sold to the devil.

Aria....

The grand ballroom of the Romano estate shimmered beneath magnificent crystal chandeliers, every corner glowing with luxury and elegance. Soft music drifted through the air as politicians, billionaires, and celebrities filled the room, raising their champagne glasses in celebration. Tonight was supposed to be the happiest night of my life—my engagement to Ethan Sinclair. Everyone smiled as photographers captured every perfect moment, but beneath my own smile was a strange uneasiness I couldn't explain. It felt as though the walls themselves were closing in, warning me that something terrible was about to happen.

"I'll be back in a minute," I told Ethan, forcing a smile before slipping away from the crowd. I needed a moment alone. The laughter and music faded behind me as I stepped into the quiet hallway leading to the garden. The cool night breeze kissed my skin, but it did nothing to calm the anxiety twisting inside my chest. Just as I reached the marble corridor overlooking the gardens, familiar voices stopped me in my tracks.

"...After tonight, she's no longer your responsibility."

My breath caught. That was Ethan's voice.

Instinctively, I stepped behind one of the massive marble pillars, my heart pounding so violently I thought they would hear it. I carefully peeked around the corner. Ethan stood beside my father, while another man I didn't recognize held a thick folder in his hands.

"I've signed everything," Ethan said with a careless laugh. "Once the engagement is officially announced, Lucian Devereux gets the Romano shares... and the girl."

The world around me froze.

"The girl?" the stranger asked.

"Aria," Ethan replied as though he were discussing a business asset instead of the woman he was about to marry. "Her father didn't have a choice. The Romano empire is drowning in debt. She's the final condition of the agreement."

Every drop of blood drained from my face.

No...

I must have heard wrong.

My father wouldn't do this.

Ethan wouldn't betray me.

I took an unsteady step backward, but before I could move another inch, a deep, commanding voice echoed through the corridor.

"I expected more discretion."

The conversation instantly fell silent.

Slowly, I turned toward the source of the voice.

A tall man emerged from the shadows, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit. His sharp jaw, piercing gray eyes, and calm expression sent a chill through my entire body. There was something terrifying about the way he carried himself. He didn't need to raise his voice or make threats. Power surrounded him like a storm.

Lucian Devereux.

The billionaire the media called the Devil of New York.

Even Ethan lowered his head slightly in respect.

Lucian's cold gaze settled on me without the slightest hint of surprise.

"So," he said calmly, "you weren't supposed to hear that."

"I... I'm not anyone's property," I whispered, struggling to keep my voice from shaking.

A faint smile touched his lips, though it held no warmth.

"That's where you're mistaken."

He reached into his coat and removed a folded document before handing it to me.

My trembling fingers unfolded the pages.

At the bottom was my father's unmistakable signature.

A marriage contract.

The paper slipped from my hands.

"No..." I breathed.

Lucian looked at me without emotion. "I paid every debt your family owed. In exchange, your father agreed to give me the only thing he had left."

I shook my head violently. "No. This isn't real."

"It is."

"I won't marry you!"

"You don't have to sign anything," he replied calmly. "The agreement became valid the moment your father signed it."

At that moment, hurried footsteps echoed behind us.

"Aria!"

I turned to see my father rushing toward me, his face pale and filled with guilt.

Hope flared inside me.

He would deny it.

He would tell me this was all some terrible misunderstanding.

Instead, he stopped a few feet away, unable to meet my eyes.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

Two simple words.

They shattered everything.

"You sold me?" My voice cracked beneath the weight of betrayal.

Tears filled his eyes, but he still couldn't look at me.

"I had no other choice."

"There is always a choice," I whispered. "You just didn't choose me."

Silence fell between us.

The silence hurt far more than any scream ever could.

Lucian stepped past my father and pushed open the ballroom doors. Instantly, every conversation died. Hundreds of eyes turned toward us. The photographers lowered their cameras in confusion, sensing that something had changed.

Lucian's powerful voice carried effortlessly across the room.

"The engagement between Ethan Sinclair and Aria Romano is over."

Gasps erupted throughout the ballroom.

Ethan stood frozen, unable to utter a single word.

Lucian reached for my hand, his expression as unreadable as ever.

"From this moment forward," he announced, "Aria Romano is my fiancée."

Camera flashes exploded like lightning.

Whispers spread through the crowd.

"The Devil bought the Romano daughter..."

"Is this another Devereux business takeover?"

"I heard the Romanos are bankrupt..."

I couldn't hear them anymore.

My ears rang as tears blurred my vision.

Everything I believed in—my family, my future, the man I thought loved me—had collapsed in a single night.

Lucian extended his hand toward me, waiting with impossible patience.

"Come with me, Aria."

I stared at the stranger who had just claimed my life as if it already belonged to him.

For the first time, I understood why the entire city feared Lucian Devereux.

Because the Devil never asked.

He simply took.