The Contract
876 Words
Raven's Pov
My heartbeat pounded in my ears. Luca DeLuca’s words hung in the air like a death sentence.
“I need a child, and you are going to give me one.”
I stared at him, waiting for him to say something else, maybe a punchline, tell me he was joking and just wanted a reaction from me. But he didn't.
My mouth opened, then closed. I forced out a breath, shaking my head.
“This…this has to be a joke.” I whispered.
Luca’s dark eyes never left mine. “Do I look like a man who jokes?”
No. No, he didn’t.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Why me?”
“You are healthy. No history of illness. No criminal record. No ties to anyone who would make this difficult.” He leaned back, his voice smooth and calculated. “And most importantly, you owe me.”
I stiffened.
“My father’s debt has nothing to do with me.”
Luca let out a low chuckle, but there was no humor in it. “You are right, but you still owe me one for ruining an expensive suit.”
I felt trapped, suffocated by the thick air in the car.
A surrogate? That wasn’t something you asked a stranger to do. That wasn’t something you demanded.
I shook my head. “I’m not doing this.”
Luca’s jaw ticked, his fingers drumming against his knee. “You should reconsider.”
The SUV slowed. I glanced out the window and realized we weren’t heading toward my apartment. Instead, we pulled into an underground parking garage.
A chill ran down my spine.
The driver stopped, and before I could protest, Luca was already stepping out, one of the guards rounded the vehicle to open my door.
I hesitated, but something in his stare told me I had no choice.
Swallowing my fear, I stepped out.
The air in the garage was freezing, but the cold had nothing on the man beside me.
“Come.” he ordered.
I forced my legs to move, following him toward a private elevator. The second we stepped inside, the doors shut, and the world felt even smaller.
My stomach twisted as we ascended.
When the doors opened, I found myself in a penthouse.
Floor-to-ceiling windows framed the city skyline, Christmas lights blinking in the distance. The space was sleek, modern and cold, just like the man who owned it.
But what caught my attention wasn’t the luxury.
It was the manila folder waiting on the marble coffee table.
Luca walked ahead, picking it up and handing it to me. “Read it.”
I hesitated before flipping it open.
My hands trembled as I skimmed the pages.
A contract.
It was all there in black and white.
I was to carry his child.
I would receive enough money to cover my father’s debt and more.
And in return, I would disappear from the child’s life once it was born.
The room spun, it felt like my feet was about to give out.
“This is insane,” I whispered, shaking my head. “You can’t seriously expect me to agree to this.”
Luca’s eyes darkened. “I don’t expect it. I make things happen.”
I clutched the papers, my pulse racing. “I’m not signing this.”
A muscle in his jaw ticked. He stepped closer, forcing me to tilt my head back to hold his gaze.
“Your father doesn’t have much time left, Raven.” His voice was quiet and dangerous. “The men he owes don’t show mercy. If I walk away, there will be no one to stop them, there will be no one to help you .”
A shiver ran down my spine.
This wasn’t just about money. It was about survival.
Luca wasn’t offering me a choice. He was giving me an ultimatum.
I could walk away and let my father suffer.
Or I could give this man a child.
I forced myself to stand taller. “And what do I get, besides paying off my father’s debt?”
Luca studied me, his expression bored. “Freedom.”
I laughed, but it was humorless. “Freedom? You are literally forcing me into this.”
“For now.”
I swallowed hard.
Luca sighed, as if this conversation bored him. “You can leave. But if you do, know that the next time you see your father, it will be in a body bag.”
My breath hitched.
My fingers clenched around the contract.
Luca watched me like a predator waiting for its prey to break.
I could feel my world collapsing. I have a chance to make things right and I'm about to throw it all away.
“Fine,” I whispered. “I will do it.”
A small, satisfied smirk pulled at Luca’s lips.
But before I could process what I had just agreed to, he plucked the contract from my hands and flipped to the last page before handing it back to me.
“Sign.”
I stared at the blank line waiting for my signature.
This is it.
The moment that would change everything.
I picked up the pen and signed my name.
- Writer
