chapter four : The Contract
1517 Words
Dante nodded to one of his men.
"Take her back to her room."
The guard stepped forward, and Aries reluctantly followed. Her fingers tightened around the contract as though it weighed a hundred pounds.
She had almost reached the door when Dante's deep voice stopped her.
"You have twenty-four hours to make your decision."
Aries froze.
For a brief moment, she considered turning around, but she couldn't bring herself to look at him again. Clutching the contract to her chest, she walked out of the office with the guard following behind.
The heavy wooden door closed with a loud sound.
Silence settled over the room.
Jones stared at the closed door for several seconds before turning to Dante.
"Tell me that wasn't what I think it was."
Dante didn't answer.
Jones let out a sharp laugh, one filled more with disbelief than amusement.
"You offered marriage to a girl who was caught spying on us?"
Still no response.
Jones stood and walked toward the desk.
"The punishment for spying has always been death." His voice grew firmer. "No exceptions. You've enforced that rule yourself. So why are you changing it now?"
Unlike everyone else in the Devil Bikers, Jones wasn't afraid to question Dante.
They had grown up together.
They had fought side by side.
He was Dante's second-in-command, his closest friend, and perhaps the only man alive who could challenge him without immediately reaching for a weapon.
Dante remained silent for another moment.
Then he spoke.
"She's not a spy."
Jones frowned.
"Then why is she still alive?"
The question hung in the air.
Dante slowly rose from his chair and walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the estate.
His hands rested behind his back.
"I've had her investigated."
Jones waited.
"She's an orphan. No family. No criminal ties. No connections to any rival club."
"So?"
"So she was in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Jones folded his arms.
"And that's enough for you to offer her marriage?"
For the first time, irritation flickered across Dante's face.
He turned sharply.
"You think this is what I want?"
His voice remained low, but the anger beneath it was unmistakable.
Jones opened his mouth to respond.
Before he could, Dante slammed his fist onto the desk.
The loud crack echoed through the office.
"I have seven f*****g days left!"
The words hung heavily between them.
Jones fell silent.
Only then did he remember.
The Marino family rule.
For generations, every heir had been required to marry before their thirtieth birthday to inherit both the Marino Corporation and leadership of the Devil Bikers.
If Dante failed...
Everything would pass to his stepbrother.
Dante dragged a hand through his hair before grabbing a bottle of whiskey from the cabinet.
He poured himself a drink but didn't touch it.
His eyes remained fixed on the amber liquid inside the glass.
"It isn't the title I'm worried about," he said quietly.
Jones looked at him.
"If he becomes heir..."
Dante's jaw tightened.
"...he won't let me live long enough to regret it."
Silence filled the office once more.
Jones knew exactly who Dante meant.
Once, the two brothers had been inseparable.
Then one night changed everything.
Neither of them had ever been the same since.
Dante remained standing by the window long after Jones had fallen silent.
Despite everything that had happened between them, Dante couldn't bring himself to hate his stepbrother completely.
His brother believed the hatred between them was mutual.
It wasn't.
Beneath years of silence, resentment, and betrayal, a part of Dante still cared about him.
Perhaps that was his greatest weakness.
Instead of returning Aries to the cold steel room where she had first been imprisoned, one of the guards escorted her to another part of the mansion.
The heavy door opened.
Aries stepped inside and stopped in disbelief.
The room looked nothing like a prison.
Cream-coloured walls replaced the cold black steel. A king-sized bed sat in the centre of the room, draped in white silk sheets. Golden lamps rested on matching bedside tables, while elegant curtains framed the tall windows. Fresh flowers filled the room with a delicate fragrance.
Everything about it spoke of luxury.
It was beautiful.
It felt less like kindness and more like a luxurious cage.
The guard placed the contract on the bed before giving a respectful nod.
"If you need anything, ring the bell."
Without waiting for a reply, he left and locked the door behind him.
The soft click reminded Aries of one painful truth.
She was still a prisoner.
She sat on the edge of the bed and slowly unfolded the contract.
