The Devil Who Claimed Me

Bianca’s eyes instantly filled with tears.

’Please... don’t do this to me...’

She wanted to scream those words, but the tape sealing her mouth muffled every sound. All she could do was cry helplessly.

Soon, the car came to a stop.

Bianca’s heart lurched violently. She hurriedly looked outside the window, and the moment she saw the glowing signboard of Blue Lagoon, her face turned deathly pale.

Just a few days ago, she had escaped from this place with Ethan’s help. And now... she was back again.

’No...’ she whimpered against the tape, shaking her head frantically.

She didn’t want to stay here. Not again.

Valentina peeled the tape from Bianca’s mouth.

Bianca turned to her and cried out in a frenzy. "Please. Don’t leave me here. I don’t want to work here."

Valentina looked at her coldly before suddenly pinching her chin hard.

"I’m not Mila. She kept forgiving you and your mother for years despite everything you both did to her. You made her life miserable. You bullied her, humiliated her, and poisoned her own father against her."

Bianca’s lips trembled.

Valentina shoved her away harshly.

Bianca’s head slammed against the car window painfully.

But Valentina showed no mercy.

"You still didn’t stop," she hissed furiously. "You seduced the man Mila loved and slept with him behind her back."

Bianca froze. She hadn’t expected Valentina to know every detail of her past.

"Mila trusted him," Valentina continued coldly. "She held onto him because she believed he would protect her."

Her nails dug painfully into Bianca’s arm. "But you destroyed even that hope."

"Ah..." Bianca whimpered painfully.

"And now," Valentina said murderously, "when Mila finally found someone who truly loves her, you came again to ruin her life."

Hatred burned fiercely in her eyes. "I honestly wish I could kill you right here."

Bianca’s breathing turned uneven.

"But death would be too easy for someone like you." Valentina leaned closer. "You deserve to stay alive and suffer every single day."

Bianca broke down completely. "Please..." she sobbed desperately. "Please let me go. I’ll do anything you want. I swear."

Tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.

"If you want, I’ll work for Mila forever. I’ll clean her house, cook for her, wash her clothes... anything. Please don’t leave me here."

Valentina stared at her mockingly. "You think I’m stupid?" she sneered. "You just want another chance to get close to Mila so you can hurt her again."

Suddenly, she grabbed Bianca by the throat. "No way."

Bianca clawed weakly at her hand, struggling to breathe.

"I-I’m not plotting anything..." she rasped painfully. "I’m begging you..."

Fear filled her eyes completely.

"You know what kind of place this is," she cried weakly. "Women from decent families don’t work here. Please... have mercy."

Valentina’s eyes turned icy. "You should’ve thought about mercy before conspiring against Mila. Or before trying to sell her to a brothel."

Valentina shoved her away again impatiently. "Stop wasting my time. Your words won’t affect me. I’ve already made up my mind. You will work here."

Ignoring Bianca’s cries, Valentina dragged her out of the car and into the building.

The manager was already waiting inside. The moment she saw Bianca, her face darkened.

"You ran away that night and disappeared for days," she snapped. "Forget about getting this month’s salary."

Bianca’s face instantly turned pale again. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"No," she cried desperately. "You can’t do that. I still need to repay the debt. At least give me the payment for the week I worked."

Valentina almost laughed in disbelief.

A few minutes ago, Bianca had been crying hysterically to avoid staying here. And now she was worried about her salary.

"She better not run away again," Valentina said coldly. "Or I’ll personally deal with this matter."

The manager instantly bowed nervously. "It won’t happen again," she assured quickly. "I’ll keep an eye on her myself."

Then she turned sharply toward Bianca.

"Go change your clothes," she ordered. "And if you try escaping again, I’ll stop treating you as a waitress."

Bianca’s heart sank violently. Without another word, she hurried toward the changing room.

The moment the door shut behind her, the tears on her face disappeared completely. Fear vanished. Only hatred remained.

"Mila..." she muttered hatefully. "You are behind all of this. I’ll never forget today."

Her eyes burned with resentment. "I’ll get my revenge on you someday."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dominic arrived at the Vega mansion in the evening.

The moment Mila saw him walking into the living room, her eyes lit up brightly. She rushed toward him and jumped straight into his arms, wrapping her legs tightly around his waist while her arms coiled around his neck.

Dominic laughed, holding her tightly.

"I missed you," Mila whispered before crashing her lips against his passionately.

Dominic immediately kissed her back with the same intensity. "You have no idea how much I missed you, too," he murmured against her lips.

"Liar," Mila pouted.

Dominic raised a brow faintly.

"You disappeared for days," she complained. "And then suddenly appeared at the hotel last night."

A hint of regret flashed across his face. For the past few days, he had been entirely occupied tracking the core members. Last night, he had finally found a lead and gone to that hotel.

He never expected Mila would be there too. And certainly not under those circumstances.

"I’ve been busy these days," he said guiltily. "I couldn’t give you enough time."

Mila had only been pretending to be upset. But seeing genuine guilt in his eyes immediately softened her heart.

She leaned her forehead against his and whispered, "Then don’t leave me alone. I fear losing you."

He carried her toward the sofa and carefully placed her down, cupping her face in both hands.

"Remember this," he said deeply. "Dominic will never abandon the woman he loves."

His thumbs brushed softly against her cheeks. "Even when I’m not around, I’m still watching over you."

His voice lowered with seriousness. "I’ll always protect you, even if you can’t see me beside you."

Mila didn’t doubt him. She believed he would always protect her.

"I know," she said. "But I need you with me—always."

A complicated emotion flickered across Dominic’s face.

"Mila..."

Before he could continue, she suddenly clasped his hand excitedly.

"I’m going to Italy tomorrow for a medical conference."

Dominic stilled for a moment.

"Dr. Grant will attend, too," Mila continued eagerly. "He’s one of the best neurosurgeons in the world and Max’s mentor."

Her eyes sparkled brightly while talking about it. "We want him to supervise the research."

Then her fingers intertwined with Dominic’s as she looked at him persuasively. "Come with me. We’ve never really traveled together before."

Dominic held her gaze silently for a few moments. Coincidentally, he was already planning to go to Italy to track down Mr. Bellini.

"When are you leaving?" he asked quietly.

"Tomorrow morning," Mila replied immediately.

Dominic nodded slowly.

"Alright."

Mila blinked.

"I’ll go with you."

Her face instantly brightened with excitement. "Really?" she asked happily. "You are seriously coming with me?"

"Yes. But I have one condition."

"I’ll agree to anything," Mila replied without hesitation.

He leaned down and held her chin, his lips nearly brushing hers as he spoke. "You’ll travel with me in my jet."

Mila gasped softly.

"And you’ll stay with me in the same hotel."

His dark eyes locked onto hers intensely. "Max and the others can stay wherever they want."

His fingers tightened lightly around her waist. "But you’ll stay beside me."

For a moment, Mila simply stared at him blankly.

Private jet?

She took a moment to process it. Then excitement burst across her face instantly. A bright grin spread across her lips.

"Of course..." She hugged him. "I’ll stay with you."

He hugged her back, smiling.