THE ULTIMATUM
630 Words
Chapter 4
Raina sat on the edge of the leather chair, her heart pounding so hard she felt it in her throat. Luca’s office was quiet, almost too quiet, and the silence pressed on her chest like a weight. She didn’t know what he wanted. She didn’t know why she was still alive. All she knew was that the door had locked behind her, and the world outside felt like it had disappeared.
The doorknob clicked.
Her breath froze.
Luca walked in slowly, the kind of slow that made your stomach twist. He didn’t speak. He just watched her, studying her like she was a problem he needed to solve. His suit was spotless, his dark hair neat, his eyes cold and unreadable.
Raina forced herself to sit straighter. “Why am I here?” she whispered.
Luca walked closer. “Because you saw something you should not have seen.”
Her stomach dropped. She nodded, unable to speak.
He leaned on the desk, arms folded. “That man I killed?” His voice didn’t shake. “He betrayed me. He knew what it meant. You were not meant to know anything.”
“I didn’t want to know anything,” she said quickly. “I just want to go home.”
“You cannot.”
Her heart slammed painfully.
Luca walked around her chair, moving in slow circles like a wolf inspecting prey. “If I let you walk out of this building, there are only two outcomes. You run to the police. Or someone else sees you and kills you before you reach your street.”
Raina swallowed hard. “I won’t tell anyone. I swear.”
He stopped behind her. So close she could feel his presence all over her skin. “Words mean nothing.” His voice lowered. “Only choices matter.”
Raina’s hands clenched the armrest. “What choice?”
Luca moved to face her again. His eyes were unreadable, dangerous, final.
“You have two options.”
Her breath caught.
“Marry me…” he said quietly, “or die.”
The room spun.
“No…” Raina whispered. “You’re not serious.”
“I am.” He stepped closer, his gaze steady. “Marriage protects you. Makes you untouchable. My enemies cannot kill my wife. My men cannot question my decision. You will live under my protection.”
Raina’s heart thundered with fear. “What if I say no?”
He didn’t blink. “Then your body leaves this building in a bag.”
She felt her vision blur with terror. He wasn’t bluffing. There was no argument, no negotiation. Just a cold reality laid in front of her like a blade against her throat.
Luca stepped even closer, his shadow swallowing hers. “I do not tolerate loose ends. You saw me kill a man. That makes you dangerous to me. Marriage is the only way you stay alive.”
Her breath trembled. Her voice broke. “I don’t know you.”
“You will.”
She shook her head. “This is insane.”
“So is the world you stepped into,” he said calmly.
Silence wrapped around them. Heavy. Final.
“Choose, Raina Cole.” His voice was soft but sharp enough to cut. “Life as my wife. Or death as my witness.”
Her heart pounded so loudly she could barely think.
She stared at him. At the danger. At the power. At the man who held her life in his hands like it weighed nothing.
“I…” Her voice cracked under the weight of fear. “I choose…”
The door opened behind Luca. His men entered the room, waiting.
Raina’s breath broke into pieces.
She had no escape.
Only survival.
Only him.
- Writer
