"Dad, I'm going to miss you." Bella whispered as she stared at the closed casket. Everyone had already left the cemetery hours ago, so she was alone-drenched in her tears.

Soon, she got up from her kneeled position and walked towards her car. As she trudged along the short journey, visuals from her father's death entered her mind. The poor girl was beginning to go a little insane, as she attempted to push the torturing thoughts away.

A dinging came from her phone, which indicated that she had received a text message. Bella's blurry eyes gazed down at the text sent from her mother. She scrunched her brows together at what it stated: I want you to move in with me now.

Bella could clearly remember the last time she had seen her mother. It was something she always tried to avoid thinking about, because her mother was a terrible person, in her eyes. However, although she didn't want to go, she had no other choice. With her being eighteen and still being in school, it wouldn't be easy to become so independent of herself. She still needed an adult's guiding hand to lead her into the life of adulthood.

For the past week, she struggled to pay bills and live all on her own. Bella ran out of money as soon as the water bill was paid-she couldn't even pay the mortgage. Another message popped up onto her screen that revealed an address. She bit down on her bottom lip before she looked back over to her father. She couldn't exactly see him, but knowing he was inside of the casket, ached her heart. Moments after sitting in complete silence, Bella drove off down the road.

It's been an entire decade since she's last seen her mother. The only reason her parents split up was because her mother constantly doped herself up and cheated on her father. After the divorce, Bella's father received full custody of her; he didn't want his daughter's future corrupted. Ever since that day, she has never laid eyes on her again.

When she pulled up to her house, there was a foreclosure sign imprinted on the lawn. Bella quickly got out of her car and sprinted to the front door; she twisted the knob but it was locked.

"What the hell?" Bella whispered very confusedly, because she didn't even get a notice. At least they could've sat her clothes outside, being that was all she wanted to collect from the huge home. She groaned out loud and kicked the door in frustration. She missed her dad; he'd know how to handle this situation and she wished he was here to help her.

Her phone dinged once again and it was another text message from her mother. She made her way back to her car and got inside. Once she was seated, she texted back: I'm on my way.

Bella pushed her key into the ignition and drove down the road. She was still mourning over her father; she couldn't help but to think about him in every moment. Memories clouded her mind and she smiled when she recalled the way he smiled. He cared about her with everything in him and she knew she'd never get that type of love again. That made her even sadder and she started to feel pathetic. She began to laugh as she remembered their arguments from her staying out late or hanging out with the wrong type of people.

After a very long drive, Bella looked down at her phone to make sure she had gotten the correct address. Her jaw dropped the minute she arrived at the nowhere near humble abode. It was a beautiful mansion, the luxury basically slapped her across the face. One thing she immediately loved about it was that it was completely isolated. Trees surrounded the huge place, which blocked any pedestrian from walking passed it.

The sight of a woman running out of the doors and over to Bella's car sort of freighted her. "Bella!" She heard the woman shout as she made it to her car. Bella opened up her car door only to be engulfed in a hug. "I've missed you so much! You've gotten so big!" The woman exclaimed the moment she pulled away from the embrace.

Bella shot an awkward smile at her. "You don't remember me?" The woman asked. As Bella inspected her, she noticed her dark brown hair sprawling down her back in waves, along with her piercing gray eyes that resembled her's.

"My mother, right?" She asked.

The woman nodded her head as a huge smile made its way onto her face. "Come in! I want you to meet my husband." Those words didn't stop the pang she felt in her heart. She could recall how her father wouldn't even come close to even looking at another woman because he was still in love with her mother. It just amazed her how her mother was already happily married and seemed quite sober.

Her mom opened up the front doors and the moment Bella stepped inside, everything screamed wealth. There were maids and guards all around the mansion, which caused her to narrow her eyes suspiciously at everything that came into view. "Who is your husband?" Bella asked while her mother tensed up.

"You will see," was the only thing her mother whispered as she gripped Bella's arm and pulled her towards an office. The walls were a dark red color, almost black, and it blended in well with the marble flooring. As they walked, Bella noticed the maids with their heads tucked down. She also couldn't help but see a bruise on one of their cheeks. The guards each had a gun as they walked around the home.

