Chapter 11 - Marco
I stepped back inside the house, my heart still hammering from the conversation with Alexei outside. The moment the door clicked shut behind me, my mom was there, eyes bright with excitement as she wiped her hands on a dish towel.
“Marco! Come here, come here,” she said, pulling me gently toward the living room.
“Sit down. Really, why didn’t you tell me?
He seems like such a nice young man. You didn’t feel unsafe telling me because he is a guy, did you?
I hope not. Your father and I love you no matter what. You know that, right?”
I shook my head quickly and forced a small smile, trying to look normal even though my stomach was twisting into knots. “It’s not that, Mom. Really. I just… didn’t know how to bring it up.”
She sat down beside me on the couch, taking my hands in hers.
“You should have told me sooner! I could have made something special for dinner. He seems very fond of you. The way he looked at you… ah, young love. It reminds me of when your father and I first started dating.” She laughed softly.
“We want you to be happy too, tesoro. No secrets, okay?”
I nodded. Alexei wasn’t my boyfriend. He was something far more dangerous. But I couldn’t bring myself to shatter her happiness.
“Yeah… no secrets.”
She squeezed my hands, looking genuinely thrilled.
“Well, I’m happy for you. He seems very mature.
You deserve someone who looks at you like that.
Next time he comes over, I’ll make sure your father and Luca are here too.
We can have a proper family dinner. What does he like to eat? I’ll make something special.”
I laughed softly, the sound a little forced. “You don’t have to go to any trouble.”
“Nonsense,” she said, waving her hand. “My son has a boyfriend. This is big news! I want to make it special. You two looked so cute together at the table.”
She beamed and pulled me into a hug.
I hugged her back, closing my eyes for a second. “I love you.”
“I love you too, tesoro. Now go get some rest. You look exhausted.”
I nodded and headed upstairs to my room, closing the door behind me. The moment I was alone, the smile dropped from my face. I sat on the edge of my bed and stared at the wall.
I woke up the next morning to the soft light filtering through my curtains. I lay there for a long time, Alexei’s words from the night before echoing in my head. Don’t make me come find you again.
I hadn’t been there in a while. That was bad.
Really bad. Physical attendance was not required but I was there on scholarship, and if my grades dropped, I would lose it completely.
The thought of explaining that to my parents made me feel sick.
They already worked so hard just to keep us afloat in this small house.
Losing the scholarship would be another burden I couldn’t put on them.
But I had no choice.
A few weeks ago I had picked up a job at a small store. I worked from early morning until almost eight at night, stocking shelves, helping customers, doing whatever they needed. My parents didn’t know. They couldn’t know.
We needed the money. Mom’s treatments were expensive, the hospital visits and medications adding up faster than we could keep up with.
My own medications weren’t cheap either.
I had already skipped three doctor appointments just to avoid adding more bills to the pile.
I could feel myself weakening lately, the dizziness that came out of nowhere, the fatigue that made my limbs feel heavy, the way my body sometimes just…
gave out for a few seconds. It wasn’t a good sign.
But it would be okay. It had to be okay.
I just needed to keep going a little longer.
I decided to ignore Alexei’s threats. I knew it would probably bite me in the ass later.
He wasn’t the type to make empty promises.
But I still needed the money. At least enough for my treatments so my parents wouldn’t have to pay for those on top of everything else.
I couldn’t let them carry more than they already were.
So I got dressed, grabbed my bag, and slipped out of the house before anyone else woke up.
The store was quiet when I arrived. I clocked in, put on my apron, and started the usual morning tasks. The work was mindless, which was good because my mind was anything but.
My arms felt weaker than usual today, but I ignored it. It would get better. It always did eventually.
By the time the afternoon rolled around, the store had gotten busier. I helped customers find items, rang up purchases, and tried to smile through the exhaustion. My boss, an older woman named Mrs. Rivera, noticed me moving a little slower than usual and asked if I was okay.
“I’m fine,” I said, forcing another smile. “Just didn’t sleep great last night. I’ll be alright.”
