His Beautiful Chaos

Every Debt Must Be Paid.

***Chapter 2.***

I sprinted out of the house, my heart pounding in my chest. The cold night air stung my skin, but it was nothing compared to the fear surging through me.

As they rounded the corner, I saw my Papa lying on the ground in a drunken stupor. His body was limp, barely conscious. Standing over him, with a cold, emotionless expression, was Don Nicholas, the Black Devil.

My blood ran cold as I saw him pull a gun from inside his jacket. The metal glint caught the moonlight as he aimed it directly at my Papa's head.

“No!” I screamed, falling to my knees in desperation. “Please, no!”

Rosalind, right behind me, dropped to the ground beside me. We both clasped our hands together, begging, tears streaming down our faces.

I have never begged like this in my life.

“Please, don’t do this!” Rosalind cried, her voice trembling. “We’ll do anything, anything you ask. Just don’t kill him!”

Wait, did she just say anything? Why Rosa? What if he asked us to kill each other? Or our Papa?

Don Nicholas looked down at us, his expression untouched by our desperation. His face, or at least the part that wasn’t hidden beneath the black mask, showed no sign of pity, no flicker of mercy.

“You think you can pay off what your father owes me?” he said coldly, his voice as sharp as the edge of his gun. “Do you even know how much it is? It’s more than you can ever earn in your miserable lives.”

I trembled, choking on my tears. “We’ll find a way,” I promised, even though I knew it was impossible. “I swear we’ll work day and night to pay you. Just… don’t kill him. Please.”

Don Nicholas tilted his head slightly, considering us for a moment. His gaze was as dark and impenetrable as the night itself. He lowered the gun slightly but didn’t put it away.

“Nobody,” he said slowly, “nobody owes Don Nicholas and gets away with it. Every debt is paid, one way or another. Either with money… or with blood.”

The finality in his words hit me like a slap. I knew how ruthless he was, how his name alone could send grown men running.

The rumors about him, the stories whispered in fear, all painted the same picture—a man without a soul. A man who had traded part of himself to the devil in exchange for power. They said that was why he wore the mask, why no one ever saw the left side of his face.

But even as the terror of what was about to happen gripped me, I couldn’t let my Papa die. I knew he had caused us so much pain, so many sleepless nights.

But he wasn’t always like this. Before my mama died, he had been a good man. Losing her to cancer had shattered him, and ever since then, he’d drowned himself in alcohol, dragging our family into ruin.

I had promised my mama that I would take care of the family. That I would protect them. I can’t break that promise now. Not even if it meant facing Don Nicholas’s wrath.

“Please, I’ll do anything,” I sobbed, my voice cracking. He meant business and if I didn’t act on time, something drastic might happen. “Anything! Just don’t kill him. I’ll take his place if I have to.”

Don Nicholas stared at me, his expression still unreadable. For a long, agonizing moment, he said nothing. The night stretched on in silence, the only sound the faint rustling of the wind through the trees.

Then, one of his men stepped forward and whispered something into his ear. Nicholas’s cold gaze shifted back to us. He was silent as he studied us, the wheels turning in his mind. His eyes rested on Rosalind for a moment, his lips curling into a small, sinister smile.

“I’ll take your sister,” he said finally, his voice so calm it chilled me to the bone. “She’ll come with me to settle the debt.”

My world stopped. The blood drained from my face as my heart seemed to cease beating. Rosalind? He wanted Rosalind? How cruel of him?

Rosalind gasped in horror, clutching onto my arm. “No!” she cried, shaking her head. “Arianna, no! Please don’t let him take me!”

My body froze, while my mind raced. This can’t be happening. How could I possibly let my baby sister, the only family I had left, be taken by this monster? Rosalind was only sixteen. She was innocent, fragile. She wouldn’t survive a single day in the hands of someone like Don Nicholas.

“No,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. I turned to Nicholas, my knees buckling as I fell to the ground again. “Please, take me instead. I beg you. Just don’t take Rosalind.”

Nicholas’s eyes narrowed slightly. “If I take you, you’ll be mine. Forever. But if I take your sister,” he glanced briefly at Rosalind, “she’ll return in five years. Those are the terms.”

Five years. The words hit me like a punch to the gut. Five years in the hands of Don Nicholas. The thought of Rosalind being trapped with him for that long was unbearable, but at least she would come back. At least she would have a chance.

But if I took her place… I will never come back. I will belong to Don Nicholas forever.

Rosalind sobbed beside me, clutching my hand, pleading. “Arianna, please don’t. Don’t do this. I—I can’t lose you too.”

My heart shattered as I looked at my sister, my mind racing through all the possibilities. I knew what had to be done. Rosalind had a chance at a future. A chance at a life away from all of this. I had to protect that, no matter the cost.

I swallowed hard and forced myself to meet Nicholas’s gaze. “I’ll go with you,” I said quietly, my voice steady despite the fear coursing through my veins. “Take me instead of my sister.”

Nicholas’s dark eyes flickered with something—curiosity, perhaps—but he remained as cold as ever. “Are you sure?” he asked, his tone mockingly gentle. “Once you come with me, there’s no going back. You will belong to me.”

I clenched my fists, the weight of my decision crushing me, but I nodded. “I’m sure.”

Nicholas gave me a long, hard look before finally lowering his gun and sliding it back into his jacket. He motioned to his men, who stepped forward to grab me by the arm.

Rosalind screamed, clinging to me. “No! Arianna, I can’t live without you. No! Don’t go!”

I turned to Rosalind, my heart aching so much. “It’s okay, Rosalind,” I whispered, my voice soft. “You’ll be safe. That’s all that matters.”

Rosalind shook her head violently, tears streaming down her face. “I don’t want to be safe without you! Please, don’t go!”

But I knew there was no other way. I gently pulled Rosalind’s hands from my arm and kissed my forehead. “Take care of yourself,” she whispered. “Be strong.”

Rosalind sobbed uncontrollably as Nicholas’s men dragged me toward the waiting black car. I didn’t look back as they forced me inside. I couldn’t bear to see the look on Rosalind’s face.

The car door slammed shut, sealing my fate. My chest tightened, my body trembled with fear.

I had no idea what awaited me in the world of Don Nicholas. Why was he taking me away?

Will he dump me in one of those mafia club houses to market my body to him? Or will he kill me instead?