Chapter 4: The Contract Of Thorns

~ Mira’s POV ~

The “holding suite” was located on the top floor of Moretti Enterprises.

It was a huge room made of white marble with walls of glass overlooking Veridia sixty-five floors beneath, full of modern art worth probably more money than my entire family house.

There was a huge kitchen that even I did not know how to work, a bedroom bigger than any tennis field, and a bathroom that had the same size and looked like a swimming pool.

It was beautiful. It was luxurious.

And it was a prison.

Sitting on the huge bed inside the suite of the penthouse, I looked down at my finger. The ring felt so heavy, like it was weighing me down. An expensive diamond on the finger of a young girl who could barely pay her rent.

Two hours passed.

Nicolas had ordered me to do not touch the windows (though they were reinforced, he was sure I could try something stupid such as suicide attempt) and promised to bring some food up there. He left after giving me an unpleasant stare and I quickly tried the door, it needed a card or a fingerprint for entry.

Looking around the beautiful cell, memories flashed in my mind, of what I had once desired. When I was younger and had fallen in love with a man who had nothing, we would always imagine the kind of future we wanted, living in the same home with our own dog, without any money concerns.

But today I had everything except for him, and the man who would become my husband was a monster.

The door buzzed and unlocked.

Luca entered the penthouse. Showered, dressed in a new black suit, he looked exactly like an untouchable billionaire. Without any traces of blood, fur or humanity left within him.

He threw a big folder on the table in the middle of the room.

“Sign it,” he ordered.

“I will not sign any document,” I said.

Luca sighed and moved towards the mini bar to prepare himself a drink. “Mira, don’t make things hard for me. After all, you know there is no alternative for you.”

“Still, I can choose not to.”

He moved towards me, swirling the contents in the glass. “Can you? Think of your current situation, then. You have a father who has loan sharks on his back, guys who do not hesitate in breaking the kneecaps of people. Then you have your mom who needs surgery which cannot be covered by her insurance. Not to mention, you have a degree with loads of debt attached to it.”

He came near me and gave me a folded paper.

When I opened the paper, I found that it was a confirmation letter of a bank transfer of one million dollars to Saint Jude’s hospital in the name of Helen Carter.

“Is this… did you pay for my mom’s operation?”

“You should consider it as your signing bonus, Mira. Like I told you before, I take good care of what is mine. In case you agree to marry me, your family is secured and you can live like a princess.”

“And if I don’t?” I snapped.

“Then I reverse the transfer. And I make a phone call to those gentlemen searching for your father. Have you any idea what happens to the daughters of men who do not pay their debts?”

I stared at him in horror. He was blackmailing me, using my family’s safety to manipulate me. The charming young man had become the very essence of the Devil.

“Why?” I asked. “Why marry me? Why marry a woman you hate? How can you marry a woman you said you would never love?”

Luca placed his drink down and moved towards me. He stopped right in front of me and lifted my hand so that he could examine the ring which I was now forced to wear.

“Because,” he replied calmly, “I want you to see all that you have lost. I want you to witness my success and my power and realize that you were once worthy of sharing it with me. Instead, you will be my little pet, and you will watch your dreams die.”

He met my gaze, and just for a moment, I glimpsed the torment that lay beneath the ruthlessness.

“I loved you. You discarded me. And now you pay.”

He let go of my hand and gestured toward the file.

“Sign.”

I went over to the table. I took up the pen, which shook uncontrollably in my trembling hand.

I studied the contract. Article 4: The Party of the Second Part (Mira) agrees to total secrecy about the "Condition" of the Party of the First Part. Article 5: The Party of the Second Part agrees to perform her duties of a wife faithfully. Article 9: The duration of the marriage shall be not less than five years. Failure to comply leads to harsh punishment.

“Five years?”

“Five years in hell, or until I’m done with you,” Luca amended.

I shut my eyes. I remembered my mother in the hospital, my father in hiding.

And then the boy Luca once was, and the wolf he had transformed into.

I signed my name.

The scrape of the pen was the loudest sound I had ever heard.

“Good,” Luca said, grabbing the folder without even looking at my signature. “The wedding will be on Saturday. Nicolas will bring you your dress.”

He started towards the door.

“Luca?” I whispered.

He stopped, his hand still on the doorknob. But he didn’t turn around.

“I didn’t want to leave you,” I said, my voice trembling. “I had no choice.”

He stilled. I could hear the stiffness creep into his shoulders.

“Everyone has a choice, Mira,” he rasped, his voice sounding like gravel. “You chose yours now. Live with it.”

And he left, locking the door behind him.

I collapsed into the bed, hiding my face in the silk cushions and crying for the man that was taken from me, and fearing the one that was just married to me.

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