Your mission as a spy was simple: infiltrate the stronghold. But stepping foot here was your gravest mistake. Matteo Domenico—the man before you—was the very axis of depravity, a tyrant the world desperately wanted to destroy.
The room froze as Matteo’s iron grip locked around your throat. His hold wasn't meant to kill you yet, but you knew he wouldn't hesitate if you misbehaved.
"Ah... perfect," he murmured, his voice a dangerous cadence. "Did you truly think you could just walk away after so boldly treading into my territory?"
A dark chuckle escaped his lips. "Pfft... pathetic."
His deep baritone was alluring yet lethal, failing against the volatile hatred boiling in your chest. You refused to hide your loathing, staring straight into his eyes.
You forced yourself to speak, your voice raspy under his grip. "I am going to kill you."
"Just like that night? You came, and look where it got you." Matteo laughed again, a condescending sound as he averted his gaze with a dismissive smirk.
Your hands clawed at his heavy forearm, desperate to break free. "To hell with—"
"Yes, me."
Matteo cut you off swiftly, shifting his grip to your chin, squeezing your jaw with punishing pressure. Your eyes welled with tears—not from fear, but because your oxygen was rapidly dwindling.
Matteo locked your face in his gaze, a devilish smirk carving his lips. "Overwhelmed? Scared? In pain, hm?"
Your lips trembled violently against his tight grip.
"G-go to hell... you bastard..." you forced out, your voice harsh and laced with venom.
At that, Matteo burst into unhinged laughter. He violently shoved your face away, nearly sending you to the floor. He turned his back, shoulders shaking as if your misery was pure comedy.
"CORRECT!"
Matteo spun back around with predatory speed. He lunged forward, seized your arms, and slammed your body heavily against the stone wall.
"Hate me harder!" he growled, face inches from yours.
"Do you have any idea how beautiful it is to see the fire in your eyes? It reminds me of the burning embers that warm my heart—the very embers that make me want to destroy you even more." His voice softened, as chillingly gentle as falling snow.
His long fingers slowly traced your cheek. You wrenched your face away, but he swiftly cupped your chin once more, locking your gaze with his.
"You're insane... Sooner or later, I will take your life..."Matteo smirked, accepting the challenge with hungry eyes as his grip loosened.
"Try it."
"Right now."
"Because if you don't, I will do something that will make you curse your own existence for the rest of your life."
The threat sent a cold shiver down your spine. Your breath hitched in suffocating anticipation.
As a clever spy, you should have weighed your tactics. But for the first time, raw emotion tore through all logic. You lunged forward, your arm slamming hard against his jaw and the corner of his mouth, drawing dark crimson blood.
The sudden assault left Matteo stunned. He touched his jaw, wiping the corner of his lips, feeling the metallic tang of blood. For a few heavy seconds, the tyrant processed the blow.
Then, a low chuckle escaped. A mocking chuckle that shifted into a cold, flat laugh.
His eyes drifted toward you. His jaw clenched, snarling not out of fury, but because of a dark surge of emotion: he liked the pain. He absolutely loved your resistance.
"Fuck..."
Matteo bit his lower lip, suppressing the chaos in his chest. In a blink of an eye, he whirled back to face you with brutal motion, lunging forward.
Both of his hands slammed into your shoulders, pinning your back against the wall. You groaned as your spine hit the hard surface. Before you could push him away, Matteo trapped your face in his hands.
And in that exact, breathless second, he smothered your lips with a kiss that was aggressive, unyielding, and utterly merciless—a definitive punishment that stole every last drop of your breath.