CHAPTER1
1119 Words
Elena Romano had always known that the world she was born into was ruthless. The Romano family was powerful in the Bronx, but power was never enough.
There was always someone bigger, stronger, and more dangerous.
That someone was the Costa family the most feared mafia in New York, led by the cold-blooded and untouchable Lorenzo Costa.
People called him “Il Fantasma,” the Ghost, because he operated in the shadows, striking without warning. His name alone sent fear through the underworld.
But tonight, Elena wasn’t thinking about Lorenzo Costa. She was thinking about her brother, Leo, who sat in front of their father, blood dripping from his right arm where his hand used to be.
Terror gripped Elena’s heart.
“Please, Father, there has to be another way!” she pleaded, her hands shaking.
Her father, Antonio Romano, stared at her, his face emotionless. “There isn’t.”
Leo’s face was pale, his body trembling in pain. He had made a mistake a terrible mistake. Desperate to prove himself,
he had stolen from the Costa family, making a deal with the Albanians behind their backs. He thought he was smart, but he had been tricked. The Costa family found out, and the punishment was death.
“Please…” Elena whispered.
Antonio exhaled heavily. “Lorenzo Costa has offered a deal. Your life for your brother’s.”
Elena felt the ground shift beneath her. “What?”
“He wants you as his wife.”
Her entire body went numb. “No… no, you can’t do this.”
“Do you think you have a choice?” Antonio’s voice was sharp. “Leo’s life depends on it. Your life, my life—our whole family’s survival depends on this deal.”
Elena turned to her brother, searching for support, but Leo couldn’t even meet her eyes. Shame and guilt were written all over his face.
“You’re selling me like cattle,” she whispered.
“You are securing this family’s future,” Antonio corrected. “And ensuring your brother doesn’t end up in a grave tonight.”
Tears burned in Elena’s eyes. She wanted to scream, to run, to fight. But deep down, she already knew the answer. There was no escaping this world. There was no walking away from the Costa family.
She could either accept the deal or watch her brother die.
Slowly, she lifted her head and met her father’s eyes. “When do I leave?”
Antonio nodded, satisfied. “Tomorrow.”
Elena swallowed the lump in her throat. Tomorrow, her life would no longer be hers. Tomorrow, she would become the wife of Lorenzo Costa.
The monster.
The man who now owned her.
As Elena lay in bed that night, staring at the ceiling, a chilling thought crept into her mind.
What if marrying Lorenzo Costa was worse than the situation of her brother and the family?
Elena sat in the back of a sleek black car, her hands clenched into fists on her lap. The city blurred past her window, but she barely noticed. Her heart pounded violently against her ribs, her stomach twisting with dread.
She was on her way to the Costa estate to her new life as Lorenzo Costa’s wife.
Her father had barely spoken to her that morning, as if he had already washed his hands of her. Leo hadn’t even come to say goodbye.
She was no longer Elena Romano, daughter of Antonio Romano. She was nothing more than a bargaining chip now.
The car pulled up to a massive iron gate. A man in a dark suit stood at the entrance, barely sparing her a glance before pressing a button.
The gates opened slowly, revealing a sprawling mansion that looked more like a fortress.
The car rolled forward, stopping in front of the grand entrance. Two men in black suits waited outside, their expressions cold and unreadable. One of them opened the door for her.
“Miss Romano,” he said. “Come with us.”
Elena swallowed hard but stepped out. The air was crisp, filled with the scent of expensive cigars and something else something metallic, like blood.
She was led through the grand doors, into a house filled with power and danger. The hallway was long, the floors polished marble, the walls decorated with paintings of war scenes. It felt like she was stepping into a different world.
Then she saw him.
Lorenzo Costa stood at the end of the hall, his back turned to her, hands resting in his pockets. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and dressed in a black suit that fit him like armour.
Her breath caught.
She had imagined him a hundred times—a cruel-faced man with hollow eyes, a monster in human skin. But when he turned, her stomach clenched.
He was nothing like she expected.
Lorenzo Costa was handsome in an almost unnatural way. Sharp jawline, piercing dark eyes, and lips set in a firm, unreadable line.
But something was terrifying in the way he looked at her. His gaze was cold, calculating.
“Elena Romano,” he said, his voice deep and smooth. “Welcome to your new home.”
Elena lifted her chin, forcing herself to meet his gaze. “Not by choice.”
A flicker of amusement crossed his face. “Few things in life come by choice, cara. You’ll learn that soon enough.”
Her hands curled into fists. “What do you want from me?”
Lorenzo stepped closer, closing the distance between them. He tilted his head slightly, studying her like a puzzle he intended to solve.
“I want what I was promised,” he said simply. “A wife.”
Elena’s heart pounded. “And if I refuse?”
Lorenzo smirked. “Then your brother dies.”
She sucked in a sharp breath.
Of course. She had no real power here. She never did.
Lorenzo reached out, his fingers brushing against her jaw. She flinched but didn’t move away. He watched her reaction carefully, his expression unreadable.
“You’re afraid of me,” he murmured.
Elena held his gaze. “Shouldn’t I be?”
Lorenzo’s smirk faded. “Yes.”
For a long moment, silence stretched between them. Then he turned away. “You’ll be shown to your room. The wedding is tomorrow. I expect you to behave.”
Elena’s stomach twisted. Tomorrow.
She was going to marry a man who could kill without blinking. A man who owned this city in blood and fear.
A man she might never escape from.
As Elena followed the guards upstairs, a thought crept into her mind—dark and terrifying.
What if she wasn’t meant to survive this marriage at all?
- Writer
