Amanda had just arrived home from work when she heard raised voices coming from inside her house and saw two heavily armed thugs standing outside the door.

The first thing that crossed her mind was that her reckless younger brother had gotten into trouble again. When she entered, the scene she saw left her in panic. Her brother was injured and tied to a chair, being punched by a muscular man, while another elegantly dressed man watched everything from the humble sofa in her living room.

As Amanda was about to run to help her brother, a man she hadn't seen before grabbed her arm, preventing her from reaching him.

"Please, whoever you are, stop! You're going to kill him," Amanda pleaded desperately, tears streaming down her face.

"Whether he lives or dies now depends solely on you, bella ragazza," the man on the sofa said with a deep, authoritative voice that only made Amanda more frightened.

"What do you mean? I don't understand, sir," Amanda responded, feeling relieved that the man had stopped beating her brother at the command of the man who was undoubtedly his boss.

The man stood up and walked towards her. Despite the terrible situation, Amanda couldn't help but notice that he was tall, masculine, and very handsome. She had seen his face plastered across newspapers and famous magazines. It was Vicenzo Salvatore, one of the most powerful and feared mafiosos in all of Italy. He was so powerful that even the authorities dared not interfere with him.

He approached her closely and ordered his henchman to release her, gently caressing Amanda's pale face with his large, strong hands.

"Your brother gave you to me as payment for a massive debt he accumulated in one of my casinos," Vicenzo said.

"You're lying! My brother loves me, he would never do this to me," Amanda said, pulling away from his touch but with tears still rolling down her face because she knew that a gambling addict was capable of anything. But to sell her as an object, that was hard to believe.

Vicenzo smiled a smile that didn't reach his eyes and put both hands in his pockets.

"I hope you listen to me and don't interrupt me again, for your own good, ragazza. Because one thing I don't tolerate is being interrupted when I'm speaking, especially being called a liar by a little girl who still smells of milk," Vicenzo said, clearly angry.

"Anyway, continuing. When your brother said he would give you to me as payment, I, being no fool and wanting to know the merchandise I would be acquiring, went to your workplace at that Thursday nightclub where you work as a waitress, and I saw that you're worth much more than the debt your brother owed me. So, I paid him a more than fair amount for you."

Amanda listened in horror. How could her brother, who promised to take care of her on their mother's deathbed, do something so monstrous to her? With bruises and tears in his eyes, her brother couldn't even look her directly in the eyes, and Amanda could confirm that everything the man was saying was true.

"In fact, I don't even know why I'm wasting my time explaining all this to you. You must know that I'm a very busy man. Without further ado, I will only ask you one question because I'm feeling generous today. Would you prefer to accompany me willingly to your new home, while your brother scum stays alive? Or should I kill your brother right here, right now, and his debt will be paid, and you can carry on with your insignificant life as usual? So, what do you prefer?" Vicenzo said, finishing his speech and pulling out a golden pistol from the holster in his jacket, holding it close to her brother's head, causing him to close his eyes in fear and beg for mercy.

In that instant, Amanda went to her brother and hugged him, crying.

"Alex, I should hate you for what you've done to me and the miserable life you've condemned me to, but I can't," Amanda said, sobbing, now kneeling in front of her brother, gently caressing his injured face.

"But despite everything, I understand that he did it out of desperation. I just don't know if I will be able to forgive him one day," Amanda continued, very sad and hurt.

"I hate to interrupt the Mexican drama. But as I said, I am an extremely busy man, so are you coming or not, ragazza?" Vicenzo asked, without any compassion, observing the two siblings crying. Alex, full of regret and guilt, and Amanda, whose life was destroyed by her brother's gambling addiction.

"Yes, sir, I will go with you wherever you want, as long as you leave my brother alone and forget that he exists," Amanda said, standing up and wiping the tears from her eyes.

Instantly, Vicenzo holstered his gun and stood very close to her.

"As far as I recall, I didn't say you could impose any conditions. I just asked if you will come with me and keep your brother alive or not?" Vicenzo said, angry, crossing his arms in front of him. But this did not intimidate her; she wanted to make sure he would leave her brother in peace.

