The next morning, Aria didn't wait for Luca to come to her. She stormed into his study, her bare feet sinking into the thick carpet, her heart pounding like a war drum.
He sat behind his massive desk, sleeves rolled up, tie discarded, a pen between his fingers as he reviewed contracts she could only imagine the size of. He looked up, one brow raised at her sudden intrusion.
"Aria."
She ignored the warning in his tone. "I want to talk about school."
He leaned back in his chair, dark eyes flicking down her body in that slow, maddening way that made her feel naked even in her sweatshirt and leggings. "School?"
"Yes." Her chin lifted. "I want to finish my degree. I don't care if it's part-time, online, one class a semester, I'm not going to just sit here and rot."
His jaw ticked. "You're not rotting."
"Really?" She crossed her arms, hugging her ribs. "You call this living? I'm a prisoner with new clothes and a fancy bed. I don't even know what day it is half the time."
"You have everything you need," he said, too calm. "Doctors. Food. Security."
She laughed, short and harsh. "Security? You mean the guards who stand outside my door so I don't run?"
His gaze sharpened. "Don't start this again."
"I'm not starting anything," she shot back. "I'm telling you what I want. What I need."
He didn't answer, just twirled the pen between his fingers, eyes flat like dark ice.
"I want to see my parents," she pushed on, her voice cracking. "And I want my books. My laptop. Let me do something with my brain before it rots out of my skull."
He set the pen down. "No."
The word hit her like a slap. "Why? I'm not asking to run away. I'm asking to live."
"Because it's not safe."
"For who?" She slammed her palms on the edge of the desk, leaning in until they were nose to nose. "For you or for me?"
His lips twitched like he was fighting a snarl. "For both of us."
She wanted to hit him. She wanted to climb across that desk and kiss him until he tasted her anger maybe both at once.
Instead, she spat the next words like poison. "You think you own me, Luca Cross. But you don't. Not all of me."
He stood, his chair scraping back. He didn't raise his voice. He didn't touch her. He just looked at her like he wanted to break something - or maybe break himself.
"You'll see your parents when I say it's safe. You'll finish your degree when I say you're ready. This is not a negotiation, Aria."
"Then I'll find a way to do it myself."
He laughed.. a short, bitter sound. "Try it."
He brushed past her, the heat of his body making her skin burn as he disappeared down the hallway, leaving the door wide open like an insult.
But that was his mistake.
She didn't hesitate. She slipped into his chair, flipped open his laptop, her hands trembling so badly she could barely keep the keys from clacking too loud.
Passwords. She knew there'd be passwords.
She typed her name. His name. Her birthday. Nothing worked.
She spotted his phone on the desk. She grabbed it, but before she could unlock it, a text flashed across the screen.
Security will tighten if she keeps pushing.
Her blood ran cold. Who was he talking to? His lawyer? One of his guards?
She dropped the phone like it burned her, heart jackhammering in her chest. Her mind raced - if she couldn't get out through his devices, she'd find another way.
She tiptoed back to her room, pacing like a caged animal. She found a pair of sneakers buried in the closet, a gift from Maria she'd never worn. She tugged them on, fingers shaking.
The door would be guarded. But the terrace by her windows led out to a small stone balcony that wrapped around the penthouse. Beyond it, a maintenance ladder clung to the side of the building.
Her eyes darted to the door. No footsteps. No voices.
She shoved open the window, flinching as the cold wind slapped her face. She swung her leg over the sill, her heart punching her ribs so hard she thought she'd pass out.
One step onto the slick stone. Two steps.
She glanced down, forty floors of steel and glass and air.
Freedom waited at the bottom.
She heard his voice in her head: Run to your parents. Drag them back down with you.
No. She wasn't running to them. She was running for them for herself and for the life he'd stolen piece by piece.
Her hand reached for the cold metal rung of the ladder.
She never made it.
Strong arms wrapped around her waist, yanking her back so hard she slammed against a solid chest. She let out a strangled scream as he dragged her inside, kicking and flailing until they crashed to the floor in a tangled mess of limbs and curses.
Luca pinned her wrists to the carpet, his breath ragged against her ear. "What the fuck were you doing?"
"Let me go!" she sobbed, thrashing. "I hate you, I hate you "
"You want to die?" His voice cracked like a whip. "You think jumping off a goddamn building is freedom?"
"I wasn't going to jump!" she screamed. "I was going to climb down!"
He laughed, but it sounded like it hurt him. "You're insane."
She spit in his face.
He froze. For a heartbeat, she thought he'd hit her or worse.
But instead he leaned down, his mouth brushing her ear so softly it made her shiver.
"Don't ever do that again."
"Or what?" she hissed, tears streaming. "You'll lock me in a cage? Chain me to the bed?"
His grip loosened just enough for her to yank one wrist free. She slapped him hard enough that her palm stung.
He caught her hand mid-swing when she tried again, pressing it to his chest where his heart hammered wildly.
"You think I don't care," he growled, his voice raw. "You think you're just an investment to me."
"Aren't I?" she shot back, hating how her voice broke.
His forehead dropped to hers, his breath hot and shaky. "You think I want you to hate me? You think this is easy for me?"
She swallowed her sob, pushing at his shoulders. "Then let me see them. Let me study. Give me something that's mine."
His eyes searched hers so close she could see every crack in the armor he wore like a crown.
He didn't answer. He just kissed her bruising and desperate, like he could make her promises without saying a word. She tasted the truth in the way his hands cupped her face, trembling just slightly.
He pulled back, his thumb brushing her lip. "One class. That's all you get for now."
Her breath caught. "And my parents?"
He hesitated, eyes darkening. "Soon."
"When?" she demanded.
He pressed his lips to her forehead, his voice a ghost in her hair. "Soon."
She didn't trust him. But for the first time, she saw a sliver of fear in his eyes fear that maybe he really could lose her, no matter how many doors he locked.
And that was almost enough to make her stay.