PAWN OF THE MAFIA: Trapped in a Billionaire's World of Secrets and Desires.

Grace Harper had heard the sound of fear before. She’d heard it in whispered phone calls, in the shivers in her father’s voice, in the way he paced through the house at night when he thought she was asleep. But she had never heard fear scream. Until today. Her father’s office door slammed open so hard the frame shook. Grace jumped to her feet just as two men in black shoved her father forward. He stumbled, crashing into the edge of his own desk, a strangled cry ripping out of him. Papers flew everywhere—loan documents, bankruptcy notices, broken promises scattered like ashes. And behind the men walked the monster who owned them. Genovese Carlos. The man whose name businessmen whispered like a curse. The man whose handshake meant power—and whose displeasure meant graves. He stepped inside with the slow confidence of someone who didn’t need to rush. Someone who enjoyed watching fear unfold one breath at a time. Grace’s heart jackhammered as her father fell to his knees. “Genovese… please… give me more time,” he begged. “I—I’ll get the money. Just a few more weeks—” Genovese raised a hand. Silence snapped across the room instantly. “I have already given you six months,” he said softly, almost politely. “And yet… here we are.” Grace swallowed hard. Her legs trembled beneath her skirt, but she forced herself to stand tall. “Please,” she whispered. “Don’t hurt him.” Genovese’s eyes slid toward her—dark, amused, hungry in the worst way. “Grace Harper,” he said slowly, as if savoring her name. “Now I understand why your father tried so hard.” He walked toward her father, resting a single polished shoe on one of the fallen documents. With a light push, he crushed it into the floor. “Your company is gone. Your assets are gone. And your debt…” His smile was a blade. “Three million dollars.” Her father bowed his head. “I know.” “You can’t pay,” Genovese continued. “And I have been very patient. Too patient.” Grace took a step forward. “Sir—” A guard shoved her back so hard she hit the desk. The impact forced a breath out of her. Pain flared up her spine, but she didn’t break eye contact with Genovese. He liked that. She saw it in the way his mouth twitched. “Brave girl,” he murmured. “Stupid, but brave.” Tears burned behind her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. “Tell me what you want.” Genovese chuckled, deep and low. “So eager. Good.” He circled her slowly, like a predator examining new prey. Grace forced her shoulders back. “You see,” he said, “I do not want your father dead. He amuses me. I also do not want his business. It is worthless now.” He stopped directly in front of her. “I want something… more valuable.” Grace’s breath became shallow. Her father jerked his head up. “No. Genovese, no—” Genovese lifted his hand again. And once more, silence fell. “You,” he said simply. Grace’s world froze. Her father collapsed at Genovese’s feet. “Please! Not my daughter. Take anything—” “I already have everything,” Genovese said. “Except her.” Grace forced out a shaking whisper. “Wh… what do you mean?” Genovese stepped back, his smile widening. “The debt will be wiped clean,” he announced, “if you marry my son.” Grace’s lips parted. No sound came out. Marry? His son? To clear a debt she didn’t even create? Her father shook with sobs. “Genovese, she’s twenty-three. She has a life. Dreams. You can’t steal—” “Dreams,” Genovese echoed lazily, “are luxuries that debtors do not have.” He turned to his men. “Bring him in.” The door opened again. And a man stepped inside who made the room feel suddenly smaller. Warren Johns. The billionaire heir of the Carlos mafia empire. The man with a face carved from stone and eyes made of winter steel. Every step he took was sharp, controlled, and deadly calm. He didn’t look at Grace like a man meeting his future wife. He looked at her like paperwork he needed to sign and throw aside. His presence sucked the air out of the room. Even the guards straightened. Grace couldn’t move. Her pulse hammered so loudly she could barely hear. Genovese gestured proudly. “My son.” Warren’s voice was smooth and low. “Is this her?” Grace felt her stomach drop. Her father tried to crawl toward Warren, grabbing his pant leg. “Please, my lord—she’s innocent. She’s my only—” Warren kicked him away without hesitation. Grace lunged forward. “Don’t touch him!” A guard moved to push her back again— But another voice stopped him. A voice like gravel, rough and dangerous. “Hey.” The guard froze. “Don’t lay hands on her again.” Grace turned. Scar Hale. Genovese’s second-in-command. Silent. Deadly. A man whose name alone made criminals go cold. He stood in the corner, half hidden, arms crossed, eyes glued to her with a look that made her breath catch. Not lust. Not pity. Something sharper. Something like recognition. Genovese sighed. “Scar, this is not your concern.” Scar’s jaw ticked. “I didn’t say it was.” But he didn’t take his eyes off Grace. Warren stepped closer to her, stopping just inches away. He smelled like expensive cologne and expensive danger. “Grace Harper,” Warren said quietly. “You will marry me.” It wasn’t a question. Grace shook her head, tears finally spilling. “I… I don’t even know you.” “You will,” he said. “In time.” “I don’t want this.” “You don’t have a choice.” Yes she did. Run. Fight. Scream. But then she saw her father—broken, shaking, terrified—and she realized she had none of those choices at all. Genovese clasped his hands. “You have three options, Miss Harper.” He held up a finger. “One: Your father dies tonight.” Her heart stopped. “Two: You pay me the debt. Three million dollars.” She almost laughed. She didn’t have three thousand. “And three…” He smiled again. “You marry Warren. The debt dissolves. Your father lives. You become a part of my family—my empire.” Grace tried to breathe. Tried to think. Tried to steady the room that was spinning around her. Marry Warren Johns. Become property of the mafia. Lose her freedom. Her dreams. Herself. Her father crawled toward her, clutching her dress. “Grace… baby… don’t do it. Don’t give up your life for mine.” Warren spoke coldly. “It’s not giving up. It’s trading up.” Scar scoffed under his breath. Warren turned sharply. “You have something to say?” Scar didn’t blink. “Only that a woman forced into marriage doesn’t become a wife. She becomes a prisoner.” “Careful,” Warren warned. Scar shrugged. “Just stating facts.” Genovese snapped, “Enough. Our time is wasted.” Warren faced Grace again. “Will you marry me?” Her lips trembled. Her eyes fell on her father. If she said no, they’d kill him. If she said no, she’d lose the only family she had left. If she said no… her father’s blood would drip because of her. She inhaled shakily. And whispered the words that destroyed her world: “…yes.” Her father screamed. Grace collapsed to her knees. Warren simply nodded, as if she’d just approved a business deal. Genovese clapped his hands. “Excellent. The wedding will be in three days. Prepare her.” The guards moved instantly. Warren turned and walked out without another glance in her direction. Scar remained the only one who didn’t move. His eyes were locked on Grace—dark, unreadable, burning with something she couldn’t name. As she trembled on the floor, he finally stepped toward her. Not close enough to touch her. But close enough that she could feel the weight of his presence. He leaned down slightly, speaking only to her. “Grace,” he murmured, voice low and rough, “listen carefully.” She lifted her eyes to him. Scar’s expression softened—just for a second. “This family,” he said quietly, “destroys everything it touches.” Her heartbeat stuttered. “And now,” he added, “they’ve touched you.” Before she could reply, Genovese barked an order, and Scar straightened. But as he began to walk away, his arm deliberately brushed hers. A small touch. A forbidden spark. Her breath hitched. Scar stopped at the door… looked back at her over his shoulder… and for the briefest moment, she saw something she never expected— He cared. Then he was gone. Leaving Grace with a marriage sentence. A ruined future. And one certainty: Warren Johns would own her life. But Scar Hale… Scar Hale might be the one man capable of destroying her heart. And she had only just met him.