ACCEPTED MAFIA CEO

THE CONTRACT THAT BLEEDS

The Ritz Hotel glittered like a lie.

I stood in front of the mirror in the backseat of Damian’s car, wearing a dress I could never afford in 10 lifetimes.

Blood red. Silk. It clung to me like a second skin and left nothing to imagination.

The driver had called it "appropriate for a fiancée."

My hands were shaking.

"Stop that,a voice said from the front.

The driver. Not Damian. Damian was already inside.

"You look fine. Just don’t talk unless he tells you to.

Great. I was a prop.

The car stopped. Flashes went off immediately.

The door opened and there he was.

Damian Blackwood.

In a black tux. Hair perfect. That winter-ocean stare.

But tonight there was something else. A barely healed cut on his jaw. Covered with makeup, but I saw it.

He offered his arm.

Smile, Aria, he murmured. Only I could hear. "You’re about to be the most hated woman in the city."

I took his arm. The moment we stepped on the red carpet, cameras exploded.

"Mr. Blackwood! Who is she?"

"Is this the new Mrs. Blackwood?"

"Where is Noah?"

Damian didn’t answer. He just squeezed my hand once. A warning. A reassurance.

Inside was worse.

500 people. All rich. All fake. All staring.

"And this," Damian’s voice cut through the noise. He had a microphone now. "Is Aria Hale. My fiancée."

Silence. Then whispers.

I felt like I was going to faint.

A woman in diamonds came up to us. Late 40s. Botox. Rage.

"Damian, darling. What is this?" She looked me up and down like I was trash. A nurse? Really?

Victoria, Damian said, bored. "Meet Aria. Aria, this is Victoria Hale. My late wife’s aunt."

So this was family. Lovely.

"Engaged?" Victoria laughed. Too loud. "To a nobody? After 2 years of mourning Elena? You’re despicable."

My face burned.

Damian’s hand tightened on my waist.

"Watch your tone, he said softly. Dangerously. "Or you can leave."

Victoria huffed and walked away. But not before glaring at me like she wanted to claw my eyes out.

The next hour was hell.

Handshakes. Fake smiles. Questions about the wedding. Questions about Lily.

Damian answered everything. I just nodded.

"Are you okay?" he asked during a lull. We were on a balcony, away from everyone.

"I feel like a fraud," I admitted.

"You are," he said, then saw my face. "But so is everyone in there. Welcome to my world."

He handed me champagne. I didn’t drink it.

"When does this end?

"When we sign the marriage contract in 2 weeks. Then it gets worse."

Worse. Perfect.

My phone buzzed. Unknown number.

_We see you, Aria. Pretty dress. Shame if something happened to your sister._

The glass slipped from my hand. It didn’t break. Damian caught it.

"What is it?"

I showed him. His jaw ticked.

"Inside. Now."

We didn’t say goodbye to anyone. He dragged me through the crowd, out the back exit.

The driver was already there, engine running.

"Drive," Damian ordered.

"Where to?"

"Hospital. And call security. Now."

My blood ran cold. "Lily?"

"She’s fine. For now."

The ride to St. Mary’s was 15 minutes of silence. Damian was on the phone the entire time. Giving orders. Names. Locations.

I didn’t understand half of it. But I heard one word repeated.

"Marco."

At the hospital, 4 guards were already at Lily’s room.

Lily was asleep. Bald from chemo. Small. Peaceful.

An IV in her arm. Monitors beeping.

I broke down. Sitting next to her bed, holding her tiny hand.

"I’m so sorry baby," I whispered. "I’m so sorry."

A hand touched my shoulder.

I flinched.

It was Damian.

"She’s safe," he said. "I put 24/7 security on her. And on you. From now on, you don’t go anywhere without them."

I looked up at him. "Why are you doing this? You don’t even know me."

"I told you. Your father saved me." He pulled a chair and sat. "10 years ago. In a war zone. He was a medic. He pulled a bullet out of my shoulder and told me to live. I owe him."

"So this is guilt?"

"This is a debt," he corrected. "Just like yours."

We sat there until 2 AM. Watching Lily sleep.

Finally, Damian stood.

"We’re going home. My home. Your home now."

The Blackwood Penthouse was on the top 3 floors of Blackwood Tower.

It was... huge. Glass everywhere. Modern. Cold.

And empty.

"This is the guest room," he showed me. "Your clothes will arrive tomorrow. Security is downstairs. You have a keycard. Don’t lose it."

He was about to leave when I stopped him.

"Damian."

He turned.

"Thank you. For Lily."

For a second, the Don mask was gone. Just the man. Tired.

"Get some sleep, Aria."

I barely slept. Every noise made me jump.

At 4:17 AM, it happened.

Glass shattering.

Shouting.

Gunshots.

I was out of bed in 2 seconds. My heart in my mouth.

The door flew open. Not a guard. Damian.

In sweatpants and a white t-shirt. A gun in his hand. Blood on his knuckle.

"Down," he ordered. "Now."

"What’s happening?"

"We’re under attack."

He pulled me to the floor, covering me with his body. More shots. Yelling.

My ears were ringing.

"Damian—"

"Shh." His voice was in my ear. Calm. "I’m here. I’ve got you."

It lasted 3 minutes. Felt like 3 hours.

Then silence.

He rolled off me and stood. Checked his phone.

"Clear."

I was shaking. Violently.

He saw it. And did something I didn’t expect.

He pulled me into a hug.

Not s****l. Not romantic.

Just... grounding.

"Breathe," he said into my hair. "They’re gone."

I nodded against his chest. I could feel his heart racing.

For me.

When I pulled back, I saw it.

Blood. On his arm. A graze.

"You’re hurt."

"It’s nothing." He waved it off. "Happens."

A guard came in. "Sir. 3 men down. 2 escaped. They were Marco’s."

"Good. Double security at the hospital. And at my son’s school."

The guard left.

It was just us again. In the dark. With the smell of gunpowder.

Damian looked at me. Really looked.

"You’re safe," he said. "I promise."

Something in me broke. And mended.

This man. This monster with two faces. He just took a bullet for me.

Sort of.

"I can’t do this," I whispered. "The contract. The lies. The danger—"

"You can," he interrupted. "Because you have to. And because..." He stopped himself.

"Because what?"

"Because I need you to."

The honesty in his voice knocked the air out of me.

He walked to his desk and pulled out the contract. The one I signed.

He flipped to the last page. Blank.

"Addendum," he said. "Clause 10."

He wrote something and handed me the pen.

_In the event of threat to either party, the other will provide protection. No questions asked. A vow._

"A vow?" I asked.

"A vow," he confirmed. "Blood for blood. Life for life."

I stared at him. Then at the paper.

This wasn’t in the contract before.

This was personal.

I signed.

He signed below me. Damian Blackwood.

The moment he did, his phone buzzed.

He looked at it and cursed.

"What?"

"Marco sent a message. He wants to meet. Tomorrow night."

"To do what?"

"To negotiate. Or to kill me." He looked at me. "You’re coming with me."

My stomach dropped. "What? Why?"

"Because you’re my fiancée now. And because if I go alone, I won’t come back."

The weight of it hit me.

I wasn’t just a contract wife anymore.

I was part of this. Part of him.

"BLOOD and VOW," I whispered.

He nodded. "Exactly."

He walked to the door, then paused.

"Get some sleep, Aria. Tomorrow will be worse."

And he left.

Leaving me alone in a penthouse with broken glass, the smell of blood, and a vow that felt a lot like a promise.

Outside, the city was quiet.

But I knew. The war had just started.