Luca finally met his parents, his heart swelling with an emotion he hadn't felt in so long—pure, untainted happiness. He ran into their embrace, breathing in the familiar scent of home, the warmth of their arms wrapping around him tightly. Tears pricked at his eyes as he whispered countless reassurances that he was fine, that he had just been overwhelmed with school. He forced a smile, playing the role of the diligent son who had simply lost himself in studies.

As they sat down for dinner, his mother lovingly piled food onto his plate, her eyes scanning him for any signs of distress. His father talked about their recent trip, oblivious to the silent war raging within Luca’s mind. He had to be careful. Every word had to be measured.

"I have to leave for another city," Luca finally said, voice steady despite the tremor in his heart. "For exams and some extra courses. It’s an important opportunity, and I need to focus."

His parents nodded, supportive and trusting, completely unaware of the chains wrapped around their son’s freedom. His mother fussed about packing meals for the journey while his father reminded him to stay vigilant.

But Valarie wasn’t fooled.

The moment they were alone, her arms crossed, eyes blazing, she hissed, "Luca, stop lying to them"

His breath hitched. "Val—"

"I know everything." Her voice wavered between anger and desperation. "About Damien. About what he's done to you. You're not leaving for exams, are you?"

Luca’s gaze fell to the ground, shame washing over him like a tidal wave.

"I can protect you, Luca! We can get out of this. You don't have to go back!"

A bitter chuckle left his lips. "You don't understand, Val. He won’t stop. He’ll find me no matter where I go. And if I try to run, he'll hurt you. He'll hurt mom and dad. I can't let that happen."

Her hands curled into fists. "Then let me fight!"

Luca gently cupped her face, eyes pleading. "We have to be smart. Slow and steady. If we act recklessly, we'll lose everything."

Her breathing was ragged, frustration evident, but she saw the determination in her brother’s gaze. He wasn’t giving up—he was strategizing.

After a long silence, she nodded. "Fine. But I swear to you, Luca, I won't let him keep you forever."

A ghost of a smile flickered across his lips. "I hope you're right."

But deep inside, a terrifying truth clawed at him—Damien Volkov never let go of what was his.

******* The next morning, Luca woke to a quiet house, his heart heavy with the weight of deception. He moved through the kitchen, watching his mother hum softly as she prepared breakfast, oblivious to the storm raging in his chest. His father sat by the window, reading the newspaper, occasionally glancing at him with a proud yet unknowing smile.

Valarie entered the room, her eyes sharp and unreadable. She knew they had little time. As their parents moved about, she slipped a small burner phone into Luca’s hand beneath the table.

"Text me whenever you can. We’ll figure this out," she whispered.

Luca squeezed the device, nodding subtly. He wanted to believe in their plan, but a shadow loomed over him—a force too powerful to defy outright.

As he finished breakfast, a black car pulled up outside, sleek and ominous, sending a cold dread down his spine. Luca swallowed hard. It was time to go back. Time to return to the man who had claimed him as his own.

His parents hugged him one last time, completely unaware that they were saying goodbye to a part of him forever.

Valarie, however, stood rigid, her gaze burning into him. She would fight for him. She would find a way.

And Damien Volkov would regret ever thinking he could own Luca Ivanov so easily.

*****

You’re tense, мой ангел,” Damien murmurs, his voice dark and smooth. “Did your little visit make you forget who you belong to?”

Luca swallows hard, his body instinctively curling away. But Damien doesn’t allow distance—he never does. A bruising grip claims Luca’s wrist, pulling him flush against Damien’s chest. The sharp scent of expensive cologne mixed with something darker—iron, perhaps, the remnants of his violent night—fills Luca’s senses.

“I allowed you to see them, but that doesn’t mean you get ideas, Luca.” Damien’s voice drops, dangerous and smooth as silk wrapping around his throat. “Your family is safe because I say so.”

Luca’s breath hitches, heart pounding against his ribs. He hates how Damien gets into his head, how the man’s touch both terrifies and ignites something forbidden deep within him.

