Chapter 63: CHAPTER 59:THE GAME

Neti

My lungs burned.

I had been running for what felt like hours, my bare feet hitting the cold marble floors of the damned maze of a mansion.

Room after room, corridor after corridor—no way out.

Everything looked the same—endless hallways, towering doors, heavy curtains swaying with the wind that seeped through the cracks.

I should have been free.

I should have been far away by now.

But instead—I was trapped.

A shiver ran down my spine, and it wasn’t from the cold.

It was from him.

He was here.

I could feel it before I even heard him.

And then—

A sound.

Low.

Deep.

A slow, lazy whistle.

I froze.

My heart slammed against my ribs, a fresh wave of panic rushing through me.

No.

No, no, no—

I turned, sprinting toward the nearest hallway, throwing open a door.

Only to find myself back in the same goddamn corridor.

I sucked in a breath, stepping backward.

The whistle came again.

Closer.

Too close.

Like he was right behind me.

I spun around—

Empty.

Nothing but shadows stretching down the hall, the dim glow of the moon spilling through the windows.

I wasn’t safe.

Not in this mansion.

Not anywhere.

Not from him.

I moved again, pushing through another door, my pulse roaring in my ears.

The moment I stepped inside, the air shifted.

Colder.

Darker.

The door slammed behind me.

And then—

A low chuckle.

Smooth.

Amused.

Like I was the funniest little thing he had ever seen.

I turned slowly.

And there he was.

Adolph.

Leaning against the wall, sleeves rolled up, cigarette between his fingers, watching me like a predator watching his prey.

Like he had been here the whole time.

"You done running, princesa?" he murmured, his voice a slow, deep drawl.

My breath hitched.

My back hit the door.

I was trapped.

And from the glint in his eyes—

That’s exactly what he wanted.

My heart pounded like a war drum, my breath ragged as I turned back, only to find myself trapped in a dark, abandoned yet disturbingly luxurious bedroom. The scent of aged wood and forgotten wealth mixed with the cold air, wrapping around me like an omen.

And then, there he was.

Leaning against the doorway with that maddeningly calm smirk, Adolph Alessandro looked like a predator who had enjoyed the thrill of the hunt far too much. He straightened, adjusting his vest as he took slow, deliberate steps inside, the heavy boots clicking against the marble floor.

"Done running, Mrs. Neti Adolph Alessandro?" His voice dripped with amusement, with power, with something darkly possessive that sent shivers down my spine.

I swallowed hard, stepping back until my legs hit the grand bed behind me. The room was dark, the only light coming from the moon filtering through torn curtains, casting ghostly shadows across his sharp features. His blue-gray eyes glowed like a wolf’s, watching me, waiting.

“I— I’m not yours,” I whispered, my voice barely a breath.

His smirk deepened. “Oh, but you are.”

With each step he took, the air between us thickened, charged with something dangerous. I darted my gaze around, searching for an escape, but all I saw were walls, luxury, and him—closing in.

His fingers ghosted over the door, pushing it shut with a soft click.

Locked.

I swallowed hard, pressing myself against the bedpost, but he just chuckled, his head tilting slightly as if he was thoroughly enjoying my every reaction. “You ran well,” he praised, voice low, smooth, and utterly teasing. “But you should’ve known, cara mia, that there’s nowhere to run when you’re mine.”

I clenched my fists, trying to ignore the way my skin burned under his gaze. “I’m not some— some possession—”

“You are,” he cut me off, his hand lifting, tracing an invisible line in the air as if he was already touching me. “My possession. My obsession. My wife.”

His voice dropped an octave, his Italian accent curling around the words, making my stomach twist. I should hate this. I should hate him. But the way he looked at me, the way he chased me— it was intoxicating, terrifying, overwhelming.

I pressed my back harder against the bedpost, but it was useless.

Adolph took another step, closing the final distance. His fingers brushed my wrist lightly, a teasing touch, before dragging slowly up my arm, leaving fire in its wake. My breath hitched.

“You should be afraid,” he murmured, his lips so close to my temple that I felt his breath. “You should be terrified of what happens next.”

I was.

But the worst part?

