THE FIRST RULE đź–¤
1531 Words
Alessia’s POV
I leaned against the bathroom sink, gripping the edges.
What the hell is this life?
What the hell did I just sign up for?
I changed slowly into the robe. It was soft… expensive… but felt like a death sentence.
I looked at myself in the mirror.
This isn’t you, Alessia.
But I had no choice.
I walked out. Quiet. Barefoot. My heart in my throat.
Lucien didn’t look at me. He was on the balcony, lighting a cigarette.
“You sleep on the left,” he said flatly. “Don’t touch my side.”
I blinked.
That’s it?
I walked over to the left side of the bed and slid under the covers like I was about to lie in a grave.
He came in a few minutes later, removed his shirt, revealing that inked, scarred body of his.
Then he lay beside me.
I didn’t dare look at him.
The room was silent for minutes. I thought maybe he had fallen asleep.
But then his voice broke the silence.
“From now on, you’ll act like my wife in front of others. You’ll stay quiet. You’ll obey. You’ll survive.”
I turned my head slightly.
“And what do I get in return?” I asked in a low voice.
He turned too, eyes meeting mine in the dark.
“You get to stay alive.”
---
Morning came, but it didn’t feel like morning.
No sunlight. No birds. Just silence and cold air.
I opened my eyes slowly. For a moment, I forgot where I was.
Then I saw the black walls.
The gold chandelier.
And him.
Lucien was already up. Standing shirtless in front of the mirror, buttoning his pants. His back was covered in scars. Deep, ugly ones.
He noticed me staring.
“Enjoying the view?” he said flatly.
I sat up, pulling the blanket up to my chest. “No.”
He smirked. “Liar.”
I rolled my eyes and stood up, walking toward the bathroom. My head hurt. My heart was worse.
Before I could touch the door handle, his voice stopped me.
“Today, you start learning the rules.”
I turned slowly. “Rules?”
He lit a cigarette and looked me dead in the eyes.
“Rule number one,” he said. “You belong to me. You don’t talk to other men unless I allow it.”
I blinked. “Excuse me?!”
“Rule number two,” he continued. “You speak only when spoken to in front of my father. You smile. You nod. You don’t embarrass me.”
“Are you serious right now?”
He walked toward me.
I backed up until my back hit the door.
His face was close. His voice even closer.
“I’m dead serious, wife.”
I clenched my jaw. “Don’t call me that.”
He placed a hand on the door beside my head. “You signed the paper. You’re mine now. Whether you like it or not.”
I looked away, swallowing the lump in my throat.
“You done giving orders?” I whispered.
“Not even close.”
---
Lucien’s POV
She still had that fire. That mouth.
She’ll lose it eventually.
The world she came from was soft. Safe. Normal.
But this world?
Mine?
It’ll eat her alive if I let it.
I don’t need her love. I don’t need her smile.
I need her to survive.
Because if she screws up, my enemies will kill her first.
And I’d rather be the one to break her… than let someone else do it.
---
Alessia’s POV
After a cold shower, I dressed in one of the outfits left in the closet. Everything looked expensive. Nothing looked like me.
When I stepped out, Lucien tossed a phone at me.
“New number. Don’t call anyone unless I say so.”
I caught it, barely.
“What am I supposed to do all day? Sit here and look pretty?”
“You’re starting classes again,” he said.
My eyes widened. “Wait—college?”
He nodded.
“Under guards. Under fake identity. You’ll act normal, but everything will be watched. Every step.”
“What if I say no?”
He walked up and leaned into my ear.
“I’ll drag you there in your pajamas.”
I shoved him away. “You’re sick.”
He just smirked. “You haven’t seen sick yet.”
---
Later That Day…
Windmere University
New Identity: Alessia Vero
The campus looked the same.
But I was different now. My eyes kept looking over my shoulder. A black car was parked near the entrance. I knew they were his men.
I wasn’t free.
