Luca sat curled in the corner of the vast bedroom, his arms wrapped tightly around his knees. The weight of his captivity had been pressing down on him for days, suffocating him inch by inch, but tonight, it was unbearable. His chest ached with an emotion too raw to name.

His family. His parents would be back from their trip tomorrow. His sister, Valarie, would be waiting for him, wondering why he hadn’t called, why he hadn’t sent a single message. The thought clawed at his insides, sending a wave of nausea through him.

Tears burned at his eyes, slipping down his face before he could stop them. The realization struck him like a hammer: they probably thought he was dead.

A sob wrenched its way out of his throat, and he pressed his fists against his mouth to silence it. The sound of the door unlocking made him stiffen, his entire body going rigid.

Damien stepped in, his expression unreadable as he closed the door behind him.

Luca swallowed hard, his vision blurry with tears. He couldn’t do this anymore. He couldn’t keep pretending he was okay, that he could endure this. His pride was already in shambles; what was one more humiliation?

“Damien,” he choked out, his voice hoarse and desperate. “Please… let me see them.”

The mafia king stilled, his sharp blue eyes locking onto Luca. Silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating.

Luca’s fingers dug into his arms. “They—they think I’m dead,” he whispered brokenly. “My parents come back tomorrow. My sister—Valarie—she’s probably losing her mind. I—I need to see them.”

Damien’s expression didn’t change, but something flickered in his gaze. He strode forward, stopping in front of Luca and crouching down to his level.

“You need?” His voice was deceptively soft. “Since when do your needs matter here, Luka?”

Luca flinched. He bit his lip, trying to hold back another sob.

Damien reached out, his gloved fingers tilting Luca’s chin up. “You think I’ll let you go back to them?” He tsked, shaking his head. “You’re mine now. That world doesn’t exist for you anymore.”

A fresh wave of panic surged through Luca. He shook his head frantically, his hands gripping Damien’s wrists in a weak attempt to push him away. “No, no, please, Damien—just one time. Let me see them. I’ll come back, I swear, I just—”

The sound of Damien’s laugh sent chills down his spine. It was low, dark, and mocking. “You’ll come back?” he echoed. “You really think I’d risk losing you?”

Luca’s breathing turned ragged. He felt like he was drowning. “I—please, I can’t do this,” he sobbed. “I can’t—I just need to see them. Let me—”

Damien silenced him with a firm grip around his throat, just enough pressure to make him freeze.

“You don’t need anything but me,” Damien murmured, his lips ghosting over Luca’s temple. “And the sooner you accept that, the easier it will be for you.”

Luca whimpered, his entire body trembling. Damien’s grip loosened, and he stroked Luca’s damp cheek with his thumb, his touch disturbingly gentle.

“I hate seeing you like this,” Damien sighed. “But you’ll learn, won’t you, Luka?”

Luca’s lips parted, a broken sob escaping, but he couldn’t find the strength to answer. He was unraveling, piece by piece, and Damien was the only thing holding him together.

Even as he destroyed him.

****** But as Luca sat in the suffocating silence after Damien left, an idea formed in his mind. A plan.

He couldn’t escape—not yet—but he could find a way to reach Valarie. He could at least let her know he was alive. He just needed to play his part right.

The next morning, Luca approached Damien carefully, his demeanor softer, more inviting. He placed a hesitant hand on Damien’s forearm, letting his fingers trail lightly over the fabric of his expensive suit.

“Damien,” he murmured, voice laced with something tender, something sweet. “I know you don’t want me to leave. I understand that.”

Damien raised a brow, intrigued by Luca’s sudden change in tone. Luca took a slow breath, keeping his expression open and trusting.

“But please… just one thing. I won’t ask for more,” Luca whispered, leaning in just slightly. “Let me call Valarie. Just once. Just so she doesn’t think I’m dead.”

Damien studied him, his sharp gaze scanning Luca’s face. Then, slowly, a smirk curved his lips.

“You’re learning how to ask properly,” Damien murmured, brushing a hand against Luca’s cheek. “Maybe I’ll consider it.”

Luca swallowed hard. It wasn’t a yes. But it wasn’t a no either.

And that was enough to give him hope.

*******

Luca knew he had to be careful. Damien was not a man easily swayed by emotions, but he had a weakness—his obsession. Luca had learned that much in the time he'd been trapped in Damien’s world. The way Damien’s cold, calculating exterior wavered when Luca submitted, even just a little, was something he could use.

So he planned.

That night, Luca waited until they were alone in Damien’s lavish bedroom. The air was thick with tension, the atmosphere suffocating with unspoken desires. Luca sat on the edge of the grand bed, his body draped in one of Damien’s silk shirts, the fabric hanging loosely off his frame, teasingly revealing glimpses of pale skin. He made sure Damien noticed, shifting just enough to expose the delicate slope of his collarbone.

Damien stood near the fireplace, his back turned, seemingly deep in thought. But Luca knew better—he was watching, waiting. Testing him.

Luca let out a soft sigh, feigning vulnerability. “Damien,” he murmured, his voice laced with false hesitation. He knew Damien preferred when he wasn’t too compliant, when he put up just enough resistance to make it worth breaking.

