Chapter 1: The Debt
1129 Words
Elenia Romano had always believed that the worst thing her family could do was stop loving her.
She was wrong.
The worst thing they could do was put a price on her life.
Rain hammered against the tall windows of the Romano mansion as Elenia carefully carried a silver tray toward her foster father's study.
She had been asked to serve drinks to the guests.
Nothing unusual.
In the Romano household, Elenia had learned long ago not to ask questions. She simply did what Evelyn told her to do, kept her head down, and avoided arguments.
But as she reached the study, a man's voice stopped her.
"You have forty-eight hours, Steve."
Elenia froze.
The voice was deep, cold, and unfamiliar.
She stood outside the half-open door, the tray trembling slightly in her hands.
Inside, Steve Romano sounded nervous.
"I understand, but you know the situation. My company needs time."
"You've had time."
The stranger's voice remained frighteningly calm.
"Your debt is twenty million dollars."
Elenia's eyes widened.
Twenty million?
She had known her foster father's company was struggling, but she had never imagined the situation was this serious.
"I can repay it," Steve insisted. "Just give me another month."
A short, humorless laugh followed.
"You've said that three times."
Silence filled the room.
Then Evelyn spoke.
"Perhaps there's another way."
Elenia's heart began beating faster.
"What kind of way?" the stranger asked.
Evelyn hesitated.
"We have something Damien De Luca might accept."
Elenia's fingers tightened around the tray.
Damien De Luca.
Even she knew that name.
The Mafia King.
The man whose empire stretched across businesses that respectable people pretended not to know existed.
People whispered that politicians feared him.
Businessmen avoided crossing him.
Enemies disappeared when they challenged him.
But why was Evelyn mentioning his name?
Steve lowered his voice.
"What you're suggesting..."
"It's the only way."
"What about Alexandros?"
Elenia's breath caught.
Her foster brother.
For the first time, she heard fear in Steve's voice.
Evelyn answered coldly.
"Alexandros is our son. He has a future. We are not sacrificing him."
Something inside Elenia went still.
She stared at the door.
Sacrificing him?
Then who were they talking about?
The answer came seconds later.
"Elenia."
Her own name.
The tray nearly slipped from her hands.
Steve sighed.
"She's twenty-one. She's healthy. She can work."
Elenia stopped breathing.
The stranger said nothing.
Evelyn continued.
"We raised her for years. She owes this family."
Elenia's eyes burned.
Owes them?
She had cooked for them.
Cleaned for them.
Worked in their businesses whenever they needed an extra pair of hands.
She had spent years trying to earn the affection she thought she had simply failed to receive.
Now she understood.
Perhaps she had never been a daughter to them at all.
Perhaps she had only been useful.
Steve spoke again.
"Damien De Luca won't want a useless girl."
"Then make her useful."
The stranger finally spoke.
"And if I agree?"
Evelyn's voice became almost relieved.
"You take responsibility for her debt."
Elenia felt the world tilt beneath her feet.
They weren't discussing money anymore.
They were discussing her.
She stepped backward, careful not to make a sound.
One step.
Then another.
Her vision blurred with tears.
She turned and hurried upstairs.
She reached her bedroom, closed the door, and pressed her back against it.
For several seconds, she couldn't breathe.
Then the tears came.
Quietly at first.
Then uncontrollably.
She covered her mouth so no one would hear her crying.
How could they?
How could the people she had called Mother and Father sit in a room and discuss giving her away as if she were a piece of property?
A knock came at the door.
"Elenia."
She immediately wiped her face.
It was Alexandros.
Her foster brother.
She opened the door.
He stood there with his usual cold expression.
"What happened?"
"Nothing."
He studied her face.
"You've been crying."
"I'm fine."
"You always say that when you're lying."
Elenia almost laughed through her tears.
"Since when do you care?"
His expression hardened.
"I don't."
There it was.
The same coldness she had known for years.
She looked away.
"Then leave me alone."
Alexandros didn't move.
For a moment, his eyes softened.
Then he turned.
"Lock your door tonight."
Elenia frowned.
"Why?"
He didn't answer.
He simply walked away.
She stared after him.
She didn't know that Alexandros had overheard enough of the conversation downstairs to understand exactly what their parents were planning.
She didn't know that he had already decided he would find a way to stop them.
And she certainly didn't know that tonight would be the last night she would ever sleep under the Romano roof as a free woman.
---
Near midnight, Elenia packed a small bag.
She wasn't going to wait for her parents to hand her over.
She would leave.
She didn't know where she would go.
She didn't know how she would survive.
But anywhere was better than becoming someone's payment.
She quietly opened the bedroom door.
The hallway was dark.
She walked downstairs.
At the front door, she paused.
Her hand rested on the handle.
Then she remembered Alexandros.
For all his harsh words, he had been the only person in that house who had ever quietly protected her.
She whispered,
"Goodbye, Alex."
She opened the door.
Cold rain struck her face.
Elenia stepped outside.
She had barely reached the gate when headlights appeared through the rain.
One black vehicle.
Then another.
Then another.
Three sleek SUVs stopped directly in front of the Romano mansion.
Elenia's heart pounded.
The doors opened.
Men in black suits stepped out.
They didn't look like ordinary bodyguards.
They moved with frightening precision.
One man approached her.
"Miss Romano?"
Elenia took a step backward.
"Who are you?"
The man looked past her toward the mansion.
"We've come for you."
Her blood turned cold.
"For me?"
He nodded.
"Your foster father has settled his debt."
Elenia's lips parted.
"No."
The man's expression remained emotionless.
"The contract has been signed."
A fourth vehicle stopped behind the others.
Its rear door opened.
A man stepped out.
Tall.
Dressed entirely in black.
Rain slid from his shoulders as he slowly walked toward the gate.
Every man around him lowered his head.
Elenia's body went rigid.
She didn't need anyone to tell her who he was.
She had heard enough stories.
Damien De Luca.
The Devil of the underworld.
His cold gaze found hers through the rain.
He stopped a few feet away.
For a long moment, neither spoke.
Then Damien looked at the small bag hanging from her shoulder.
His eyes returned to her face.
"You were planning to run."
Elenia swallowed.
"Yes."
A faint, unreadable smile touched his lips.
"Unfortunately, Elenia Romano..."
He stepped closer.
"...you are already mine."
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