Chapter 4: Cornered
1264 Words
The police arrived just after sunrise.
Two officers dusted Ariana’s bedroom for fingerprints while another questioned her parents in the living room.
Nothing.
No usable fingerprints.
No stolen valuables.
No signs of forced entry except the open window.
One of the officers closed his notebook with a puzzled expression.
“It looks like whoever entered wasn’t interested in robbery.”
Ariana swallowed hard.
“Then… why were they here?”
The officer offered an apologetic smile.
“We’re still investigating.”
It wasn’t an answer.
After the officers left, silence settled over the apartment.
Her mother locked every window twice.
Her father installed an old chain lock on the front door.
Sofia tried to joke about buying a guard dog, but no one laughed.
Ariana kept thinking about one thing.
Someone had searched her room.
Not the apartment.
Her room.
Later that afternoon, she forced herself to return to work.
The familiar scent of polished marble and expensive perfume usually comforted her.
Today, it felt suffocating.
Nicole immediately noticed the dark circles under Ariana’s eyes.
“You look even worse than yesterday.”
“There was… a break-in.”
Nicole’s smile disappeared.
“What?”
Ariana quickly explained everything except what she had witnessed on the seventeenth floor.
Nicole stared at her in disbelief.
“That’s terrifying! You should stay with me for a few days.”
“I don’t want to worry my family any more than I already have.”
Nicole squeezed her hand.
“If anything happens, call me. Immediately.”
“I will.”
At least, she hoped she would have the chance.
Across the city…
The top floor of De Luca Holdings buzzed with quiet activity.
Luca Romano entered Damien’s office carrying a black folder.
“We’ve confirmed it.”
Damien didn’t look up from the financial report in front of him.
“The apartment?”
“Searched.”
“Police?”
“They found nothing.”
Damien signed another document.
“And the girl?”
“She’s frightened.”
A faint smile appeared on Damien’s lips.
“As expected.”
Luca hesitated before asking the question that had been bothering him since the night at the hotel.
“Boss…”
Damien finally raised his eyes.
“Why haven’t you ordered us to eliminate the witness?”
The room fell silent.
Damien stood and walked toward the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city.
“When you play chess, Luca…”
He calmly adjusted the cuff of his suit.
“…you don’t destroy an important piece.”
“You protect it.”
Luca frowned.
“I’m not sure I understand.”
“You don’t have to.”
Damien’s expression remained unreadable.
“Prepare the car.”
That evening…
Ariana finished her shift just before nine.
Nicole insisted on calling her a taxi.
“No buses tonight.”
“Nicole, taxis are expensive.”
“I don’t care.”
Before Ariana could argue further, Nicole pushed her gently toward the waiting cab.
“Text me when you get home.”
“I promise.”
The taxi pulled away from the hotel.
Rain began to fall, tapping softly against the windows.
Halfway home, traffic suddenly stopped.
The driver sighed.
“Looks like an accident ahead.”
Cars stretched endlessly before them.
Ariana checked her phone.
No signal.
Great.
After nearly twenty minutes, the driver groaned.
“Miss, this road’s completely blocked.”
“Can you take another route?”
“It’ll take an hour.”
She looked outside.
Her apartment was only a few streets away.
“I’ll walk.”
The driver frowned.
“It’s raining.”
“I’ll be okay.”
She paid the fare and stepped onto the quiet sidewalk, opening her umbrella.
The streets were nearly empty.
Streetlights reflected on the wet pavement.
The rain grew heavier.
As Ariana hurried through a narrow alley to save time, the sound of an engine echoed behind her.
A sleek black Rolls-Royce slowly entered the alley.
It stopped.
Directly in front of her.
Her footsteps halted.
The rear passenger door opened.
A man stepped out.
Black tailored suit.
Perfectly polished shoes.
Dark hair brushed back.
Cold gray eyes.
Her breath caught.
It was him.
The man from the hotel.
The leader.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Only the rain fell between them.
Ariana instinctively took a step backward.
“You…”
His expression remained calm.
“So we meet again.”
His voice was smooth, almost gentle.
Yet every word carried quiet authority.
She turned to run.
Two men in black suits appeared behind her, silently blocking the alley’s exit.
Another two stepped out from nearby vehicles.
Her escape was gone.
Her heartbeat thundered in her ears.
“W-What do you want?”
The man walked toward her at an unhurried pace.
Each step echoed through the narrow alley.
She kept backing away until her shoulders hit the cold brick wall.
Cornered.
He stopped only a few feet away.
Close enough for her to see the silver watch on his wrist.
Close enough to notice the tiny scar near his eyebrow.
Close enough to smell the faint scent of cedarwood and expensive cologne.
He studied her face quietly.
She expected anger.
Hatred.
A gun.
Instead…
He simply asked,
“Are you Ariana Isabella Castillo?”
Her lips trembled.
“…Yes.”
“I am Damien De Luca.”
The name struck her like lightning.
Even she had heard it before.
The billionaire CEO.
The face of De Luca Holdings.
A man featured on magazine covers and business news.
People admired him.
They called him a visionary.
No one knew he was also the man behind the murder she had witnessed.
Fear tightened around her chest.
Damien noticed.
“I know what you’re thinking.”
She remained silent.
“You believe I’m here to kill you.”
Ariana’s eyes widened.
“W-weren’t you?”
For the first time, something almost resembling amusement flickered across his face.
“If I wanted you dead…”
He glanced around the empty alley.
“…this conversation wouldn’t exist.”
The truth in his words terrified her even more.
She swallowed hard.
“What do you want from me?”
Damien looked directly into her eyes.
The rain continued to fall around them, but neither of them moved.
Finally, he spoke.
“I have a proposal.”
“I don’t want anything from you.”
“You haven’t heard it yet.”
“I don’t care.”
She tried to push past him.
One of his bodyguards stepped forward.
Damien raised a single finger.
The guard immediately backed away.
He never took his eyes off Ariana.
“You have two choices.”
She waited.
“You can spend the rest of your life running from people who want you dead…”
His voice remained calm.
“…or you can come with me.”
She shook her head.
“No.”
Damien took one final step closer.
“So quick to refuse.”
“I’d rather die than go with you.”
Silence.
Then…
To Ariana’s complete shock…
Damien smiled.
It wasn’t warm.
It wasn’t kind.
It was the smile of a man who had already decided the outcome.
He reached into his suit pocket.
Not for a weapon.
For a small black velvet box.
He opened it.
Inside rested a breathtaking diamond ring.
Ariana stared at it in disbelief.
Damien’s next words stole the air from her lungs.
“Will you marry me?”
The rain seemed to stop.
Time itself froze.
Ariana could only stare at the man standing before her.
The devil…
Had just proposed.
- Writer
