Chapter 1
651 Words
Aria Voss clutched the edge of the worn kitchen table, her hands shaking so badly the cheap coffee mug rattled against the wood. “Luca, please tell me you’re joking,” she whispered, her voice cracking. Tears already burned her hazel eyes.
Luca paced the tiny Brooklyn apartment, running his fingers through his messy brown hair. “I’m sorry, Ari. I thought I could win it back. But they’re coming tonight. Dante Moretti’s men. Two million dollars. I don’t have it.” His voice broke. “They said they’ll kill me if I don’t pay.”
Aria’s knees buckled. She sank into the chair, sobbing quietly. “I’ve worked three jobs for us since Mom and Dad died. I gave up college. I gave up everything. And now this?” Her chest heaved with each pitiful breath. “What am I supposed to do?”
A loud knock thundered against the door. Aria flinched, her heart hammering. Luca’s face went pale. “They’re here early.”
The door burst open. Three large men in dark suits stepped inside. The tallest one, with piercing gray eyes and a jaw like carved stone, scanned the room like he already owned it. Dante Moretti. Aria had seen his face in the papers—billionaire, untouchable, deadly.
“You must be Luca Voss,” Dante said, his deep voice calm and commanding. He didn’t even glance at Aria yet. “Two million. Tonight. Or we end this now.”
Luca dropped to his knees. “Please, Mr. Moretti. I’ll do anything. Just give me time.”
Dante’s gaze finally shifted to Aria. She froze under those cold gray eyes. “Who is she?” he asked, voice low.
“My sister,” Luca stammered. “Aria. She’s innocent in all this. Please don’t hurt her.”
Dante stepped closer. Aria shrank back, tears spilling down her cheeks. “She’s pretty,” he said flatly. “Scared. Pitiful, even.” He tilted her chin up with one finger. His touch was surprisingly warm. “How old are you?”
“Twenty-one,” she whispered, voice trembling.
Dante studied her for a long moment. Something flickered in his eyes—possession, maybe. “I have a better offer than death for your brother,” he told Luca without looking away from Aria. “Seven years. She becomes my wife. My property. In return, your debt is erased. She lives in my world. My rules.”
Aria’s breath caught. “No… please… I can’t—”
“You can,” Dante cut in, voice like steel. “Or your brother dies tonight. Choose.”
Luca looked at her with desperate eyes. “Ari… I’m so sorry.”
Aria’s world spun. She was nothing but a weak, broken girl who had never been enough for anyone. And now this powerful man wanted to own her. Her lips quivered. “I… I’ll do it,” she whispered, hating how small her voice sounded.
Dante’s lips curved in the smallest smile. “Smart girl.” He pulled out a document from his coat. “Sign. Now.”
Her hand shook as she took the pen. Tears blurred the words. “What will happen to me?” she asked, voice barely audible.
“You’ll be mine,” Dante said simply. “Protected. Cared for. Controlled. No one touches what’s mine.” His gray eyes held hers. For a split second, something almost tender flashed there.
Aria signed. The pen felt like it sealed her soul away.
Dante folded the paper. “We leave in ten minutes. Pack nothing. You won’t need your old life.”
As the men dragged Luca out for “safekeeping,” Aria stood frozen, heart shattering. Dante watched her, arms crossed, completely in control.
She had just sold herself to the devil.
And the worst part? A tiny, terrified part of her felt relieved he had chosen her.
- Writer