Her eyes travelled across every page.
Every clause and condition.
It wasn't a marriage.
It was an agreement.
Her gaze finally stopped on one sentence.
"Duration of Contract, one Year"
She read it again.
One year.
A quiet breath escaped her lips.
One year wasn't forever.
One year meant she would still have a future.
If she survived.
She leaned back against the headboard, her thoughts drifting.
She had spent almost her entire life surviving.
She had never known the warmth of parents.
She didn't know where she came from or why she had been abandoned.
Sometimes she wondered if her parents were still alive.
Sometimes she imagined finding them one day and asking the question that had haunted her since childhood.
Why didn't you want me?
If she refused Dante's offer...
She might never have the chance to discover the truth.
A tear rolled silently down her cheek.
"I still want to live," she whispered to herself.
Her fingers tightened around the contract.
One year.
She could survive one year.
After that...
She would be free.
Eventually, exhaustion overcame her, and she drifted into a restless sleep.
The sound of hurried footsteps jolted Aries awake.
She sat upright immediately.
Muffled voices echoed through the hallway.
The mansion, which had been silent only hours earlier, suddenly felt alive.
She glanced at the bedside clock.
12:17 a.m.
Something was wrong.
Curiosity battled with fear.
Slowly, she slipped out of bed and crept toward the door.
She opened it just enough to peek outside.
Several bikers rushed past carrying weapons. Others spoke urgently into radios.
She caught fragments of their conversation.
"the eastern warehouse" "our shipment" "they attacked first"
Her heart skipped a beat.
The Devil Bikers were dealing with something dangerous.
Before she could hear another word, a strong hand grabbed her shoulder and slammed her gently but firmly against the wall.
A cold gun pressed against her temple.
Aries gasped.
She looked up.
Serena.
Recognition flashed across Serena's face, and she immediately lowered the gun.
"You."
Only then did Aries notice Serena's appearance.
She wore a fitted black biker jacket over dark leather trousers, her helmet tucked beneath one arm.
Everything about her reflected authority.
Aries swallowed nervously.
"I... I heard voices."
Serena's expression remained cold.
"This isn't your concern."
She stepped closer.
"If you value your life, stay inside that room."
Without another word, Serena disappeared down the corridor, barking orders at the men rushing past.
Aries watched her for a moment before quietly returning to her room.
She curled herself beneath the blanket, but sleep refused to come.
The sounds of motorcycles starting outside echoed through the night.
Whatever had happened...
It was bigger than she had imagined.
Morning arrived far too quickly.
The familiar sound of keys turning in the lock woke her.
The elderly woman entered carrying fresh clothes.
"The President will see you now."
She placed the outfit neatly on the bed before leaving as quietly as she had entered.
This time, Jones arrived to escort Aries.
Neither of them spoke during the walk to Dante's office.
When they reached the door, Jones knocked once before stepping aside.
Aries took a deep breath.
This was her decision.
She pushed the door open.
Dante stood beside the window, his hands clasped behind his back.
The morning light highlighted the sharp angles of his face.
He turned as she entered.
Their eyes met.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
Finally, Dante broke the silence.
"Have you made your decision?"
Aries lowered her eyes to the contract she held tightly against her chest.
She thought of the basement.
The execution.
The fear.
Then she thought of the words she'd read before falling asleep.
One year.
One year was better than no future at all.
She slowly lifted her head.
"Yes."
Her voice barely rose above a whisper.
"I'll marry you."
For the briefest moment, surprise flickered across Dante's face before disappearing behind his usual unreadable expression.
He gave a single nod.
"Good."
He walked back to his desk.
"The wedding will take place tomorrow evening."
Aries's heart skipped.
Tomorrow?
Everything was happening too fast.
She opened her mouth to object, but the words never came.
Dante looked at her one final time.
"Once you become my wife..."
He paused.
"...my enemies become yours."
The weight of those words settled over her.
As she left the office, one question echoed through her mind.
Have I just saved my life or destroyed it?
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