CHAPTER 2: THE PRICE OF SALVATION
921 Words
“Absolutely not.”
The words came from her father, but Alessia felt them inside her own chest. The office seemed smaller now, like all the air had vanished. The walls felt closer. Nobody moved.
Rafael De Luca just stood there. Quiet, calm, like he’d already seen this coming. He didn’t argue, didn’t flinch.
“This isn’t a negotiation,” he said, voice low.
Alessia’s temper snapped. “Then what is it?” The words shot out sharp. “Sounds like blackmail to me.”
Rafael’s gaze shifted to her, slow and careful. He was watching her, not answering.
“It’s an opportunity.”
She let out a short, bitter laugh. “You destroy my family, waltz in like you’re king, and call this an opportunity?”
“Yes.”
One word, solid as stone.
Her chest squeezed so tight she could barely breathe.
He really believed that.
“You’re crazy,” she muttered.
He just shrugged. “And yet... I’m the only one who can fix this.”
The air hung heavy so thick she could almost taste the dread.
Alessia hated how her mind wouldn’t let go of his words, how for half a second, she considered them. Because he wasn’t lying. Everything was falling to pieces. He stood untouched in the middle of the wreckage.
Her father slammed his glass down, making her jump. Alessandro stepped forward, voice hard: “I said no. Whatever this is, whatever game you think you’re playing my daughter isn’t part of it.”
Rafael finally looked at him. Really looked.
The temperature seemed to drop.
“This stopped being your decision a long time ago,” Rafael said.
Alessandro’s jaw clenched. “You think you can come in and take whatever you want?”
Rafael stepped forward, slow and steady. “No. I take what I’m owed.”
That chilled Alessia straight through.
That tension old, raw she could feel it even though she wasn’t sure what it meant.
She turned to her father. “What did you do? What debt is he talking about?”
“Alessia…”
She cut him off. “No. You don’t get to hide this. Not when everything is collapsing.”
Her dad stayed silent.
That was answer enough. Something twisted deep inside Alessia.
She turned back to Rafael. “Tell me.”
Nobody spoke, not for a few seconds.
Finally, Rafael’s eyes went darker. “Your father destroyed a life.”
He said it simply, but the weight landed.
Her breath caught. “That’s not..”
“It is,” Rafael cut her off, voice even but sharp. “And now I’m returning the favor.”
Her pulse thundered in her ears.
“So this is about revenge."
“Yes.”
At least he didn’t bother pretending.
“And marrying me? That’s part of this?”
He paused.
“It’s the beginning.”
Her stomach dropped.
Every instinct screamed run, fight, refuse but reality pressed in, suffocating.
Her father’s voice broke a little. “Don’t even consider this.”
She closed her eyes for a second and saw nothing but headlines, red numbers, and Maria’s terrified face.
Their empire wasn’t just dying it was disappearing, and Rafael was erasing it.
She opened her eyes and stared at him. “What exactly are you offering?”
Her father sucked in a breath. “No.”
She ignored him, because looking at him felt like admitting defeat.
Rafael studied her. Something almost approving flashed in his gaze.
“Your family keeps its name. Investigations vanish. The financial damage gets repaired.”
Her heart thudded faster.
“And in return?”
“You marry me.”
Her jaw locked. “How long?”
He waited.
“Indefinitely.”
The word felt like a punch.
“That’s not a deal; it’s a life sentence.”
“Yes.”
His calm certainty made her shiver.
She forced herself to hold his stare. “And what happens after?”
He blinked, almost surprised. “After?”
“When you're done with your revenge. When you’ve finished whatever point you’re trying to make what happens to me?”
His expression shifted, something hidden.
“That depends on you.”
Her chest tightened up again.
“I’m not something you can control,” she snapped.
His smile was small and dangerous. “We’ll see.”
Arrogant. Unshakable.
She wanted to hate him.
But... there was something else under the anger. She didn’t want to name it.
Her father stepped between them. “This conversation is over. Leave.”
Rafael didn’t budge. Instead, he placed a slim black folder on the desk.
“Take the night,” he said.
Alessia stared at it. “What’s that?”
“Your future.”
Her heart skipped.
“Inside is everything you need terms, conditions, consequences.”
Consequences. That word echoed.
He turned to leave, then stopped for a second. Met her eyes.
“This is your only chance, Alessia.”
Her name sounded wrong coming from him. Too intimate.
“If you walk away, I won't stop what's already happening. And next time," his voice dropped, icy "I won't come with an offer."
He left.
Just like that.
Only his silence lingered.
Alessia stared at the door long after it closed.
Her heart wasn’t calming down. Her thoughts spun out.
Her whole life sat on the edge of a decision she didn’t want to make.
Slowly, she turned toward the desk.
Toward the folder.
Toward the choice that could save her family... or ruin her completely.
- Writer
