Bound by Blood and Betrayal

Aria Moretti stood in her small but beautiful living room, watching her three-year-old son Matteo play with his toy cars on the floor. The late afternoon sun came through the curtains, making his dark curls shine. He looked so much like his father it hurt sometimes. “Mummy, look! Fast car!” Matteo said, pushing the toy toward her with a big smile. Aria smiled and knelt down beside him. “Yes, baby. Very fast. Just like you.” She ruffled his hair and kissed his forehead. “Mummy has to finish some work now, okay? Be good for a little while.” She stood up and went to her laptop on the table. Her event planning business was finally doing well. No one knew she sometimes planned parties for dangerous people the kind with power and secrets. It paid the bills and kept her and Matteo safe. Three years. Three years since that horrible day at the altar when Luca Rossi left her standing there in her white dress, pregnant and humiliated in front of everyone. Her phone rang. Unknown number. She almost ignored it, but something made her answer. “Hello?” “Aria.” The deep voice hit her like ice water. Luca. “We need to talk. Now.” Her heart slammed against her ribs. She walked quickly into the kitchen so Matteo wouldn’t hear. “How did you get this number? Leave me alone, Luca. You made your choice three years ago.” “You ran away with something that belongs to me,” he said, voice cold but with something underneath. Anger? Regret? “I know about the boy, Aria. My son.” Aria’s legs felt weak. She gripped the counter. “You don’t have a son. You lost that right when you left me at the altar like I was nothing. Go to hell.” “I’m outside your building,” Luca said. “Come down or I’ll come up. And trust me, you don’t want me meeting my son like this.” “You wouldn’t dare,” she whispered, but she already knew he would. Luca Rossi always got what he wanted. She hung up and went back to Matteo. “Baby, Mummy has to see someone quick. Stay here with Aunty Rosa next door, okay? I won’t be long.” Matteo nodded, trusting her completely. Aria’s chest hurt as she handed him over to her neighbour and went downstairs. A black luxury SUV waited. Two big men in suits stood by it. The back door opened and Luca stepped out. He looked even more dangerous than before. Taller, broader, dressed in a perfect black suit. His dark eyes locked on her like a predator. “Aria.” “Luca,” she said, keeping her voice steady even though her hands shook. “What do you want?” He stepped closer. “You. My son. And one year of your life.” Aria laughed bitterly. “Are you crazy? After what you did? You believed I betrayed your family and threw me away like garbage. I don’t want anything from you.” Luca’s jaw tightened. “Things weren’t what they seemed. But that doesn’t matter now. A rival family is coming for my empire. They will come for my heir too. You will marry me for one year. Live in my mansion. Act as my wife. In return, I clear all your debts, protect you and Matteo with everything I have, and give you power and money you never dreamed of.” Aria stared at him. “No. Never. I raised him alone. He doesn’t even know you exist. I won’t let you destroy us again.” Luca pulled out his phone and showed her a photo — Matteo playing in the park yesterday. “I already know everything about him. Birth certificate. Where he goes to playschool. Everything. Sign the contract, Aria. Or I take him through the courts. You know I will win.” Tears burned her eyes. “You bastard. You would use your own son against me?” “I’m protecting him,” Luca said, voice low. “And you. My mother and brother don’t know about him yet. If rivals find out first, they will use him to destroy me. This is the only way.” Aria wanted to slap him. “And if I say no?” “Then I take him today. You can fight me, but you will lose. Or…” He stepped even closer, his voice dropping. “You can come with me now. See the mansion. Read the contract. One year, Aria. After that, you and Matteo can walk away rich and safe. Or stay and fight me in court while I drag your name through the mud again.” She hated how his nearness still affected her. The same man who once made her feel everything. The same man who broke her. “I hate you,” she whispered. “Good,” Luca replied. “Hate me all you want. But get in the car. Now.” Aria looked back at her building. Matteo was up there, safe for now. She had no real choice. Not if she wanted to protect her son. “Fine,” she said through gritted teeth. “But this changes nothing. I will never forgive you.” Luca opened the car door for her. As she got in, he leaned close and said, “We’ll see about that.” The car started moving. Aria’s heart pounded as the city blurred past. She didn’t know this new Luca colder, more powerful. But she had her own secrets now. Her own plans. They drove in heavy silence for almost thirty minutes until they reached the huge gates of his mansion. It looked like a fortress. As they stepped inside the grand hall, Luca’s phone rang. He answered it on speaker without thinking. “Boss,” a man’s urgent voice said. “Your brother just found out about the boy. He’s on his way there now. And he’s not happy. Says he’ll handle the problem himself.” Luca’s face changed. He looked at Aria, eyes dark. “What does that mean?” Aria demanded, fear rising. “What is your brother planning to do to my son?” Luca didn’t answer immediately. His phone buzzed again with a message. He read it and cursed. Before he could speak, the front door burst open. A man who looked like a younger, angrier version of Luca stormed in with two guards. “So this is the w***e who trapped you with a bastard child,” Luca’s brother sneered, looking straight at Aria. “I’ll take care of the problem right now.” He pulled out a gun. To be continued...