She nodded but looked a little concerned. “Take it easy today, okay? You work hard. Don’t push yourself too much.”
I nodded and went back to work, but her words stuck with me. I couldn’t afford to slow down. I skipped lunch to keep working, ignoring the way my stomach growled and the dizziness that kept creeping in at the edges of my vision.
My shift had dragged on forever. All I wanted was to walk home, collapse on my bed, and sleep.
But the moment I stepped out onto the sidewalk, I felt it.
That stare. I didn’t even need to look up.
Two feet away, leaning against the sleek black car like he owned the entire street, was Alexei.
Arms crossed, dark eyes fixed on me with that intensity that always made my stomach twist. I took a breath, trying to calm the flutter in my chest, and started walking toward him.
“Why are you here?” I asked, keeping my voice quiet and even. Gentle. The way I always tried to speak to him, even when everything inside me felt tangled.
Alexei’s expression didn’t change at first. Then he pushed off the car, straightening to his full height. “Why weren’t you at the academy today? I thought I made myself perfectly clear yesterday, little star.”
I swallowed, stopping a few steps away. “I never said I would come. You can’t just decide my schedule for me.”
His eyes darkened, that stormy look I was starting to recognize too well. He took one step forward, closing some of the space between us. “Since when do you work? Is this why you’re not attending classes?”
I nodded, tired but honest. “Yes. Now that you know… can you let it be?”
He tilted his head, studying me like I was a puzzle he refused to leave unsolved. “Why are you working at all?”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, rubbing the bridge of my nose instead. “Because not everyone is born with millions sitting in their bank account, Alexei. Some of us need money to help out at home.”
“I can give you money,” he said immediately, like it was the simplest solution in the world.
I sighed, running a hand over my face and then through my curls. They were probably a mess after a full shift, but I didn’t care. “No. Money is earned, Alexei. You can’t just throw it at people like it fixes everything. It doesn’t work that way.”
“You’re not ‘people,’” he replied. “You’re mine.”
“Oh my god,” I muttered, the words slipping out before I could stop them.
My face heated, and I rubbed my hand over my face again, harder this time, then tugged at my curls in frustration.
“Can you let it be? Please? I’ll come back eventually.
I just need a bit more time. That’s all I’m asking for. ”
“Time for what?” he pressed, stepping forward again. His presence felt bigger than the sidewalk, bigger than the whole block.
I stepped back instinctively, keeping distance. “I won’t tell you. It’s personal. Family things. Things I have to figure out on my own.”
He followed. “Personal. Family. You keep drawing these lines like they will keep me out. They won’t. Tell me what is keeping you away.”
I stepped back again, trying to create space, but my foot caught awkwardly on the curb. The world tilted for a second. Exhaustion and the late hour made my balance shaky. I nearly fell, heart lurching.
Alexei moved fast. His hand shot out, catching my arm firmly, then sliding to my waist to steady me. He pulled me upright, eyebrows furrowed in genuine concern as he scanned my face. “Are you dizzy?”
“A bit,” I admitted, breath catching at how close he was now.
“Why?” he asked, not releasing me right away. His thumb brushed lightly against my side, almost absentminded, but I knew better. Nothing with Alexei was absentminded.
I let out a shaky breath. “Because I’m tired.
I’ve been working extra shifts, handling things at home, and you - you keep cornering me like this.
Like an animal you’re trying to tame. You won’t let me breathe.
You show up everywhere, decide everything.
You kept your distance for a year and now you’re all in my space and I’m just… confused.”
My voice had risen without me realizing it, louder than I ever spoke to anyone.
I bit my lip hard, eyes widening as regret hit instantly.
I dropped my gaze to his chest, voice softening back to its usual gentle tone.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell. I’m just…
really exhausted. You have to understand that I can’t drop everything the second you demand it. ”
“You’re sorry,” he murmured as if he was fascinated by those two words. “But you’re not wrong about one thing. I won’t let you breathe if you’re away from me.”
