Aurora never believed in monsters. Not the kind that lurked in the shadows or whispered threats in the dead of night. But monsters weren't always found in dark alleys. Sometimes, they wore tailored suits and watched you from a distance, waiting. Sometimes, they pulled strings you didn't even know existed. And sometimes, they decided you were theirs long before you even knew their name. Aurora didn't see Riccardo Romano when she first arrived in the city, exhausted and desperate for a fresh start. But he saw her. The second she walked into that coffee shop, unaware of the ruthless predator in the corner, she had unknowingly sealed her fate. She didn't know that with one phone call, he ensured she got the job at his nephew's school. She didn't know that the man she would come to fear, hate, and crave had already decided she would belong to him. Not love. Own. She would try to run. She would try to resist him. But Riccardo Romano didn't let go of what was his. And Aurora was his. She just didn't know it yet.
(Aurora's POV)
The bus jolted as it pulled into the station, shaking my tired body awake. I blinked rapidly, adjusting to the bustling scene before me. Naples. My new home.
Stepping off the bus, I clutched the worn handle of my suitcase, my fingers trembling slightly. The city air was different-thick with the scent of the sea, coffee, and something else entirely... power. It was nothing like the quiet village I had left behind, where the roads were dusty, the houses small, and life moved at a slow, predictable pace.
I swallowed hard, gripping my suitcase tighter. I had dreamed of this moment for years. Leaving behind poverty, chasing something bigger, something better. Teaching at one of Naples' most prestigious private schools wasn't just a job; it was my ticket to a new life. A life where I wasn't just the poor girl from a forgotten village.
I forced a deep breath. You did this for a reason, Aurora. No turning back now.
"Signorina, are you lost?" a kind, elderly man asked, his voice cutting through my anxious thoughts.
I shook my head quickly. "No, just... taking it all in."
He chuckled. "Ah, Naples does that to people. Welcome to the city, ragazza."
I gave him a small smile before walking toward the tiny apartment I had rented. The streets were alive with movement-Vespas zipping by, people shouting in rapid Italian, street vendors selling fresh bread and espresso. It was overwhelming, but in the best way.
Finally, I reached my building, an old structure with ivy creeping up the walls. It wasn't much-just a small space on the second floor-but it was mine. As I unlocked the door, I caught sight of my neighbor across the hall.
Matteo.
We had only spoken briefly when I came to check out the apartment last week, but his warm smile and deep green eyes had lingered in my mind. He was effortlessly charming, the kind of man who carried an easy confidence.
He leaned against his doorframe, arms crossed, flashing me that lazy grin. "New girl finally moving in?"
I laughed softly. "That obvious?"
"Just a little. You look like someone who's never been to the city before."
"I haven't." I smiled, feeling my nerves ease slightly. "I'm Aurora."
"Matteo." His eyes ran over me, not in a way that made me uncomfortable, but in a way that made my heart race just a little. "Welcome to the chaos."
Maybe... just maybe, I could have more than just survival in this city. Maybe I could have something good.
What I didn't know was that my life was already claimed.
What I didn't know was that I belonged to a man I had never even met.
(Riccardo's POV – Unseen)
From the backseat of my car, I watched her. Small. Fragile. Unaware.
Naples had seen many girls like her-young, hopeful, naive. They came searching for something better, thinking the city was kind, thinking it had room for them. They never understood the truth.
This city belonged to men like me. Ruthless. Powerful. Untouchable.
She was not meant to last here.
And yet, I couldn't look away.
Her long chestnut hair fell in waves down her back, her delicate hands gripping the suitcase as if it held her entire world. The way she looked at everything with wonder... it was foolish. But it was also mesmerizing.
Then my eyes darkened.
Matteo.
I clenched my jaw as I watched him flirt with her, flashing that smug grin, standing too close. Too close to something that doesn't belong to him.
He didn't know it yet, but he had made a mistake.
She didn't know it yet, but her fate had already been sealed.
Aurora.
A beautiful name. A name I would soon hear gasping against my skin.
She was mine.
She just didn't know it yet.
---
Chapter 1 A New Beginning
07/04/2025
Chapter 2 The Shadow in the Dark
07/04/2025
Chapter 3 A Warning
07/04/2025
Chapter 4 The Devil's Presence
07/04/2025
Chapter 5 A Dangerous Encounter
07/04/2025
Chapter 6 The First Meeting
07/04/2025
Chapter 7 A Dangerous Game
07/04/2025
Chapter 8 The Chains Tighten
07/04/2025
Chapter 9 A War She Can't Win
07/04/2025
Chapter 10 The First Time I Saw Her
07/04/2025
Chapter 11 A Presence That Lingers
07/04/2025
Chapter 12 A Cage Without Bars
07/04/2025
Chapter 13 The Trap Closes
07/04/2025
Chapter 14 His World, Not Mine
07/04/2025
Chapter 15 Bound in Chains You Can't See
07/04/2025
Chapter 16 A Night Without Escape
07/04/2025
Chapter 17 A Deal with the Devil
07/04/2025
Chapter 18 Breaking Point
07/04/2025
Chapter 19 Servant to the Devil
07/04/2025
Chapter 20 The Trap Tightens
07/04/2025
Chapter 21 Bound by Fire
07/04/2025
Chapter 22 A Dangerous Game
07/04/2025
Chapter 23 Breaking Point
07/04/2025
Chapter 24 Shackled by Obsession
07/04/2025
Chapter 25 No Way Out
07/04/2025
Chapter 26 Bound to Him
07/04/2025
Chapter 27 Chapt A Taste of Freedom
07/04/2025
Chapter 28 A Lesson in Surrender
07/04/2025
Chapter 29 Lost in Him
07/04/2025
Chapter 30 Drowning in Him
07/04/2025
Chapter 31 Steam and Shadows
07/04/2025
Chapter 32 Desire Behind Closed Doors
07/04/2025
Chapter 33 Tasting Temptation
07/04/2025
Chapter 34 Unfinished Business
07/04/2025
Chapter 35 A Dangerous Game
07/04/2025
Chapter 36 Possession and Escape
07/04/2025
Chapter 37 The Beast Unleashed
07/04/2025
Chapter 38 oh no!
07/04/2025
Chapter 39 Lost and found
07/04/2025
Chapter 40 Bound by Passion, Broken by Fate
07/04/2025
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