“I won’t do anything reckless,” Luca whispers, knowing full well Damien doesn’t tolerate even the idea of defiance.

Damien hums in satisfaction, his lips ghosting over Luca’s temple. “Good. Because if you try…” His gloved fingers slide under Luca’s chin, forcing him to look up into those cold, calculating eyes. “You wouldn’t like the consequences, мой милый.”

******** Meanwhile, back at the Ivanov household, Valarie is pacing, rage simmering beneath the surface. She knows something isn’t right. Her brother is lying, and she won’t let Damien keep him in his gilded cage forever.

“We have to do something,” she tells his boyfriend ( a high rank detective) , but he only sighs heavily, a look of quiet resignation in his eyes. “It’s not that simple, Valarie.”

“But—”

“He’s alive. That’s what matters.”

Valarie clenches her fists. She refuses to accept that. She refuses to let Luca disappear into Damien’s world without a fight. And if her family won’t act, then she will.

****** Back in Damien’s penthouse,

Luca had barely settled back into the lavish, suffocating confines of Damien's estate when the air shifted. A weight bore down on him—not just the luxury of the place, but Damien's presence itself. It was intoxicating, inescapable. Every glance from Damien felt like a predator sizing up prey, and yet, Luca could not deny the way his own pulse betrayed him.

Tonight, there was no escape.

The moment he stepped into the bedroom, the doors slammed shut behind him. Luca turned sharply, his breath hitching as he faced Damien. He was fresh from his latest conquest, his suit still stained with the evidence of violence, the sharp tang of blood lingering in the air. His knuckles were raw despite the gloves, and his tie was loosened just enough to reveal the inked skin of his throat.

“You tempt me, lyubimyy,” Damien murmured, his voice like dark silk, threading its way through Luca’s defenses.

Luca's throat tightened. He had meant to keep his composure, but it was impossible under the heat of that gaze. Damien was a force of nature, consuming and unyielding.

“You let me see them,” Luca whispered, determined to hold his ground even as Damien stalked toward him. “Now, let me breathe.”

Damien chuckled, low and menacing. “Breathe? And yet, you tremble for me.” He reached out, gloved fingers ghosting over Luca’s jaw before gripping it firmly. “You play this game so well, my little fox. But I see through you.”

Luca swallowed hard, but he did not pull away. Instead, he met Damien’s gaze with defiance. “Then tell me what you see.”

A smirk played on Damien’s lips before he yanked Luca closer. Their bodies collided, heat searing through the fine fabric of Luca's shirt. Damien tilted his chin up, studying him like a prized possession before his lips brushed against the shell of Luca's ear.

“I see a boy who pretends to resist,” Damien purred, “but secretly wants to be caged.”

Luca’s breath hitched as Damien’s hand trailed lower, possessive and unrelenting.

“You make deals, Luca. You bargain, you plead,” Damien murmured, pressing a slow, open-mouthed kiss against the pulse hammering at Luca’s throat. “But tell me, how long will you deny yourself what you truly want?”

Luca trembled, but not from fear. Something deeper, darker coiled inside him. He hated how well Damien read him. Hated the way his own body leaned into the touch.

“I want my freedom,” Luca forced out, but his voice wavered.

Damien hummed, his lips brushing against Luca’s jaw as he smirked. “Then why do you melt for me, malysh?”

Before Luca could respond, Damien captured his lips in a searing kiss. It was not gentle, not sweet. It was possession, raw and unyielding. Luca gasped against him, hands instinctively pressing against Damien’s chest, but the older man only tightened his grip, deepening the kiss with a hunger that left no room for escape.

“Say you don’t want this,” Damien demanded against his lips.

Luca panted, his resolve crumbling as Damien’s hands roamed lower, igniting a fire in his veins.

“Say it, and I’ll stop.”

Silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating.

Luca didn’t say a word.

the mafia king pulls Luca closer, whispering against his lips, “You can’t escape me, Luca. Not now. Not ever.”

Luca shudders, realizing the full weight of the truth—he is trapped, and Damien has no intention of ever letting him go.