The stupid door to the room was locked and no one had come to check on me since they tossed me in here last night. While the bedroom was nice and clean, it felt more like a hotel room than a personal room. No one had stopped by to give me any food, so I woke up this morning starving. Thankfully, there was a bathroom so I had been drinking water from the faucet.

A quiet knock on the door snapped me out of my thoughts. "Hello?" I called out, my voice cracking slightly from the lack of use.

The door cracked open and a beautiful woman with black hair and green eyes poked her head in. "Good morning." She smiled, pushing the door open further and stepping inside. "I'm Diana. Stefano sent me to welcome you and show you around. How are you feeling?"

I studied her face for a moment. She seemed kind and her smile showed nothing but concern, but I kept my guard up. I didn't know who I could and couldn't trust here. I was also exhausted from everything that had happened in the last few days and I didn't feel like talking to anyone.

"I'll step out for a moment so you can get dressed before we start." She said after I didn't answer.

"Right now?" I asked, perplexed. That man expected me to start working for him right away?

She gave me a sympathetic smile. "I promise it's not as bad here as you think it is. This will be your room while you stay here and the clothes in the closet are for you. I'll be right outside the door, just come out when you're ready." With that being said, Diana gave me one last smile and stepped out of the room.

While I didn't believe her about it not being bad around here, I decided that I liked her. She seemed like a nice person and she was the only one who'd made any attempt at being kind to me here. With a sigh, I decided to just do as she said. Throwing open the closet door, I was surprised that it's huge. All of the shelves were empty except for one and I foundd myself annoyed that the clothes on the shelf is all in the correct sizes. From my shirt size to my bra cup, everything was eerily accurate and I found myself wondering how these people knew so much about me.

I mean, sure, it was their thing to dig up dirt about people and to know as much about them as possible once they were one their radar, but I'd barely been involved with the mafia for a week. It dawned on me then that they probably sent someone to my apartment. The invasion of privacy was starting to piss me off. I quickly pulled on the only option I had: a loose white button up and a black skirt that felt uncomfortably revealing.

I tugged at the hem of the skirt as I finally opened the door to join Diana in the hallway. She looked me up and down, here eyes lingering at my blouse. "Tuck the blouse in, it looks better that way."

I tucked it in and realized that my outfit was identical to hers. They had put me in a god damn uniform. "So is this the only thing I'll be wearing for the rest pf my life?" I asked bitterly.

Diana smiled and we started down the hallway. "No, you'll get more clothes added to your closet eventually. If you catch anyone's eyes, you'll start getting gifts and stuff. These men love to spend their money on you if you give them just enough attention. It's kind of like a game."

For the first time, I returned her smile. "Thanks."

"For what?"

"For being nice to me. Everyone else here is so..." I trailed off, trying to find the right word.

Diana laughed. "I promise most of the men aren't that bad. There are some really funny and cool people here. You probably have that impression because you've only seen the way they interact around Stefano."

"Yeah, well Stefano needs to take the stick out of his ass." I grumbled.

Diana and I talked more as she showed me around the house and I decided that I wouldn't mind having her as a friend. She was funny and seemed to know her way around this life and how to get what she wanted.

As we walked, it was also impossible to overlook the beauty of the Colombo Family estate. Every room was intricately decorated and it felt more like a castle than a house. She showed me  some of the main rooms like the living room where I had attacked Stefano, the dining room which was big enough to seat twenty people comfortably, and the kitchen.

"You're actually going to be working in the kitchen. Because you were a waitress, he has you doing dishes to start and serving when they have events and important dinners." Diana moved on to another room and I followed.

"This is where a lot of the important business happens. When you're working, all you have to do is look pretty and keep the drinks coming. If the men are happy, Stefano is happy and if Stefano is happy, then you're safe." Diana explained.

The room we were standing in was large and there were two pool tables in the back, a poker table and a few lounge chairs around coffee tables. The floor was dark hard wood floors, the walls were painted a dark red, and lighting was dim completely contrasting the rest of the estate I'd just seen.

Diana tugged me towards the bar against one of the dark painted walls. "All the liquor is kept here, the glasses are over there and towels and a sink right back there. Don't ever drink the alcohol, that'll get you shot."

I couldn't tell if she was joking or not, so I nodded along. Just as Diana and I were leaving the room, Stefano walked in. Immediately I felt my pulse increase.

"Diana, I trust you've been accommodating?"

"I've already given her the tour and briefed her on what she is expected to do." She nodded.

"Good, now leave us." He dismissed her.

Diana immediately ruhed off towards the direction of what I thought was the kitchen. That left me alone with Stefano. I stayed quiet, terrified of what he wanted from me this time.

"Come, I'll walk you back to your room. You don't start working until tomorrow." The way his eyes lingered on my hips before he turned and started down the hall made me burn all over.

Afraid of what would happen if I didn't I quickly followed after him and up the stairs. "How are you liking your stay so far?" He asked and he opened the door to my room.

I bit my tongue to keep myself from going off on him. He said stay as if I was here willingly. This wasn't a resort, this was my personal prison.

"No snarky comment?" I hated the smug expression on his face.

I just shook her head.

"All of my women wear a uniform, but if you want more clothes-" he started, but I cut him off with a snort, no longer able to hold my tongue.

"Your women? What is this, some type of prostitution ring? You don't own people!" I burst put, unable to help myself.

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Don't I, though?" He asked mockingly. "After all, I own you."

"You're sick." I spat.

Stefano shrugged and slowly closed the distance between us. I threw my arms up in defense, but he only grabbed my wrists in response. Terrified, I complied as he backed me up until my legs hit the bed behind me.