Damien turned his head slightly, his sharp, unreadable gaze locking onto Luca. “What is it, dorogoy?” The nickname sent a shiver down Luca’s spine, both from disgust and something else he didn’t want to name.

Luca pushed himself off the bed, walking toward Damien with slow, deliberate steps. He knew how to play this game now.

“I just…” He looked up at Damien, wide blue eyes filled with feigned innocence, fingers toying with the hem of the silk shirt. “I miss my family.”

Damien’s expression darkened instantly. “We’ve been over this, Luca.”

“I know,” Luca whispered, stepping closer, just enough so that the warmth of Damien’s body brushed against his own. “But my sister, she must be worried sick. Just one call… one little call, so she knows I’m okay.”

Damien scoffed, but his eyes flickered, betraying his thoughts. Luca pressed further, tilting his head slightly, exposing the curve of his throat, the way he knew Damien liked.

“Please,” he murmured, voice softer now, his fingers reaching out to brush against Damien’s gloved hand. “I’ll be good.”

That did it.

Damien’s grip on his chin was immediate, his fingers digging in just hard enough to hurt. His icy eyes burned into Luca’s, a dangerous smirk curling his lips.

“You think you can manipulate me with that sweet little mouth of yours?” Damien’s voice was a low growl, but there was amusement in it. Interest.

Luca’s lips parted slightly, breath hitching as Damien’s fingers traced over his jaw, then lower, brushing against his throat.

“I just want a moment,” Luca said, pressing against Damien’s touch instead of pulling away. “One call. One minute.”

Damien’s smirk grew, his other hand sliding down Luca’s waist, gripping him possessively. “And what do I get in return, hm?”

Luca swallowed, his hands coming up to rest lightly against Damien’s chest. He knew the game. He knew what Damien wanted.

“Anything you want,” he whispered, letting his lips barely brush against Damien’s ear. “Just one call.”

Damien exhaled sharply, fingers digging into Luca’s hip. For a moment, Luca thought he had him. But then Damien yanked him closer, until their bodies were pressed together, his grip nearly bruising.

“You’re learning, little one,” Damien murmured against his ear, his breath hot against Luca’s skin. “But you’ll have to try harder than that.”

Luca’s stomach twisted. The game was just beginning.

***** Damien's Pov

Damien watched Luca with hooded eyes, his gaze drinking in every delicate movement, every subtle shift of his expression. This side of Luca—manipulative, teasing, desperate—was intoxicating.

His fingers curled against the silk of his gloves, restraining the dark, sinful urges clawing at his chest. He wanted to ruin Luca, to mark him in ways that could never be erased. The way Luca tilted his head, exposing that pale, elegant throat, made something primal stir deep inside him.

God, he was beautiful.

Damien’s mind raced with thoughts he shouldn’t entertain. How soft Luca’s lips would feel against his skin, how fragile his body would be beneath his weight. How utterly breakable he was. And yet, here he stood, daring to play a game he had no real chance of winning.

Foolish, sweet little thing.

He smirked, his hand tightening around Luca’s chin. “You think you can manipulate me with that sweet little mouth of yours?”

His own voice sounded rougher, darker. The way Luca’s lips parted slightly, his breath hitching—it was maddening. Damien wanted to hear more. Wanted to see how far Luca would go. How much he would give.

You’re mine, Damien thought, his mind flooding with possessive praise. Every inch of you, every breath, every thought—it belongs to me.

His grip on Luca’s waist tightened, reveling in how perfectly he fit against him. The softness of his skin, the warmth of his body—it was driving him insane.

He imagined Luca beneath him, looking up with those wide blue eyes, lips bruised from his kisses, body marked as his. He wanted to trace every inch of him with his tongue, to make him beg in that sweet, breathy voice.

Mine. Only mine. Forever.

Damien smirked against Luca’s ear, his voice thick with promise. “You’re learning, little one,” he murmured, his fingers caressing Luca’s throat possessively. “But you’ll have to try harder than that.”

Even as he said it, his mind whispered a different truth: You already have me wrapped around your little fingers.

**** He leaned in closer, his breath warm against Luca’s ear. “Malyshka,” he murmured, the Russian endearment rolling off his tongue like silk. “You have no idea how dangerous this game is.”

Luca swallowed hard, his breath shuddering, but he didn’t look away. Damien could see the defiance flickering in his eyes, and it only made him want to crush it, mold it into something new—something that belonged to him alone.

“Do you want something baby?” Damien taunted, his voice dripping with dark amusement. “I can see it in your eyes. Say it. Beg for it.”

Luca’s lips trembled, his breath uneven, but he held his ground. Damien’s smirk widened.

“You’re playing with fire, moya radost’.” Damien’s gloved fingers traced along Luca’s jaw, tilting his face up so their eyes met. “And I plan to burn you whole.”

He pressed closer, their bodies nearly flush, his grip tightening. Luca gasped softly, and Damien’s control nearly snapped. He wanted to devour him. To own him in every way imaginable.

His voice dropped to a whisper, dark and dripping with possession. “Mine. Do you understand that, solnyshko?”

Luca’s breath hitched, his lashes fluttering, and Damien chuckled lowly. “You tempt me so beautifully,” he murmured. “But be careful, printsessa. I always take what I want.”