Adriano Varela has one mission to destroy the De Luca family for the ambush that killed his brother and shattered his empire. Cold-hearted and ruthless, he captures Serena De Luca, the beautiful but defiant daughter of his greatest enemy. To punish her father, Adriano makes her his possession, using her body as a tool for revenge and control. But Serena isn't an easy pawn. She fights him at every turn, hating him for his cruelty and the humiliation he forces on her. She's determined to escape and if given the chance, she'll kill him herself. Meanwhile, Camila Reyes, Adriano's fiercely loyal second in command and occasional lover. She has always believed she was the only woman he needed. For years, their relationship was built on passion and power, but when Serena arrives, everything changes. Adriano's obsession shifts and Camila is willing to do anything, even betray him to keep him by her side. As desire blurs into something darker and more dangerous, Adriano must choose: his need for vengeance, the woman who's always stood beside him, or the captive who's starting to break through his walls.
Chapter 1 THE CAPTURE
The blood on Adriano Varela's knuckles wasn't his but that wasn't new. Violence had long since become a part of him, etched into his bones and burned into his soul. Tonight, though, the blood felt heavier. It wasn't the man lying broken at his feet that stirred his rage, it was the fact that Luciano De Luca still drew breath.
His brother was dead. His blood spilled by a De Luca bullet. And yet the bastard responsible sat comfortably behind a fortress of steel and flesh, untouched and unpunished.
Adriano wouldn't let that last.
He turned his head slightly as the heavy iron doors to the warehouse groaned open. Mateo entered first, his face shadowed in the dim light. Despite the polished exterior,the designer suit, the leather gloves-Adriano could see the strain behind his usually unreadable gaze. He'd known Mateo since childhood, and though the man was his most trusted ally, something was off.
"She's here," Mateo said, his voice clipped.
Adriano's jaw clenched. Finally.
He cracked his neck as Santiago stepped inside, dragging a woman behind him. Her hands were tied at the wrists, her mouth gagged with black silk, and a thin trail of blood lined the corner of her lip. Despite the situation despite the roughness, she didn't look broken. She burned with fury.
Serena De Luca.
Luciano's eldest daughter. The perfect weapon to strike back.
Adriano's lips curled into something that wasn't quite a smile. She was just as beautiful as the rumours long, dark hair tangled around her face, a sharp jawline, and wide eyes that burned with hatred. She wore a sleek black dress, torn slightly at the hem from whatever fight she had given Santi.
Good. He liked a fighter.
Santi shoved her onto her knees, and she glared up at Adriano like she wanted to slit his throat with her bare hands.
"She put up a fight," Santi said, his voice laced with admiration and frustration. "Bit me." He lifted his hand, showing blood along his knuckles.
Adriano chuckled low in his throat. "Of course she did."
Her eyes burned into him, fierce and unyielding. Even with her hands bound and bruises forming on her skin, she radiated defiance. It should have irritated him. It didn't.
He crouched in front of her, letting the silence stretch. He knew how to make people squirm. But she didn't. She stared right back, refusing to give him the satisfaction.
"Untie her," Adriano ordered.
Santi hesitated. "Boss-"
"Now."
With a scowl, Santi yanked the gag from her mouth and cut the ropes at her wrists. The second her hands were free, she lunged. Adriano caught her easily, twisting her arm behind her back until she gasped in pain.
"Feisty," he murmured against her ear. "I like that."
"You're a monster." Her voice trembled with rage, not fear.
He tightened his grip. "And you're my prisoner now, princesa."
---
Serena's heart pounded in her chest as his words sank in. Prisoner.
She'd known the second those masked men grabbed her outside the charity gala that she was in deep trouble. But this being face-to-face with Adriano Varela was worse than she expected.
He was terrifyingly calm, his strength evident in every controlled movement. Dark hair cut short framed a face that was all sharp angles and deadly beauty. His black shirt stretched across broad shoulders, sleeves rolled up to reveal scarred forearms proof of just how violent he was willing to be.
And those eyes cold, bottomless black-no trace of mercy.
"You think kidnapping me will make my father kneel?" she spat, trying to ignore the heat of his body against hers.
Adriano laughed softly, his breath brushing against her neck. "I don't want your father to kneel, Serena." He released her arm but didn't step back. His hands remained on her waist, possessive and unapologetic. "I want him to suffer."
Serena's stomach twisted. She hated her father for many reasons but if Adriano thought he could use her to break him, he was wrong. Luciano De Luca didn't love anyone. Not even his own flesh and blood.
"My father won't come for me," she said, lifting her chin. "You're wasting your time."
Adriano's lips curled, but there was no humour in his smile. "I know. That's the fun part."
His hand trailed lower, grazing her hip deliberate, invasive. Testing her boundaries.
Revulsion curled inside her, but she refused to flinch. "Touch me again," she warned, "and I'll kill you."
His grip tightened briefly-just enough to make her breath hitch before he stepped away, eyes glinting with dark amusement.
"I'd like to see you try."
---
Mateo shifted uncomfortably in the background, his usual calm slipping. "We should discuss strategy. The De Lucas will retaliate."
Adriano didn't take his eyes off Serena. "Let them."
"You're playing with fire," Mateo warned.
Adriano smiled coldly. "I am fire."
He turned to Santi. "Take her to the estate. I want her in my wing."
Serena's blood ran cold. His wing. She didn't need clarification this wasn't just about leverage. Adriano Varela intended to make her pay in ways her father never would.
"You're a bastard," she snapped.
Adriano leaned closer, his voice a dangerous whisper. "Get used to it, princesa. You're mine now."
---
As Serena was dragged from the warehouse, her mind raced. She'd survived years under her father's rule, she'd survive Adriano Varela too.
Even if it meant destroying him from the inside.
And if he thought he could break her?
He had no idea who he was dealing with.
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