The De Luca estate was breathtaking under the golden lights of the night, its towering walls whispering of wealth, power, and untouchable status. The party was grand-just like Bianca had promised-filled with glittering chandeliers, waiters in crisp white shirts carrying trays of champagne, and guests wrapped in designer elegance.

But despite the luxury, I felt out of place.

I wasn't like them. Not truly.

I adjusted the delicate black dress Bianca had convinced me to wear, the silky fabric clinging to my curves a little more than I was comfortable with. The music thrummed through the air, the scent of expensive cologne and aged whiskey thick in the space, making me feel dizzy.

"You finally made it!"

Bianca appeared in front of me, all golden curls and emerald-green silk. She pulled me into a tight hug, her laughter light, carefree.

"I was starting to think you'd ditch me."

I smiled softly. "You know I wouldn't."

She grinned, looping her arm through mine. "Come, let's get you a drink before my mother starts dragging me around to 'network.'" She rolled her eyes.

I let her pull me deeper into the party, but something in the air shifted.

A heavy, oppressive weight settled against my skin.

I slowed my steps, my fingers tightening around Bianca's arm as unease curled in my stomach.

That feeling...

That presence.

I didn't have to turn around to know who it was.

Cassian De Luca.

Bianca's older brother. The man everyone spoke about in whispers-the one whose name alone demanded both respect and fear.

My breath caught, my heart hammering in my chest.

He was watching me.

He was always watching me.

I swallowed hard, forcing my body to relax, pretending I wasn't affected. Pretending I didn't feel his presence like a dark shadow wrapping around my throat.

I made the mistake of glancing in his direction.

And I froze.

He stood near the bar, his broad frame dressed in an all-black suit that fit him too perfectly. The dim lighting highlighted the sharp cut of his jaw, the ruthless angles of his face. His midnight-blue eyes locked onto mine, unblinking, unreadable.

Heat crawled up my neck, my fingers trembling slightly against the wine glass Bianca had handed me.

He had always been intense, but tonight... tonight felt different.

Something darker. Heavier. Dangerous.

I quickly turned away, pretending I hadn't seen him, but I could feel the weight of his stare,

"Dance with me!" Bianca grabbed my hand, pulling me toward the dance floor.

"I don't really-"

"Please?" She pouted. "It's my birthday."

I sighed, giving in. "Fine."

She cheered, spinning us into the crowd. The music thrummed through the air, and I let myself get lost in the moment-just for a little while.

And then the music shifts and the guy apporached me from my university, our batch mate.

I know him

"Hey " he said and I smiled he rested his hand on my waist and looked at me.

" dance with me little angel " he said smiling and I chuckled nodding.

" sure sir " I said softly and then the music shifts again and partner starts to change I was enjoying the music and the dance,

But then I felt it.

Him.

My body tensed before I could even register why.

A hard, warm presence pressed against my back, a firm hand wrapping around my waist, pulling me back into a solid chest.

I gasped, my heart lurching into my throat.

The scent of smoke and whiskey invaded my senses, and my stomach twisted.

Cassian.

His grip tightened possessively.

Too close. Too much.

I sucked in a breath, my pulse racing.

"Cassian," I whispered, my voice barely audible over the music. "What are you-"

"You let him touch you."

His voice was low, dark, and laced with something dangerous.

I stiffened. "What?"

I barely had time to think before I was spun around, caged against his chest.

My breath hitched as I looked up into his stormy gaze, burning with rage, jealousy, possession.

My lips parted, but no words came out.

"I saw him," he murmured. "His hands on you."

I blinked, confusion mixing with fear. "Who?"

Cassian didn't answer.

Instead, he pressed his palm against the small of my back, forcing me to arch against him.

I whimpered, my fingers curling into his suit jacket as the air in my lungs vanished.

"You belong to me, Valeria," he whispered, his lips brushing the shell of my ear. "And I don't share."

A shudder ran through me, fear and something else tangling together in my stomach.

"This isn't-"

He tilted my chin up, forcing me to meet his gaze.

"It is."

I swallowed, my nails digging into his chest. "Cassian, people are watching-"

"Let them," he said darkly.

I trembled, my heart slamming against my ribs.

This wasn't the Cassian I was used to-the silent shadow that watched from afar. This was something deeper, something raw and terrifying.

"Cassian, please," I whispered, tears burning behind my eyes.

His grip softened for a second, his thumb brushing over my cheek as if he was memorizing me.

Then he leaned in, his voice dropping to a command.

"Stop running, Valeria. You are mine. And soon... I will make sure everyone knows it."

My breath hitched.

Because the way he said it-so sure, so absolute-

I knew he meant it.

And there was nothing I could do to stop him.

I knew it he is dangerous and the way he looks at me is something else. It gives me shivers and I am scared enough to run away from him everytime I see him.

The Tears welled up in my eyes but I didn't let them fall.

The way I want to exit from here right now and hide from even his shadows too.

The first time I saw Valeria Riviera, something in me shifted.

I didn't believe in love at first sight. Obsession? Yes. Lust? Of course. But love?

No.

I wasn't the kind of man who entertained foolish notions of romance. My world was cold, calculated-built on power, control, and blood.

But then...

She walked into the room.

And for the first time in my life, I forgot how to breathe.

It was a summer evening at our family estate, a night like any other. Bianca had dragged home one of her university friends-a delicate, quiet thing with soft brown eyes and a presence so gentle that it felt out of place in my world of shadows.

I should have dismissed her.

I should have looked away.

But I didn't.

I couldn't.

She was standing in the hallway, nervously tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear as Bianca introduced her to our mother. The glow of the chandelier above cast a golden hue over her skin, making her look like something out of a dream. Fragile. Untouched. Too pure for a place like this.

And the only word that echoed in my mind, the only thought that consumed me as I stood there watching her, was-

Mine.

Not just desire. Not just want.

Something deeper. Darker.

A need.

To possess. To claim. To ruin.

I clenched my jaw, trying to shove the thought away, but it was already too late.

Something inside me had already decided.

She was mine. Even if she didn't know it yet.

I stayed in the shadows that night, watching. Studying.

She was soft-spoken, polite. Always careful with her words, always too eager to please. The kind of girl who would never survive in my world.

And yet...

I wanted her there.

By my side. Beneath me. In my bed.

I wanted her afraid of me.

I wanted her to fight me.

Because then, I could do what I was meant to do-break her.

I knew it was wrong.

I knew Bianca would kill me if she ever found out that the way I looked at her best friend wasn't just inappropriate-it was sinful.

But I didn't care.

Because from that first moment, from the instant she stepped into my home, Valeria was already mine.

She just didn't know it yet.

It started subtly.

Small things. Little tests.

The way I let my hand brush against hers whenever she walked past me. The way I stood too close when she wasn't paying attention, inhaling the faint scent of vanilla and innocence that clung to her skin.

She never noticed at first. Never realized that she was being hunted.

But then she started feeling it.

That heavy, suffocating presence. That unshakable awareness whenever I was near.

She started avoiding me.

Ignoring me.

She thought it was subtle, but I saw everything.

Every nervous glance. Every tremble in her hands.

She was afraid of me.

And fuck-I loved it.

But fear wasn't enough.

I wanted her ruined.

I wanted her to beg.

I wanted her to realize that no matter how hard she tried to run-there was no escape.

She belonged to me.

She always had.

And tonight?

She would finally understand that.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

With ink and shadows

Your author

Peanut

Thank you

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