Chapter 2: The Deal
1864 Words
A pounding headache greeted me as I stirred, groaning. "Ugggg, my head hurts."
I tried to sit up—BAM!
"Ow! What the hell?" I gasped, clutching my forehead. I blinked through the stinging pain, trying to get my bearings.
The space was cramped, cold, and smelled like metal. My fingers brushed against iron bars. Wait… bars?
Panic surged through me as I scrambled backward, but there was barely any room to move. Oh my God. I was in a freaking dog cage.
My breath came in fast, uneven bursts as I gripped the bars and shook them with all my strength. It didn't budge, i was damm trapped.
I tried to think, tried to piece together how I got here. And then, it hit me like a freight train. The phone call, My father’s voice and footsteps. The hand clamping over my mouth, The needle.
Oh, s**t. I was kidnapped. Terror kicked in. As I rattled the cage harder, the metal vibrated under my frantic grip.
"Is anyone there? Let me out! Please, someone help!" My voice echoed, growing hoarse, but I didn’t care.
"HELLO—"
The door creaked open, I froze.
A figure stepped into the dimly lit room, moving with slow and deliberate strides. My breath caught. It was too dark to see his face, but his presence suffocated the air itself.
I squinted, struggling to make out his features. Then, he took another step forward. And my brain short-circuited.
Damn, he was hot.
Not just any kind of hot, the "dangerous, untouchable, ruin your life and you’d thank him for it" kind of hot.
My stomach did an annoying, unwelcome flip. But just as quickly, my mind rebooted.
Because this wasn’t just any man, This was Alessino De Luca. Mafia king, The Executioner.
The "handsome walking devil" every girl at my university whispered about.
I swallowed hard, his cold, emotionless gaze pinning me in place.
"Where is your father?" I blinked. "Huh?"
His stare sharpened and my body instinctively tensed up. Oh, he’s serious.
I forced myself to focus, to push past the fear twisting in my gut. My father?
I haven’t seen or heard from him in five years, until that call last night.
And now I was locked in a cage because of him as it turned out. Unbelievable.
I cleared my throat. "I… I don’t know where he is. I swear. I haven’t seen him in five years. The call I got last night didn’t even last a minute."
He was silent, his expression didn’t change, but the air around him darkened.
My stomach sank. He doesn’t believe me.
Then, he pulled out a gun. And pointed it right at my head. My entire body locked up.
"Will you start talking now," he mused, tilting the gun just slightly, "or should I mistakenly pull the trigger?"
Oh, hell no. I shot up so fast, I almost hit my head again. "Wait, wait, wait! Please! Believe me, I really don’t know where my father is!"
He didn't say anything, I swallowed the lump in my throat, scrambling to think of something, anything that would make him believe me.
"I swear on my life, if I’m lying, let lightning strike me right now."
Just as I finished speaking, a deafening clap of thunder rattled the walls. I nearly jumped out of my skin.
Alessino raised an eyebrow.
I let out a nervous laugh. "Uh… okay, that was terrible timing. But look! I’m still here. Not struck down. That means I’m telling the truth, right?"
He was silent. Then the gun lowered. I almost collapsed in relief. Until—he raised it again.
"Since you don’t know where your father is, you’re of no use to me," he said smoothly, a smirk playing on his lips. "Keeping you alive is a waste. It’s much better to end you now."
My blood ran cold. Excuse me?
I gaped at him. Was this man seriously about to kill me with no hesitation? I wasn't ready to die yet, I'm still too young for that and so I did the only thing I could even though I knew I was being too playful, but hey this is how I deal with bad situations like this.
Who knows, the kidnapper might think me too funny and decide to let me go. Okay, I know stupid reason but I can't just break down crying here. I might be killed faster that way.
I dropped to my knees, hands clasped dramatically.
"Oh great, powerful, handsome master, please don’t kill me! I’m too young to die! I have so much to live for, food, Netflix, and annoying my best friend!"
He blinked, unimpressed, I switched strategies.
"Okay, okay, but seriously, keeping me alive is smarter than killing me! If my father already reached out once, he might again. I have a better chance at finding him than you do!"
That got his attention and I saw it, the briefest flicker of hesitation and i latched onto it like a lifeline.
"If you just give me some time, I’ll come up with a way to lure him out."
A beat of silence. Then his smirk returned. "If you could do that, would you have been searching for him for five years?"
Damn. That stung. But I was not about to die today.
"That’s because I had no resources! But with you, it’s different."
Another silence then, finally he sighed.
"You have until tomorrow."
And just like that, he turned and walked out.
I collapsed backward against the cage, my chest heaving. Damn. That was close.
I glared at the bars, giving it a kick. "Even you are bullying me. Why does everyone want to ruin my life?"
