Dark Night

Aria

I arrived home with the papers clutched at my side. “Dad, Mom. I found an investor.“ I ran into the living room only to see Dad in tears.

“ it’s all over!” Dad threw his hands up in the air, slouched on the coach, shaking in tears.

“ Mom, what’s wrong?” I turned to mom, but she shook her head. “ The business is gone, we lost everything. Your dad tried, he really tried but then…..” she trailed off, sniffled hard and hugged dad.

I turned to Ethan, my brother who shaked his head, swallowed hard before facing me. “ Like mom said, we have gone bankrupt completely, the company is at stake and the IMF is no joke, so many companies are closing down so….”

“ We would close down too?” I asked.

“ I don't know about that,” he shook his head, “we just hope things don’t get that bad.”

Boom!!

A loud bang echoed from the gate. Cars rushed in, tires screeching, the gate kicked open. I startled, swivel towards Ethan for an explanation but the look on his face showed he was just as surprised as me,

“ Come over here!!” Mom stretched her hand to me, I rushed over to her.

Before we could understand what was happening, our front door slammed open, a group of men on black suits rushed in with huge guns, pistols and knives.

The looks on their faces screamed doom, Mom was shaking, dad’s head bowed while Ethan grabbed a nearby flower vase.

“ We don't have money nor valuables you can take.” I screamed in fright, holding mom’s arms tight, mustering all the courage I could get.

Suddenly, their movements stopped. The door closed and a foot stepped in. 

When we glanced up, there he was.

Damiano Moretti.

I narrowed my eyes to be sure of who it was, maybe it was an illusion, I wiped my eyes and opened them again and he was still there. 

How? I wondered.

The men in black suits still pointing their guns at us.

He didn’t shout. He didn’t rush. He simply walked in as if he owned our home.His gaze swept across the room, slow and sharp… and then it stopped on me.

A strange stillness passed through me and I swallowed hard, my gaze still on him.

Dad, Mom and Ethan said nothing with their heads all bowed to the ground.

I clenched my fist, heart pounding, gathered courage and stood up, “ What’s all these for?” I gestured to the men with guns. “How can you just barge into someone’s house like that? With guns and pistols?” I demanded.

Damiano smirked, took a seat nearby and turned to my dad, “ Mr Russo, didn’t you tell your daughter about your debt?” he asked.

Debt? I turned to dad, but his head was still lowered to the ground.

 Mom and Ethan only told me about the company going bankrupt, not this. “ Dad say something,” I whispered. “What does he mean by debt? You promised us you would never borrow money from thugs right?” 

“ Thugs?” Damiano groaned.

“ Get down!” Ethan pulled my hand, forcing me to my knees.

“ She doesn’t know about it, please forgive her.” Dad raised his head pleading, "I couldn't tell her” he sniffled.

“ How inconvenient. Why didn’t you tell her?” Damiano leaned forward.

“ Because it’s disgraceful.” Dad answered, wiping off tears. “ I borrowed to keep the business alive. I thought I could repay it as soon as possible. Aria I didn't want you to, but i had no choice” 

“ Dad.”

Damiano didn’t flinch. “I told you I’d look into your company,” Damiano said calmly. “I don’t delay my decisions.”

“ You knew who I was and you acted naive?” 

Damiano shrugged, pulled a black folder from his pocket and placed it on the table, “ Your father’s debt is due tonight.”

Dad stumbled forward. “ Damiano, please…please just a little more time. I just heard the recent news that the IMF will get reversed and i’ll pay back in a year, just a year, i promise within a year i’ll pay back Damiano.”

“ You've had two years, Mr Russo. My patience is gone.”

“ How much?” I asked immediately.

“ Two billion dollars.” Damiano whispered.. 

“ What?” I exclaimed, “ How?" I turned to dad for answers but his head was still bowed.

“ I'm sorry,” he choked. “ I tried… I really tried…” 

I shook my head, tears blurring my sight.This was too much, how would dad pay this off in such a short time. Even a year won’t be enough to pay this off. “ We can fix it. We can find a way "I sniffled hard.

