THE CEO'S BRIDE...BY FORCE

A woman is never more dangerous than when she’s backed into a corner. The rains poured heavily. The thunderous roar of the speeding Mercedes tore through the night. Behind them was a pair of headlights in hot pursuit. The SUV was gaining on them and fast. The Mercedes had no chance. The SUV rammed into the Mercedes from behind. The driver cursed as the car swerved off the road as he slammed the brakes. The SUV blocked the Mercedes path. He glanced at the side mirrors as he tried to reverse only to have another SUV slammed them from behind. No license plates on it. Just like the first one. They were boxed in. No where to go. Lena Hart’s heart thumped against her chest as she held her dad’s arms. She swallowed repeatedly as she glanced around. She looked at her father, William Hart. Once upon a time, he seemed bigger than life. Right now he was a pale shadow of himself. A bullet wound to the chest would do that to any man. Lena thought to herself. She could see he was fading. And fast. “I thought we had more time,” She whispered frantically as her eyes dilated with fear. “I thought we did,” He rasped with considerable effort. “ listen to me, whatever happens…make…” The driver’s side window shattered and blood splattered on the dashboard as the driver and the bodyguard in the passenger seat died on the spot. Gunshots amidst screams echoed through the nights. The doors were forced open on both sides of the car and hands grabbed Lena and her father She screamed and kicked the air frantically but it was futile. A man placed a hood over her head and she gagged at the smell. She called her dad’s name but she didn’t hear any response. She didn’t know if he was dead or still alive. In those few crazy seconds, Lena was certain her end was near. She braced for the killing shot but none came. Not yet. She was tossed into one of the SUVs and it zoomed off. The hood was removed an hour later. The blinding lights of the elevator disoriented her. She blinked rapidly as her eyes adjusted to the bright lights. She saw her reflection on the metal door of the elevator. Blood stains on her torn gown, bruises on her knees and a path of tears down her smudged make up Two men stood behind her. They were in suits and covered their eyes with sunshades. Their guns were holstered on their waist. They didn’t need to draw it. The chime of the elevator snapped her out of her reverie. The doors opened to an opulent penthouse. There was a fire crackling in the fireplace. The black marble floors, contrasted glass walls perfectly. The penthouse overlooked the Manhattan skyline. And in the center of the apartment, facing the fireplace was the man who the entire city bowed to. Dante Moretti. Mafia heir. CEO. He was the man whom everybody feared, owed or both. He watched the fire intently like it was whispering secrets to him. His pupils never moved. His stare, unblinking, unrelenting. He stood still, his back ramrod straight as he held a glass of whiskey in one hand and the other clasped behind his back. He exuded menace through and through. There was no mistaking who he was. When he turned, the room suddenly chilled. His gaze was cold and laced with a menace. It was sharp enough to strip a person down to bone. His eyes scanned Lena slowly taking in every noticing every detail; her smudged makeup, torn dress and the fact she wasn’t crying. “You must be Lena.” He smiled. “You kidn*pped me.” Rage barely allowed her form the words. His smiled tilted to a side as he chuckled. “I thought your father delivered you.” Lena tried to regain her balance. “What do you want?” she demanded. Dante moved forward with slow deliberate movement. The prowl of a predator who feared nothing. He looked at her . “I want what’s mine.” “I’m not an item.” “Yes. You’re collateral.” Lena’s eyes dilated as she froze. He made circles round her, like a lion circling its prey, honing in for the kill. “Your father is a debtor and traitor,” Dante said. “You are my compensation and collateral.” The room fell into deafening silence. Lena struggled to get on her feet but the guards held her down. She turned and sank her teeth on the wrist of the nearest man. “The f**k!” He screamed in surprised agony. He massages his hand as Lena laughed loudly. Moretti watched her with a blank expression. “ You are feisty. Good” “That’s not a deal,” she calmly stated. “That’s blackmail.” “It’s business,” Dante said simply. He slid a folder over to her and she opened it with trembling fingers. It was a marriage contract. Under ‘bride’ was her name cleanly typed. “I have no need for a hostage,” Dante said under his breath. “I need a wife.” Lena stared at the paper and almost grew dizzy. “I just have a question. Why?” “It keeps my mother happy, makes the investors comfortable and gives my enemies something to talk about and it keeps the family that betrayed me on a leash.” “That’s sick.” She spat in disgust. “It’s legal.” “You think I’ll agree to this?” Her voice rose. Dante stepped close. He was close enough that she could him. He reeked of smoke, scotch and something darker underneath. Violence dressed up in a designer suit. “I think you’ll sign.” He stated in a low voice. “I’d rather die.” She glared at him. “Then maybe he will.” He pulled out his phone, tapped the screen and held out the phone so she could see. It was her father bloody and bound to a chair. He had a gun aimed at his temple. His pupils darted around in unmistakable terror. Lena’s resolve cracked. “Sign it,” Dante urged her softly. “And your father walks free. His debt forgotten.” “And if I don’t?” He leaned so close to her, that she could feel his hot breath. “I’ll bury him and your mother wont be alone in the afterlife anymore.” Her hands trembled. She wanted to slap him and tear off that smug look on his face. But she didn’t. She took the pen in the folder and signed. Lena Hart, in barely legible writing beneath the word bride. Dante was already at the elevator when she looked up. “Wear white,” he said as he pressed the elevator button. “Or don’t. It’s twenty-four hours.” Behind her, the fire crackled. Lena stood in the palace made from the proceeds of blood and violence. Her gaze sharpened. She understood that she just stepped into a war. And the war had only just begun.