CHAPTER SIX: Damon Morettti
1039 Words
Her words made my jaw tighten.
Did she just turn me down?
Her father looked enraged.
“This is a business deal, Kaya. You aren’t being given an option.”
She folded her arms, defiance written all over her face.
“You can’t force me to marry a stranger, Dad, just for business purposes.”
Her sister, whom I hadn’t noticed till now, piped up timidly.
“I’ll marry him, Dad.”
“No one asked you to talk,” I snapped, my tone sharper than I intended.
She flinched, eyes wide.
She called me a stranger, but how could I explain that I’d been seeing her in my dreams for weeks?
That every time I closed my eyes, she was there — haunting, tempting, infuriating.
And now, looking at her standing there in those tiny shorts and crop top…
She was doing things to my body I didn’t like.
“We’ve met several times, Kaya,” I said slowly. “Do you still consider me a stranger?”
She sighed. “Yes. And I can’t marry a man I don’t know.”
Her father slammed his fist on the table. “Is this how you want to embarrass me, Kaya? How dare you disobey me?”
An idea slid into my mind like a spark.
“Relax, Richard,” I said calmly. “How about this — Kaya, you get to know me. Then I won’t be a stranger anymore, and you’ll have no reason not to marry me. Because whether you like it or not, Kaya Macherson, you will be my wife.”
Even my own words shocked me.
Why was I offering her a choice?
This marriage was supposed to be a transaction — no strings, no emotions.
I was getting too involved, and I hated that.
I hated her for making me feel anything at all.
She smirked. “You’re delusional, Mr. Moretti. When I get to know you and realize how shitty your attitude is, I won’t want you for a husband. And no matter what, I won’t marry you.”
Her words sliced at my pride, but I stayed calm, like always.
“Then get to know me, Kaya.”
Her name rolled off my tongue too easily.
Kaya Macherson. I’d make her mine.
I’d make her fall so deeply in love she’d forget all that fire and pride.
No woman had ever resisted my charm for long.
Too bad I didn’t do love.
Love will cost you your life.
If I could fall in love, it would’ve been her.
She had the face, the body, and the brains to be my woman.
And unlike others, she wasn’t desperate for my attention — which only made her more intriguing.
“I’d love to move into your house as soon as possible,” she said, her voice suddenly soft.
“That’s the first step to getting to know each other.”
Brave girl.
She had no idea she’d just volunteered to walk into a lion’s den.
My house wasn’t a regular home — it was a place drenched in blood and shadows.
It wasn’t safe for her. But the thought of seeing her every day…
She’d have no choice but to fall for me.
“You can move in tonight,” I said.
“Unbelievable!” her sister gasped.
Why wouldn’t that girl just shut up?
Richard Macherson seemed satisfied. He stood, adjusting his jacket.
“That seems fair,” he said with a proud smile before leaving us at the table.
Her sister lingered until I met her gaze.
“Can you leave us?” I asked coldly.
She glared at me but stomped out.
I waited for Kaya to speak first — a business tactic I’d perfected.
“I’m looking forward to moving in,” she finally said.
“You just want to find faults so you can avoid marrying me,” I replied.
“I assure you, Kaya, you’ll find plenty. I’m no angel — ignore my looks.”
She laughed. “I know you aren’t, Mr. Moretti. You almost froze me to death.”
Then why did she still want to know me?
She must’ve noticed my confusion because she gently placed her hand on mine.
Her hand was soft, warm — alive.
For a moment, I didn’t want her to let go.
But she did, too quickly. My hand instantly felt cold again.
“I’ll move in tonight,” she said with a teasing wink. “Then I’ll know if you deserve to be my husband.”
And she walked away — just like that.
---
As my driver took me home, I thought about everything that had happened.
I’d taken over as the new Mafia head from Richard Macherson after a bloody war — one that cost me good men but ended with victory.
As part of the truce, Richard had offered me a hundred of his loyal soldiers, ensuring he couldn’t start a war later.
He also agreed to transfer two of his most valuable estates to my name.
Then he’d suggested that I marry one of his daughters to seal the treaty.
At first, I wanted to decline.
I’d sworn off love — I had sold my heart for power.
And I’d been warned: the moment I fall in love, my empire crumbles.
But marriage wasn’t love.
A wife was a symbol, an heir-bearer, a role — not a risk.
And when I discovered that the woman invading my thoughts was Richard’s daughter, Kaya…
It felt like fate.
She would make a perfect wife.
And I always got what I wanted.
---
When the driver honked at the gate and no one answered, my instincts screamed.
The gateman always opened after a single honk.
My driver got down to check.
Four minutes passed. Silence.
“s**t,” I muttered.
I checked my pocket for my knife and gun, then stepped out.
The driver’s body greeted me first — shot clean in the chest with a silencer.
The gateman’s corpse lay not far behind.
This was the house Kaya was moving into tonight.
She was in for one hell of a ride.
Then, I felt the cold press of metal against the back of my neck.
Wonderful.
- Writer
