You Are Mine

Chapter 1 The Ruthless meeting

*Aurora's POV*

The streets were too quiet.

Not the normal kind of quiet.

The kind that makes your skin crawl. Like the world was holding its breath before something terrible happened.

I should’ve let the driver pick me up from school.

But I was stubborn. I wanted to walk. Clear my head.

Now my left eyelid was twitching.

And I knew. I knew something was wrong.

As I turned onto my street, my steps slowed.

Black SUVs. A long black limousine. Parked along the curb like a line of predators.

Seven cars in total. All tinted. All expensive.

I didn’t check the plates.

I didn’t need to.

My house was at the end of the street. The front door was ajar.

My stomach dropped.

I broke into a run.

“Dad?”

The door creaked as I pushed it open.

The living room was full of men. Suits. Guns at their hips. Standing like statues.

And in the middle of it all...

My dad.

Tied to a chair. Rope cutting into his wrists. A bruise already forming on his jaw.

“Dad!”

The word tore out of me.

I ran to him. “Dad, are you okay? Are you hurt? What happened...”

A hand shot out and grabbed my arm.

I was yanked back so hard I stumbled.

A voice, low and amused, spoke behind me.

“Mr. Marcos. How come I didn’t know you had a daughter?”

I turned, heart pounding.

The man holding me was tall. Too tall. Broad shoulders filling out a black suit. Dark hair. A jaw sharp enough to cut glass.

Handsome. And dangerous.

Muscular. The kind of man who didn’t need to raise his voice to make people obey.

“What have you done to my father?” I demanded, trying to sound braver than I felt.

He smiled. But it didn’t reach his eyes.

“Oh. She wants to know.”

“Aurora, no...don’t talk to him, he’s going to..”

SLAP.

The sound cracked through the room.

My dad’s head snapped to the side.

“Arrgh!”

I lunged forward but the man’s grip on my arm tightened. He pulled me back against his chest.

I struggled, kicking, clawing.

“Stop grinding against me,” he murmured into my ear, his breath warm and infuriatingly calm. “Or should I do it right here?”

Pervert.

My face burned. I stopped moving, but only because I was shaking with rage.

The man in the suit looked at my dad.

“Now, Mr. Marcos. How about we get down to business? Since you found it so difficult to pay... I’ll be taking your daughter with me.”

My head snapped up.

“What?”

I started struggling again. “Who are you? You can’t come into my house and say that! You have no right to take me...”

SMACK.

A sharp spank landed on my right butt.

I froze.

Shock shot through me.

My dad’s eyes went wide. “Hey..”

The man didn’t even look sorry. He just kept his eyes on my dad.

“So, Mr. Marcos. Do we have a deal?”

I stared at my dad, confused and terrified.

“What is he talking about? Dad, please explain to me.”

My dad wouldn’t look at me.

When he finally did, his face was broken.

“I’m sorry, my dear daughter. But I had to do this.” His voice was barely a whisper.

“What do you mean ‘had to’?”

“I signed a deal with the The Stuart group,” he said. “And I couldn’t meet the deadline. Now they’re asking for their money back... and I can’t pay.”

The world tilted.

“Stuarts?”

The Stuart family.

The name alone made people cross the street.

Cold. Mean. Ruthless.

And their heir? Xavier Damien Don Stuart. A monster in a tailored suit.

“No,” I whispered. “Dad, no.”

“So,” my dad continued, voice cracking. “He asked for you. As payment.”

My world shattered.

“Dad!”

Tears burned my eyes. “But we can do something! We can call the police! We can...”

The men in the room burst into laughter.

Like I was a joke.

The man holding me tilted his head. “You have no idea who I am, do you?”

His voice was smooth. Mocking.

“Let me go,” I hissed.

He didn’t.

“Well. That will be all for today,” he said, still watching my dad. “Romeo. Send her to the car. Mine.”

“Yes, sir.”

Another man stepped forward. Younger. Scar across his cheek.

“You’re coming with us,” he said, reaching for me.

I jerked away from the first man’s grip.

“Don’t come near me! Stay back!”

I was crying now. I couldn’t help it.

“This can’t be happening. This isn’t real..”

“No, please!” My dad was shouting now, desperation in his voice. “Mr. Damien, we can talk about this! Please don’t take my daughter! Please!”

Damien.

So that was his name.

He didn’t even flinch.

He walked to my dad, cut the ropes with one slow slice of a knife, and then leaned down so only my dad could hear.

But he said it loud enough for everyone.

“You have no other choice.”

My dad looked up at him. Defeated. Ashamed.

Then he looked at me.

And in his eyes was one word: I’m sorry.

“No! Dad, please help me!” I screamed as Romeo grabbed my arms and dragged me toward the door.

I kicked. I screamed. I begged.

But no one stopped them.

They shoved me into the back of the black limousine. The door slammed.

Leather seats. Cold. Silent.

Through the tinted window I saw my dad standing on the porch.

Hands free now. But he didn’t move to follow.

He just watched.

The car pulled away from the curb.

My house got smaller.

My old life got smaller.

And I was being driven away by the De Luca family.

I curled into the seat and wrapped my arms around myself.

My heart was pounding so hard I thought it would break my ribs.

Damien sat across from me. Calm. Like we were going for a Sunday drive.

He looked at me once and said,

“Get some rest, Aurora. You’ll need your strength.”

I didn’t answer.

I just stared out the window as the city blurred past.

Because one thing was certain:

Nothing about my life would ever be the same again.