"And what guarantee do I have that you won't come back here or send one of your thugs to kill him?" Amanda said, raising her head, looking him straight in the eyes.

This was outrageous; Vicenzo had personally destroyed one by one of his enemies for much less. How dare that brat, smelling like milk, doubt his word.

With a quick movement that caught Amanda off guard, he grabbed her by her long brown hair, threw her onto the couch, and straddled her.

"Listen here, little girl, enough with the games. Are you listening to me?" Vicenzo shouted at Amanda, very close to her face, now holding her wrists on either side of her head with an iron grip.

"Never doubt the word of a capo again, do you understand?" Vicenzo shouted, furious. But soon, the fury in his eyes was replaced by another feeling that Amanda could identify as lust, just like the men at the "club" she worked at always looked at her, especially when she wore the ridiculous schoolgirl costume that the owner forced her to wear to attract the crowd.

Amanda also felt something burning inside her, something she had never felt for any man before, and this feeling only intensified when he slowly scanned her body with his beautiful brown eyes, full of desire.

Vicenzo also didn't understand how he found himself in that exact moment with an erection as hard as a rock because of that insolent little girl who, due to the age difference, was nothing more than a little girl to him, despite being 36 years old.

In that instant, he got off her and thanked God for wearing a coat, so neither Amanda nor the other men present in the room could see his violent erection just from approaching and smelling the rose perfume of that insolent girl.

Amanda remained seated, rubbing her delicate wrists that he had pinned against the couch with his hands.

"Have you not answered yet? Are we clear?" Vicenzo asked, motioning for them to untie her brother.

"Yes," Amanda replied, getting up from the couch and approaching her brother again.

"Alex? I'm leaving, aren't you going to say anything?" Amanda asked, very desolate.

At that moment, her brother caressed her face and spoke.

"Well, what can I say? I am scum, as Mr. Vicenzo said. Only scum would do what I did to their own sister. But if that serves to at least console you, I regretted it and was going to run away with you, far away, with the money he gave me. That's why I asked you to pack our bags. I didn't know there were men watching us the whole time,"Alex said, tears in his eyes."

"Well, I think you've said your goodbyes to your little brother. Come with me," Vicenzo said, already impatient, grabbing her by the arm and practically dragging her out of the house.

As soon as they reached the car, Amanda heard a gunshot. Her heart freezes immediately.

"Alex!" Amanda shouts in desperation, trying to run back home, but Vicenzo stops her, holding her firmly in his arms.

Amanda is in shock, as she is certain that her brother has been killed. She doesn't even protest as Vicenzo leads her into the limousine and waits for one of his men to hand him a paper before getting into the seat in front of Amanda, who continues to stare blankly, still in shock.

Suddenly, Amanda snaps out of her lethargic state and lunges at Vicenzo, filled with anger. It didn't matter if it cost her life, she just wanted to end him.

"You murderer! You lying son of a b***h! You said you wouldn't kill him if I came with you\, why did you kill him? I hate you!" she says\, delivering several punches to his chest and attempting to scratch his face like an angry cat.

"You're out of control. I suggest you calm down unless you want me to lose what little patience I have left," he says coldly, effortlessly restraining her with just one hand, holding her wrists above her head against the backrest of the car seat.

"I don't want to calm down, and I want you and your patience to go to hell. I should've known not to believe the words of a criminal," Amanda says, filled with hatred.

"Let me go\, you son of a b***h!" Amanda screams\, writhing\, trying to free herself.

"I've already told you that it's better for you to control yourself. If you insult me again, you'll regret it," Vicenzo shouts, furious.

"And what are you going to do? Kill me too, you miserable murderer?" she challenges, breathing heavily from her efforts to free herself from his grip.

"Kill you? No, I have much more pleasurable plans for you. It would be a waste to put an end to a beautiful little nymph like you without fully enjoying that gorgeous body. And afterwards, if you no longer serve me... who knows?" he says, maliciously running his eyes up and down her body, adorned in a thin summer dress.

