Shadows & Desires

CHAPTER ONE: The Absurd Contract

Brooklyn’s POV

The neon lights flickered in my eyes as I tugged off my apron. It was already closing time at the restaurant I worked at, and my back ached from the 12 hours I spent on my feet serving customers. The smell of grease clung to my hair, and the air of Los Angeles lingered. I couldn't wait to get home.

Then, my phone buzzed.

It was my mom. My stomach churned as I stared at my screen. She wanted me home as soon as possible. I wondered what the issue could be.

My feet pounded on the concrete sidewalk as I darted home. The headlights of cars flashed in my eyes as they passed, almost blinding me.

And then I saw them.

Black cars lined the curb of the apartment in which my mom and I stayed. My chest tightened at the thought of the unknown because these types of cars didn't belong in this neighborhood. So what changed?

I sprinted towards the porch and flung open the door.

Then, I froze.

Her eyes switched to mine swiftly, and she paused. My gaze shifted to the man sitting across from her and another man standing behind him.

“What’s going on here?” I asked, my voice trembling.

“Brooklyn…” my mother said, her voice steady but too controlled. “This is Mr. Zayn Macario.” She pointed at the man sitting.

My heart stopped for a moment at the echo of that name. Zayn Macario, the CEO of Macario Enterprises. Here in our living room. It still made no sense to me.

“I don’t... I don't understand. What's he doing here?” I questioned.

My mother gulped, her gaze shifting from mine to his. He didn't budge. He sat sharply and observed. His presence filled the room in a way that made the walls shrink. The air itself seemed tighter and heavier. He didn’t even glance at our mismatched furniture or the peeling wallpaper. He just sat, commanding and dominant, like he owned the place.

I moved away from the door. “Can someone just say something? Anyone”

Mom exhaled, “We’re out of time, sweetheart. Our debts…we can’t keep up anymore.”

My eyes burned, filling with tears. I gritted my teeth and let my eyes drag to his. “Please give us 2 more weeks. Two more weeks, I promise. I can work a couple more gigs and shifts, and we can pay you, please.”

“Brooklyn…” Mom’s voice drawled.

“What?” I screeched.

“That’s not…”

“That’s not why I’m here,” he said sharply, interrupting my mother. “Enough time has been given to you to pay up, and you still haven’t. Despite the letters my company has sent here, you still didn’t pay up.”

“There has to be another way around it.” I moved closer to them. “There used to be a way.”

My eyes were puzzled at both of them. There was something they weren't telling me.

“Why isn’t anyone saying…”

“He wants…he wants to marry you,” Mom whispered.

My eyes narrowed in confusion. Marry me?

“Is that sort of a joke?” I let out an awkward laugh.

My mind spun in a circle. Marriage wasn’t just a word to me. It was a chain, a life sentence. I’d never even had a serious boyfriend. I’d never even been kissed under anything more romantic than the bustling streetlamps of the city. I had always wanted to go to college, to gain freedom and move out of this suffocating apartment. Now, some stranger in a suit wants to take all that away with a single demand.

“Do I look like a man who jokes?” His eyes darkened.

My fingers dug into my palms. “Mom, say something; he can’t just come up all in here and decide for us.”

“Baby, we don’t have a choice…” Mother’s voice cracked as she made the statement. Her hands twined together in her lap, twisting the hem of her blouse. I knew that look. It was the same look she gave when she had to sell Dad’s guitar to buy some groceries.

I was afraid she was right, but I can't just get married now, at this point in life, especially to a man I don't even know.

“And what if I don’t want to?” I muttered, my nose flaring up.

“You drown. Everything you own gets taken away from you,” Zayn echoed.

“But you…you can’t just show up and decide this,” I stammered, my shoulders following every stutter.

“I don’t decide; you do,” he stated.

I stared at the floor, trying to process it all. My pulse spiked, and my lungs caught every breath.

The man behind him whispered something into his ear, his eyes narrowing. Then he rose from where he was sitting, towering over everyone. “I’ll leave you both to think about it. You have 24 hours to make a decision.”

The door slammed right in my face before I could utter a word.

My eyes turned back to Mom, her eyes filled with worry and hope.

“Are we really going to go with the option he gave us?” My voice cracked. “Are you really giving me away for our debts?”

“Honey…”

“No, don't sweet-talk me. I already work enough to help us pay some of the bills, and I can work harder to pay that man. I would do anything for us, for this family, but I will never be able to fathom getting married to him,” I roared.

I stormed into my room and slammed the door behind me before Mom could answer. My chest heaved; it all kept replaying in my head, making rage and despair flash until I couldn’t breathe anymore.

Through the door, I heard her whisper something I couldn’t quite catch. Maybe it was my name or even something else.

It didn’t even matter; only one thing was for sure: I would never marry a man like him, especially him.

I buried my face in my palms, letting my anger dissolve in every vein. Then my mother’s cry broke the air, sharp, raw, and terrifying.

I jolted upright, my heart slamming against my ribs. Sobs echoed again, and before I could even think, my legs were moving, running to her.

And the second I flung the door open…