The Devil Who Claimed Me

Mila woke up with a sharp gasp. Disoriented, she looked around. She couldn’t understand where she was.

The ceiling above her was unfamiliar. The velvet, heavy curtains didn’t match the color of those in her room. The bed beneath her was enormous, the mattress so soft it felt like sinking into clouds.

The bedroom was far more extravagant than her apartment. Everything around her looked expensive.

Her heart sank. ’This is not my room.’

She sat up abruptly, breathing hard as she looked around the room, studying the antique furniture.

Memories rushed back like a violent storm – the explosion, the gunfire, Dominic’s cold, lethal eyes. She quickly pushed the blanket aside and got out of bed. The moment her feet touched the floor, dizziness hit her.

"Damn it," she muttered, holding her head. "The water – something was wrong with it."

She understood sedative was mixed in the water. "Dominic, you actually drugged me," she squeezed out those words through her gritted teeth. "I’ll not forgive you for this."

Steadying herself, she hurried toward the door and twisted the handle. It opened with a click. The moment she stepped out of the room, two tall guards stopped her.

Mila looked at them with confusion. "What are you doing? Move aside."

"Miss, you can’t leave this room," one of them said, his cold eyes fixated on her.

Mila’s breathing grew erratic, and her gaze flicked between them. The reality hit her like a slap. She was a prisoner here. Fear gripped her heart.

"Where am I?" she demanded. "What kind of place is this?"

Neither man answered. They simply stood there like a wall, blocking her way.

"I want to see Dominic," she grunted, clenching her jaw.

Still no response.

Her anger rose quickly. "Didn’t you hear me?" she cried. "I want to see him."

"Mr. Russo is busy," the first guard spoke coldly. "He won’t be coming now. Please go in and rest."

Busy?

Mila chuckled furiously.

"Of course, he is busy," she mumbled sarcastically. "The mafia king has more things to do than deal with a woman he dragged into his dangerous world."

The two guards looked at each other with confusion.

Before she could argue further, a maid appeared carrying a tray full of warm food – soup, bread, fruit, and tea.

Mila stared at it as if it were poison.

"I am not eating."

"Miss," the maid tried to say something.

"I said I’m not eating," Mila interrupted her, her voice echoing through the hallway.

The maid looked helpless. "You haven’t eaten anything since yesterday," she tried again.

"I don’t care." Mila folded her arms stubbornly. "I want Dominic. Bring him here."

The maid looked at the guards nervously. "Miss, please calm down. Eat first. Mr. Russo will come see you once he is free."

"No," Mila said stubbornly. "I want him. Now. Call him."

"We will call him once you finish eating," the maid said, approaching her. "Let’s get into the room."

"I won’t eat," she shouted with anger and frustration. "I won’t drink. I won’t do anything until I see him."

Mila snatched the tray from the maid and tossed it down. The dishes scattered onto the floor, soup spilling everywhere.

The guards remained silent, but the maid looked completely flustered. She stood there for a moment, staring at the mess on the floor. Then she crouched down and started cleaning.

Mila’s sharp gaze darted to the guards. "Call him. Or I’ll destroy everything inside this house."

Downstairs, the atmosphere was completely different. Dominic sat in a large office surrounded by maps, weapons, and armed men.

Lucas leaned over a table covered with documents. "Marco’s men attacked three of the warehouses last night. He has gone crazy. He wants to find you at any cost. This is a war."

Dominic nodded. "Good. If he wants war, I’ll give him one."

He pulled a map toward him, starting to explain how they would proceed.

A guard rushed in, interrupting their meeting. "Boss."

Dominic looked up at him coldly. He wasn’t happy with the intrusion. "What is it?"

"The woman..." he hesitated, "I mean, Miss Mila – she is refusing to eat."

Lucas groaned, throwing his arms in the air. "Come on. For such a trivial matter, you are disturbing the boss."

"We tried to calm her down," the guard explained. "But she wouldn’t listen."

"This is insane," Lucas muttered in frustration.

"She is causing a scene," the guard continued. "She is demanding to see you."

Dominic said nothing for some time. Then he stood up.

"Are you kidding me?" Lucas raised an eyebrow. "You are seriously leaving the war planning in the middle to handle that?"

"She hasn’t eaten anything," Dominic said coldly. "I need to deal with her first."

"Fine." Lucas rolled his eyes but didn’t argue with him. "Go calm your hurricane."

Dominic strode out, following the guard. When he came upstairs, he noticed the maid picking up the broken shards. He paused for a moment before pushing the door open and entering the room.

Mila, who had been pacing the room angrily, stopped and turned around. The moment she saw who it was, her eyes turned cold. Neither of them spoke for some time.

"So you finally decided to show up." Anger exploded inside her.

"You haven’t eaten."

"None of your business," she snapped.

"It is my business," he said sternly. "I was in an important meeting. But I left it in the middle to come see you."

Mila laughed bitterly. "Really?" She stepped closer to him, eyes blazing in fury. "You promised me something. You said once we reached the safe place, you would let me go."

Dominic didn’t open his mouth.

"So tell me, Dominic Russo – why am I still here?"

Her anger grew hotter when she didn’t receive his response. "Why are the guards outside my door? Why am I being watched like a prisoner?"

Dominic was still silent, his expression guarded. His calmness only made her more furious.

"You lied to me," she shouted. "You never intended to leave me. You brought me here forcefully. Are you going to lock me up forever?"

"You should eat," he said slowly.

Mila stared at him in disbelief. She was asking him to let her go, but he was talking about food. It was as if he didn’t care about what she was saying.

"Are you serious now? I don’t want to stay here, let alone eat anything. Do you understand? Let me go."

"You haven’t eaten anything for hours," he insisted, this time firmly. "You will fall sick."

"I don’t care. I..."

"You should," he cut in sharply. "As a doctor, you should know food is necessary for you."

"I don’t want your damn food."

Dominic took a breath and stepped toward her. "You need to eat," he repeated calmly.

Mila clenched her fists. "Not until you assure me that you will let me go."

They stared at each other for a moment.

"Eat first," Dominic broke the silence first.

Her anger reached its peak. But she knew she couldn’t win an argument.

Seeing she wasn’t fighting back, Dominic glanced at the guard. "Tell the maid to bring the food."

The guard nodded and hurried away.

Within minutes, fresh food was placed on the table.

Mila glared at him.

Dominic pulled out a chair and gestured toward it. "Sit."

Mila huffed, anger simmering beneath her skin. But she sat down.

"Once you finish eating, we’ll talk," he said.

Mila’s stomach twisted painfully. She hated him for pushing her into this situation against her will. At the same time, she felt a deep sense of resentment toward herself for being so powerless. She wanted to throw the food on his face, but she was starving.

Finally, with visible reluctance, she picked up the fork.

Dominic stood nearby, watching her silently as she started eating.

When she finished eating, she pushed the plate away. "I’m done. Can I go now?" She stood up immediately as if she was about to leave.

Dominic checked his watch. "I have important matters to deal with."

"What?" Her eyes widened.

"We’ll talk later." He turned toward the door.

"Are you for real?" she shouted again, trembling in anger.

But Dominic didn’t stop. As soon as he was out of the room, the door closed behind him.

"DOMINIC?" she yelled, pounding her fist on the door. "Open the door. You promised you would let me go. How could you break your word like that?"

No one heard her cries. No one opened the door. Mila stepped back and sank into the bed. A terrifying realization crept into her mind.

She was trapped in his dangerous world, and he had no intention of letting her go.

"Damn you, Dominic Russo," she cursed under her breath.