"Well, know that you can lay a finger on me only if you kill me, because as long as I have strength, I will fight against you," Amanda says, spitting on his face.

By the fury she saw on his face, Amanda believed that she would soon join her brother, especially when he released her and reached into his jacket, knowing that he had a gun. She even closed her eyes, expecting the sound of a gunshot. But when she didn't hear any noise, she realized he was just wiping his face with a handkerchief.

"Why did you close your eyes? I've already told you that I won't kill you, even though you deserve it for being so defiant. But rest assured, I will make you pay with your body for every offense you've committed against me. I'll use it to pleasure myself in every possible way," he says, wandering his eyes over her body.

"And consider yourself lucky that I'm feeling generous today, because otherwise, I would start right here in this car. Simply because you've just lost your brother, even if he was worthless," he continues, speaking as if he's making a great effort to control his anger.

"The only one who is worthless here is you. My brother did what he did because he was desperate, afraid of dying, but I know he loved me. And do you know what that is? Have you ever loved anyone?" Amanda asks, trying not to notice how handsome that man was, even if he was a murderer.

"I shouldn't answer, but I'll answer your question. Yes, I have loved. I even think she was the only person capable of awakening that feeling in me, and I would never do to her what your pathetic brother did to you.," he says seriously. "Although, in the end, he did a very honorable thing. I believe that if I were in his shoes, I would have taken the same action with my sister," he says thoughtfully.

"What are you talking about?" Amanda asks, confused.

"Before you had your hysterical outburst, I was going to give you this. Your brother called one of my men, asked for his weapon, and instructed him to give it to you. Here," he says, handing her a folded paper.

Amanda took the paper with trembling hands. She unfolded it and began to read.

"Dear Amanda, I know you will never forgive me for what I did because it is truly unforgivable. I only ask that you do not erase the good memories of everything we lived through, neither from your memory nor from your heart. I can no longer live with this weight on my conscience. I begged Vicenzo not to do this when he threatened me, but it was because, deep down, I myself wanted to take the life of the wretch who destroyed your life. In this case, me. I love you, little sister, and always be the brave girl you have always been. I did not challenge Vicenzo because he will not kill you, but he will find a cruel way to punish you. Take care, my little sister. I love you. Signed, Alex."

After reading the entire letter, tears of sadness and pain rolled down Amanda's face again, and when Vicenzo made a move to wipe them away, she dodged him.

"You now know that I keep my word. I really did not kill him nor did I order anyone to kill him. He took his own life," he said, looking at her and seeing that she kept her eyes fixated on the paper.

"But indirectly, you are to blame for his death," she said, looking at him with hatred.

"Oh, really? Can you tell me why?" he asked, intrigued.

"For allowing your henchman to give him the gun," she replied angrily.

"Don't be naive, you know that if he wanted to kill himself, there were many other ways. The gun was just the quickest means he found. In reality, you just want another reason to hate me more," he said, looking into her beautiful brown eyes, now slightly swollen and red from crying.

Deep down, Amanda knew he was right. In any case, if Alex had been contemplating suicide, not having a gun wouldn't have made much of a difference. But she didn't want to admit that to him.

"I don't need reasons to hate you anymore. I have hated you with all my strength ever since you entered my house, destroying my life and dragging me into this rotten and criminal world, like what you're doing now," she said, closing her eyes and leaning against the back of the car.

"Don't forget that this rotten world you're referring to will also be yours, because I will make sure to parade you wherever I go. Not as a woman, girlfriend, or lover, but as my new acquisition," he said, crossing his arms, closing his eyes, and relaxing on the couch.

As soon as the limousine stopped, Amanda knew that she had arrived at the place that would be her captivity because that was how she felt, kidnapped and deprived of her freedom. If she had a choice, she would never have accompanied that criminal. The worst part was that her sacrifice was in vain, as she did it to save her brother's life, and he ended up taking it. She tried to see her surroundings, but it was already getting dark, and she couldn't see anything through the darkened car window.

