Mia sat by the window, knees pulled up, her eyes tracing the fading colors of the evening sky. For a few fragile moments, she allowed herself to breathe. The house was always heavy with tension, but when Luca wasn't in the room, she sometimes felt like she could exist without being crushed by his presence.
That sense of safety didn't last.
The door creaked open.
Her heart jumped, expecting Luca's cold voice, but it wasn't him. It was Viet.
He strolled inside like he owned the place, shutting the door behind him with a lazy push. The smirk on his face made her stomach twist.
"Well, look at you," he said, his tone smooth, mocking. "Sitting here all quiet, like a little doll. Alone… vulnerable. My brother really doesn't know how to take care of a woman, does he?"
Mia's body went rigid. "Please. Just leave."
Viet chuckled, ignoring her words as he came closer. His eyes roamed over her in a way that made her skin crawl. "I've been watching you since the day you showed up here. You're different. Innocent. That's why he's so obsessed. But me…" He licked his lips slowly, leaning closer. "I could show you a different kind of obsession."
Mia shot to her feet, backing away, her hands trembling. "Don't come any closer."
He didn't stop. His grin widened as he closed the distance like a predator. "And what will you do if I don't?"
She tried to dart toward the door, but his hand shot out, clamping around her wrist. His grip was like iron, twisting until she gasped.
"Stop it!" she cried, panic rising in her throat.
Viet leaned down, his breath hot on her skin. "You smell like fear. I like that." His other hand brushed against her cheek, sliding dangerously toward her neck. "Tell me… has my brother kissed you yet? Touched you like a man should?"
Tears welled in Mia's eyes. She shook her head violently, her voice breaking. "Don't. Please don't."
He shoved her against the wall, caging her in. His grin turned darker. "Then let me be the first. What he doesn't value, I'll take."
The door exploded open.
The sound was so loud it rattled the walls.
Luca.
He stood in the doorway, his eyes locked on Viet's hand gripping Mia. A gun was already in his hand, the black barrel pointed straight at his brother's head.
"Let. Her. Go."
His voice was flat, but it was sharper than any scream.
Viet didn't move. His smirk twitched, but he held on as if daring Luca to act. "Relax, brother," he said lightly. "I was just—"
The gunshot split the air.
The bullet tore past Viet's ear, so close it singed his hair before burying itself in the wall behind him. Mia screamed, jerking away as Viet finally released her wrist.
Luca's hand didn't shake. His eyes burned with a fury that froze the room. "The next one won't miss."
Viet swallowed, his bravado faltering for the first time. Slowly, he lifted his hands and stepped back.
But Luca didn't lower the gun.
He crossed the room in three strides, grabbing Viet by the throat and slamming him against the wall. His forearm pressed down, choking him, his gun still angled under Viet's jaw.
"You don't touch her," Luca growled, his voice vibrating with rage.
Viet clawed at his arm, wheezing. His lips curled into a bloody grin. "Mine, yours… she won't last long with either of us."
Wrong words.
Luca's fist cracked across his jaw. The sickening sound echoed as Viet's head snapped back. Blood sprayed from his mouth.
"You think I won't kill you?" Luca snarled, punching him again, harder this time. "You think being my brother saves you?"
Mia pressed herself against the wall, her hands over her mouth, too terrified to move.
Viet's body sagged, blood dripping down his chin, but his grin didn't completely fade. "Then do it," he croaked. "Kill me. Or admit you're too weak."
For a terrifying moment, Luca's finger tightened on the trigger. Mia couldn't breathe. She was certain she was about to watch a murder.
But instead, Luca lowered the gun—only to slam the butt of it across Viet's face. The impact knocked him half-unconscious.
"Get him out of my sight," Luca barked.
Two men stormed into the room, hauling Viet's limp body up by his arms.
"No food. No water," Luca ordered coldly. "Chain him in the cellar."
They dragged Viet out, his laughter faint but bitter as it echoed down the hallway, until it finally disappeared.
The silence that followed was unbearable.
Mia's chest heaved as she pressed back against the wall. She was shaking so hard her teeth chattered.
Luca stood in the center of the room, blood smeared across his knuckles, his chest rising and falling in steady breaths. He turned his head toward her.
Her entire body tensed.
He stepped closer, his heavy boots thudding softly against the floor. When he reached her, his bloodstained hand came up, brushing a strand of hair from her face. His touch was rough but deliberate.
"I told you," he said quietly, his voice calm again, almost gentle. "No one touches you. Not him. Not anyone."
Mia's lips parted, but no words came out.
Luca's thumb lingered against her jawline, his eyes unreadable. "You belong to me, piccola. And I protect what's mine… even from family."
---
The Cellar
The air below was damp and foul, reeking of rust, mold, and old blood. Chains clinked as Viet was shoved into the corner, collapsing against the wall. He spat blood, coughing, before letting out a broken laugh.
"You think locking me here scares me?" he rasped. "I know you, Luca. You never finish what you start."
The heavy footsteps came a minute later.
Luca descended slowly, his sleeves rolled up, his hands still red from earlier. He set a black leather case on the table, snapping open the latches one by one.
Inside gleamed tools—cold, sharp, merciless.
Viet's grin faltered.
Luca lifted a whip, letting the leather uncoil like a snake. His eyes were cold. "You disrespected me. Worse—you touched what's mine."
Viet forced a chuckle. "She's just a girl. Kill me now and get it over with."
The whip cracked against the stone wall, sharp and loud. Viet flinched despite himself.
"Killing you would be too easy," Luca said evenly. "I'd rather keep you alive. So every time you move, you remember who you defied."
The first lash cut across Viet's chest, tearing fabric and skin. He groaned, biting down hard to hold back a scream.
Another lash. Then another. Until red welts streaked his body.
Still, he laughed through his teeth. "That's it? A whip? You think this will break me?"
Luca set the whip aside and picked up pliers. He grabbed Viet's jaw, shoving the metal against a tooth. "No," he said softly. "This will."
The yank tore the scream from Viet's throat. Blood filled his mouth.
Luca leaned close. "That's one. I can take the rest."
By the time Luca broke his fingers—one by one—Viet's laughter was gone, replaced by hoarse cries and ragged sobs. His body sagged, trembling, barely conscious.
"You'll live," Luca said, crouching to grip his chin. "But every scar, every broken bone, every missing tooth will remind you of me. You'll never forget."
Viet coughed, whispering, "All this… for a girl?"
Luca's eyes iced over. "Not a girl. Mine."
He turned and walked away, leaving Viet chained in the dark.
---
Upstairs
Mia sat curled on her bed, blanket pulled around her even though the air was warm. She had tried to block it out. She had pressed her palms to her ears until they hurt. But nothing could hide the sounds that bled through the walls.
The screams.
They had started low, muffled. But then they grew louder—raw, broken, human.
Each one cut through her chest like a knife.
She rocked back and forth, whispering to herself, "Stop… please stop…" But the cries didn't stop. They only came again, sharper, more desperate.
She didn't need to wonder who it was. She knew.
She saw Viet's grin in her mind. The way he touched her. The way Luca's eyes had burned with fury.
Now those screams.
Her stomach twisted, bile rising. She wanted to run. She wanted to disappear. But the locked doors, the guards, the weight of Luca's shadow—they were all cages.
And worst of all, the thought she couldn't silence:
If he could do that to his own brother… what would he do to me?