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Chapter Six : Knowing the Devil behind the scene
Mia lay lifelessly on the cold, damp ground, her body aching, her breath shallow. Every movement sent a wave of pain through her fragile frame. She stared blankly at the ceiling, her mind clouded with a single, tormenting question — What did I do to deserve this?
She was nobody… just an orphan. A reckless girl who had wandered too far from the only place she'd ever known. Who would want to kidnap someone like her? What possible value could she have?
The thought twisted painfully in her chest. She regretted leaving the orphanage now more than ever. The punishments and cruelty she endured back there suddenly felt like a twisted kind of safety — far better than this nightmare. At least in the orphanage, she knew the faces of those who hurt her. Here, she was surrounded by shadows, strangers, and screams that pierced the air like sharp blades.
Somewhere in the distance, a girl's desperate voice called out for help. Then another. The sound made Mia tremble. Each cry was a reminder that she wasn't alone in this place — but it wasn't a comfort. It meant more victims. More suffering.
Suddenly, the heavy door creaked open. Cold air rushed into the room, making her shiver even more. Footsteps echoed against the concrete floor, slow and deliberate, growing closer with each step.
A deep, angry voice cut through the silence.
"Who touched her like this? I didn't ask anyone to lay a finger on her. Who did this?"
The voice was filled with controlled rage.
Mia froze. She knew that voice. Recognition hit her like a jolt of electricity, and her whole body began to shake. It was him.
Luca.
The unknown man she had met on the streets that day. The man whose eyes had followed her like a predator stalking prey. The memory of that brief encounter flooded her mind — the way he looked at her, the way she had brushed it off.
Now, he was standing over her.
Luca's tall frame loomed above as he bent down, his hands reaching for the blindfold around her eyes. In one swift motion, he loosened it, letting it fall away. The sudden light stung her eyes, and she blinked rapidly.
Even without the blindfold, she couldn't escape the suffocating presence he carried.
She tried to shuffle backward, even though her body was too weak to move far. Her voice came out in a broken, trembling whisper.
"What… what do you want from me?"
Luca's lips curved into a slow, dangerous smirk. His tone was calm, yet chilling.
"You challenged me… and I won," he said, his words deliberate. "I told you that you belong to me. And now… I've proved it."
His expression was unreadable — cold, emotionless, as if her fear meant nothing to him. It was impossible to tell what thoughts were lurking behind those dark eyes.
Mia felt her heartbeat in her throat. Every instinct told her she was in the hands of someone far more dangerous than she had imagined. She was as scared as the dead… and she knew that whatever came next, she might not survive it.
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Luca's face darkened, his expression shifting into something far more dangerous. His eyes, sharp and cold, swept over the room until they landed on his men.
"Who touched her?" His voice was low but carried a venom that made every man in the room stiffen. "Who… tortured her?"
The tone was deadly enough to make Mia flinch, her body jerking in fear despite her weakness. Even his own men exchanged uneasy glances.
One of them swallowed hard before speaking.
"I didn't touch her… it was Scorpion. Even after I told him not to."
Luca's head tilted slightly, his gaze narrowing to a razor's edge.
"Is that so?" His voice dropped even lower, like a predator closing in. "Then where… the fuck… is Scorpion?"
The weight of his anger pressed into the room like a suffocating fog.
From the shadows, Scorpion appeared — his tall, wiry frame trembling. He avoided eye contact as if afraid that one wrong glance would seal his fate.
"She was screaming," Scorpion stammered, his voice shaking. "So… I had to shut her up."
"Really?" Luca's face remained unreadable, but his voice dripped with ice. "How about… I shut you up?"
Before anyone could react, Luca reached into his jacket and drew his gun. The metallic click as he loaded a round echoed in the silence. He aimed it directly at Scorpion's chest, his finger curling around the trigger.
"I don't give a fuck about anybody here," Luca said flatly. "But I have my rules. And when I say don't touch… you never touch."
A deafening bang ripped through the air. The bullet tore into Scorpion's leg, sending him crashing to the floor in agony. Mia screamed, the sound sharp and desperate, but it only drew Luca's attention.
Slowly, he turned toward her.
The smile that spread across his lips was nothing like warmth — it was a nightmare carved into a man's face, the kind of smile that belonged to the monsters she sometimes saw in her worst dreams.
Then he looked back at Scorpion, who was writhing on the floor, blood pooling beneath him.
"Hope you know," Luca said, his voice calm, "there's no forgiveness in my world. I prefer killing over forgiving."
He raised the gun again and, without hesitation, fired into Scorpion's other leg. Another scream tore through the air — this time from Scorpion himself.
"But…" Luca's tone shifted into something almost playful, "I think I'll let you live. Only because I hate it when girls scream."
His gaze swung back to Mia. She had already backed into the wall, shaking violently, tears streaming down her cheeks.
In two long strides, Luca was in front of her. He crouched low so their eyes were level.
"But…" he murmured, his smile widening, "I would love to hear you scream… when I shoot you."
The cold barrel of the gun touched her skin. Slowly, deliberately, he traced it down from her shoulder to her arm, then to her leg… sliding higher until the steel rested against the inside of her thigh. Mia's entire body went rigid, sweat dripping down her back.
"Please… don't hurt me," she whispered, her voice trembling.
"I can't promise you that," Luca replied, his tone almost gentle — but it only made the words more chilling. "Because right now… I'm going to shoot you."
The gun rose slightly. In a flash, he pulled the trigger.
A hollow click.
No bullet.
Mia gasped, her heart slamming against her ribs, but the relief never came. The fear was still lodged deep inside her chest like a blade.
Luca's smirk deepened. It had been a cruel game — a way to taste her terror. He liked the way she looked when fear consumed her. He savored it.
With a flick of his hand, he signaled his men.
"Take Scorpion away," he ordered coldly. "And get out."
They obeyed without hesitation, dragging Scorpion's broken body out of the room. Soon, the heavy door slammed shut again, leaving only Luca and the trembling girls.
Luca reloaded his gun, the sharp click-click of the bullets sliding into the chamber echoing like a countdown to death. He turned back to Mia.
"You really don't want to test me," he said softly.
Mia shook her head quickly, unable to speak.
Then his gaze drifted to the girl beside her — a fragile-looking blonde with wide, terrified eyes.
"What about you?" he asked.
The girl shook her head frantically, her lips trembling.
Luca chuckled darkly, the sound low and cruel.
"Smart choice," he said, but the glint in his eyes promised that smart choices wouldn't save them forever.