The Devil Who Claimed Me

At the mansion...

Serene paced restlessly inside the room. The walls felt suffocating. Unable to bear it any longer, she strode to the door and pulled it open. The moment she stepped out, the two guards stationed outside blocked her path.

"Sorry, Madam. You can’t leave the room."

"It’s been two days," she snapped, her patience finally snapping. "How long do you expect me to stay locked in here? Call Dominic. I need to speak to him."

The guards said nothing. They didn’t move. They remained standing there like a wall.

Serene’s eyes burned with fury. "Give me my phone," she demanded, extending her hand. "I’ll call him myself."

But they remained silent.

Serene’s face twisted in fury. "What is wrong with all of you?" she lashed out. "Do you even realize who I am? I am Alejandro’s daughter—your princess. The king cherished me. And now you dare to lock me up like this? Just because he has gone, you think you can treat me however you want?"

"We are only following the boss’s orders," one of the guards replied calmly. "Please go back inside, Madam. You can speak to him when he returns."

Serene gritted her teeth. She knew arguing was pointless. The guards wouldn’t budge. They wouldn’t let her go. They wouldn’t give her phone either.

With a sharp turn, she stormed back into the room and slammed the door shut.

"Dominic..." she muttered, her voice trembling with rage. "You are doing this because of that woman. You’ll regret it."

She sagged onto the bed, her fingers clasping the sheet.

The door opened in the meantime. She turned her head and saw Valentina coming.

"Serene..." Valentina walked toward her quickly. "I just got back and heard you were locked in. What happened?"

She had been off the island for work and had only just returned. She had no idea what had happened.

Serene huffed. "It’s all because of Mila," she spat. "I gave her a chance to leave quietly. I told her to go, but she refused. She even dared to challenge me, saying I was insecure about her. Humph..."

She snorted. "Insecure? Why would I be? This is my place. Sooner or later, I’ll be the queen here. And her? What is she? A maid? A nobody? How could she even compare herself to me?"

Fire burned in her eyes. "I punished her. But Dominic..." Her voice hardened. "I don’t know how he found out. He came for her. He didn’t hesitate to kill his own men for her. And he even pointed a gun at me."

Valentina’s eyes widened, shock taking her breath away. "He killed three men? And also pointed a gun at you?" she repeated with disbelief.

"Yes, he hurt his own men because of that woman," Serene confirmed. Her lips curled in anger. "And this isn’t even the end of it. He locked me in here and took my phone. He won’t even let me contact him."

Valentina fell silent, shock settling deep in her chest.

She thought Dominic loved Serene the most and that no one could replace her. She even believed he would reconcile with her, forgetting about Mila.

But this...

Valentina had never imagined this outcome. Dominic’s attachment to Mila had crossed into something dangerous.

This was not normal.

Mila was becoming increasingly dangerous. She was a threat to everyone, to the gang.

"And these stupid guards are not allowing me to talk to him." Serene’s voice cut through her thoughts. "None of you understands the mistake you are making. Dominic has lost his mind because of that woman. He doesn’t even realize what he’s doing anymore."

Valentina’s expression darkened. Serene wasn’t entirely wrong.

Dominic had always been ruthless, but controlled. Now... he was acting on emotion.

"He is turning against his own people," Serene continued. "All because of her."

Valentina’s chest tightened. She also felt the same, and it alarmed her.

They had all fought for Dominic—for his rise, his power. And now he was risking everything for one woman?

He didn’t hesitate to kill his men.

This was something they shouldn’t ignore. Or the whole team would turn against him and revolt.

"This woman is not as simple as she appears." Serene’s voice rang again, pulling Valentina back to the present. "She is turning Dominic against his own people slowly. She is hiding something. I am telling you... She has some ulterior motives."

Valentina’s heart raced with anxiety. "What do you mean? Did she say anything?"

"No... But I can feel it," Serene replied. "I have a feeling that she deliberately approached Dominic with a mission. No ordinary woman would risk her life to pull a man out of an exploding car. She could’ve walked away. But she didn’t. She took him to her place and took care of him. It’s because she wanted to get close to him."

Valentina felt chills pricking her body as a thought emerged in her. ’Could it be that Mila is a spy for Marco?’

As if Serene read her mind, she said, "What if she is working for the enemy? What if Marco sent her to win Dominic’s trust, to turn him against his people, and steal his secrets?"

Valentina’s doubts deepened instantly.

Ever since Mila appeared, Dominic had changed. He had broken his own rules for her, let her into his inner circle, and even allowed her to attend important meetings.

That wasn’t like him.

A sense of unease settled heavily in her chest.

Valentina feared that if this continued, they would all be in danger. "No... We need to stop him. Or the entire gang will fall apart."

"But first, we need to remove her from his life," Serene said firmly.

"I have been trying this," Valentina muttered. "But Dominic is protecting her. How are we supposed to get past that?"

Frustrated, her voice rose.

"He won’t protect her forever," Serene said.

Valentina squinted at her. "Do you have any plan?" she asked anxiously.

Serene gave a solemn nod. "Dominic hates betrayal more than anything," she said. "If we can prove that Mila is deceiving him, he will no longer protect her. He will destroy her himself."

A slow smile spread across Valentina’s lips. "You are right. If we gather enough evidence against her, he won’t keep her around."

"Keep watching her," Serene added. "You’ll find something."

Valentina nodded. "Leave it to me. I’ll handle this personally."