I wasn’t sure if it was because I wanted to run— or because I wanted to stay.

My breath came in shallow gasps as I twisted, bolting towards the other side of the room, searching for an exit. A door, a window— anything. But the moment my fingers grazed the handle of what looked like a second exit, a deep chuckle echoed behind me.

I yanked at the door. Locked.

Of course, it was.

“Looking for an escape, cara mia?” Adolph’s voice was dark silk, dripping with amusement. “How adorable.”

I spun around, pressing my back against the cold wood, my chest heaving. He stood in the middle of the room, hands tucked casually into his vest pockets, watching me like a cat watching a trapped little mouse.

“I— I was just—” My words faltered when he started walking. Slow. Calculated.

Predatory.

I bolted toward the other side of the room, but before I could even reach the curtains, a strong arm wrapped around my waist, yanking me back.

A gasp left my lips as my body collided with his, the heat of him burning through the thin fabric of my dress. One of his hands pressed against my stomach, keeping me pinned, while his other came up to rest on my throat—not squeezing, just holding, possessive.

His lips brushed against the shell of my ear as he whispered, “I let you run, didn’t I?”

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to control the shudder that ran down my spine. “Let me go.”

He chuckled, the vibrations of it seeping into my skin. “You think that’s how this works?” His fingers trailed up my neck, tipping my chin so I had no choice but to look up at him. “You ran, amore mio.” His blue-gray eyes darkened, amusement slipping into something far more dangerous. “Now it’s time for your punishment.”

I tried to push him away, but he didn’t budge.

“Adolph—”

He tsked, shaking his head slowly. “No, no, no. You lost the right to use my name so sweetly when you tried to escape me, tesoro.” His fingers traced down my throat, slow and teasing. “Now, you’ll pay for it.”

My heart slammed against my ribs. “You wouldn’t dare—”

He smirked, leaning down until his lips were barely an inch from mine. “Oh, cara mia,” he murmured, his voice nothing but a sinful promise.

“Try me.”

The cool kiss of metal against my throat sent a shiver down my spine. My breath hitched, my entire body going still as the sharp edge of Adolph’s pocket knife pressed into my skin—just enough to remind me who held the power here.

His grip on my waist tightened, keeping me caged against him. His lips curled into a smirk, eyes gleaming with wicked amusement. He was enjoying this. Savoring it.

"One wrong move, tesoro," he murmured, dragging the blade ever so lightly along my skin, "and this night ends very differently for you."

I swallowed, the motion pressing my throat harder against the knife. He noticed. He liked it.

"You ran from me," he continued, voice dark, slow, deliberate. "And now you stand here, trembling in my hands, wondering just how far I'm willing to go."

His thumb brushed against my jaw, tilting my chin up. "What do you think, cara mia?" His eyes bored into mine, a storm brewing behind them. "Do you think I’d let you go just because you beg?”

I sucked in a sharp breath as he traced the tip of the knife lower, just over my collarbone, pressing just enough to make me feel the weight of my mistake.

His smirk deepened. "Or should I carve my name into your skin, just so you never forget who you belong to?"

A dark chuckle rumbled from his chest as he leaned closer, his lips ghosting over my ear. "Go on, little runaway," he whispered, amusement laced with something far more sinister. "Tell me how sorry you are."

My heart pounded. My lips parted, but no words came out.

Because we both knew—

Sorry wouldn’t save me now.

The knife clattered against the marble floor, the sharp clang echoing through the hollow silence of the mansion. My pulse thrummed in my throat, my body frozen as I watched the smirk stretch across his lips.

His hand trailed lower, slipping down the slit of my dress with agonizing slowness. A shiver crawled up my spine at the deliberate touch, his fingers grazing against my exposed thigh, featherlight yet possessive.

“You knew this would happen, didn’t you?” His voice was dark, teasing, like a hunter toying with his prey. His eyes gleamed with something wicked, something dangerously pleased. “You wanted to run. But what you really wanted…” He tsked, shaking his head as his fingers gripped the fabric at my thigh.

“…was to be caught.”

Before I could even breathe, I heard it—

The sharp rip of silk tearing apart.

