Chapter 1: Meeting the Devil

LUCIA

I met the devil the morning after my twentieth birthday.

A buzz from my phone jolted me awake, and I scrambled to search for my phone. When I got a hold of it, I picked the call without checking the caller ID.

“Lucia, downstairs, five minutes, now!” The call ended.

Those four words made me jump out of my bed immediately. I didn’t even need to check the caller id anymore. From the voice, I knew it was my dad. But what I was worried about was the sharpness and tone of his voice on the call.

The call might have been short and sudden, but I could figure that there was something wrong.

I hurriedly dressed up in the nearest clothes I could find, and headed downstairs. I left my hair unattended, not even caring about how I looked. All I just wanted to do was get downstairs and find out what was going on.

On getting there, I was shocked to find unknown men lined up at the doorway of my father’s study room.

My heart sank as my steps grew slower.

What was happening? Who were these hefty looking men that looked so scary?

Were they after my dad? My family? I had questions that I knew I couldn't get answers to until I saw my dad.

I slowly walked forward, and when I got to the door of the study room, one of the hefty men pulled the door open and I entered.

Inside, sat my dad in his usual chair, and a man I could barely see his face.

His back was turned to me as he stirred up a conversation with my dad.

My eyes flew to my father. I could see the restlessness in his eyes and I knew this was something far more serious than a joke.

I got closer.

“Hey dad, you called for me?” I stood in front of my dad, my eyes still locked on the man. I still couldn’t see his face.

But from his body structure, I could tell he might be a very handsome man. He had broad shoulders, and a perfect manly body that made his black suit stand firm on him. He looked breathtaking from the back.

He held a kind of aura that screamed danger and authority.

And I was right, the moment he turned around to face me, I couldn't help the gasp that slightly escaped my face.

He was stunning.

I would have called him beautiful, an angel in human form, but it was best to leave it as handsome.

“Yes, have your seat” my father said, bringing me out of my muse.

I turned away shyly as I realized that I had been staring at him for longer than expected.

I took a seat, trying to not steal a glance or two at the man sitting beside me.

“What is this about father? You sounded worried” I asked.

My dad took a deep breath.

“I have something to tell you Lucia” he said, then he paused.

He clenched his fist tightly and I instantly grew worried.

Whenever my dad did that, it meant he had to make a very difficult decision that he normally wouldn’t want to make.

“What is it dad, you can tell me, i’m all ears” I tried to reassure him that everything would be fine. But only if I knew that what he had in mind would crush my heart into pieces minutes later.

My dad sighed “Lucia…” he called me, but just when he was about to speak, the man sitting beside me interrupted.

“You are getting married Lucia” his voice was cold.

But that wasn’t what got to me, it was what he said.

I sat there frozen in place. Maybe I didn't really hear what he said?

Yes, that had to be it. This was just some prank or something.

I let out a laugh “what are you talking about?” I looked at him, then turned to my dad. Surely, even if this unknown man that i had never seen in my life wanted to joke about something like this, it wouldn’t be my dad.

“Dad, is he joking? It is definitely a prank right? Where are the cameras?” I asked my dad as I looked around sarcastically.

“He isn’t joking Princesa” my smile slowly faded.

What the hell? So this wasn’t a joke? This is real?

I stood up immediately “what the hell are you talking about dad? Marriage? Marry who? Him?” I pointed at the man beside me, who no longer looked so breathtaking anymore. More like annoying.

“Not to me” he said, like that would make me feel better.

“You are getting married to my son, Carlos”

How in the world does that make things better?

“No, not happening” I shook my head, and waved my hands in disbelief.

What were they talking about? Marriage.

I just turned twenty yesterday, and now this is how they grace my new age?

The man beside me chuckled and i turned “you don’t have a choice little one”

“Don’t call me that. I turned twenty yesterday” I frowned.

I hated being called little. All my life I had waited desperately for my twentieth birthday. I had waited desperately for the year where I could finally feel like a grown woman and now the first thing they shove in my face is a stupid marriage.

How nonsensical?

“Lucia” my father called, and i looked at him.

I was hoping that he would tell me that this whole thing was just a prank and they really just wanted to pull my legs as a gift for my birthday, but the words he said next shattered all my hopes.

“Go get your bags ready, you are leaving on the next flight with him”

What? Next flight? The hell was he talking about?

“What flight? I am not going anywhere with a man I do not know!” I almost screamed as I felt anger surge through my veins.

Then i heard the man chuckle “you will get to know me pretty soon”

I scoffed “yeah right”

I moved closer to my dad, and tried to convince him “Dad, you know this isn’t right. Mom would flip out in her grave if she finds out about this. Please don’t do this dad, i still have a long life ahead of me”

“I want to go to college dad, you promised me a normal life away from this whole mafia shit. Why are you doing this to me” I grabbed my dad’s hand as I let out tears.

This cannot be happening. My life can’t end like this. Getting married at twenty? This wasn’t on my list of plans for the year. I want to travel out, I want to go to college. I just got an admission. Why does my life have to end like this?

“Lucia…there is nothing I can do,” those words stung me.

There is something he can do. He was just being selfish, giving up his only daughter for marriage like she wasn’t worth anything.

I let his hand slip off mine as I slumped to the floor.

This was it. There was nothing I could do to change things.

The man stood up from his seat shortly, and my dad followed suit “make sure she gets ready in an hour, my men will come pick her up then”

“Yes Don Alejandro”

He walked out of the room without sparing me a glance.

Reality slowly started to dawn on me. I would be on a plane soon with a man I barely knew other than his name being Don Alejandro.