Chapter 1
The flames rose high into the night, wild and merciless, devouring everything they touched. The house burned like it had sinned. each crack of timber echoing like a scream.
He stood there — the mafia boss, still as stone, eyes reflecting the inferno he had created. His men stood behind him at a distance, their faces ghosted orange by the fire. They didn’t dare speak. Not tonight.
He had waited years for this moment.
For their destruction.
And now, finally, the family he despised was nothing more than smoke.
Then came a voice.
A scream.
“No!”
She came running down the street, her college bag slipping from her shoulder, hair loose from the wind. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she saw her home swallowed in fire.
“Mama! Papa! Big bro! Big sis!”
she cried, stumbling forward, her voice breaking into pieces. The smoke hit her hard, but she pushed through it, choking, desperate. “No, please—someone help them!”
But no one came to help at that time. Because they've seen him, they've known that involving in something which he's handling, won't end well for them.
The men behind the boss shifted, uneasy — but he didn’t move. He only watched her, expression unreadable, as if her pain was part of the justice he’d been craving.
Then she saw him. That calm figure standing before her burning world.
Her voice wavered. “Y-you... you’re just watching?....”
He said nothing. His silence was answer enough.
She stepped closer, her eyes fierce despite her tears. “You did this, didn’t you?”
His jaw tightened, a muscle flickering.
“Yes.”
The word hit her harder than the fire ever could.
Her breath broke. “You killed them... my family... you—”
“Your family,” he said coldly, “was a plague. Their end was long overdue.”
Her tears turned to fury. She lunged at him, hitting his chest, shoving him, screaming through her grief. “You monster! They didn’t deserve this! They didn’t!”
He didn’t stop her. He let her fists fall against him like rain, useless against the storm that lived inside him. When she finally broke, collapsing to her knees, he looked down at her. His eyes were empty. Or maybe too full of something he couldn’t name. He hated her. He told himself that. But as her sobs echoed through the smoke, for the first time in years, the hatred didn’t feel like enough. He didn’t turn away. He watched as the girl doubled over, the smoke curling around her like a second skin. When she looked up — face streaked with soot and salt, fury and shock burned in her eyes.
"You monster! I'll kill you! I'll go to the police station, report you! You killed my family!"
He scoffed.
"You can try that. But I assure you princess, no one can help you in this case. Also there's another thing to inform you..."
After some moments of pause he said, not cruel so much as certain.
“You’re coming with me.”
Her eyes widen in shock. She immediately stood up and tried to run away from there but... he reached out, grabbed her by the arm, and yanked her toward him. She fought, twisting, kicking, spitting defiance. But his grip was iron. With a swift, forceful motion, he hauled her into his arms, pinning her struggling form against him.
“Get off me! Let me go!”
she screamed, pounding at his chest, clawing at his coat. But he didn’t hesitate. Every movement was controlled, precise — she had no chance. The street blurred as he carried her toward the sleek black car waiting in the shadows. The men followed, silent, watching. She kicked at the door, shouted on top of her lungs, spat at his feet, but he stuffed her inside, holding her tight enough that she could feel the hardness of his coat and the weight of his dominance pressing her down. Once inside, she scrambled to push the door open. He grabbed her hair, yanking her back into the seat. Her scream echoed through the small, metal space. A hard slap across her face left her cheek burning. She tried to rise, tried to fight, but he pressed her back, unyielding, a shadow of control and menace. He leaned close until his breath brushed against her ear, calm, composed, and terrifyingly controlled.
“You’ll stay where I tell you to stay,” he murmured. “You’ll speak when I ask you to. And you’ll learn to listen, if you want to survive under my roof.”
Her chin lifted, eyes blazing through her tears.
“I’ll never listen to you. You destroyed everything I had, you think I’ll obey you?”
He studied her for a long moment. not angry, not amused, just… calculating. Then, with the faintest curl of his lips, he whispered“You will. Everyone does eventually.”
Her pulse thundered in her throat. But she refused to look away.
