The Devil Who Claimed Me

His kiss was wild, unrestrained, and punishing.

’How dare she look at another man? How could she smile with him like that?’

The thought burned through him.

His jaw clenched as he deepened the kiss, trying to erase every trace of that image from his mind, to replace Remy with himself beside her.

Mila struggled, turning her face away, her lips trembling.

"Let go..."

Her protest was swallowed as he tightened his grip around her waist. Her strength was no match for his.

In a swift motion, he lifted her.

Mila gasped, her hands instinctively pushing against his chest, but it was no use.

The next second, he tossed her on the bed, stealing her breath. Mila tried to move away.

He quickly climbed onto the bed, caging her beneath him. His presence was overwhelming, suffocating.

"Dominic, stop."

But he didn’t. His frustration, jealousy, anger – everything twisted into something darker.

"You can’t look at another man," he growled. "You can smile only at me."

With a force, he ripped the towel away and pressed her breast.

"Tonight, I’ll remind you who you belong to." He leaned over, his breath uneven. "After tonight, you can only think about how I was inside you."

"Don’t..." Mila tried to push him away.

But his grip didn’t loosen. He kissed her hard and touched her everywhere.

Mila’s resistance weakened under his strength. But her eyes burned with defiance. When he parted her legs wide and positioned himself, she squirmed even harder.

"Don’t make me hate you, Dominic," she cried. "If you do this, I’ll never forgive you."

At that, he paused. His breath came out in harsh gasps as he restrained himself.

Anger twisted his features, but beneath it, pain surged.

"Is it because of him?"

"What are you talking about?" she asked back, confused.

"That man," he gritted his teeth. "You are stopping me because of him. The one you have been getting close to."

For a second, she just stared at him. Then she slammed her fist against his chest.

"You think I stopped you because of someone else?" she spat. "What kind of ridiculous thought is this?"

Tears of frustration filled her eyes. "You are forcing yourself onto me. I don’t want to be raped."

She sobbed.

His hold on her loosened at once, guilt wrenching his chest. In his anger, he was about to do something he would never have been able to forgive himself for.

"I’m not involved with anyone," she said. Her chest rose with each breath. "The only man I tied to is you, whether I like it or not."

Dominic was speechless.

"Why are you suspecting me?" she asked, her voice turning sharper. "What did I do wrong?"

She thought Valentina might have said something to him.

Dominic moved aside. The tension in his body slowly began to ease. The images of Mila talking and smiling with Remy, which had fueled his anger, started to lose their edge. They didn’t feel like betrayal anymore.

Mila had no intimate relationship with Remy. They were only working together.

This realization put his heart at ease. His expression softened a bit. But the guilt inside him intensified.

He wanted to say sorry, but couldn’t speak. Silence stretched between them.

After some moments of hesitation, he reached out to caress her cheek.

His phone rang in the meantime. It was Lucas.

"I need to take this call." He took the phone and answered the call. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Mila pulled the blanket over herself and wiped her tears away, her body still shaking from the ordeal.

"What is it, Lucas?"

"The man Valentina sent," Lucas’ anxious voice spilled through the line, "is not suitable for this job." He is not good at communication. That guy can barely talk properly."

"What do you mean?" Dominic hissed coldly.

"He kept stuttering," Lucas informed. "He has no confidence. The client will leave immediately if we take him. Forget about securing the deal."

A shadow crossed Dominic’s face.

"I was so frustrated that I almost hit him," Lucas groaned, still mad. "He admitted that he wasn’t for this job. He said he is good at fighting, but he couldn’t handle such a high-level meeting. I didn’t force him. Because he will only complicate things."

Dominic exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "I’ll figure something out," he said curtly before ending the call.

Although he said that, he had no clue how or where he would find a reliable interpreter in such a short time.

Mila watched him quietly. She had never seen him so disturbed before, not when those guys had attacked her apartment. She could tell something big had happened.

At the time, she remembered a group of men tried to invade the island and thought there was another attempt.

"Is everything okay?" Unable to hide her curiosity, she asked.

Dominic glanced at her. There was hesitation on his face, yet he decided to speak up.

"I’m trying hard to eliminate my enemies. It’s the only way to ensure your safety."

Her brows drew together. She wasn’t expecting to hear this.

"Once I deal with them, you can return to the mainland without fear," he added. "For that, I need connections."

He paused. "But there is a small problem."

Then, as if not wanting to worry her, he forced a smile. "It’s nothing I can’t handle. Get some rest."

He got out of bed. Just as he took a step toward the door, she called him.

"Wait a moment."

He paused and looked back at her.

She sat up. "I want to help you."

Something flickered in her eyes. Her mind was already racing ahead.

’This is my chance,’ she thought. ’If helping you gets me my freedom, I’ll do that.’

Dominic studied her carefully, suspicion and curiosity mixing in her eyes. After some moments of silence, he said, "I need an interpreter – someone who knows Mandarin."

Mila blinked, stunned. ’Didn’t Valentina already solve the issue?’

But she didn’t raise the question. Instead, she said, "I know Mandarin."

That caught him off guard. "You do? How? From where did you learn it?"

"My maternal grandmother lived in China before she married my grandfather," she replied. "She taught me."

"That’s perfect," he said. The tension from earlier seemed to shift into excitement. "It’s settled then. You are coming with me for the meeting."

Then his expression turned serious as he cautioned her, "This client is important. Be careful."

"I understand."

Dominic’s eyes lingered on her for a moment. "I need to go now. You should rest. Don’t wait for me."

With that, he left.