CHAPTER 2: The Devil

I barely slept.

Every time I closed my eyes, I heard my father's voice.

"You're getting married."

By morning, my head was pounding.

I dragged myself out of bed and stood in front of the mirror. The faint outline of his hand was still visible on my cheek. It wasn't as dark as it had been the night before, but it was enough.

I reached for my makeup and carefully covered it.

Years of practice had made me good at hiding things.

Bruises.

Fear.

Pain.

No one ever looked closely enough to notice.

A soft knock interrupted my thoughts.

"Miss Alessia?" Maria, our housekeeper, called from the other side of the door.

"You can come in."

She stepped inside carrying a tray with coffee and toast.

Unlike everyone else in this house, Maria always looked at me with kindness.

"You should eat," she said gently.

"I'm not hungry."

"You said that yesterday too."

I forced a small smile.

"I'll eat later."

She sighed but didn't argue.

As she turned to leave, she hesitated.

"Your father asked you to be downstairs in thirty minutes."

My stomach tightened.

"Did he say why?"

She shook her head.

"No... but there are guests."

Guests?

That wasn't unusual.

Businessmen were constantly visiting my father.

Still, something about the way Maria avoided my eyes made me uneasy.

As soon as she left, I changed into a simple cream-colored dress.

Nothing too fancy.

Nothing that looked like I was trying to impress anyone.

If my father expected me to play the obedient daughter today, he was going to be disappointed.

---

The sound of unfamiliar voices drifted through the hallway as I reached the staircase.

I stopped halfway down.

A sleek black SUV was parked outside.

Three men in black suits stood beside it.

They weren't talking.

They weren't moving.

They looked more like statues than bodyguards.

Whoever had arrived was important.

Very important.

"Alessia."

My father's voice snapped me back to reality.

I walked into the living room.

The first thing I noticed wasn't the expensive suit.

Or the gold watch.

Or the bodyguards standing by the door.

It was him.

He was sitting comfortably on our sofa like he owned the house.

Dark hair.

Sharp jaw.

Broad shoulders.

His black suit fit him perfectly, and there wasn't a single wrinkle in it.

He looked up.

Our eyes met.

For one strange second, neither of us spoke.

His expression didn't change.

Mine probably did.

Because this wasn't what I'd expected.

He wasn't old.

He wasn't the grey-haired businessman I'd imagined.

He couldn't have been more than twenty-eight.

Maybe thirty.

He stood.

Tall.

Much taller than me.

His gaze swept over me, not lingering long enough to make me uncomfortable, but long enough to let me know he'd noticed everything.

"So," he said calmly.

"You're Alessia."

His voice was deep.

Controlled.

The kind of voice that never needed to be raised.

"And you're the stranger I'm apparently marrying."

A flicker of amusement crossed his face.

"Apparently."

Neither of us smiled.

My father cleared his throat.

"This is Matteo De Luca."

The name meant nothing to me.

Until I looked around the room.

My father—who feared no one—was suddenly standing straighter.

Carefully choosing his words.

That told me everything I needed to know.

Matteo wasn't just powerful.

He was more powerful than my father.

"Would you two like a moment alone?" my father asked.

Before I could refuse, Matteo answered.

"Yes."

I shot him an annoyed look.

He ignored it.

A few moments later, we were standing in the garden.

The silence between us was almost unbearable.

Finally, I spoke.

"If you're expecting me to pretend to be excited about this marriage, you're wasting your time."

He slipped one hand into his pocket.

"I wasn't."

I frowned.

"I don't smile for photographs."

"I don't like unnecessary conversations."

"And I didn't ask for this marriage."

That caught me off guard.

"You didn't?"

"No."

I folded my arms.

"Then why agree?"

His jaw tightened slightly.

"I didn't have much of a choice."

I stared at him.

For the first time since yesterday...

Someone understood.

Not completely.

But enough.

"I guess we're both victims then."

He looked at me for a long moment before speaking.

"No."

"We're participants."

The words lingered in the air.

"I don't even know you," I said quietly.

"You don't need to."

"I think I do."

His expression remained unreadable.

"You'll learn."

I hated cryptic answers.

"What does that mean?"

"It means your life is about to change."

"My life already changed yesterday."

"No."

His eyes met mine again.

"Yesterday, someone made a decision for you."

He paused.

"The consequences haven't started yet."

A chill ran down my spine.

Before I could ask what he meant, one of his bodyguards approached.

"Sir."

Matteo nodded once.

"It seems our meeting is over."

He started walking back toward the house.

"That's it?" I called after him.

He stopped.

Without turning around, he asked, "Do you want me to lie?"

"What?"

"Would it make you feel better if I promised everything would be fine?"

I didn't answer.

Because I already knew the answer.

"No," he continued.

"It wouldn't."

He looked over his shoulder.

For the first time, there was something almost human in his expression.

Not warmth.

Not kindness.

Recognition.

As though he knew exactly what it felt like to lose control of your own life.

"We'll see each other soon, Alessia."

Then he walked away.

I watched as the black SUV disappeared beyond the gates.

Only after it was gone did I realize I'd been holding my breath.

I still didn't know who Matteo De Luca really was.

But one thing was certain.

He wasn't the monster I'd imagined.

That terrified me even more.

Because monsters were predictable.

The quiet ones...

Those were the ones you never saw coming.

But the only thing running through my mind is, who is this man and what have I gotten into?