Chapter 4: The Devil's Offer
1118 Words
Aria spent the entire ride home thinking about Luca.
Not because she wanted to.
Because she couldn't stop.
His confidence irritated her.
His arrogance infuriated her.
And yet, beneath all of that, there was something else.
Something she couldn't quite understand.
The way everyone reacted to him.
The fear.
The respect.
Even his cousin seemed nervous around him.
Who was Luca Moretti when nobody was watching?
The question followed her all the way back to the mansion.
By the time she stepped through the front door, dusk had settled over the city.
The house felt emptier than ever.
As if the walls themselves were waiting for disaster.
Her father sat in his study.
Stacks of paperwork covered the desk.
He looked exhausted.
"Did you eat anything today?" Aria asked.
He shook his head.
"I'm not hungry."
"You haven't been hungry for weeks."
He smiled weakly.
"And you've always been stubborn."
Aria sat opposite him.
"Dad, tell me honestly."
He looked up.
"If I refuse Luca's proposal, what happens?"
Silence.
That was answer enough.
"Dad."
His shoulders slumped.
"We lose everything."
Her chest tightened.
"The company?"
"Yes."
"The house?"
"Yes."
She swallowed hard.
"What about the employees?"
His expression darkened.
"Most of them would lose their jobs."
The weight of that settled heavily on her.
This wasn't just about her family anymore.
Hundreds of people depended on the Romano company.
Families.
Children.
Entire livelihoods.
And somehow Luca held all their futures in his hands.
"I hate him."
Her father looked at her carefully.
"Do you?"
She frowned.
"What kind of question is that?"
"The kind that matters."
Aria stood immediately.
"I'm going to my room."
Before he could say another word, she left.
Because she didn't like where the conversation was heading.
Not one bit.
Later that night, sleep refused to come.
Again.
The digital clock beside her bed glowed.
11:48 PM.
She sighed.
Then sat upright.
Enough.
She needed answers.
If Luca expected her to marry him, she deserved to know who he really was.
Grabbing her laptop, she opened a search engine.
Luca Moretti.
Thousands of results appeared instantly.
News articles.
Business magazines.
Interviews.
Photographs.
She clicked the first result.
The Youngest Billionaire in the City.
The next one.
The Mysterious Moretti Empire Expands Again.
Another.
Luca Moretti Acquires Rival Corporation.
Her eyebrows rose.
Billionaire?
Nobody had mentioned that part.
She continued reading.
The Moretti Group owned luxury hotels.
Shipping companies.
Investment firms.
Real estate developments.
Even private security corporations.
The empire was enormous.
Far larger than she'd imagined.
Then she found something strange.
Almost every article talked about his success.
Yet none mentioned his personal life.
No girlfriends.
No scandals.
No close friends.
Nothing.
As if the man existed only for business.
A knock interrupted her thoughts.
She quickly closed the laptop.
"Come in."
The door opened.
It was Sophia.
Her best friend.
Relief immediately washed over her.
Sophia had been her closest friend since childhood.
If anyone could help her survive this nightmare, it was her.
Sophia entered carrying a bag of snacks.
"You look terrible."
"Thanks."
"I mean it lovingly."
Aria laughed despite herself.
That was Sophia.
Always honest.
Always impossible.
Sophia sat on the bed.
"Now tell me everything."
Aria did.
Every detail.
The debt.
The contract.
The marriage proposal.
The deadline.
The harbor.
Everything.
By the time she finished, Sophia's eyes were enormous.
"Your life sounds like one of those crazy novels I read."
"Glad you're entertained."
"I'm serious."
Sophia grabbed a pillow.
"A hot billionaire mafia heir wants to marry you."
Aria threw a cushion at her.
"He threatened my family."
"Okay, that part isn't romantic."
"Thank you."
"But..."
Aria groaned.
"There's a but."
Sophia grinned.
"There is definitely a but."
"I don't want to hear it."
"Too bad."
Sophia leaned forward.
"What if he's not the villain?"
Aria stared at her.
"Have you lost your mind?"
"Maybe."
"Sophia."
"What?"
"He literally gave me forty-eight hours to agree."
"Forty-four now."
Aria narrowed her eyes.
"You find this funny?"
"A little."
Another pillow flew across the room.
Sophia laughed loudly.
For the first time in days, Aria smiled.
Then her phone buzzed.
The smile vanished instantly.
Unknown Number.
Her stomach dropped.
She already knew who it was.
Sophia noticed.
"Oh."
Slowly, Aria opened the message.
A single photograph appeared.
She froze.
The image showed her.
At the harbor.
Talking to Ethan.
Sophia nearly choked.
"What the hell?"
Aria scrolled down.
A second message followed.
You looked comfortable with him.
Her pulse accelerated.
Then another message appeared.
I don't like that.
Sophia's mouth fell open.
"Nope."
"What?"
"Nope."
"Sophia."
"This man is crazy."
Aria couldn't disagree.
A final message arrived.
Goodnight, future wife.
Aria immediately locked the phone.
Sophia screamed into a pillow.
"Oh my God."
"I know."
"Oh my God."
"I KNOW."
Sophia stared at her.
Then burst out laughing.
Aria wanted to laugh too.
Instead she felt something far more dangerous.
A strange warmth spreading through her chest.
Because despite how ridiculous the messages were...
She couldn't stop rereading them in her head.
Across the city, Luca stood inside his penthouse office.
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the glowing skyline.
The room was silent.
Except for the sound of pages turning.
A knock interrupted him.
"Enter."
Ethan walked inside.
"You wanted to see me."
Luca didn't look up.
"You met Aria."
It wasn't a question.
Ethan sighed.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because she happened to sit on the same bench."
Luca finally raised his eyes.
The silence that followed was enough to make most men nervous.
Ethan wasn't most men.
But even he shifted slightly.
"You like her."
Luca returned his attention to the documents.
The statement surprised Ethan.
Not because it was true.
Because Luca admitted it.
"What gave me away?"
"You smiled."
Ethan blinked.
"Once."
"Exactly."
Luca never smiled.
At least not genuinely.
Not anymore.
Ethan leaned against the desk.
"So what's your plan?"
Luca's expression hardened.
"To protect her."
That answer surprised him.
"From what?"
Luca remained silent.
The silence lasted several seconds.
Then several more.
Finally Ethan understood.
The danger wasn't coming from Luca.
It was coming from someone else.
Someone powerful.
Someone deadly.
And somehow Aria was connected.
"Does she know?"
"No."
"Will you tell her?"
"No."
Ethan sighed.
"You're making a mistake."
Luca's eyes darkened.
"Perhaps."
"But I'll make it anyway."
For the first time that night, uncertainty crossed his face.
Because despite everything—
The contract.
The pressure.
The threats.
There was one truth nobody knew.
Not even Aria.
He wasn't forcing her into marriage because of the debt.
The debt had simply given him an excuse.
The real reason was far more dangerous.
And if she discovered it too early...
Both of them could end up dead.
- Writer
