The Contract
1354 Words
The car ride was silent. Alfonso didn’t say a word, and neither did I. I sat beside him, tense, my thoughts too loud to control.
When we stopped, the driver opened the door. Alfonso stepped out first. I followed, trying to steady my breath.
He poured himself a drink when we reached his penthouse. It was bigger than ours, more lavish the kind of place that reeked of power and control. He gestured for me to take a seat in a small office near the balcony.
“I don’t like wasting time,” he said finally, turning to face me. His tone was calm, almost casual, but there was something sharp underneath. “So I’ll make this simple.”
He took a slow sip and set his glass down. “You want your sister free. I can make that happen.”
My stomach tightened. “What do you want in return?”
His gaze locked on mine, steady and unreadable. “You.”
I froze, unsure of what to say. He had made that clear the night we met, but hearing it again made something cold twist inside me.
“I’m offering you a contract,” he continued. “You’ll be my wife. Publicly.”
I stared at him, speechless. My heart was pounding so hard it hurt. “You’re joking.”
He didn’t smile. “I don’t joke.”
He leaned forward. “You’ll live with me. Attend events. Stand by me when needed. People will believe it’s real.”
My voice came out small. “And privately?”
His eyes darkened. “Privately, you’ll still be mine. You’ll be my wife in every way that matters.” He paused, his gaze cutting into me. “I will have your body. We’ll f**k like every married couple does.”
His words hit me like a slap. My breath caught, heat rising to my face.
“You’re asking me to sell myself,” I whispered.
“No,” he said quietly. “I’m offering you a way out.”
My hands trembled. I wanted to scream, to run, to fight back. But deep down, I knew I was trapped. He had power I couldn’t fight, and he knew it too.
He got up from his seat and came closer, leaning against the desk beside me. His tall frame towered over me, his presence swallowing all the air in the room.
“You’ll have protection,” he said, his voice low. “Comfort. Your sister’s freedom. All I want is your loyalty and your obedience.”
I swallowed hard, my voice barely there. “How long?”
“Two years,” he said simply. “Maybe three. Then you walk away with your sister and your name clean.”
He went back to his seat and pulled out a folded document, setting it on the table. “Read it. Think about it. You have until tomorrow night to decide.”
My chest ached with a mix of anger and fear. “And if I say no?”
He turned toward the door, his voice quiet but certain. “Then your sister rots in prison.”
He walked out, his footsteps fading down the hall until all I could hear was the sound of my own breathing.
I stood there, shaking, staring at the papers that could change everything.
Later, I went to the station to see Aria. Maybe if I heard her side, there’d still be something left to save.
She walked out, pale and drained. Her eyes lit up for a second when she saw me, then dropped when she realized I knew.
She sat down in front of me. “Hey,” she said softly.
I nodded. “Are you okay?” The words slipped out before I could stop them. Even though I was angry, I still cared.
She shrugged. “You’re here. Tell me you were right. That you knew I f****d up,” she said, her voice trembling.
I rolled my eyes, trying to hold myself together.
“You need to tell me what’s going on,” I said in one breath. “I have no idea what the hell is happening, but I told you something about this didn’t feel right, and you didn’t listen. You lied to me. You made me look like some jealous, bitter sister because I didn’t believe your story about how you got rich overnight.”
She looked down, her eyes welling with tears. “I don’t want to go to jail,” she whispered.
My chest tightened. “Then tell me everything,” I said quietly.
She nodded and gripped my hands like she was afraid to let go.
From what Aria told me, she met Alfonso’s nephew online. It started on a dating platform. He had catfished her. She didn’t know who he really was. He lied about his age, said he was older, and they started talking. Things escalated fast, and before long, it turned s****l. He asked her to send pictures, to do things on camera, and in return, he sent her money.
She said she only found out who he really was during one of their video calls, but by then it was already too late. He looked older, acted older, and she believed him.
“I was desperate,” Aria said quietly. “So I used what I had to get what I needed.”
“He’s just as guilty as you are. A spoiled brat,” I said, my voice sharper than I intended.
“They’re trying to twist everything,” Aria said quickly, her frustration spilling over. “They want it to look like I manipulated him. He’s eighteen, Diana. He knew what he was doing.”
She let out a shaky breath, dragging her hands through her hair. “We never even met in person,” she added, her voice cracking.
I wasn’t going to defend what Aria did, but I believed she deserved a chance to explain. That kid wasn’t innocent either. As much as I doubted her, something in me believed she was telling the truth this time.
Even if the s****l misconduct charge could somehow be dropped, the fraud wouldn’t be easy to escape. It was Alfonso’s money. I knew he wouldn’t let it go.
Everything came rushing back to the contract he had given me, and my stomach twisted at the thought. Was that the only way to pay the debt? The only way to save her?
I had until tomorrow night to decide. I never thought my life would end up like this. Even when I knew something felt off about Aria’s sudden riches, I still went along with it. I can’t put all the blame on her. This was my fault too. And now I had to face the consequences. I had to face Alfonso.
He looked like the kind of man who enjoyed control. Arrogant. Unforgiving. Dangerous. And somehow, I had become his easy prey.
The guard gestured that our time was almost up.
“I think I might be able to help you get out of jail,” I said quietly. Her eyes lit up for a moment, then dimmed again.
“I can’t believe that,” she said softly. “That man we’re dealing with… he’s powerful. The things he said to me when he came here nothing you do can change that.”
It took me a moment to find the right words. “You don’t have to trust me completely,” I said. “Just hope. I’ve spoken to him, and he’s not really that bad.”
The lie slipped through my teeth before I could stop it. She raised a brow, unconvinced.
“Just leave everything to me,” I whispered. “I’ll handle it. I love you.”
I stood and pulled her into a hug. The guard called her name. She looked at me one last time before turning away.
Now, with less than twenty-four hours left, I was about to make the worst decision of my life.
If only she knew what I was about to give up for her.
- Writer
