THE DEVIL’S MANSION
1067 Words
The Mafia King’s Forbidden Wife
Chapter Two: The Devil’s Mansion
Elena Rossi had always believed that homes were supposed to feel safe.
A place where the walls carried memories.
A place where laughter filled the rooms.
A place where people could take off their masks and simply exist.
But when the black luxury car passed through the iron gates of the De Luca estate, Elena realized one thing.
This was not a home.
It was a fortress.
The mansion stood at the top of a private hill, surrounded by tall gates, armed guards, and endless darkness.
It was beautiful.
Too beautiful.
The kind of beauty that warned people not to get too close.
Elena looked out the window as the car stopped.
“So this is where the devil lives?”
The driver said nothing.
Apparently, even speaking about Adrian De Luca required courage.
The door opened.
A cold wind touched her face as she stepped out.
She adjusted her coat and looked up at the enormous mansion.
She was supposed to become the wife of the man everyone feared.
A man she barely knew.
A man who had the power to destroy her family.
And somehow, she was expected to sleep under his roof.
Forever.
Or at least until their contract ended.
“Welcome to De Luca Manor.”
Elena turned.
A woman in an elegant black dress approached her.
She looked to be in her mid-twenties, with dark hair and sharp eyes that missed nothing.
“I’m Sofia De Luca,” the woman introduced herself.
“Adrian’s sister.”
Elena nodded.
“Nice to meet you.”
Sofia studied her carefully.
“You’re different from the women who usually come here.”
Elena raised an eyebrow.
“Women usually come here?”
A small smile appeared on Sofia’s face.
“You’re already asking dangerous questions.”
“I have a habit of wanting answers.”
Sofia looked toward the mansion.
“That might be the only thing that keeps you alive here.”
Elena frowned.
“What does that mean?”
But before Sofia could answer, a voice interrupted them.
“It means you should learn when to stop searching for things that are hidden.”
Elena turned.
Adrian stood at the entrance.
He had removed his suit jacket, leaving him in a perfectly fitted black shirt.
The man looked less like a businessman and more like someone born to command.
His eyes met hers.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Elena looked away first.
Not because she was intimidated.
Because she refused to let him know he affected her.
“Do you always appear when people are talking about you?”
Adrian walked closer.
“Usually, people stop talking when I enter.”
“Well, I’m not usually people.”
A slight amusement flashed in his eyes.
“You’ve made that very clear.”
---
Inside the mansion, Elena noticed something strange.
The house was filled with expensive paintings, rare furniture, and priceless decorations.
But it felt empty.
Cold.
Like nobody had ever truly lived there.
“Your room is upstairs,” Adrian said.
“My room?”
“Yes.”
She stopped walking.
“Not ours?”
Adrian looked at her.
“Our marriage is a contract, Elena.”
His voice was calm.
“There will be no pretending.”
Something about that answer bothered her.
She didn’t want his affection.
She didn’t want his love.
But the way he said it made her feel like she was nothing more than a transaction.
“Good,” she replied.
“Because I wasn’t planning on pretending either.”
She walked past him.
But before she reached the stairs, Adrian spoke again.
“One rule.”
Elena stopped.
“What rule?”
He looked serious.
“Never enter my office.”
She turned around.
“Why?”
“Because it contains things you don’t need to know.”
She crossed her arms.
“That sounds exactly like something someone says when they’re hiding something.”
Adrian’s expression hardened.
“Everyone who has entered that room without permission has regretted it.”
A chill passed through her.
Not because of the threat.
Because she believed him.
---
Later that night, Elena sat alone in her new bedroom.
The room was larger than her entire apartment at university.
Everything was perfect.
The bed.
The furniture.
The view.
Yet she felt trapped.
She looked at the wedding ring sitting on the table.
A symbol of a marriage she never chose.
A reminder that her father had sacrificed her to save himself.
Her phone suddenly vibrated.
A message appeared from an unknown number.
You don’t know who you married.
Elena froze.
Another message arrived.
Ask Adrian De Luca what happened to your mother.
Her breathing stopped.
Her mother.
No one spoke about her mother.
Not even her father.
Before she could reply, the door opened.
Elena quickly locked her phone.
Adrian stood there.
His eyes immediately noticed her expression.
“What happened?”
“Nothing.”
He studied her.
“You’re a terrible liar.”
She looked away.
“Why did you marry me?”
The question surprised him.
“You already know.”
“No. I know the excuse.”
She stepped closer.
“I want the truth.”
For a moment, Adrian said nothing.
Then his expression changed.
The cold mask disappeared.
Only for a second.
“My family and yours have been enemies for twenty years.”
Elena waited.
“And your mother was the only person who knew why.”
Her heart raced.
“What are you saying?”
Adrian looked at her.
“Your mother didn’t die because of an accident.”
The room went silent.
Elena felt like the world had shifted beneath her feet.
“What?”
Adrian took a step closer.
“Someone killed her.”
And before Elena could ask who…
The lights in the mansion suddenly went out.
A loud crash echoed from downstairs.
Then came the sound of gunshots.
Adrian’s entire expression changed.
The businessman disappeared.
The mafia king returned.
He grabbed Elena’s hand.
“Stay behind me.”
For the first time, Elena saw the truth.
The rumors were not exaggerated.
They were warnings.
Because Adrian De Luca was not just a billionaire.
He was a man who had survived a world built on blood.
And tonight…
That world had found them.
To be continued…
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