BARGAIN FOR A PAWN
669 Words
Sienna Reyes had always known her father was a coward.
But even in her darkest moments, she had never imagined he would trade her life away like a meaningless chess piece.
She sat motionless in the dimly lit study of her childhood home, the weight of betrayal pressing down on her like an iron shackle.
Across from her, her father—Alonso Reyes—paced, his face pale, his once-proud shoulders sagging under the weight of desperation.
She could still hear the words that had sealed her fate.
“It’s the only way, Sienna.”
The only way to save himself.
Not her.
Never her.
Sienna curled her fingers against the armrest of the chair, her nails digging into the leather.
The air in the room was thick with the scent of whiskey, an ever-present stench in her father’s presence.
He had been drinking more than usual, a sign of a man on the edge of ruin.
“You’re giving me away like some piece of property.” Her voice was eerily calm, though her pulse thundered in her ears.
Alonso exhaled heavily, rubbing a hand down his face. “Sienna, I don’t have a choice. The DeLucas—”
“The DeLucas don’t make deals. They take.”
Her words sliced through the air like a blade, and her father flinched.
Luciano DeLuca.
The heir to one of the most feared criminal empires in the country.
A man known for his calculated cruelty, his unwavering control.
Sienna had never met him, but she knew his reputation.
And now, she belonged to him.
Her father hesitated before lowering himself into the chair across from her, his bloodshot eyes searching hers.
“Luca isn’t like his father.”
Sienna let out a bitter laugh. “No? Then tell me, is he worse?”
A muscle in Alonso’s jaw twitched.
Silence.
That was answer enough.
She leaned forward, her voice a whisper of steel. “Tell me why, Father. Tell me what you did to make this happen.”
Alonso swallowed hard, his fingers tightening around his glass. “I owed them money.”
“How much?”
Another hesitation.
Sienna’s stomach turned. “How much, Alonso?”
“Thirty million.”
The room tilted.
She had expected a debt, but this…
“Thirty million?” she echoed, barely able to breathe.
Her father nodded, his gaze darting away. “Gambling… investments that went bad. I thought I could fix it before they came collecting.”
“And instead, you gambled away your own daughter.”
Her voice was quiet.
Deadly.
Alonso flinched again but didn’t deny it.
“Luca gave me an option.” He ran a hand through his thinning hair, his desperation naked in the flickering lamplight.
“He wants more than money, Sienna. He wants leverage. A symbol that the Reyes family is under his control.”
A pawn.
A breathing, thinking, unwilling pawn.
“And what happens when I no longer serve my purpose?” she asked, her voice devoid of emotion.
Alonso didn’t answer.
He didn’t need to.
Sienna sat back, the reality of her situation settling in like ice in her veins.
There would be no mercy in this arrangement.
No kindness.
Luca DeLuca would own her.
But ownership was a delicate thing.
Men like Luca thought they controlled the board.
They forgot that pawns—when played correctly—could still take down kings.
And Sienna had every intention of doing just that.
The next evening, they came for her.
The black car was waiting outside the Reyes estate, its sleek body glistening under the glow of the streetlights.
The men who escorted her to it were silent, dressed in tailored suits, their movements efficient.
Sienna didn’t struggle.
Didn’t scream.
She stepped inside, her spine straight, her expression unreadable.
As the car pulled away, she didn’t look back.
There was nothing left for her in that house.
And whatever awaited her in the lion’s den…
She would face it on her own terms.
- Writer
