one had prepared her for.