I shook my head, still caught in his grip. He wanted me around to break me. I could feel it. He had stood away for a year to terrorize me and now he was doing what he finally wanted, breaking into my life to end it.
“Come work for me.”
I blinked, trying to process. “What?”
“You need money. I’ll hire you. Problem solved. You get the money you’re so desperate to earn, and I get what I want. More of your time.”
I eyed him warily, searching his face for the trap I knew had to be there. My arms came up instinctively, hugging my chest protectively as if that could shield me from the intensity rolling off him. “Hire me as what, exactly?”
“As whatever I want.”
“Wh… what do you want?” I hugged myself tighter, suddenly hyper-aware of every inch of space between us, and how little there was.
Alexei chuckled. He leaned in closer, his breath brushing my ear. “You think I’m hiring you just to fuck you? Don’t worry, little star. I don’t need to pay you for that. I can spread your legs and bury my cock in you whenever I please.”
My eyes widened, shock ripping through me like ice water. “No you can’t!!!” The words burst out louder than I intended.
He tilted his head, dark eyes gleaming with amusement. “Are you asking for a demonstration right here on the sidewalk?”
“N-nooo,” I stuttered, the flush burning hotter as I shook my head quickly. My arms tightened around my chest, heart racing so fast I was sure he could feel it. “You… you can’t just say things like that. It’s not… we’re not…”
He looked thoroughly entertained now. “Back to the topic, then. Teach me Italian.”
I furrowed my eyebrows, latching onto the change like a lifeline, even as my mind still reeled from his previous words. “Why do you want to learn Italian?”
“Business related,” he replied smoothly, shrugging one shoulder. “You know the language. You’re perfect for it. So… is it a yes?”
“No—” I started, the refusal forming automatically, my gentle nature warring with the need to push back against his control.
Before I could finish, he cut in, voice dropping into that persuasive, commanding timbre that always seemed to wrap around my resolve and squeeze.
“I pay better than that store ever could. Significantly better. And I won’t demand hours that interfere with your classes.
Think about it, Marco. Think about your parents.
Your mother. If they find out their sweet little boy has been skipping to work late shifts instead of focusing on his future…
they won’t like it. They will worry. They will ask questions. Questions you don’t want to answer.”
I froze, staring at him. The protectiveness I felt toward my family surged forward, mixing with frustration. “Are you threatening me?”
“Maybe,” he said. “Or maybe I’m just reminding you of reality. You can’t keep this up forever. You’re exhausted. Say yes. We both win.”
I bit my lip, mind spinning. He was right. God, he was right, and I hated how easily he read me. I couldn’t sustain these shifts much longer without collapsing. My mom had already started noticing how tired I looked. If she found out the truth… it would break her heart.
Alexei’s offer dangled there like a lifeline wrapped in chains. Money without the crushing hours. But at what cost? More time under his gaze. More of this tension. More chances for him to push those dark, explicit boundaries he seemed to delight in testing.
“You twist everything until I have no choice. First you corner me after work, then you threaten my family with the truth. This isn’t fair.”
“Life with me isn’t meant to be fair, little star,” he murmured, leaning in until our foreheads nearly touched. His eyes held mine captive. “Say yes.”
My cheeks stayed blazing.
“I… I do need the money,” I admitted quietly, almost to myself.
Alexei’s smirk softened into something triumphant. “Smart boy. So is it a yes?”
I hesitated one final second, searching his face for any softness, any sign this wouldn’t swallow me whole.
There wasn’t. Only possession. Only him.
He was going to destroy me. I knew he was playing.
He was angry I wasn’t there because he couldn’t feed off my fear.
I was going to die at his hands. But at least maybe the money I would earn would help my parents.
“Y… yes,” I finally whispered. “But only for the Italian lessons. And only if you keep your promises about school and not interfering too much. No more showing up at my house either, please.”
He chuckled again, one hand sliding up to cup the back of my neck gently, possessively. “We’ll negotiate the details later.”
I said yes. There was no taking it back now.