Chapter 2 - The Gilded Cage
I woke up to the smell of expensive antiseptic and the soft, rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor.
I was lying on my stomach, my face buried in a pillow that felt like it was made of actual clouds.
For a terrifying second, my memory was completely blank.
Then, the phantom sting of shattered crystal flared in my back, and I gasped loudly, my hands gripping the silk sheets.
"You are safe," a deep, familiar voice rumbled from the corner of the room.
I turned my head slowly, wincing at the dull ache that radiated across my shoulders.
Enzo Valenti was sitting in a velvet armchair near a massive, floor-to-ceiling window that overlooked the city skyline.
He had changed out of his blood-stained clothes and was now wearing a dark turtleneck that made him look even more dangerous.
"Where am I?" I asked, my voice dry and raspy.
"My private estate," Enzo answered, standing up and walking toward the bed with the grace of a stalking panther.
"Dr. Rossi spent three hours pulling thirty-two pieces of crystal out of your back."
I shuddered at the number, feeling sick to my stomach.
"I need to go home," I mumbled, trying to push myself up on my elbows.
Enzo gently placed a hand on my shoulder, applying just enough pressure to stop me from moving.
"You have forty stitches holding your skin together, Clara."
"If you leave this bed, you will tear them all open."
"I have a shift tomorrow," I argued weakly, panic rising in my chest.
"I need the money, or I am going to get evicted."
Enzo looked at me as if I had just spoken a completely alien language.
He pulled a thick, white envelope from his pocket and tossed it lightly onto the nightstand next to me.
"Your rent for the next five years is paid," he stated casually.
"I also bought the restaurant, and you are officially retired."
My jaw dropped, and I stared at him in absolute disbelief.
"You cannot just buy my life!" I protested, my heart hammering against my ribs.
"I didn't buy it," Enzo corrected, leaning closer until his face was inches from mine.
"You threw your life over my son when my own men were too slow to react."
"You saved the only thing in this miserable world that I actually love."
His dark eyes were intense, swirling with a possessive heat that terrified and thrilled me at the same time.
"Your life belongs to me now, Clara."
"And I protect what is mine."
Before I could argue further, the heavy mahogany door cracked open, and a tiny face peered inside.
"Papa?" Leo whispered, clutching the same plastic dinosaur from the restaurant.
Enzo’s hard expression instantly melted into something remarkably tender.
"Come in, little lion," Enzo said, stepping back to let the boy approach the bed.
Leo walked up to me on his tiptoes, his big brown eyes filled with awe.
"Are you an angel?" Leo asked seriously.
I couldn't help but smile, despite the pain.
"No, sweetie," I whispered. "I'm just a waitress."
Leo shook his head firmly.
"Papa says you are our angel now, and you are never allowed to leave."
May you like
I looked up at Enzo, who was watching us with an unreadable expression.
I had a terrifying feeling that the little boy was absolutely right.
