Eder didn’t hesitate for a second, he shoved Victoria violently, and she fell to her knees before Salvatore. She looked up, and the man was staring straight into her eyes. He reached out his hand and helped her to her feet again.
Every one of Eder’s actions fueled Salvatore’s hatred for him.
"Very well, sir, this was a very good deal." Eder extended his hand to his boss, but Salvatore left it hanging in the air.
"Get out!" Salvatore spat, furious. Eder left the office without saying another word.
A single tear slid down Victoria’s cheek. She stared directly into the eyes of her husband’s boss. Salvatore was slowly approaching her, and Victoria noticed the gun tucked to his waist. She felt she was being dragged into hell, and it chilled her to the bone. Still, she tried to lift her head, clenched her fists, and looked at him with contempt.
She wiped the tear from her cheek and shouted, furious:
"I’m leaving too!! I have no reason to be here!"
Salvatore remained silent, scanning her from head to toe. His expression shifted, growing darker.
"You're not going anywhere, Victoria. You're staying with me until my child is born."
"What? Are you serious? " Victoria shook her head. "Your son? This was a plan between you and that bastard to get me pregnant! I will never have that baby! You can't force me to stay here with you. "
Salvatore rolled his eyes and shrugged, as if it were nothing.
"Of course I can force you, Victoria. Don’t challenge me, " he snapped, his voice firm, almost growling. He looked at her with desire, he couldn’t stop thinking about the way her body had been devoured by him that night without restraint. Perhaps she wouldn't just be the mother of his child; perhaps she would become his obedient little doll, one who could satisfy all his desires, just as she had the last time.
Victoria swallowed hard. And though she felt she might collapse under the weight of knowing she was possibly defying the devil himself, she didn’t lower her guard. Deep down, she couldn’t ignore the way he looked at her, those intense eyes, those large hands, and that mouth. How she wished she didn’t remember the moment his lips consumed her breasts. And yet, he was nothing more than a violent, despicable man.
She shook her head, driving away those stupid thoughts, and once again, with arrogant defiance, she stared him down.
"Well, I’m not having this child. I’m going to have an abortion. I won’t bring a mafioso’s child into this world. I’m not afraid of you, no matter how many weapons you have. " She clenched her fists and held his gaze.
Salvatore furrowed his brow and shook his head. No woman had ever rejected him before.
"Please, let’s not make this harder than it already is. Your husband’s surprise was enough. Now, you must pay for his mistake.”
"I don’t care what you say. I’m leaving! "
Determined, Victoria turned toward the door, but she had barely taken a step when Salvatore grabbed her arm, squeezing it slightly, forcing her to turn until she was fully facing him.
The contact was direct. Intense. They were so close they could barely distinguish each other’s breath.
In that brief instant, Salvatore remembered the night he spent with her and how much he had enjoyed her skin. Though she resisted his touch, he felt an almost unbearable need to feel her again. Without hesitation, with her so close, he slid his hand to her cheek and caressed it with desire.
Victoria shivered instantly. That touch felt familiar.
Salvatore couldn’t bear the overwhelming urge to taste her lips again. He moved in closer and, unable to contain himself, crashed his mouth against her.
He held her face and began kissing her with passion.
Victoria closed her eyes and, for a moment, returned the kiss. A scorching heat swept through her body, forcing a gasp from her lips. That kiss… she was enjoying it.
However, …
"You damn bastard! " Victoria abruptly pulled away, shoving Salvatore hard enough to make him stumble. "Don’t touch me! You’re a fucking rapist! Idiot! Moron! I’m getting out of here. I’m getting an abortion immediately.”
Again, Victoria turned on her heel, heading for the door, but Salvatore caught her again—this time gripping her arm with more force.
"Are you sure? I’d say you were enjoying it."
"Ow!" Victoria cried out, and he looked at her with fury.
"Victoria…" Salvatore gritted his teeth. "You can’t escape me, especially not with my child in your womb. Goddamn it, you don’t have a choice! I told you, don’t make this harder."
She tried to free herself from his grip, but it was impossible. Slowly, Salvatore released her, and she rubbed her arm. It wasn’t that he had squeezed too hard… but she was beginning to feel genuine fear of him.
Without taking his eyes off Victoria, Salvatore pulled out his phone and dialed his most trusted man.
"Giordano, take this woman where we discussed."
Victoria’s eyes widened, confused.
Two seconds later, three men entered the room.
Salvatore placed the same dark hood over her head that she had worn when she arrived with Eder, and together, they dragged her out by force.
"No! Let me go! Where are you taking me? This is kidnapping, I’m going to report it! No, wait!"
***
A couple of hours later, they reached their destination.
Jordano pulled Victoria out of the car and removed her hood. They had arrived at a grand mansion in the middle of nowhere, but instead of heading toward the main entrance, they went to a small room behind the building.
One of the men unlocked the padlock, and Jordano shoved her inside. Then he untied her hands and shut the door behind her.
When Victoria found herself in that gloomy and cold place, she began to cry in despair.
"Get me out of here! I want to leave! Let me out!"
She didn’t even know how long she screamed, but of course, no one came to her aid.
Eventually, exhaustion overtook her, and she fell asleep on the cold floor of the room. When she woke up in the middle of the night, shivering from the cold, she searched for the bed at the far end and lay down on it.
Unexpectedly, that bed was steeped in the scent of that demon, which made her body tremble.
At that moment, the memories of the night she conceived her child invaded her mind, and her body shuddered. She couldn’t clearly recall Salvatore’s face, but she could remember how he had made her feel, and the passion of that encounter.
She brought her index finger to her lips and closed her eyes, evoking the kiss he had given her in the office. Her heart pounded fiercely.
She shook her head, trying to dispel those thoughts, but no matter how hard she tried, the image of Salvatore and the sensation of that kiss wouldn’t stop haunting her.
Had she… liked it?