Bound To The Syndicate

Chapter 4: Time is up!

DALIA

The words hung in the air between us.

A marriage?

If he was the last man on earth, I would rather die single than marry a monster like him. The whispers I had heard about him were more dreadful than robbing a bank and getting jailed for it.

His expression was calm, yet his face was colder than ice. He returned to his seat and sat like the king everyone had always called him. He didn't need to threaten me, the silence he kept did that for him.

“Why should I get married to you?” The words escaped my lips before I could take them back.

Something shifted in his expression, and my knees went weak. I hated showing my weak side to anyone, and I wasn't about to give him a chance to get to me.

“You are not allowed to say no.” His cold baritone echoed through the room, and I flinched again.

Oh hell!

I would never get used to that voice. It could weaken your bones and crumple you before you figured out what was happening. How could one man carry so much menace without lifting a finger?

Roman Vescari!

His name echoed repeatedly in my head.

I scoffed. “If you are really interested in getting married, why not marry someone else? I'm not interested in marrying someone like you!”

Roman's expression didn't change. He took out his phone, sent a text, and slipped it back into his pocket, as unhurried as a man ordering dinner.

The door opened immediately, and three men walked in, one was dressed in a sharp black suit, the man who had brought me in, and an unfamiliar face. None of them smiled.

Click!

One of them c****d his gun, and my heart slammed so violently I could hear it in my ears. Every instinct told me to move, but my feet stayed glued to the floor.

The man in the suit dropped a briefcase on the table and opened it. Through it all, Roman didn't move a muscle. He didn't need to bring the building down because his men were enough to do the job.

The sight of the gun made me sit upright. Whatever this was, I needed to get through it.

“Miss Marlowe, here is the marriage proposal for you to take a look at.” The man in the suit pushed another file toward me.

Oh, he was the lawyer.

Then what was in the first file?

I glanced at Roman. He was composed, but the weight of his stare settled on me like a hand on my throat, and I shivered before I picked up the file.

Only one page?

I read through it, and it was simply marriage vows.

I dropped it, unwilling to accept such ridiculous terms. “What do I stand to gain?”

The lawyer glanced at Roman Vescari before clearing his throat. “Your debt would be cleared. Once you sign the papers, you are now his legal wife. You are to attend every occasion with him, supposedly a partner is required. You.....”

“What if I say no?” I asked.

The silence that followed was thick enough to choke on.

Why would I marry a stranger just because he was willing to clear my debt? He wasn't just a stranger. He was a man capable of ending my life the moment I stopped being useful.

What would happen to my career? To the life I had envisioned for myself? What would I tell Adrian?

Roman stood, and the air seemed to shrink with him. He closed the gap between us in two strides, gripped my right arm tightly until I thought my bones would c***k. He leaned down until I could feel his breath against my ear, his eyes dark and patient, like a predator that already knew how this would end.

“You have until sunrise to decide, Dalia.”

He released me so abruptly that I crashed back into the chair. He turned and left with his men, as though the matter was already settled.

I could still feel the ghost of his grip. I sat there, staring at the file, realizing the real cage had only just closed.

Shortly, I was led outside and driven back in the car I came in, his words echoing in my head all the way.

The car halted in front of my father's house, and I didn't notice until they called my attention.

“Miss, we have arrived.”

I flinched, looking around like a lost goat.

Wait...

They knew the house?

The thought of being watched made every hair on my body rise.

I stepped out of the car and dashed inside without looking back, shutting the door tight.

The loan!

Before my thoughts could take over, I split the money and settled part of the loan. I exhaled at the balance. I still had a lot to cover, but I was too exhausted to think, so I went straight to my room and crashed onto the bed.

The next morning, the doorbell jolted me awake.

It was already 11 p.m., and the bell kept ringing non-stop, forcing me out of my room. I opened the door to three polished men in suits.

Who were they?

“Hello, Miss Marlowe, we are from Firstcity Bank. This house was used by the late Nicholas Marlowe as the outstanding property to be sealed away until the loan has been repaid. We would like you to cooperate with us.”

I froze. I had known the house would be sealed, but I had hoped paying part of the money would buy me an extension, but I was wrong.

“Please, I promise to pay back the loan, I have been working tirelessly to raise the money. Please, have.....”

Another man cut me off. “Please! You have to cooperate with us.”

My shoulders sagged, and tears welled in my eyes. I would have nowhere to go if they sealed the house. I kept pleading, but they wouldn't listen.

“Can I at least change into something else?”

“I'm afraid I can't let you do that.”

For a desperate second, I almost considered the marriage, but I shook my head. Not in this life or the next.

I was led out of my own house while they sealed the entire building with a giant padlock.

That was it!

I was now a homeless orphan.

The tears I had been fighting back since I returned rolled down my cheeks. I sat on the pavement outside, and let them flow freely. I had tried everything I could to prevent this, but it seemed beyond my power.

Just when I thought I could have a moment, three cars pulled up in front of me. Roman Vescari's men stepped out and surrounded me before I could think of running.

The door to another car was pulled open, and Roman stepped down like the street belonged to him, dressed in a black silk shirt with the first three buttons undone and black tailored trousers. Sunglasses hid his eyes, but I could feel them on me, and the whole street seemed to hold its breath.

“Time is up, baby girl.”

His voice slid over me, and my legs trembled.