Amanda looked at Vicenzo and saw that he was peacefully asleep as if nothing had happened, as if he hadn't destroyed her and her brother's lives. Suddenly, it occurred to her that he kept a gun in a holster in his jacket. If she moved as silently as possible, she could grab his weapon and send him to hell. Even though she knew she would be killed by his men afterwards, she didn't care because she would rather die than lose her virginity to an insensitive monster like him, who had made it clear he would use her in every way for his pleasure. Killing him would also avenge her brother's death, as he was indirectly responsible.

Luckily, a friend she had met in school was a police officer's daughter and had taught her how to shoot, saying that one day it might come in handy. And now, it seemed she was right. Before putting her plan into action, she carefully observed the man who would turn her into a killer, as that was what she would become after killing him.

Despite hating him, she had to admit she had never seen a man as handsome as him. With his tanned and bronzed skin, black hair with rebellious streaks falling on his forehead, plump well-shaped lips, and a strong and masculine body that even the suit couldn't hide, his chest and arm muscles were prominent. She couldn't see his eyes, as they were closed, but she remembered them being brown with long lashes that seemed even bigger when shut.

Suddenly, she felt extremely ashamed and guilty for admiring the beauty of a man like him, a Mafia boss, who surely must have taken the lives of many people, often with his own hands.

He suddenly shifted in his seat, and she quickly closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep. But when he seemed to relax again, she opened her eyes and started moving gently towards him. His jacket was open, and she soon spotted the holster with the golden gun. She moved her hands softly towards the weapon and managed to remove it from the holster delicately.

Amanda's heart raced in her chest due to the adrenaline mixed with indecision, with the gun pointed at Vicenzo. At that moment, he opened his eyes and swiftly took the gun from her hands, sitting next to her on the seat, pressing the barrel against her head.

"Do you really think I was asleep?" he whispered in her ear, as he breathed in the scent of roses from her hair.

"I just wanted to know how far your hatred for me would go, and if you had the necessary courage to become a Capo's wife," he said, sliding the gun from the back of her neck down to the side of her small, firm breasts. Amanda was speechless, and her heart seemed to want to escape her chest, not out of fear, but out of another feeling she couldn't quite grasp, as she heard his deep and husky voice in her ear.

Vicenzo smiled and put the gun back in the holster, getting rid of his jacket and being left only in his shirt and suit vest.

"Just answer me one thing before we enter your new home, mia Bella ragazza," he said, mocking her with a smile. "Would you really have the courage to shoot? Even knowing that you would be killed as soon as my men heard the shot?"

"Do not doubt that for a second of your wretched life. And if what you said is true, that you want to make me your wife, know that it will make it even easier for me to end you. I would advise you to sleep with your eyes wide open," she replied, chin raised and pert perfect nose.

"You have no idea how this worries me," he said, smiling mockingly.

At that moment, Vicenzo was certain that he had found the perfect woman to marry and put an end to his father's demands and the Salvatore mafia's members. A Capo had to marry and produce heirs to command respect from everyone involved in this world. Even though she was still very young to assume such a position, he would gradually teach her how to carry herself, both as his wife and outside their bedroom. If it were up to him, he would never get married; he loved his life of parties with high-end prostitutes and champagne, as well as having various mistresses scattered around the world, from models to famous actresses. But in order to no longer hear his father's nagging, he decided to get married.

It was also about time to have a child, and he couldn't have one with a whore or one of his mistresses; it was unacceptable for a Capo to marry his mistress. His bride had to be pure and chaste like Amanda. Well, at least that's what his brother said before offering her to him, claiming that all Amanda had were teenage flings and that she had never been touched by a real man.

And now, looking at that beauty, all he could think about was dragging her into his bedroom and being the first man to possess her, teaching her the pleasures of life.

Just the thought of it gave him a violent erection, but he would contain his libido until they were married because that was the Salvatore code and honor - to only touch the woman who would be his wife when they were officially married.