Dangerously Mine

Chapter 4

THIRD PERSON’S POV

The penthouse office was quiet, save for the low hum of a computer server and the distant, muffled roar of the storm hitting the city. Here, forty stories above the streets of Las Vegas, the world looked like a grid of glowing embers waiting to be stepped on.

A fierce man, wearing a black coat and a black casual polo leaned back in his leather chair, his face partially obscured by the shadows. On his mahogany desk lay a single manila folder. It looked innocent enough, but the contents were the final piece of a very expensive puzzle.

He picked up the top photo. It was a candid shot of a girl standing in a garden, her hair pulled back in a messy bun, her eyes fixed on something distant. She looked fragile. She looked like she was made of glass.

“Jhannara Santos…” He murmured. His voice was a deep, smooth baritone that carried a hint of a rasp, the kind of voice that made people either bow or run.

“She’s the one?”

A man stepped out of the shadows by the window. He wore a dark tactical jacket, his hands stuffed into his pockets, his eyes cold and sharp. He is young, but he carried the weight of a man who had seen too many bodies hit the floor.

“That’s her,” The man in the leather chair said, his voice tight. “Theodore’s ‘charity case.’ He’s been hiding her for eight years, Jacob. Everyone thinks she’s just an orphan, but the way Theodore is guarding her... something isn't right.”

Jacob flicked the photo with his thumb. “This is the girl you want me to marry dad? Really? A cheap looking woman, who works slave to the Santos family? An orphan? What would it do to me? Will she benefit me?” He said while looking at the photo his father hold earlier.

He stood up, walking to the floor-to-ceiling window. The lightning outside flashed, reflecting in his dark eyes. In that streets, his enemy, Vegas Gang moved the money and the blood that continue their legacy.

“But you’re not looking at a wife,” He noted, stepping closer to the desk to stare at the girl’s photo. “You are looking at someone who will make our family became legacy again, against the Salvatore.”

“You mean a leverage?” Jacob corrected.

He turned around, his presence suddenly heavy, suffocating. “Theodore Santos scammed our family’s associates out of millions. He thinks he’s playing me, but I’m going to take everything he has. The business. The house. And that girl, that will bring us back to the home of the Salvatore.”

Jacob narrowed his eyes. “I am doing this marriage because you ask me nicely. But that doesn’t mean I will treat her nicely. She’s just a pawn and a toy I can play with. And If I get bored, I will divorce her as soon as possible.”

Jacob’s father picked up the file and tossed it into the desk drawer, locking it with a sharp click.

“You are not going to end the marriage as long as my plan for this family, for you will not be satisfied! As long as I need you to be his husband, you will be her husband.”

“But dad-”

“Son. You listen to me. Theodore Santos took everything from us! You’re mother! We have to take everything from them, starting with that woman.”

Jacob sigh.

“How can we take something not valubale to them?” Jacob asks. His father smirked, he tap his son’s shoulder.

“Oh she is… They just don’t know it yet.”

The man toss a wine glass to celebrate his plan.

“To our future. To vegas gang.”

Not knowing that a danger is lurking around, waiting for the right time, to kill everyone who gets Jhannara, and their way.

JHANNARA’S POV

The sun didn't rise the next morning; the sky just turned a dull, sickly grey. I hadn't slept a wink. I had spent the night staring at the ceiling, imagining all the ways my life could get worse.

I was downstairs by 5:00 AM. I had the coffee brewing and the table set before Tina even opened her eyes. I moved like a robot. Scrub the counter. Polish the silver. Don't think about the word sold.

I was at the stove, flipping omelets for Shaina, when Theodore walked into the kitchen. He looked rested. He looked like a man who had just won the lottery.

He didn't say good morning. He didn't ask how my thumb was.

He just set a heavy, cream-colored envelope on the counter next to the stove.

"Pack your things, Jhannara," he said. His voice was booming again, full of that fake arrogance. "You leave in two days."

My hand slipped, the spatula hitting the pan with a loud clack. I didn't turn around. I couldn't. "Two days?"

"The Mikaelsons don't like to wait," Theodore said. I could hear the smirk in his voice. "They’ve already sent the first wire transfer. You should be honored. You’re worth more than I thought."

I finally turned to look at him. My heart was a lead weight. "Who is he? You said he's a billionaire's son."

Theodore picked up an apple from the fruit bowl and took a loud, wet bite. "Jacob Mikaelson. He’s young, rich, and powerful. You’ll have a better life there than you ever had here, as long as you keep your mouth shut and do what you're told."

Jacob Mikaelson. The name sounded like cold metal.

"Is he... is he a good man?" I asked. It was a stupid question. I knew it as soon as I said it.

Theodore laughed. It was a dark, ugly sound that made my skin crawl. He leaned in close, the smell of apple and tobacco hitting me.

"In our world, Jhannara, there are no good men. There are only men with power and men without it. You’re lucky. You’re being given to the man with the most power in this city."

He patted my cheek, a gesture that felt more like a slap, and walked out.

I looked at the envelope on the counter. My name was written on it in elegant, sharp calligraphy.

Jhannara Santos.

I opened it with trembling fingers. Inside was a single card. No letter. No "I look forward to meeting you." Just a time and an address.

And at the bottom, a single sentence that made my breath hitch:

“Bring nothing. You belong to me now.”