Forced To A Mafia

A Hazardous Proposal

Standing before her, commanding the opulently decorated penthouse, was Alessandro De Luca. The air was tight with tension. He looked at her as if she were some jigsaw puzzle he must find a way to piece together, his eyes not once leaving hers.

Emily felt like she was sitting on a cliff and staring into unimaginable depths. At last, in hardly audible more than a whisper, she muttered, "I don't understand. Why am I here?"

Alessandro's smile was cold, calculated. "Because I need you. And you need me."

Emily's heart skipped a beat. Do I need him? What sick twisted game did he play? Putting space between them, she took a small step back, though the room felt smaller by the second.

"I don't need anything from you," she said, trying a firmness she was far from feeling inside. "Whatever this is, whatever you think I can give you, you're wrong."

Alessandro's smile faltered for a second. But the power of his eyes didn't - never once relenting, as he shot his challenge at her. "Ms. Rossi, you're more in trouble than you think. Your art isn't selling, your gallery is bankrupt, and the bank is threatening to seize everything from you.

Do I have this wrong? Emily found herself gasping for air. How was he aware? How could he know the specific nightmare she was experiencing? She had told no one how serious things had grown, not even her closest friends.

And there he was, appearing and giving it all to her as if it meant nothing. "It doesn't change anything, I don't know how you know that," she replied after him, shaking a bit. You don't need to assist me.

"Are you sure about that?" Alessandro asked, taking another step closer. His voice was low, deadly. "I can make all of your problems disappear with a single phone call. The debt, the gallery, the threats… all gone."

Emily went cold. "Threats?" she repeated, her mind racing. "What threats?

Alessandro's eyes went dark. "You think the vandalism at your gallery was random? That it was a bad luck occurrence? No, Ms. Rossi. You've been targeted. My rivals know your connection to me now, and they're sending a message. A warning.

Emily's blood ran cold. The smashed display windows, the slashed paintings-it all had seemed some mindless act of violence. It was now that the pieces started to fit, and what they painted was a picture far more terrifying than she could ever have imagined.

"You are lying," she whispered. But deep inside her, while uttering those words, she knew he wasn't.

For a moment Alessandro's face relaxed. "I wish I were”. But the fact is you've been pulled into a world you don't understand. And it's my fault.

Emily swallowed as her pulse sprinted out of control. "Why me? What do you want from me?"

Already Alessandro had turned away, walking over to the window where he stared out at the glittering skyline, his hands clasped behind his back. There was a moment when Emily thought he was not going to answer. Then in a voice little louder than a whisper, he said, "You are going to marry me".

These words hit Emily like a blow to the stomach. Her breath left her with a sharp gasp; her vision whirled as, incredulously, she tried to process what he had just said. "Marry you?" she repeated; her voice filled with incredulousness. "You can't be serious."

He turned back to her, his expression unreadable. "I'm very serious.

The laughter was bitter as Emily shook her head. "This can't be serious. I don't even know you. Why would I marry you?"

Alessandro had taken one step forward, and then his eyes latched onto hers, burning with a fierce intensity. "Because that is the only way I can protect you. My enemies know about you now, know you are someone connected with me, and they will not stop until they have used you in their favour against me. There is only one thing that can keep you safe: that they know you are under my protection.

Emily's mind reeled. Of course, none of this made sense. Marry him? To protect her? The mere idea was ridiculous. Yet the fear in his voice, the warning in his eyes, told her this was no joke. This was real. Deadly real.

"I am not some pawn in all your games," she spat, and in less than a second her fear turned to anger. "I will not be manipulated like this."

Alessandro's face hardened. "This isn't manipulation. This is survival."

Survival?" Emily shot back. "You want me to tie myself to you for life just because you've made enemies? That's your problem, not mine.

For the first time, Alessandro's impassive mask broke. "You think I want this?" he said in a low, deadly tone. "You think I am enjoying putting innocent people in danger just because of who I am? It's a life I was born into, and it's the life you've been dragged into, whether you like it or not."

Emily jerked back at the vehemence in his tone. Pain lingered there, a vulnerability she could hardly imagine. For an instant, she almost saw beyond the mask-the man who had been pushed into a world of violence and power, the man confined by his choices.

But that did not change the fact that he asked the impossible.

"I won't," Emily whispered, shaking her head. "I won't marry you. This is insane."

Alessandro's eyes gentled somewhat. The fire within was still there, banked behind it. "You won't have to remain married to me for all eternity. Just long enough to secure your safety-and mine. After that, you are free to go."

Emily blinked. "So this is just… temporary?"

"Yes," Alessandro said softly. "A year, maybe less. Once the threat is neutralised, we'll go our separate ways."

She bit her lip, her mind racing jumbled with conflicting emotions. Madness, this was utter madness. Yet, was it really worse than losing everything she worked for? Then living in fear all the time, waiting for the next attack?

"I don't know," she whispered more to herself than to him.

Alessandro took another step closer to her, his voice dropping to a near whisper. "Think about what you stand to lose, Emily. Your gallery. Your safety. Your life."

His words hung in the air, heavy, like a dark cloud choking her. She stared into his eyes, searching for a glimmer that this was a trick, a trap. All she saw was cold hard reality staring back at her.

"I need time," she said finally with a shaking voice.

Alessandro's jaw clenched, but he nodded. "You have until tomorrow. After that, the deal is off, and I can't guarantee your safety."

She spun to go, her heart racing in her chest. She felt Alessandro watching her all the time, his hot brand gaze searing into her back. It was only when she had stepped into the elevator and the doors closed behind her that she exhaled a deep breath that she hadn't even realised she was holding.

Her mind swooped with the downward motion of the elevator: Marry him? Where did that come from? And if she refused? What would happen to her then? She didn't know who Alessandro's enemies were, or what they were capable of, but she couldn't rid herself of this feeling of macedon hanging over her like some spectre.

It had been cool outside the building, but by the time Emily stepped out into the night air, she knew that wasn't all it was anymore. That wasn't just her gallery; it was a fight for life.

She'd never admit it, but Alessandro had been right: she'd been pulled into a world much darker than what she'd imagined, and there was no easy way out.

She was walking down the street when her phone buzzed in her pocket. She tugged it out and felt a flip in her heart at the message.

"One way or another, you belong to me now."

Emily stopped dead in her tracks as the blood syphoned from her head. The message was not from Alessandro.

Her phone buzzed again, this time a photo came across. Of her. Taken now, as she left Alessandro's building.

Somebody watched her.