Jace sat at the edge of the king-sized bed, his fists clenched, glaring at the man leaning casually against the doorframe. Damian's eyes held that calm cruelty again, like he already owned every inch of the boy in front of him.
"I'm not doing this," Jace spat, his voice hoarse but sharp. "I don't care about your stupid money. I'll find another way to pay you back."
Damian smirked. "You already signed the contract, Jace. That means your body is collateral. And tonight, it begins."
Jace's stomach dropped. He remembered the paper the stupid, humiliating agreement. He had signed it in desperation, his hands shaking as Damian slid it across the table. He thought maybe it was all a bluff. But now… now Damian was serious.
"You're insane," Jace hissed, standing up, his chest rising and falling fast. "You think I'll just lay down for you? Go to hell!"
He tried to rush past Damian, but the man's hand shot out, shoving him back against the wall. The impact knocked the breath from Jace's lungs, and he coughed, his eyes burning with rage.
"Don't touch me, bastard!" Jace snapped, shoving at Damian's chest, but the man didn't even budge.
Damian leaned in close, his voice low and merciless. "You owe me, Jace. And debts are always collected."
Jace kicked at him, fought against his grip, cursed so much his throat began to ache. "You're disgusting! You'll regret this, I swear! I'll never forgive you for this!"
Damian only smirked at the fire in Jace's eyes. "Hate me all you want. Your body still belongs to me until the debt is paid."
Jace twisted and fought, but Damian dragged him back toward the bed, pinning him with strength he couldn't shake off. The sheets felt cold against Jace's skin as his wrists were trapped above his head. His heart hammered, fear and fury clashing in his veins.
"Get off me!' Jace screamed, thrashing beneath him. 'I'll kill you if you touch me"
Damian silenced him not with gentleness, but with dominance taking what he wanted, the sound of Jace's curses breaking into strangled cries as he struggled beneath him.
Every moment, Jace resisted, spat venomous words, cursed Damian's name. But Damian only tightened his hold, claiming him with merciless control.
When it was over, Jace lay trembling, his face turned away, silent tears burning his cheeks. His voice was hoarse as he whispered:
"You'll never own me… never."
Damian, buttoning his shirt with a cold detachment, leaned close enough for his words to sting.
"Keep telling yourself that. You'll learn soon enough."
And with that, he left Jace lying broken on the sheets, the contract's ink now etched deeper than ever into his body, his pride's gone
Damian buttoned his shirt with an icy detachment, each cuff secure like a shackle around Jace's already fragile resolve. He leaned in close enough for his words to sting.
Damian"Keep telling yourself that. You'll learn soon enough."
And with that, he left. Jace lay broken on the bed, the cool sheets touching his flushed skin. The contract's black ink didn't just bind him on paper it was bleeding into his body, his pride, his raw anger.
Jace stared at the ceiling, muscles trembling. What the hell have I done? he thought, pressing his fist into the mattress. But his hand felt useless along with everything else.
After a moment, his phone buzzed across the nightstand.
Luca (caller Jace's contact lit up)
Jace pressed Answer with a rasp.
Luca: voice crackling with concern.
"Jace? Are you… okay?"
Jace didn't answer for a while. His throat felt heavy from fear, frustration, and something he couldn't name.
Luca: "Hey… you sound like shit. Where are you?"
Jace heard Luca shift, worry edging in his tone.
Jace hoarse whisper: "I'm just staying at Damien's. We – stuff happened."
Luca breathing in: 'Jace… dude, what the hell did he do to you?"
Jace swallowed. His pride screamed to lie, to say it was fine. But Luca deserved the truth no matter how messy.
Jace (bitter laugh): "He's got me I signed a contract. I'm staying here… like a prisoner."
Luca: "Are you serious? That was never supposed to… you didn't actually sign it?"
Jace let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.
Jace: "I did. It a was contract, all that shit. I thought I was stronger."
There was silence on the line Luca's breath breaking after the truth settled.
Luca: "Fuck, Jace. I'm sorry, man."