The door creaked open again, I startled, eyes wide as a guard stepped inside.
He stared at me. …Right. I probably looked insane, yelling at a cage.
He opened the cage and told me to follow him. I scrambled up, dusting myself off. I trailed behind him through the long hallway.
I tried to admire the architecture, but a second later, the guard stopped abruptly.
I walked straight into his back. My nose crashing into solid muscle.
"Ow!" I staggered back, clutching my face. "Damn, are you made of bricks?"
He gave me an empty look, then simply opened the door. "Get inside."
I stepped into the room, my eyes widening in shock.
It was gorgeous, like something out of a luxury magazine. My gaze landed on the closet, yanking it open, I gasped. Dresses, Dozens of them. Expensive, designer clothes and they looked absolutely stunning.
"Holy crap, who owns all of these?"
"Well… she won’t mind if I borrow one, right?"
And with that, I went straight for a bath.
The warm water cascaded down my body, washing away the grime, the fear, the lingering traces of last night’s chaos. For a moment, I let myself relax, soaking in the steam, pretending I wasn’t locked away in a mafia mansion, waiting for my possible execution.
By the time I finally stepped out, wrapped snugly in a towel, my muscles felt loose, my mind a little clearer.
But the second I turned toward the room, my stomach dropped.
I staggered back, clutching my towel tighter.
There, sitting on the plush black leather couch like he owned the place, well, he did. Was Alessino.
Leg crossed, Hands clasped and Eyes on me.
Expression cold as always.
I swallowed hard, heart pounding in my ears. How long had he been sitting there?!
"Is there… something you need, Minister?" My voice came out tight as I pressed myself against the doorframe, my fingers digging into the fabric of my towel.
His gaze flickered over me, just a brief glance, barely lingering. Yet, I felt exposed, vulnerable, like prey under a predator’s stare.
He stood without answering, his movements fluid, controlled. Then, finally, he spoke.
"Don’t get too comfortable. You have until tomorrow morning to give me a solution."
And just like that, he turned and walked out.
The door clicked shut behind him, leaving me glaring at the empty space.
"What a jerk." I huffed, stomping toward the closet. Did he think I was deaf? Did he really come all the way here just to remind me?
I yanked out a dress, muttering under my breath. "Why is he so damn cold? And ugh why does he have to be so stupidly handsome?" I paused, then shook my head aggressively. "No, no. He’s not handsome. He’s ugly. Ugly and evil. A walking ice block."
Throwing on the dress, I flopped onto the bed, my stomach twisting with hunger.
Great. Kidnapped and starving. Could this get any worse?
As if on cue, a knock echoed against the door. Too exhausted to move, I groaned, "Come in…"
The door creaked open, and a maid stepped in, carrying a silver tray. The scent hit me first .
My eyes widened at the sight of the steaming plate as she dropped it down. Pasta. Steak. A side of fresh bread.
Food. Actual, real, non-prison food, I sat up so fast I nearly gave myself whiplash.
Forget gratitude. Forget dignity.
I dove in, barely waiting for the maid to leave before stuffing a forkful into my mouth. Heaven was this delicious.
I moaned, rubbing my belly in satisfaction after inhaling to my satisfaction. Maybe Alessino wasn’t completely heartless after all.
I curled onto the bed, my eyelids growing heavy. I Just needed a short nap. Just enough to clear my head.
---
Hours later, a shift in the air pulled me from sleep.
I stretched, groggy, only to freeze, a presence was there
I turned my head and nearly screamed.
Alessino sat in the same damn chair, his icy gaze fixed on me, unblinking.
I jerked upright, clutching my chest.
"Are you trying to kill me?! Who just sits in the dark watching people sleep?! That’s serial killer behavior!" He is no different from them actually.
He didn’t react. Not a smirk. Not a twitch. Just those cold, unreadable eyes.
"Do you have a plan yet?" His voice was calm..
Damn. This again.
I dragged a hand down my face, groaning. "I thought you gave me until morning!"
He didn’t reply. He didn’t need to. His stare said it all. I exhaled sharply. "Fine. I’ll have something by morning. Happy?"
Still nothing. He stood, moving toward the door. But before leaving, he glanced back.
"You know what happens if you don’t." And with that, he was gone. The second the door closed, I let out a strangled scream into my pillow.
"God, I hate him!"
How the hell was I supposed to come up with a plan by tomorrow morning?!
I tossed and turned, my mind racing all night. I couldn't sleep at all. And then as dawn crept in, I had an answer ready..
A bold.
Reckless.
Insane idea but it was my only hope.
So when Alessino walked in the next morning, his usual cold stare in place, I met his gaze with bloodshot eyes and hair that looked like a zombie attack survivor.
And took a deep breath.And then I said it.
"Let’s get married."
- Writer