I was a pet on a leash.
My first class was physiology.
As soon as I sat down, a girl turned to me and smiled.
“New girl?” she asked. “I’m Freya.”
I tried to smile back. “Yeah. Alessia. Nice to meet you.”
She tilted her head. “You sound... nervous.”
I gave a dry laugh. “First day jitters.”
She pointed at the tall guy walking in. Blonde hair, athletic, perfect smile.
“That’s Ryder. Be careful. He flirts with everyone.”
I nodded, pretending to care, but deep down, my hands were shaking.
Because I saw the man in black sitting under the tree outside.
Lucien’s guard. Watching me like a hawk.
---
Lucien’s POV
“She’s inside,” Razor said, looking through binoculars from the car.
“She make any moves?” I asked, not looking up from my phone.
“No. Just talking to a girl. Ryder’s about to flirt though.”
I clenched my jaw. “If he touches her, break his fingers.”
Razor chuckled. “Jealous much?”
I gave him a look.
“Okay, okay. I get it. No one touches the boss’s bride.”
Damn right.
Alessia’s POV
---
Everyone was staring at me.
Some whispered.
Some giggled.
Some just froze and watched like I was some kind of alien.
I held my bag tighter as I walked through the hallway of Windmere University to my next class.
It was just like any normal college...
Except I wasn’t normal anymore.
I wasn’t Alessia Rivera — the quiet girl from Jersey.
I was now Alessia Moretti.
Lucien’s wife.
Even the walls seemed to know.
---
“Hey,” a girl leaned into her friend’s ear behind me.
“That’s her, right? The girl Lucien married?”
“You mean the Lucien Moretti? The mafia prince?”
“I heard it was a forced marriage.”
“She’s kinda cute… but doesn’t look like his type.”
“Girl, she’s everybody’s type now.”
---
I lowered my head and hurried past them.
I hated this.
I didn’t ask for this.
I didn’t want any of this.
My steps got faster. I kept my eyes on the floor.
Why are they all staring?
Why does it feel like I’m walking through fire?
---
“Is that her?”
“She’s the mafia bride?”
“No way. Lucien could do better.”
“I bet she’s good in bed.”
“Or maybe she’s just a trophy.”
---
My face burned.
I wanted to disappear.
I wanted to scream.
But I kept walking.
I found my classroom — Psychology 101 — and slipped inside quietly.
The professor wasn’t here yet.
Everyone’s head turned.
And then the whispers started again.
I sat in the last row. Alone.
Back straight. Heart pounding.
I pulled out my notebook and pretended to write something.
But I could still feel the eyes on me.
---
Freya’s voice came from the row ahead.
“She’s definitely the one,” she whispered. “Lucien married her last week. Word’s all over campus.”
“How do you even know him?” another girl asked.
“My cousin is friends with one of his guards. They say he’s scary as hell.”
“Do you think she’s in danger?”
“Or maybe he really likes her.”
“Likes her?” a blonde girl scoffed. “Please. Guys like Lucien don’t marry for love. She’s just property.”
---
I gripped my pen harder.
Property.
Object.
Wife.
Pawn.
They weren’t wrong.
But they weren’t right either.
Because even if I belonged to Lucien on paper…
My heart still belonged to me.
And I wasn’t giving that up.
---
The door opened.
The professor walked in, followed by a tall, cocky guy with sandy hair.
Girls gasped. Some fixed their hair.
The new guy looked straight at me.
He grinned.
Oh God.
Not now.
---
Lucien’s POV
“She’s in the classroom,” Razor said, watching from outside. “Kid named Ryder is eyeing her already.”
I lit a cigarette slowly. “He touches her, I break his jaw.”
“You know… you married her for the child,” Razor muttered. “But you’re starting to sound like a jealous husband.”
I looked at the screen showing her sitting quietly in the last row.
Jealous?
No.
Possessive.
She was mine.
That’s all.
- Writer
