MARRIED TO THE KING OF DARKNESS

Isabella's POV

I never believed one night could change my entire life.

Until the night Damian De Luca walked into our mansion.

Rain battered the windows as I descended the grand staircase, wondering why my father had summoned me at ten in the evening. Two men in black suits stood beside the entrance, their expressions cold and unreadable.

"Father, who are we expecting?" I asked.

Before he could answer, the front doors opened.

A tall man entered, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit. His dark hair was damp from the rain, and his sharp features made him look almost unfairly handsome. But it was his eyes that caught my attention—cold, calculating, and completely devoid of warmth.

"Mr. Monteverde," he greeted my father.

"Damian. Thank you for coming."

My stomach tightened.

Damian Alessandro De Luca.

Even I knew his name. He was a powerful businessman rumored to control a dangerous criminal empire. People respected him, feared him, and whispered about him when they thought no one was listening.

Some called him the Mafia King.

And now, he was standing inside our home.

"Good evening," I said politely.

His gaze shifted toward me.

"Your daughter?"

"Isabella," Father answered.

Damian gave a slight nod before looking away.

"Leave us. I need to speak with your father privately."

I raised an eyebrow. "You could ask instead of ordering everyone around."

"Bella!" Father warned.

Damian looked back at me, amusement flickering across his face.

"You're not afraid of me?"

"Should I be?"

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

"We'll see."

I immediately disliked him.

---

Ten minutes later, we sat inside my father's office. Damian placed a black folder on the desk and pushed it toward him.

"Your deadline is tomorrow," he said.

"Deadline for what?" I asked.

Father avoided my eyes.

"Isabella, the company is in financial trouble."

"How much?"

He swallowed.

"Three hundred million pesos."

My heart dropped.

"Three hundred million?"

"We've tried everything," he explained. "I wanted to protect you."

"By hiding this from me?"

Before he could respond, Damian interrupted.

"I purchased your father's debt."

I turned toward him. "Why would you do that?"

"Because I wanted to."

His arrogance was unbelievable.

"Then tell us what you want," I demanded. "Money? Property? Take whatever you need and leave my family alone."

"I'm not interested in your money."

"Then what?"

His dark eyes locked onto mine.

"You."

I stared at him, certain I had misunderstood.

"Excuse me?"

"You will marry me, Isabella."

For a moment, I couldn't speak. Then I laughed in disbelief.

"Are you insane? You expect me to marry a stranger because my father owes you money?"

"I expect you to consider an arrangement that could save your family."

"That's not an arrangement. That's blackmail!"

His expression hardened.

"Your father made decisions that brought him here. I'm offering a solution."

I turned toward my father, silently begging him to deny it.

Instead, he lowered his head.

"Bella, I didn't have a choice."

"Everyone has a choice!"

"Not when hundreds of employees depend on the company," he whispered.

His words hurt because I knew he was desperate.

I looked back at Damian. "Why me?"

For the first time, he hesitated.

It lasted only a second, but I noticed.

"Because this marriage benefits us both."

"Don't lie to me."

"Careful, Isabella."

"Or what? You'll add another condition to your contract?"

He opened the folder and placed a document before me. My name was printed beside his on a marriage agreement.

I felt sick.

"What happens if I refuse?"

"Your father remains responsible for his debt. I'll pursue every lawful option available to recover what I'm owed."

It wasn't a threat spoken loudly. Somehow, that made it worse.

"Give me until tomorrow," I said.

"Midnight."

I stood, glaring at him.

"If I agree to this marriage, don't expect me to become your obedient little wife. You don't own me, Damian De Luca."

He rose slowly.

"Good. I have no interest in a woman who has nothing left to fight for."

I left before he could see how badly my hands were trembling.

But just as I reached the doorway, his voice stopped me.

"She has her mother's eyes."

I froze.

My mother had died when I was young. Father rarely spoke about her, and I knew almost nothing about the circumstances surrounding her death.

Why did Damian know her?

And why had he said those words as though they carried a meaning I couldn't understand?

That night, sleep never came. I kept thinking about the debt, the marriage agreement, and the mysterious man who seemed to know more about my family than I did.

By midnight tomorrow, I might become his wife.

But one question haunted me more than anything else.

Who was Damian De Luca to my mother—and what was my father hiding?

I didn't know that marrying him would uncover secrets capable of destroying both our families.

And I certainly didn't know that the man I wanted to escape would one day become the man I couldn't bear to lose.