"Lay back." He whispered, his voice deep and seductive.

I  quivered as he pushed me backwards onto the bed, his body hovering over mine. My heart was racing and I couldn't tell if it was out of fear or excitement. My mind instantly wandered to the other night when I'd stabbed him. Right before that we had been... I silently cursed my body for betraying me.

Stefano bent his head and left a trail of open-mouthed kisses up and down my neck. I sighed softly as he sucked and nipped expertly at the skin below my jawline. I forced myself to hold back a moan because I refused to give him the satisfaction.

He released my wrists and his hands trailed the curves of my body, pausing at my hips before travelling back up. His hands stopped dangerously close to my breasts and I wanted nothing more than to feel his skin against mine. I couldn't resist the temptation any longer and my hands flew up and entangled themselves in his hair.

As soon as I did, he pulled away, leaving me panting on the bed. "I own you, Alaya Pierce. Don't you ever forget that." He gave me one last look before walking out the door.

The moment the door clicked shut, I felt my eyes burn with unshed tears. I was embarrassed, angry and upset that I had let him weaken me.  I knew he was dangerous and that I was playing with fire, but I felt helpless to the situation.

I was a shiny new toy that he would play with until I broke. He knew this game better than I did, but I was going to have to learn the rules. The only way I knew I could make it out of here was if I beat him at his own game, so I decided to put on my best poker face and put on the act of my life.

I would paste a fake smile on my lips and serve murderers and criminals glasses of whiskey and wine. I would stop trying to escape for now and focused on learning the habits of the different people here. This game required patience. More patience than I had ever had, but I was determined to win or at least die trying.

I hadn't run away from an abusive place just to get stuck in another. I wasn't going to go out without a fight. I would give Stefano Colombo a run for his money.

That was exactly why, the next morning when someone knocked on my door to let me know I had to be in the kitchen in a half hour, I got up and dressed myself without protest. With ten minutes to spare I walked out of my room which was, surprisingly, unlocked. It only took me a few seconds to realize that I couldn't remember how to get to the kitchen.

"Shit." I cursed under my breath, heading down the stairs. Maybe I could wander around and hopefully I'd get lucky and find it. I was just about to start towards to right when I spotted a familiar face walking down the stairs.

"Hey! It's Luca, right?" I tried not to sound awkward as he looked up at me. I recognized him as one of the men who'd been with Stefano.

"Alaya, how are you?" He asked with an amused smile. I bet he hadn't been expecting me to talk to him. I certainly hadn't planned on it. I was even more surprised at how friendly he seemed right now. The other night, he'd been almost as intimidating as Stefano.

"I'm okay. I'm actually a little lost." I admitted.

His amused smile only grew. "Where are you trying to go?"

"The kitchen. I wash dishes now!" I said with fake enthusiasm.

Luca chuckled. "Come on, I'll take you. I was actually headed there myself."

The conversation on the way to the kitchen was light and easy and I found myself really liking him. Luca was charming and conversation with him was easy. He even managed to make me laugh. Maybe I had found myself another ally along with Diana in this place.

"From what I've seen, you don't look or act like the other men around here." I said quietly as Luca guided me down the halls. This place was a freaking maze.

Luca gave me an odd look. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, you're nice for starters. And you look young. Really young actually." I shared my observations with him.

He chuckled. "Thanks. Don't tell anyone I'm nice, you'd ruin my reputation. And I guess I am kind of young in comparison to everyone else here, but I'm the same age as Stefano."

I realized I had no idea how old Stefano was. "How old are you?"

"I'm twenty six." He flashed me a grin. "But I don't look a day over twelve."

I laughed, but his words were anything but true. While he did have some boyish features, the man walking next to me was anything but. I was going to say something, but the smile on my face dropped when I spotted Stefano waiting by the kitchen. He looked angry, but he masked it well. I could only tell because of the way his jaw was clenched.

"Thank you." I murmured to Luca when we reached Stefano.

"Luca, you're early." Stefano said, but he didn't take his eyes off of me. "I'll meet you in my office in a few minutes, I need to speak with Alaya."

"Yes, sir." Luca offered me one last smile, leisurely walking back down the direction we came from.

As soon as Luca disappeared from sight, Stefano narrowed his eyes at me. "What was that about?" He leaned back against the wall, almost casually.

"What was what about?" I asked, confused.

"Luca. Did you fuck him?" He asked.

My jaw dropped. "I've barely been here a day! Who the hell do you think you are?" I asked angrily, completely forgetting how terrifying Stefano could be. In my anger, I got up in his face, jabbing a finger at his chest. "You have no right to ask me that and if I had, it wouldn't be any of your business!"

I could've sworn I saw his eye twitch as he straightened up to his full height. "I am the man who decides whether you live or die. I control every aspect of your life, now. I have every right to ask you if you are fucking my men and it most definitely is my business. Now answer my fucking question before I put a bullet in your head." His tone was deadly and his gaze was equally as frightening.

I shook my head. "N-no, I'm not like that. I didn't..." I trailed off, tears threatening to spill from my eyes. I was terrified and my heart was racing in fear.

"Keep it that way. Now go inside and get to work." Without another word, Stefano left, going in the same direction as Luca, leaving me reeling in the hallway. What the hell?

So all week instead of working on chapter six, I wrote chapter nine, ten, eleven and twelve. I realized today this chapter was only half done. Oops. Sorry if it's a little rough, I didn't have time to review it. I only got two and a half hours of sleep last night and I'm exhausted.

hahaha college :D

Don't forget to vote if you liked this and please comment and let me know what you think!

-Emma🎶