The Offer
726 Words
"Absolutely not."
The words left my mouth before I even had time to think.
Alessandro De Luca didn't move.
Didn't blink.
He simply looked at me like he had expected that answer.
"I assumed you would say that."
"Then why are you wasting my time?"
"Because you will change your mind."
I almost laughed.
The confidence in his voice was infuriating.
"You don't know me."
A shadow crossed his eyes.
"I know more about you than you think."
The way he said it made my stomach tighten.
"What does that mean?"
"It means I know you spent three years working two jobs to help your family. I know you refused every opportunity to leave because you believed your father would eventually fix everything."
My expression changed.
How did he know that?
"I know you pretend to be stronger than you are," he continued. "And I know you would sacrifice yourself before watching someone you love suffer."
My anger rose.
"Don't pretend you know me."
"I don't pretend."
His voice became colder.
"I studied you."
The honesty of his answer disturbed me more than a lie would have.
"You had people following me?"
"No."
He paused.
"I had people protecting my investment."
I stared at him.
"Investment?"
"Your father borrowed money from my family. A lot of money."
"My father made a mistake. That doesn't make me his property."
For the first time, something changed in Alessandro's expression.
A small flash of something I couldn't understand.
Respect?
Amusement?
It disappeared too quickly.
"No," he said quietly. "It doesn't."
I wasn't expecting that answer.
"Then why are you doing this?"
He looked toward the house.
"My enemies know your father owes me. They know his weakness."
"And?"
"And they know you are his weakness."
A cold feeling settled in my chest.
"You are saying someone might hurt me?"
"I am saying someone already tried."
The room suddenly felt smaller.
"What?"
Alessandro reached into his coat and placed a photograph on the table.
My blood froze.
It was me.
Walking home from work three nights ago.
Taken from a distance.
"Who took that?"
"Someone who wanted me to know they could reach you."
I looked at my father.
His face had gone pale.
"You knew?"
My voice cracked.
"You knew someone was watching me?"
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
Sorry.
That word was supposed to fix everything?
I turned back to Alessandro.
"And marrying you solves this?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"Because no one touches what belongs to me."
The possessiveness in his voice made my anger explode.
"I don't belong to anyone."
For the first time, Alessandro stepped close enough that I could see the darkness hidden behind his calm expression.
"Good."
His voice dropped.
"Because I don't want a woman who belongs to me."
I frowned.
"Then what do you want?"
His eyes locked onto mine.
"I want a woman who chooses to stand beside me."
I hated that those words affected me.
I hated that, for a second, I saw something different beneath the ruthless businessman everyone feared.
Something lonely.
Something broken.
But I reminded myself who he was.
Alessandro De Luca was not a hero.
He was a man who built his empire with fear.
"I still won't marry you."
He watched me silently.
Then he reached into his pocket and placed a folder on the table.
"What is that?"
"The contract."
I stared at him.
"You came prepared?"
"I always do."
I opened the folder.
The first page was simple.
Six months.
A legal marriage.
Protection for my family.
All debts erased.
But then I saw the final condition.
My breath caught.
"What is this?"
Alessandro looked at the paper.
"The condition you didn't expect."
I looked up.
"What happens after six months?"
His eyes met mine.
"You walk away free."
I didn't believe him.
"No one like you lets people walk away."
A faint smile appeared.
"Maybe you are the first person who ever will."
I closed the folder.
"I need time."
"Twenty-four hours."
"That's not enough."
"It's more than your enemies will give you."
He turned to leave.
At the doorway, he stopped.
"Elena."
I didn't look at him.
"What?"
"When you say yes..."
I finally turned.
His expression was unreadable.
"Remember this."
A pause.
"Being my wife will protect you from the world."
His eyes darkened.
"But it may not protect you from me."
- Writer
