Chapter Two

Chapter Two. 

The arrangement. 

Lila. 

I sat in the sterile hospital room, the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor the only sound that filled the space between me and the frail figure of my mother, laying unconscious in the bed. 

My mother needed chemo, immediately, her condition was getting worse and if they didn't do anything she was going to die. 

Chemo needed money, alot of money. Money that I don't have. 

My phone buzzed on the table beside me. My flicked over to the screen, a name I didn't want to hear, especially after last night. 

A chill ran through me, and for a moment, I considered ignoring it. But something gnawed at me, the promise of something that could change everything. I hesitated before answering.

“Lila,” Luca’s voice came through, smooth and cold, like polished stone. “I know you have seen your mother and the doctors have explained to you her condition,"He paused, as if to give me time to process everything he had just said. "You can save your mother, all you have to do is say yes."

The words hung in the air, too easy, too dangerous.

I tightened my grip on the phone, my knuckles turning white,. “I don't need anything from you, leave me alone” I said between gritted teeth. 

The silence on the other end was palpable before he spoke again. “Okay.” He said before the phone immediately disconnected. 

I shoved the phone back into my pulse, my heart pounding in my chest. The very idea felt like poison. Luca Deluca, the man who had destroyed my family, who had orchestrated the brutal death of my father, wanted me to marry him? The man who was responsible for every sleepless night, every tear shed, every moment of pain I had endured since that fateful night.

What kind of sick game was he into? 

I closed my eyes, willing the rage to subside, but the fury was suffocating. 

My phone buzzed again, I picked it up, unafraid now, I hated his guts. 

“You... You killed him, you killed my father,” i whispered into the phone as soon as I picked it up, barely able to get the words out.

“I did,” headmitted boldly, his voice cold and unapologetic. “But I’m not asking you to forgive me. I’m asking you to think about your mother. I can pay for her treatment, all of it. She will live. You will have everything you have ever wanted”

The offer hung in the air like a heavy weight, suffocating me. Everything I had ever wanted, every ounce of hope I had clung to in my darkest moments, was now in his hands. The thought of losing my mother was unbearable, but the idea of being bound to Luca, the very man who had ripped apart my life, seemed unimaginable.

“I won’t do it Luca” I spat, my voice filled with venom. “You think I would sell myself to you? You are a monster.”

“A monster?” He chuckled softly, a sound that sent a shiver down my spine. 

“Your father made choices that led him to where he is now, I didn't force him into anything, he made his choices. Just like you are about to make yours.”

The words stung. I could feel the weight of my father’s death bearing down on me like it had just happened . It had been years since that night, yet the pain was still raw, a jagged scar that refused to heal. Luca’s power, his influence, had crushed my father, and now he was offering me a way out at a price. 

“Think about it,” he continued, his voice steady and persuasive. “I’m offering you a chance to save your mother’s life. You can hate me, but it won’t change the facts. I have the power to give you everything you need. But I need something in return. A simple transaction.”

I felt the pull, the temptation. My mother was dying. I had nothing left to lose. But marrying Luca, tying myself to the man who had taken everything from me, felt like an unimaginable betrayal. The thought of it made my stomach turn. 

“I’ll give you a few more hours to decide,” Luca said, his tone no longer a suggestion, but a command. “Don’t make me wait longer than that. If you don’t accept, then your mother’s fate is sealed. And I will walk away.”

The line went dead, leaving me staring at my phone in stunned silence. The weight of his words lingered in the air, suffocating me. How could I even consider it? How could I live with myself if I agreed to marry him? And yet, how could I watch my mother slip away because of my pride, my hatred?

I was about to walk out and go talk some more to my mother's doctor, when the machines connected to my mother started beeping. 

All types of nurses rushed in and I was pushed out and the door was closed, leaving me standing outside, shaking with fear.

I could not lose my mother, not yet. 

With shaking hands, I picked up the phone and dialed his number. The line rang once, twice, before he answered.

“I will do it,” I said, my voice barely more than a whisper.

“Good girl,” he replied, the cold satisfaction in his voice unmistakable. “I will send someone to pick you up.” He said and the line immediately disconnected before I could even ask him anything else. 

The world seemed to tilt on its axis as i sank down onto the bench outside my mother's room, my heart heavy with grief and fury. I had sold my soul to save my mother. I had become the very thing I swore I would never be, bound to Luca Deluca, a man who had stolen everything from me and had no remorse for it.

But in that moment, I realized something else. This was just the beginning. I had made a deal with the devil, and there would be consequences.

But at least my mother would get the best medical care.