The morning sun spilled over the city's jagged rooftops, casting long shadows on the streets below. Mia moved cautiously, her every step heavy with exhaustion and uncertainty. She was beginning to understand the cruelty of the world she'd escaped into-but she still clung to the faintest glimmer of hope.
Meanwhile, in the sleek black car parked a few blocks away, Luca's sharp eyes scanned the crowd with ruthless precision. His cold gaze never left Mia, who blended into the morning bustle like a fragile ghost.
Beside him, the driver shifted uncomfortably. He had watched the girl's flight, the fear etched into her every movement.
A quiet voice stirred inside him - a rare and dangerous thing: pity.
"She won't last long out there," the driver murmured, eyes briefly meeting Luca's.
Luca's lips curled into a harsh smile.
"She's not meant to last," he replied, voice as cold as steel. "She's meant to serve."
The driver swallowed hard, knowing better than to argue. But deep down, he wished things were different-for Mia, and for them all.
Outside, the city roared to life, unaware of the dark game unfolding in its shadows.
---
The afternoon sun beat down on the cracked sidewalks as Mia crouched near a busy street corner, her small hands stretched out in silent plea. Her eyes, wide and pleading, scanned the hurried faces passing by, hoping for a coin, a scrap, anything.
Most ignored her - a ghost in the bustling crowd. But Mia didn't give up. Hunger and fear pressed her down, yet she kept her fragile hope alive.
Suddenly, the sleek black car pulled up beside her, the engine's hum cutting through the noise of the street. Mia glanced up, heart pounding, but before she could react, the door swung open.
Luca stepped out, tall and imposing, his cold gaze locked on her with a cruel intensity.
The driver's breath caught in his throat. He knew Luca's reputation - ruthless, dangerous, unpredictable. He tensed, expecting Luca to strike, to hurt the girl right there on the street.
But Luca said nothing. He just watched Mia, his expression unreadable but terrifying.
The driver swallowed hard, feeling the weight of helplessness settle in. There was nothing he could do - no one could stop Luca when he set his mind on something.
Mia's trembling hands faltered as she met Luca's gaze. Fear, confusion, and a flicker of something else - a deep, instinctual understanding - flooded her at once.
---
Mia's voice was barely a whisper, fragile and trembling as she looked up at the towering figure before her.
"Can you spare me some change?" she asked, eyes wide and innocent, filled with a mixture of hope and desperation.
Luca's cold gaze flickered for the briefest moment - amusement, perhaps, or curiosity. He didn't answer right away. Instead, he studied her, as if weighing her worth.
The driver shifted uneasily beside him, his hands clenched tightly on the steering wheel.
Finally, Luca's lips curved into a slow, cruel smirk. "Change?" he repeated, his voice low and icy. "I don't deal in spare change, little girl."
Mia's heart pounded harder, but she didn't back away.
"No?" she whispered. "Then... what do you deal in?"
Luca's smirk deepened, shadows flickering in his eyes.
"You," he said simply.
---
Mia's eyes widened in shock, the weight of his words crashing over her like a cold wave. Her breath hitched, and for a moment, she was frozen-unable to comprehend the darkness lurking behind his calm voice.
"No... no, please," she stammered, voice trembling. "I don't want trouble. I just want to survive."
A tear slipped down her cheek, and she bit her lip to hold back the flood of fear rising inside her.
But Luca's expression didn't soften. His smirk remained, cruel and unyielding.
"Survival isn't given," he said quietly. "It's taken."
Mia swallowed hard, the reality sinking in. The world she had escaped to was far more dangerous than she ever imagined.
Yet beneath the fear, a tiny spark of defiance flickered-soft, fragile, but alive.
She wasn't ready to give up.
---
Luca's gaze hardened, sharp as broken glass. He stepped closer, the cold air between them thick with unspoken threats.
"You don't get to choose, little girl," he said, voice low and steady. "I decide who survives and who belongs to me."
Mia's breath caught, but she straightened her back, trying to meet his eyes with whatever courage she could muster.
"I won't be yours," she whispered.
A slow, dark laugh escaped Luca's lips. "You don't have a choice. Not anymore ''
Mia's voice rang out clearer this time, stubborn and fierce despite the trembling in her hands. "You don't own me. And I can never be yours"