The Marriage Contract

The inside of the car smelled like leather, rain, and expensive cologne.

Aria sat pressed tightly against the door, her breathing still uneven as the black SUV sped through the city streets. Her wet clothes clung uncomfortably to her skin, and her fingers wouldn’t stop shaking no matter how tightly she clasped them together. Nobody spoke.

The silence inside the vehicle felt suffocating. Two armed men sat in the front while Lucien occupied the seat beside her, calm and unreadable as if bullets hadn’t just flown through the air minutes ago. Aria couldn’t understand it. How could someone remain so composed after something like that? How could he look untouched by violence? Streetlights flashed across his face through the tinted windows, briefly illuminating sharp features and cold gray eyes fixed on the city outside. He hadn’t looked at her once since they left the alley. That somehow made her even more nervous. Her mind replayed the gunshots over and over again. If she had walked a little faster… If she hadn’t taken that alley… If she hadn’t stopped— Her chest tightened painfully.

Her mother.

“Oh my God.”

The words escaped before she could stop them.

Lucien finally turned toward her. “My mother’s alone,” Aria said quickly, panic flooding her voice. “She’ll be worried sick. I need to call her.”

Lucien studied her face for a moment before pulling a phone from his pocket and handing it to her without a word. The gesture surprised her.

She stared at the phone briefly before dialing her mother’s number from memory with trembling fingers. It rang twice.

“Aria?” Relief nearly broke her.

“Mom.”

“Where are you? I’ve been worried—”

“I’m okay,” Aria interrupted quickly, forcing steadiness into her voice. “Something happened at work and I had to leave late.” Another lie. She hated lying to her mother, but what was she supposed to say? Hi Mom, I witnessed a murder and now armed men are trying to kill me. “I’ll come home tomorrow morning,” Aria continued softly. There was silence on the line. “Tomorrow?” her mother repeated weakly. Guilt stabbed through Aria immediately. “I just… I need to stay with a friend tonight.” She could practically hear the concern building through the phone. “Are you sure you’re alright?” Aria swallowed the lump rising painfully in her throat. “No,” she almost admitted. But instead she whispered, “I’m fine.”

After ending the call, she handed the phone back quietly. Lucien took it from her, his fingers brushing hers briefly. The contact sent an unexpected shiver through her. Not comfort. Awareness. And somehow that frightened her more. “You lied to her easily,” he said.

Aria frowned instantly. “Excuse me?”

“You’re not good at it,” he corrected calmly.

Something about his tone irritated her. Maybe because he sounded so observant. Maybe because she already felt exposed enough around him. “My mother is sick,” she snapped softly. “I’m not going to terrify her.” Lucien said nothing. But his gaze lingered on her longer this time. The car eventually slowed before tall black gates. Aria looked outside and froze. The gates alone looked larger than her entire apartment building. Security guards stood near the entrance while cameras followed the vehicle’s movement carefully. Beyond the gates sat an enormous mansion glowing beneath the stormy night sky. No.

Not a mansion. A fortress. Aria stared speechlessly as the gates opened slowly. “You live here?” she asked before thinking. Lucien glanced at her briefly. “Yes.” Of course he did. The car rolled forward along a long driveway lined with dark trees and fountains illuminated by soft golden lights. Everything about the place screamed power. Money. Control. And strangely…Loneliness. The vehicle finally stopped beneath a massive covered entrance. Before Aria could react, one of the guards opened her door. Cold wind brushed against her face immediately. “Come with me,” Lucien said. Not rude. Not gentle either. Just certain she would obey. Aria stepped out slowly, staring up at the enormous building in disbelief. She had seen places like this in movies before, but standing here felt surreal. The inside was even worse. Marble floors. Towering ceilings. Massive chandeliers. Beautiful and cold at the same time. Nothing about this house felt lived in. It felt controlled. Like every object existed exactly where it was supposed to.

A woman in a black dress approached immediately. She looked around fifty, elegant but warm-eyed. “Mr. Moretti.” Her gaze shifted toward Aria briefly, curiosity flickering across her face before disappearing professionally. “Prepare the east guest room,” Lucien instructed. “Yes, sir.” The woman nodded before leaving quietly.

