chapter 3

Chapter Three: A Marriage Proposal

Elena barely slept that night.

Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the same things again: the men inside her father's house, the sound of the gunshot, her father's frightened voice telling her to run, and finally the cold, unreadable face of Damian Moretti waiting for her beside the black car.

By morning, she had convinced herself that leaving the mansion was the only sensible thing to do.

She couldn't stay there.

She didn't know Damian, she didn't trust him, and whatever connection existed between him and her father was clearly something he had no intention of explaining.

Elena opened the bedroom door and stepped into the hallway, only to find two men standing near the staircase.

They immediately straightened.

"Mr. Moretti said you're not allowed to leave the house."

Elena stared at them in disbelief.

"Of course he did."

She walked past them anyway, but one of the men stepped in front of her.

"Please don't make this difficult."

"Move."

"I'm sorry."

"No, you're not."

Before the argument could continue, another voice came from behind them.

"Let her pass."

The men immediately stepped aside.

Damian stood at the end of the corridor, dressed in a dark suit, his expression as calm as it had been the night before.

Elena turned toward him.

"I want to leave."

"I know."

"Then why are your men stopping me?"

"Because leaving would be dangerous."

"I don't care."

Damian walked closer, stopping only a few steps away.

"You will when you understand what's waiting outside."

Elena folded her arms.

"You keep saying that, but you refuse to tell me anything."

"Because I was waiting for you to calm down."

"I'm calm."

He raised an eyebrow.

"You're standing in my house arguing with armed guards before breakfast."

Despite herself, Elena almost smiled.

Almost.

"Where is my father?"

The amusement disappeared from Damian's face.

"I don't know."

"Do you know if he's alive?"

Damian remained silent.

That silence was enough.

Elena's expression changed as fear tightened around her chest.

"You think he's dead."

"I think we shouldn't assume anything until we have proof."

She looked away, trying to control the tears burning behind her eyes.

After a moment, Damian spoke again.

"There is something you need to know."

She looked at him.

"Your father's disappearance isn't the only problem."

"What else?"

"The people looking for him know that you survived."

Elena's blood ran cold.

"How?"

"Someone told them."

"Who?"

"We don't know yet."

Damian reached into his jacket and placed a small photograph on the nearby table.

Elena picked it up.

It showed her father standing beside several men she didn't recognize. One of them was Damian.

Her eyes widened.

"You were there."

"Yes."

"When was this?"

"Five years ago."

Elena stared at the photograph, then back at him.

"Why didn't my father ever tell me about you?"

"Because he wanted to keep you away from my world."

"And yet here I am."

"Yes."

There was something in Damian's voice that made her uneasy, as though he disliked that fact more than she did.

Elena placed the photograph down.

"Tell me what you want from me."

Damian's gaze remained fixed on hers.

"I need you to trust me."

She gave a bitter laugh.

"That's impossible."

"Then I'll give you another option."

He reached into his pocket and placed a document in front of her.

Elena looked down.

Her eyes widened when she saw the heading.

Marriage Agreement.

She looked back at Damian in disbelief.

"Are you insane?"

"No."

"You want me to marry you?"

"For one year."

She stared at him, waiting for him to laugh and admit that this was some kind of cruel joke.

He didn't.

"Why?"

"Because if you become my wife, no one will be able to touch you without declaring war on me."

Elena's heart raced.

"And what do you get?"

Damian's eyes darkened.

"Protection from my enemies."

"That's not an answer."

"It is the only one you're getting today."

She looked down at the contract again, unable to believe the absurdity of what was happening.

A mafia king was asking her to marry him.

And somehow, the most frightening part wasn't the proposal itself.

It was the feeling that Damian had already known she would have no choice but to consider it.

She slowly lifted her eyes toward him.

"What happens if I say no?"

Damian's expression remained calm.

"Then you walk out of this house."

Elena stared at him.

"And face the people hunting me alone."

He didn't answer.

He didn't have to.

For the first time, Elena realized that the contract in front of her wasn't really a proposal.

It was a choice between two dangerous worlds.

And she wasn't sure which one would destroy her first.