CHAPTER FIVE

Aurora POV

“Welcome….”

“ I can see you've finally decided to join us”

The room revealed the Mafia Lord ; Damien Dmitri, with a group of lawyers. He walked in and stood beside my father 

“You're making the right choice, future daughter-in-law," Damien said, his voice a low, silky drawl that always managed to make my skin crawl. He leaned against a mahogany desk, his dark eyes fixed on me 

“I didn't have much of a choice, did I ?” I snapped.

His lips curled into a slow, knowing smile. “Not really. I have you and your family at my knees.”

The words hung in the air, thick and heavy. It was the brutal truth. Damien held all the cards. My father already had accrued a huge loan from him and couldn't pay it back leaving us his family completely at Damien’s mercy. And I was the price he demanded.

“You animal,” I cursed. The lawyers in the corner shifted uncomfortably. My father remained silent, his head bowed in defeat.

Damien merely chuckled, a low, rumbling sound that sent a shiver down my spine. I stood my ground, refusing to cower, even though every instinct screamed at me to run. 

“I hate you and your family”

“That's enough” My father scolded me 

The lawyers scrambled to their feet. For a few minutes, there was total silence. The silence in the air extended as one of the lawyers shuffled some papers and beckoned one of his assistants for another document. A sense of drama filled the tangible air. I glanced at both of them with a straight face wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible 

“Sit down” my father commanded, his gaze turned toward me 

“I can't believe you let them do this,” I said to my father, my eyes almost teary

“This is the only way to guarantee our family’s safety ” He flinched, but his expression remained resolute

“I'm sorry, Princess, but this is for the good of our family”. He replied, his voice low but firm

I steeled my gaze, focusing on getting this over with as quickly as possible. We were all seated ready to sign the contract 

When I opened them again, I forced a mask of composure onto my face. "What are the terms?" I asked, my voice cold and detached.

Damien's smile widened. “Now, that’s what I like to see. Pragmatic. Efficient. Let’s discuss the… finer details, shall we?” He gestured towards the desk. “Gentlemen, if you would.”

One of our lawyers slid the contract towards my father's lawyer. The man had a tall frame, was dressed in a fitted suit, and wore a pair of glasses

After reading the first couple of pages, he looks up and mumbles something in Dad's ear and passes the document over to me to sign 

 I curled my fingers into fists, my anger shining through the fear I had worn earlier. 

“Sign the document ” my father grunted 

 I grumbled something about still living in the last century. I swallowed my pride and then penned down my signature on the dotted lines.

As soon as the ink dried, I rose from my chair and made my way to the exit. As I opened the door to go out, I crashed into a solid figure in front of me

“Hey…Are u blind” A voice snapped 

I paused, already feeling irritated 

“Watch where you're going” I shot back

My eyes landed on him. It was the man who rescued me from those goons. He stood before me, an imposing figure in a perfectly tailored suit and blazer that emphasized the sculpted lines of his arms.

 “Go pack your things now!!” my dad ordered, halting the tension between us.

“What? ” I queried as I stepped back into the room, 

“You'll be staying with Ryan Dmitri for now, till the wedding. 

So that was his name, I murmured to myself 

“The wedding will be in two months. People need to believe you had been seeing each other before you got married. We need to show we're a united family” my father continued his ranting 

“Guess we're going to be seeing more of each other," He turned towards me, a thin smile curving his lips. The glint in his eyes sent a chill down my spine.

“No Dad, I won't …” I screamed, my voice cracking

.

"This is insane!”

The thought of being confined with him, of being subjected to his presence and his control, was unbearable.

"Why are you so heartless?" I screamed, tears streaking my makeup. "All you think about is the Mafia, you don't deserve to be a father!”

My father's face darkened, His eyes widened at my outburst and he raised his hands ready to hit me. I stiffened my body, getting ready for the impact. I waited for any sign of pain but it never came

Instead, a sharp slap echoed through the air and I twisted on my heel. My father tumbled backward, holding his cheek, his back hitting the wall. My mouth went slack. My eyes flitted between my father and Ryan. 

 “Don't you dare lay your hands on her” I heard Ryan say, his brooding, calm movements a sharp contrast to what he just did. He took one step toward my father, erasing all the space between them, and yanked him up by his shirt. 

“No one touches my woman against her will” He reached into a black duffel bag in his back pocket and unzipped it, producing a small Swiss knife. 

 My father's eyes widened, a flicker of fear replacing the anger in them. He turned to me, pleading in his eyes. Ryan grabbed his neck, the veins in his neck popping out immediately

“You’re a dead man,” Ryan exclaimed, flipping the knife open and producing a sharp edge.

“No, pls stop, you’ll kill him,” I pointed out, his words sending chills down my spine. My father struggled to breathe, his face turning an alarming shade of purp

le, his eyes began to close, and the blood had now rushed up to his face…