Jace swallowed, chest knotting.
Jace: "Don't be. I asked for your stupid joke."
Luca (voice cracking): "I never meant this. I swear."
Jace watched the door, counted each breath.
Jace: "I'm scared, Lu."
Luca: "I'm coming, okay? Just hang in there."
Jace closed his eyes as Luca's words trembled through him.
Jace: "Don't. You can't–he'll…"
A sudden voice cut in behind him before he could finish.
Damian's sharp voice, out of nowhere:
Damian: "Who is that?"
Jace's heart jumped. He clutched the phone tighter.
Jace (stammering): "Uh… just… Luca."
Damian: "Luca. Yes, I know him. Who else would call?"
Damian's tone bored ice-cold through the line, though Luca didn't know he was on speaker.
Damian: "Enjoy your call. I'll come back in thirty minutes. Be dressed."
The line went dead.
Jace froze, hearing the click of his call ending.
He stared at the phone and slid it under the pillow. Luca's number glowed faintly on the screen inside the folds.
Jace exhaled, hollow, the bed beneath him suddenly felt like quicksand.
Inside Jace office were dead silence at first then suddenly a voice broke it
"I was starting to regret why I told him to say those words… fr, weren't you the one who told me to let him say that? Did you purposely really want him to say it? So you could have your way, brother?"
Luca's voice trembled in the quiet of Damian's office. His jaw was tight, fists clenched at his sides, but his eyes betrayed the guilt swimming in them.
Damian, leaning against the polished desk, didn't flinch. He finished pouring himself a glass of whiskey before answering.
Damian (flatly): "Don't twist it. I didn't force the words out of his mouth. Jace said them because desperation makes fools reckless. All I did was… accept his offer."
Luca's teeth ground together. "He trusted me. He thought I was his friend. And I-"
Damian cut him off with a sharp look
Damian: "You are his friend. That's why he listens to you, isn't it? That's why he said it so easily. Don't stand there pretending you didn't know how this would end, cousin."
The word hit like a slap-cousin. Luca's knuckles whitened.
Luca (snapping): "Don't you dare throw blood in my face like it means anything. You and I both know I wanted nothing to do with this family business!"
Damian (cold smirk): "And yet, here you are. Knee-deep in it… because of him."
Silence burned between them. Luca's chest rose and fell, heavy with shame and anger.
He had been the one Jace ran to, the one who gave the reckless advice. But deep down, hadn't some dark part of him known Damian would bite if baited? Hadn't some part of him let it happen?
Damian downed the last of his whiskey and set the glass down with a deliberate clink.
Damian: "If you're regretting your part in this, leave. Stay away from him. But don't insult me with your guilt. You don't get to play saint when your silence is what fed him to me."
Luca's throat tightened. His voice cracked when he finally whispered
Luca: "He'll hate me if he finds out. He'll never forgive me."
Damian's smirk deepened
Damian: 'Then keep it buried. After all… secrets are the only thing holding you together"
Luca's hands shook as Damian's words hung heavy in the air. He wanted to shout, to curse, to rip apart the chain binding Jace to this monster.
Because Damian was right.
A part of Luca had let it happen.
He swallowed hard, his voice barely audible.
Luca: "You don't understand… he's not just some pawn to me."
Damian tilted his head, eyes narrowing like a predator catching scent of weakness.
Damian: "Then what is he to you?"
Luca hesitated. His throat tightened around the truth he'd never dared to say aloud. Mine. He should've been mine.
But all that slipped out was a broken whisper.
Luca: "He's… the only good thing I have left."
For the first time, Damian's smirk faltered. A flicker of something unreadable passed over his face annoyance? amusement? jealousy?
'Careful, cousin being attached to much make men foolish."
Luca's chest burned as Damian's words sank like knives. He wanted to fight, to scream, to claim Jace for himself. But he knew the truth
Jace would never forgive him if he knew Luca had been the one to hand him over.
So he stood frozen, silent, while Damian poured another drink his heart breaking quietly in the shadows.