“There is only one way.” Damiano cut in,” turning to me fully. “ You’ll be the repayment.” he smirked. “ Mr Russo. She,” he points at me. “ will be the payment.”

My breath stopped, the world titled. “ What?”

“ Please don’t do this. I’ll pay, I promise I'll pay, I'll sell the house, sell the industries, anything I'll pay please leave my daughter out of this.”

“ I don't want to waste another time on this issue Mr Russo, your daughter is the payment and that’s it” Damiano frowned his brows.

“ Leave her out of this, take me!” Ethan moved in front of me, protective like always. “ You don’t need to take….”

Immediately two of the men seized him before the last words left his mouth, twisting his arms behind his back.

“Let him go!” I cried, but one of the men shoved me back to the ground, gloved hand pressed hard on my shoulder.

Ethan struggled to rise. “Touch her and I swear….”

A brutal kick silenced him. Mom screamed his name. Dad tried to stand, but a gun pressed to his forehead forced him still.

Damiano didn’t budge. He watched us like a king watching peasants. His gaze shifted from Ethan to me, slow and merciless. “Like I said,” Damiano murmured, “your father’s debt will be paid one way… or another.”

He raised a hand and the men stopped. They hauled Ethan upright and dragged him toward the center of the living room. And then Damiano walked forward, he raised his hand again, and one of the men placed a document on the table in front of dad.

Dad’s shoulders trembled. A guard placed a pen in Dad’s shaking hand and pushed the contract toward him.

“Sign,” Damiano ordered.

“Please,” Dad pleaded, “Damiano… She's my only daughter. Don’t take her. Take the house… take everything. Just don’t…”

Damiano tilted his head slightly. “I don’t want your house. I want what you owe.”

Dad’s breath hitched. Tears dripped onto the paper as he clutched the pen tighter, hands trembling so violently. 

“Don’t do it, Dad,” I begged.

“ Shut it!” A gun pressed against the back of my neck, freezing me in place. Dad’s eyes flew to me, wet, desperate and defeated. “I’m sorry, Aria,” he choked. “I… I have no choice.”

Damiano leaned closer. “You do. Sign.. or watch your son lose his life tonight.” he warned.

Ethan struggled against the men restraining him. “Don’t you dare touch me! You bastard.” he barked at Damiano.

Dad gasped and scribbled his signature in one jerky motion. As soon as the pen left the page, Damiano lifted the contract with a cold satisfaction.

“Good,” he murmured. “Now it’s binding.”

He turned slowly… and his gaze locked on me.

“ You bastard! Leave her alone.” Ethan yelled. But one of the men punched him in the stomach, forcing him to the floor.

“STOP!” I screamed, pained from the way Ethan was manhandled.

Damiano approached me slowly, each step deliberate,“You will marry me,” he repeated. “Or your family will repay the debt with their lives.”

A tremor went through me. “I’m not signing anything,” I whispered, eyes glared at him. “I won’t agree to this. I’m not…”

He lifted his hand, and his men gave him a stack of documents, he smirked and threw it at my feet.

A contract.

I skimmed the lines, seeing through my blurry eyes.

To pay back the two billion dollars you must…

1. Become my wife

2. Must bear my son

3. No voice in my business and personal life

4. No annulment

5. No separation

6. Must do my biddings 

7. Isabella Romano will always be my lover

I looked up at him, disbelief and revulsion churning in my stomach.

“This isn’t a marriage,” I breathed. “This is imprisonment.”

Damiano didn’t blink.“I don’t care what you call it.”

“I refuse.” I glared.

For the first time, his eyes sharpened, darkening like a storm forming. He nodded once.“Bring her brother.”

“No..Damiano, please stop…” Dad begged.

The men dragged Ethan forward, forcing him onto his knees.

Damiano took Ethan’s right hand, pressed it flat on the table, and pulled out a dagger.

My entire body went cold. “Damiano…DON’T!” I screamed.

“This,” he said softly, “is the cost of your refusal.” The blade hovered above Ethan’s fingers.

Mom collapsed. Dad sobbed.

Ethan’s eyes widened in terror.

And my heart cracked open.