Chapter 1: Sign It, or He Dies
Dante Moretti’s voice cut through the room like a blade.
Elena Romano stared at the marriage certificate in front of her, the pen shaking in her fingers. Her heart pounded so loud it drowned out everything else—the quiet hum of the chandelier above, the murmurs of lawyers in the hallway, the muffled sound of her mother sobbing downstairs.
She looked up at him.
Dark suit. Cold eyes. A jaw set like concrete. The infamous Mafia King, the man who struck fear into the hearts of killers—and now, her husband-to-be.
Except it wasn’t real.
Not to her.
Not yet.
"You said this was just business," she whispered.
Dante didn’t blink. "It was. You’re a Romano. Your brother’s actions put both our families at risk. This marriage seals an alliance. You do this, and your family lives."
She stared at the paper again. Her name. His name. The seal of the state.
All fake.
All very, very real.
She signed.
The room stayed silent.
Dante reached out and took the paper, slid it into his briefcase like it meant nothing. He turned to her and said, "From now on, you belong to me. Smile when I say smile. Speak when I say speak. And never, ever disobey me in public.”
Her jaw clenched. "You don’t own me."
He stepped closer. His breath touched her skin.
"Sweetheart, I just bought you with your family’s blood. Don’t test me."
And then he walked out.
Leaving her with a diamond ring, a signed certificate, and the sudden realization that she had just married the devil.
The wedding happened that night.
It was extravagant, cold, and quick. Security everywhere. No smiles. No celebration.
Dante stood beside her like a statue while the priest recited empty vows.
Elena could feel the eyes of the room on her—mobsters, politicians, enemies. Everyone wondered if she was the new queen or the next pawn to be sacrificed.
She looked at Dante as he slid the ring on her finger. His expression was unreadable.
"With this ring, I make you untouchable," he whispered.
She flinched.
The kiss was brief. A formality.
Then it was done.
Elena Romano had become Elena Moretti.
And the world changed overnight.
They left in a black SUV, flanked by bodyguards. The city lights blurred past the tinted windows as they drove toward the Moretti estate.
Dante sat beside her, silent, phone in hand, barking orders in another language.
Elena stared out the window. Her heart still raced. Her palms were damp. Her throat is dry.
She had to get a grip.
This was survival.
She would play the role. She would smile, nod, obey. Until she found a way out.
But then—
Screech.
The car swerved hard.
Gunshots.
A spray of bullets shattered the front windshield. The driver screamed. Blood splattered the dashboard.
"Down!" Dante roared, grabbing Elena and pulling her to the floor.
More bullets. Tires screeching. Then silence.
Dante crawled up, pulled a gun from his ankle holster, and shoved the door open.
"Stay down," he ordered.
Elena heard footsteps outside. Shouting. Two more shots.
Then everything went quiet again.
She peeked out.
Dante stood over the body, his gun still smoking.
He turned back to her. "Get out. Now."
She scrambled from the car. Glass crunched beneath her heels.
"What the hell was that?!"
"A wedding gift," he said, deadpan. From one of our enemies. Probably Carbone. Maybe the Russians. Doesn’t matter. We’re going to kill them all.
She stared at him. Blood on his hands. Smoke in the air.
And realized: This wasn’t a marriage.
This was a war.
➡ Next: Elena learns the true price of marrying into the mafia, and a message arrives that changes everything…