What the hell is this?

She turned her head back to her mother when she heard a knock against a door.

"Come in." A dark, enchanting voice had called out from behind it. She looked down and watched her mother twist the knob before pushing the door open.

The first feature Bella noticed was a long scar on his eye; it trailed from his eyebrow to his lip. He had black hair on top of his head and eyes that screamed danger. When he looked up, he smiled at his wife before his eyes turned to Bella.

He got up from his seat and pushed the chair into the jet black-colored desk. "Is this the lovely daughter?" He asked as he crossed his arms against his chest. Her mother smiled at him before standing beside him.

"She is. Bella, this is my husband, Angelo Romano." Her mother introduced. Bella looked at him and she could feel herself slightly shivering in fear from his cold gaze. He held his hand out, leaving her to place her small hand into his to shake.

"Nice to meet you. Your mother has spoken so much about you." He told her with a smile gracing his features.

Bella smiled at him before looking around the room awkwardly. She could hear him chuckle causing her eyes to shoot right back to him. "You can stay here for as long as you'd like. I am deeply apologetic for the loss of your father." He empathized.

She began to pick up on his accent. Also at the fact that each word he spoke dripped with every bit of no emotion. Her eyes switched over to her mother to see her smiling. It looked as if she dreamt of the moment her entire life.

"Yeah, me too." Bella told him with the same exact monotone as him. The vibes that went off in the room were just floating around, revealing the emotion none of them were willing to share.

"I can't believe you are really here." Her mother spoke, walking up to Bella to give her another hug. She awkwardly patted her mother's back before backing away from the hug.

"I'll have Valerio show you to your room." Angelo told her as he walked back over behind his desk. In that moment, a man walked into the room. He had blonde hair, blue eyes, and a nice strong jaw. He smiled over at Bella before nodding towards the door. She took that as her que and began walking towards the door. Once she was out, she paused once she heard Angelo's voice.

"She's going to be perfect for him." She heard him mutter. Her eyes unconsciously narrowed as she tried to figure out who he was talking about.

"I told you so." Her mother spoke.

"Let's just hope he enjoys his present."

Bella was so close to knocking down the door but refrained from doing so when Valerio tapped her shoulder. They walked up a flight of stairs and into a huge bedroom. As she inspected the room, she came to the realization that everything was made to her liking.

There was a huge couch in the corner of the room and a big king sized bed situated in the middle. She walked into the closet and saw clothes that were exactly her size. There were even drawers full of expensive jewelry all for her. She couldn't understand how they knew exactly everything about her physique. Everything was absolutely perfect and it only made things more confusing.

"I'll be downstairs if you ever need me." Valerio spoke. She looked over at him, her eyes shedding all of the bemusement she had. He sent her a smile and walked towards the door.

"Wait. I-I-I need to go home. I c-can't stay here." She told him feeling fear lace within her emotions. His eyes softened for a second before they hardened.

"You can't." He told her.

Her eyebrows furrowed in anger. She didn't know what exactly was happening. She dug her hands inside of her pockets to fish her keys, but they were not there.

"What do you mean 'I can't'?" She asked him.

"Once you are here, you can't leave. At least not until our boss comes home." He tells her before walking out of the door. Bella looks around the room and towards the door to see that it was unlocked.

The moment she pulled it open, she regretted it. In front of her was a man; he looked scarier than Angelo. Tattoos littered his skin in every place that was visible except for his face. His blue eyes held darkness and fearlessness. He looked down at Bella with a smirk on his face.

"I-I-I," she tried to speak, but nothing came out as she stared at the man. His suit did a good job at showcasing his jaw-dropping muscles. She was so caught up into his looks that she didn't notice when he pushed the door open even further.

"Bella, right?" He asked. The way he spoke her name was different and it sounded better than when anyone else has said it. His Italian accent was clear and deep, almost arousing. She didn't find him making her panties wet nor did she find herself shivering. Bella was simply scared of everything to come after this day.

"W-Who are you?" She cried out as she tried to move past him. He smirked mischievously, again.

"Vincenzo."