Rules of Survival

Aria barely slept. The guest room alone was bigger than her entire apartment. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the glowing city below while soft gold lights illuminated furniture that probably cost more than her yearly tuition. Everything was beautiful. And none of it felt safe.

She sat at the edge of the enormous bed with the marriage contract still resting in her lap. The papers had become slightly wrinkled from how tightly she’d been holding them for the past hour. Marriage. To Lucien Moretti. Even thinking about it sounded unreal.

Outside the storm had finally calmed, but her thoughts hadn’t. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw blood on wet pavement. A gun pointed in her direction. Lucien’s cold gaze watching her like he already knew exactly how this would end. She looked down at the contract again. Temporary legal marriage. Public appearances when necessary. Full security protection. Absolute confidentiality. It sounded less like a marriage and more like ownership. A quiet knock interrupted her thoughts. Aria stiffened immediately. “Come in,” she said carefully. The older woman from earlier stepped inside carrying a tray of tea and food. “You should eat something, dear.” Her voice was gentle, unexpectedly warm. Aria relaxed slightly. “Thank you.” The woman placed the tray carefully on the table near the window. “I’m Evelyn,” she said softly. “I manage most of the household here.” Household. As if this place functioned like something normal. Aria gave a small nod. “Aria.”

“I know.”

Something about the answer made her nervous again. Evelyn must have noticed because her expression softened. “You don’t need to be afraid of me.” That almost made Aria laugh. Afraid had become too small a word for what she was feeling. Evelyn glanced toward the contract in her hands briefly before speaking carefully.

“Mr. Moretti can be difficult to understand sometimes.”

“Sometimes?” A faint smile touched Evelyn’s lips.

“It’s easy to mistake silence for cruelty.”

Aria frowned slightly. “You make him sound misunderstood.”

“No,” Evelyn replied calmly. “I make him sound human.” The words lingered strangely after she left. Human. Lucien Moretti didn’t feel human. He felt dangerous. Controlled. Like someone who buried emotions so deeply they stopped existing entirely. Aria finally stood and walked toward the massive window overlooking the city skyline. Somewhere out there her mother was probably awake worrying. Somewhere out there men wanted her dead. And downstairs sat the only person standing between her and whatever nightmare she had accidentally stepped into. Her chest tightened. She couldn’t stay here. But she also couldn’t ignore the gunshots from last night. Fear and logic were becoming impossible to separate. A sharp knock sounded again two hours later. This time it wasn’t Evelyn. One of Lucien’s guards stood outside the room. “Mr. Moretti wants to see you.” Not asks. Wants.

Aria swallowed irritation and followed him downstairs. The mansion looked even colder in daylight. Massive portraits lined the walls. Dark polished floors reflected sunlight sharply. Every employee moved quietly, carefully, almost nervously. It didn’t feel like a home. It felt like a kingdom ruled by fear. The guard stopped outside double doors before opening them for her. Lucien stood near the windows inside what looked like an office. Sunlight filtered across the room, catching the sharp edges of his black suit. He looked painfully expensive.Controlled. Untouchable. Aria hated noticing that.

“You wanted to see me?” Lucien turned from the window slowly. His eyes swept across her face briefly before lowering toward the untouched breakfast tray one of the maids carried out behind her. “You didn’t eat.” The observation caught her off guard. “I wasn’t hungry.”

“That wasn’t a suggestion.” Annoyance flickered inside her immediately. “There’s something seriously wrong with the way you talk to people.”

Lucien walked toward his desk calmly.

“And yet you’re still here.” Because I don’t have a choice. The thought remained trapped in her throat. Lucien opened a file on the desk.

“You’ll be staying here for the foreseeable future.”

“I haven’t agreed to anything.”

“You will.”

Aria crossed her arms tightly. “You seem very confident about that.”

“I’m realistic.”She stared at him in frustration. God, he was impossible. Lucien finally looked up fully. “There are rules.” Of course there are.

Aria said nothing. “You do not leave this property alone.” Her jaw tightened. “You do not speak to the media if approached.” Media? “You do not discuss what happened last night with anyone.” “And if I break one of your precious rules?” Lucien’s expression remained unreadable. “You put yourself at risk.” Everything with him always came back to danger. Control. Protection.

It was exhausting.

“You keep talking like I belong to you already.”

Something shifted in his gaze then.

Dark. Brief. Dangerous.

“You don’t.”

The answer should have relieved her.

Instead something about it felt strangely empty.

Lucien continued speaking calmly.

“My security team will remain with you at all times.”

“That’s insane.”

“What’s insane is thinking the people hunting you won’t try again.”

Aria looked away briefly.

Because part of her knew he was right.

And she hated that.

Lucien moved around the desk slowly.

“You’re angry.”

“No,” she snapped. “I’m terrified.”

For the first time since entering the room, genuine emotion flickered across his face.

Gone quickly. But there.

“I know,” he said quietly.

The softness of those words surprised her more than shouting would have.

Silence settled between them.

Then suddenly...A loud crash echoed downstairs. Aria jumped violently. Lucien’s entire body hardened instantly. The office doors burst open a second later. One of the guards stepped inside quickly.

“Sir.”

“What happened?”

“We caught someone trying to breach the east gate.”

Fear slammed into Aria immediately.

Lucien’s jaw tightened slightly.

“Alive?”

“Yes.”

“Interrogate him.”

The guard nodded and disappeared again.

Aria stared at Lucien in horror.

“This is really happening,” she whispered.

His eyes moved toward her slowly. “Yes.”

Panic rose sharply in her chest again.

“I can’t do this.”

Lucien stepped closer.

“You already are.”

“No, you don’t understand—”

“I understand perfectly.”

His voice remained calm but firmer now.

“The people after you will not stop simply because you’re frightened, Aria.”

Her breathing became uneven.

“I’m not part of your world.”

“You are now.”

The words hit harder than they should have.

Because deep down…

She knew he was telling the truth.

Lucien studied her shaking hands quietly before speaking again.

“You should sign the contract.”

Aria laughed bitterly.

“You really think marriage solves this?”

“No,” he answered honestly. “But it buys time.”

Something about his honesty made her chest ache unexpectedly.

He wasn’t pretending this was romantic. Wasn’t manipulating her with false comfort.

Everything about Lucien felt brutally direct. Dangerously direct. “I don’t even like you,” she muttered softly.

To her surprise, the corner of his mouth moved slightly. Not quite a smile. But close. “That makes this easier.”

Before she could answer, another voice echoed from the hallway.

“Lucien.” The atmosphere changed instantly. Aria turned toward the door as a stunning blonde woman entered confidently without knocking. Elegant dress. Diamond earrings. Perfect makeup. But the moment her eyes landed on Aria…Something cold entered her expression.

“Well,” the woman said slowly. “So the rumors are true.” Aria frowned. Lucien’s face became unreadable again. “What are you doing here, Vanessa?” Vanessa ignored the question completely. Her gaze dragged slowly over Aria before she laughed softly. “This is the girl?” Every instinct inside Aria suddenly screamed one thing: Trouble.