My breath hitched as the fabric shredded effortlessly in his grasp, the once-elegant gown now in ruins around me. A gasp slipped past my lips, but his grip on my waist tightened, anchoring me to him. His fingers dug into my skin, heat seeping through every point of contact.

Adolph tilted his head, watching me like I was the most fascinating thing in the world. “So delicate,” he murmured, his voice a velvet whisper. “Yet so damn stubborn.” His hands roamed over the bare skin he’d just unveiled, slow and unhurried, savoring every reaction.

“You thought you had control, tesoro,” he mused, his breath brushing against my temple, sending another wave of shivers through me. “But you never did.”

His fingers traced lazy patterns against my skin, his grip unwavering. He leaned in closer, his lips ghosting over the shell of my ear, his next words sending a wildfire straight to my veins.

“You were mine the second you said ‘I do.’”

I stood there, breathless, my body barely covered by the delicate lace of my lingerie. The cool air of the abandoned mansion kissed my exposed skin, but it wasn’t the cold that sent shivers through me—it was him.

Adolph’s gaze roamed over me, slow, dark, predatory. He didn’t move, didn’t speak. Just watched. As if memorizing every inch of me, every rise and fall of my breath, every twitch of my fingers.

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. “Are you done staring?” My voice came out sharper than I intended, but I needed to say something—anything—to break the tension suffocating the room.

His lips curled into something dangerously amused. “Not even close.”

I clenched my fists. “This isn’t funny.”

His head tilted slightly, his dark curls falling over his forehead. “Who said I was laughing, tesoro?”

His voice was smooth, deep, laced with something that made my stomach tighten. He took a step forward, his movements slow, calculated, like a panther closing in on its prey. I instinctively took a step back, only for my spine to hit the cold wall behind me.

Trapped.

A spark of triumph flashed in his eyes. He placed his hands on either side of me, caging me in without even touching me. His scent wrapped around me, warm and intoxicating, drowning out every rational thought in my head.

"You ran," he murmured, his voice just above a whisper. "And I let you. But now…” He leaned in, his lips inches from mine, his breath warm against my skin. "You’re right where you belong."

I gasped as the cool air hit my skin, my breath hitching when his fingers brushed against my bare shoulder. Adolph was slow—too slow—his fingers teasing as he let the straps of my bra slide down my arms. His dark eyes never left mine, watching every reaction, every little shudder.

“Still want to run, tesoro?” His voice was pure sin, smooth and taunting, like he already knew the answer.

I swallowed, my throat tight. My heart was racing, not just from fear but from something far more dangerous. He had me exactly where he wanted—helpless, breathless, trapped between him and the wall.

“You… you’re a bastard,” I managed to whisper, trying to ignore the way my body betrayed me, the way my skin burned where he touched.

His lips curved into a dark smirk. “And yet, you’re still here.”

His hands gripped my thighs as he lifted me with ease, a wicked smirk playing on his lips. Before I could even process it, my back hit the soft mattress, the air knocked out of my lungs. My heart pounded as he took his time, straightening up, rolling his sleeves back with deliberate slowness, as if savoring the moment.

Then, he leaned down, one arm caging me in, the other trailing over my stomach, my ribs—light, teasing, possessive. His dark eyes drank me in, every inch, every reaction, and I hated how my body responded to him, how the heat between us was suffocating.

“You look perfect like this, tesoro,” he murmured, voice low, velvety, dangerous. “Right where you belong.”

I turned my face away, trying to control my breathing, but his fingers curled under my chin, forcing me to look at him.

“Don’t run from me now,” he taunted, his breath ghosting over my lips. “You already lost.”

His fingers traced the delicate lace of my lingerie, slow and deliberate, as if savoring the moment. My breath hitched when I felt the first gentle tug, the fabric giving way under his touch. His eyes never left mine—dark, intense, full of something raw and possessive.

"Such fragile things," he murmured, his voice like silk laced with steel. "They tear so easily."

And then, with an effortless motion, he stripped me of the last barrier between us, leaving me bare under his gaze. The cool air kissed my skin, sending shivers down my spine, but it was nothing compared to the fire burning in his eyes.

He leaned down, his lips brushing against my ear. "No more running, tesoro."

_____To be continued____

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