Aria stood awkwardly near the entrance, dripping rainwater onto the spotless floor. Reality was finally crashing into her properly now. She was inside a stranger’s house. A dangerous stranger. One connected to murder and guns and men who looked at human life like it meant nothing. Fear crawled back into her chest. “I should leave.”

Lucien removed his coat calmly. “That would be a mistake.”

“I can’t stay here.”

“You can.”

“I don’t even know you.”

His gaze met hers fully then.

“That makes two of us.”

Aria stared at him in frustration.

“How are you so calm about this?” Something dark flickered behind his eyes. “Because panic has never solved anything.” The answer silenced her. Lucien walked toward a nearby bar cart and poured himself a drink with slow precision. “You said people are trying to kill me,” Aria whispered. “Why?” “Because you witnessed a transaction you weren’t supposed to see.” “A murder is a transaction to you?” He took a sip before answering. “In my world, everything is.” The coldness of that statement unsettled her deeply. Aria folded her arms tightly around herself. “What exactly is your world?” Lucien looked at her over the rim of his glass. “You don’t want the answer to that question.” The honesty in his voice made her stomach twist. Silence stretched between them again. Then Lucien spoke. “There’s another issue.” Aria immediately tensed. “What issue?” He set the glass down carefully. “My enemies know I took you tonight.” “And?”

“And that makes you leverage.” She frowned. “What does that mean?”

“It means hurting you becomes a way to hurt me.”

Aria blinked in disbelief. “Why would anyone care about hurting you?” A humorless smile touched his lips briefly. “You really don’t know who I am.” “No.”

For the first time, Lucien seemed genuinely surprised by something.

Then he walked toward a nearby table and tossed a magazine onto it. Aria looked down. Her breath caught. The cover showed Lucien standing beside politicians and businessmen beneath flashing cameras. LUCIEN MORETTI: THE BILLIONAIRE KING OF NEW YORK. Her eyes widened slowly.

She had seen this man before. Not in person. Online. Magazines. News articles. The billionaire everyone talked about. The ruthless businessman known for destroying competitors without mercy. The man rumored to have ties to organized crime.

“Oh my God.” Lucien watched realization settle across her face. “Yes,” he said quietly. “Now you understand the problem.” Aria looked back at him slowly. Fear returned stronger this time. Because suddenly this all felt real. Dangerously real. “I can’t stay here,” she whispered again. “You can’t leave.” “You can’t force me—” “Yes,” Lucien interrupted calmly. “I can.” Anger flashed through her fear instantly. “You don’t control me.”

His expression didn’t change.

“No,” he agreed softly. “But I control the people hunting you.”

The room fell silent again.

Then Lucien reached into his jacket and removed a folder before placing it onto the table between them. Aria frowned. “What’s that?”

“A solution.”

Slowly, she opened the folder. Her stomach dropped instantly. Marriage Contract. She looked up at him in disbelief. “You’re joking.”

“I never joke.” Aria actually laughed then.

Not because it was funny. Because it sounded insane. “You expect me to marry you?”

“Temporarily.”

“This is crazy.”

“It’s necessary.”

“No, it’s ridiculous.” Lucien stepped closer slowly.

For some reason, her heartbeat immediately became uneven again. “A wife under my protection is untouchable,” he said quietly. “My enemies will hesitate.”

“And if I say no?” His eyes held hers steadily.

“Then eventually someone will find you before my men do.” Fear slid down her spine again. Lucien lowered his voice slightly. “This contract keeps you alive, Aria.” The way he said her name did something strange to her chest. Not warmth. Not comfort. Something more dangerous. Like standing too close to fire while freezing cold. Aria looked down at the papers again. Then back at him. “This would all be fake?” “Yes.” “No feelings involved?” Lucien’s expression became unreadable once more. “Feelings complicate things.” Something about that answer felt personal. Painfully personal. Aria stared at the contract in silence while exhaustion slowly settled into her bones. Twenty-four hours ago, her biggest concern was unpaid rent. Now she was sitting inside a billionaire’s mansion being asked to marry a dangerous man to survive. Her life had completely shattered overnight.

And somehow… Deep down…She already knew saying no might not save her anymore.