Chapter 3: Bound to the Devil
Chapter 3: Bound to the Devil
The pen felt heavier than it should have, its weight pressing against Evangeline’s fingers like a shackle. The stark black ink gleamed under the office lights, a contract that spelled her doom in elegant, merciless strokes.
Her name was all it would take.
One signature, and she would be his again.
Luca leaned back against his desk, arms crossed, watching her with the sharp gaze of a predator. He didn’t rush her—he didn’t need to. The moment she had walked into his office asking for help, she had already lost.
“Tick-tock, sweetheart,” he murmured, his voice slow, deliberate. “Or do I need to remind you what’s at stake?”
Evangeline swallowed hard, her throat dry.
He was enjoying this.
She hated him. Hated how smug he looked, how sure he was that she had no choice but to kneel at his feet.
But he wasn’t wrong.
Her father was still missing. She had nothing—no allies, no resources, no power to fight this on her own.
And Luca knew it.
With a slow exhale, she gripped the pen tighter and scrawled her name across the bottom of the contract. The ink dried almost instantly, binding her to the devil she had tried so hard to escape.
Silence settled between them.
Then Luca reached forward, plucking the contract off the desk. He glanced over it briefly before his lips curved into a satisfied smirk.
“Good girl.”
Her nails bit into her palms.
“You’re disgusting.”
He chuckled, the sound low and dangerously amused. “You wound me, Evangeline.”
She forced herself to meet his gaze, masking the war raging inside her. “When do we leave?”
Luca took his time, folding the contract neatly before sliding it into a drawer. “You’re impatient. I like that.”
“Luca,” she snapped, voice taut. “When?”
He tilted his head, studying her. “You really think I’m just going to let you waltz out of here after signing your life away?”
A shiver crept up her spine.
She had made a deal with the devil. And now, the devil wanted his due.
“You’ll stay with me,” he continued smoothly. “Effective immediately.”
Her pulse spiked. “What?”
“You heard me.” He stepped around the desk, closing the distance between them. “You belong to me now, Evangeline. And I take care of what’s mine.”
His voice sent a chill down her spine.
“I’m not yours,” she hissed.
Luca’s smirk was lazy, confident. “Oh, but you are. And you’ll learn to accept it.”
Her hands trembled with the force of her restraint. “I don’t have time for your power plays. My father—”
“Will be handled.”
Luca took another step forward, towering over her. His presence suffocated the air between them.
“And in the meantime,” he murmured, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face, “you’ll be right where you should have been all along—beside me.”
The Drive to His Penthouse
The sleek black car sped through the city streets, the quiet hum of the engine doing nothing to ease the tension in the backseat.
Evangeline sat stiffly beside Luca, arms crossed, refusing to look at him.
This was a mistake.
A terrible, catastrophic mistake.
She should have found another way. Should have fought harder, run farther—anything but this.
Yet, here she was.
Caged again.
Luca exhaled, the scent of his expensive cologne filling the space between them.
“You’re awfully quiet,” he mused, fingers tapping lazily against his thigh.
Evangeline didn’t respond.
He smirked. “What’s wrong, sweetheart? Regretting your choices already?”
She turned to face him, eyes burning with barely contained fury. “I regret ever loving you.”
For the first time, his expression hardened.
The amusement in his eyes flickered, replaced by something dangerous.
A charged silence settled between them, thick and suffocating.
Then, in a move so sudden she barely had time to react, Luca reached out—his fingers gripping her chin, forcing her to look at him.
“Careful,” he murmured. “You wouldn’t want me to think you were challenging me.”
She yanked away from his grip. “I’m not afraid of you.”
Luca’s smirk was slow, dark. “You should be.”
The car pulled to a stop in front of a towering penthouse building, the entrance illuminated by golden lights.
“Home sweet home,” Luca drawled, stepping out and holding the door open for her.
Evangeline hesitated.
This wasn’t her home.
It never had been.
But if she wanted to save her father, she had no choice but to walk into the lion’s den once more.
Squaring her shoulders, she stepped out of the car.
The doors closed behind her with a finality that sent a chill through her bones.
Inside Luca’s World
The penthouse was just as she remembered—sleek, modern, and devoid of warmth. Floor-to-ceiling windows showcased the sprawling cityscape, but the real danger was standing beside her.
Luca unbuttoned his suit jacket, tossing it onto a nearby chair before turning to her.
“You’ll stay in the master bedroom.”
She crossed her arms. “I’ll stay in the guest room.”
Luca chuckled. “Not an option.”
Her patience snapped. “You expect me to sleep next to you?”
“I expect you to remember your place.” His voice dropped, smooth yet commanding. “And that place is with me.”
Evangeline’s pulse pounded.
She took a slow step forward, tilting her chin up defiantly. “And if I refuse?”
Luca’s smirk widened.
“Try it,” he challenged, his voice a wicked promise. “See what happens.”
They stood there, locked in a battle neither was willing to lose.
But Evangeline knew one thing.
This war was just beginning.
And she refused to fall again.