The Devil Who Claimed Me

A few men in black suits jumped out and encircled the car, guns raised, their movements swift and lethal.

Mila stiffened, her heartbeat pounding wildly against her ribs. Fear spread through her veins, turning her fingers ice-cold. Then she saw Dominic step out of the car and stand like a king.

His expression was dark, murderous—his mere presence enough to suffocate the air around him. Anyone would tremble under that gaze.

Mila did too.

"We give you one minute," Lucas shouted sharply. "Hand over the woman, or none of you leave alive!"

Mila glanced at the man beside her.

He had already unlocked his gun, his face grim. He was ready to fight.

"Don’t do anything stupid," she said urgently, her voice low but firm. "They outnumber you. You won’t survive this."

He hesitated.

"Your boss told you to release me," she added quickly. "Do it. At least you’ll live."

Something shifted in his expression. After a brief pause, he unlocked the door.

"Go."

Mila didn’t wait. She pushed the door open and stepped out.

All guns tightened instantly, fingers hovering over triggers. The men were ready to shoot at the slightest wrong move. But when they saw her, they held back.

Mila’s eyes met with Dominic’s, her heart skipping a beat. She couldn’t move. Fear kept her rooted in her place.

A guard approached and gripped her arm, leading her toward Dominic. The closer she got, the more she felt his fury radiating off him like heat from fire.

Dominic would punish her severely. And Mila had no idea how to face his wrath. Above all was Marco’s threat.

If she couldn’t give him Dominic’s secrets in one month, Lara would be dead. But how was she going to do that?

She didn’t know how long he would keep her locked this time. Maybe he would never release her again.

Dread mixed with restlessness.

’No. I can’t let him lock me up,’ she said to herself. ’I have to save Lara.’

Before she could say anything, Dominic’s hand shot out and clasped her arm. His grip was harsh, possessive, almost punishing. Without a word, he dragged her into the car.

"Drive." The order came cold and absolute.

The car sped forward.

Mila barely had time to steady herself when gunfire erupted behind them. The deafening sound tore through the air.

She flinched violently and turned to look through the rear window. Her eyes widened as she saw Dominic’s men opening fire on the other car.

Her hair stood up on her nape. She flicked her eyes to Dominic. "Why did you kill them?" she asked. "They released me."

"So you expected me to reward them?" he hissed dangerously. The next moment, his fingers clamped around her throat and pressed her against the back of the seat.

His grip was not tight enough to block her windpipe, but tight enough to put her in the place.

Mila gasped, fear flooding her chest.

"What is it?" he snarled. "In just a few moments, you feel sorry for them already? Did you forget they kidnapped you?"

"But they let me go, didn’t they?" she countered. "There was no need to escalate this. Don’t you think this will anger Marco even more?"

"You don’t get to question me." His grip tightened slightly. "You lost that right."

Mila winced, her breath shallow. She said nothing further. She knew she had crossed a line and had fallen into the enemy’s trap. And she was fully aware she had to face the consequences of her actions.

"I gave you a chance," he continued, his voice low but seething. "I warned you. I told you how dangerous this world is."

Mila said nothing. What would she say?

She had witnessed how dangerous and cruel Marco and his people were. She had already been guilty. If only she had been a bit more patient, she wouldn’t have been in this mess. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Now, not only she, but also her friend, was in danger. It was all because of her.

"But you didn’t care. All you care about is your freedom." His voice rose at the last sentence as he slammed a fist against the seat right beside her head.

"Ah—" Mila flinched, shrinking back instinctively. "I have my reasons," she blurted. "When I heard my father was trying to take everything, I couldn’t control myself."

He stilled. "What did you say?" he hissed, his grip around her throat loosening. "You talk to your father?"

Mila moved back, rubbing her throat. Tears blurred her vision. "I-I talked to my friend, Lara," she stuttered. "She told me... my father held my funeral."

Her voice trembled in fear and desperation. "He thinks I’m dead," she continued, tears filling her eyes. "He is trying to take everything—my shares, my properties. I can’t lose them. My mom left them for me."

Dominic stared at her speechlessly, studying her, assessing if she was lying. But her tears were genuine. The desperation was evident.

He realized why she had taken the reckless move. But he couldn’t ignore her mistake.

Mila had risked everything this time. She had disregarded his warning and run away, only to fall into Marco’s hands. Anything could have happened to her.

If he took it lightly, she would try to get away again.

"You think this excuses what you did?" he muttered. "You could have told me instead of running away. I’ve solved your problems before. This would’ve been nothing. One call—and it would be handled. But you wanted to leave."

Mila stayed silent.

He leaned closer, his presence overwhelming. "You didn’t run because of your father," he said coldly. "You ran because you wanted to leave."

Her silence confirmed it.

"And what happened?" His voice turned sharper. "The moment you stepped out, you were taken."

His fingers tightened around her chin, forcing her to look at him. "Do you even understand what could’ve happened to you?"

Mila’s gaze trembled. She had seen how dangerous those people were.

"Fortunately, I found you."

Her breath caught. The truth was, Dominic might not have found her if Marco had not let her go.

"Do you think you can fight your father and your stepmother?" he asked.

His question caught her off guard.

"And how could I forget your half-sister and your ex-boyfriend?" he scoffed. "They are all waiting to strip you of everything. And you think you can handle them alone? It was I who protected you. I could do that again."

His thumb brushed against her jaw, almost gently, but the possessiveness behind it was unmistakable.

"All you needed to do was to tell me." His expression turned stormy again. "But no... You chose to run. What happened? Since you ran away, why did you fall into trouble? Why couldn’t your friend protect you?"

He leaned closer, his breath grazing her skin. "Let me make something very clear to you."

Mila stiffened. She didn’t even dare to breathe.

"It’s only me who can protect you. Only I can keep you safe. So don’t ever think about escaping again."

The finality in his tone left no room for argument.

Mila’s heart sank. She was scared of this man and wanted to hide from him. And yet, in this cruel, dangerous world, he was the only place she felt safe.

That realization settled heavily in her chest. Because deep down, she knew, no matter how far she ran, she might never truly escape him.