Forced Marriage

Thirty two years ago, the family of the Marinos and given out to the Alexander's family as they had really needed it, but this money didn't come without any condition, there was a condition,a tough one, one that didn't need the permission of the individual involved....... Years later, every thing was back to normal everyone forgot about an old deal,Mr. Alexander was married for seven years without a child, he and his wife had contemplated on what to do....but nothing else was working, during this time, Alexander was on a trip for one of his businesses..... One day he met a baby in front of his door step it was a shock but he couldn't leave the baby due to the fact he also wanted a child, so he took care of this baby then took her home to his wife at the end of the trip, his wife happily accepted the child, and they named her Mira, she was treated with so much love and care but miraculously Mrs Alexander gave birth to a baby girl named Lily same year, and their love had divided, but Alexander still loved Mira as his own but Mrs Alexander didn't...... Now, Nella and Lily were age mates,both were eightteeen years old and also intelligent, even with the partial treatment everyone was contented with everything *The Marinos family* Davis is the only child of the Marinos and the heir to the mafia family,he didn't smile,he didn't keep long eye contact unless you were his next target,he was ruthless come and heartless at least he was trained to be he is twenty four years old, when it comes to women he was used to having way without any issues,but now his family wanted him to settle down. **At the Marino's house "Son you are going complete this issue of marriage once your dad gets back i promise you that and you don't want to try me Mrs Bella Marino said after eating her dinner, Davis sat at the head of the long mahogany table, his fork scraping against the fine china with a precise, rhythmic sound. He didn't look up at his mother. His posture was perfect, almost unnerving in its rigidity. "I have nothing to say to you about this, Mother," he said, his voice flat and devoid of warmth. He took a measured sip of the red wine in his glass, his eyes fixed on the candle flickering in the center of the table. Mrs. Bella Marino leaned forward, her expression hardening. "It's not a request, Davis. The council is asking questions. Your father will be back from Milan within the week, and I expect you to have a decision made by then." Davis set his glass down without a sound. The silence that followed was heavy, thick enough to stifle the air in the dining room. He finally raised his gaze, meeting his mother's eyes with a coldness that could freeze blood."I'll deal with the council," Davis stated, his voice dropping an octave. "They don't need a wedding date to feel secure. They need results." Bella Marino didn't flinch. She had raised a man who used silence as a weapon, and she knew it. "Results aren't enough anymore, Davis. The Marino name needs an heir. Not a ghost of a man who refuses to touch anyone." He pushed his chair back from the table, the legs making a sharp, brief sound against the marble floor. He stood, his tall frame casting a long shadow under the chandelier's light. "Then find me one," he said, turning his back on her. "Send another girl. I'll throw her out just like the last five. That is the only result you will get from me." He walked out of the dining room without looking back, his footsteps even and deliberate as he headed toward his private wing. "fine just watch and see" Mrs Bella said as she smirks... Few weeks later Mr Marino was back from his trip and his wife reported everything Davis said to him, "I already told you I already have a wife for him even before he was born anyways I think it's time to pay an old deal a visit Mr. Marino leaned back in his leather chair, his fingers steepled beneath his chin. The fireplace crackled, casting orange light across the lines of his face. He had been silent for a long time, letting his wife's words settle. "The Alexander debt," he murmured, more to himself than to Bella. "I thought we had moved past that. That agreement was decades old." "It was never truly gone, Lorenzo," Bella countered, her voice sharp. "And now, it is the only leverage we have left to force his hand." Mr. Marino stood up and walked toward the window, looking out over the dark expanse of their estate. His mind was already calculating—the logistics of retrieving a girl from a family that had been indebted to them for generations. It was a delicate matter, but one that promised a definitive solution to his son's defiance. "Send word to the Alexander household," Mr. Marino commanded, his tone final. Lorenzo nods slightly,he was there when the deal Was made and thought it was forgotten but, everything was already planned. He is Marino's right hand man. Marino's eyes remained fixed on the raindrops racing down the windowpane. The memory of that night—the signing of the contract, the ink that looked like dried blood under the dim light—surfaced with a clarity that made his jaw tighten. "The girl," Marino said, his voice low and steady. "The one they raised as their own. She's eighteen now." Bella turned from the doorway, her silk robe rustling. "Exactly. The perfect candidate. She's been in their house for eighteen years, well-fed, well-educated, and entirely unaware of what she owes us." "Davis won't take kindly to a stranger being forced upon him," Lorenzo noted, though he didn't sound particularly concerned. "He won't have a choice," Bella replied with a sharp smile. "It's not a marriage proposal, Marino. It's a collection." "Alexander seems to have another daughter too of her age sir *Lorenzo said quietly recurring his research.. Marino's eyes flickered toward his wife, a slow calculation settling behind them. He didn't immediately respond, instead tapping a rhythmic pattern against the window frame with his index finger. "The biological one," he stated, more of a confirmation than a question. "Lily." "A complication we don't need," Bella dismissed with a wave of her hand. "Mira is the one tied to the contract. The debt was signed in her name, through her father's obligation to the girl he took in. It's clean." Marino turned away from the window, his expression unreadable. "Clean or not, Alexander will fight this. He's kept Mira under his roof like his own blood for eighteen years. He won't just hand her over because a piece of paper from thirty years ago resurfaced." "Then we remind him why he signed it in the first place," Bella said calmly, as if discussing the weather. Marino smirks, his cruel side was back in action, "Perfectly said my love He said pecking her forehead, Marino pulled away from Bella, his expression shifting from thoughtful to predatory. The softness in his eyes vanished, replaced by the hard, calculating gaze that had kept the Marino empire intact for decades. "I'll handle the meeting myself," Marino said, straightening his tie. "Alexander is a good man, but he's not a fighter. He'll fold once he realizes there's no escape." Bella smiled, satisfied. "And Davis? What will you tell him?" "I'll tell him nothing," Marino replied, grabbing his coat from the back of the chair. "He'll find out when she arrives at his door." The black sedan sped away from the Marino estate, cutting through the rain-slicked streets toward the Alexander residence. Inside, Marino checked his watch. He had exactly twenty minutes before they reached their destination—twenty minutes to prepare the final blow to a man who thought he had finally found peace.