Desperate Measures

Aria

I barely slept. Every hour felt like a countdown, every shadow on my wall shaped like Damiano dragging me away. So when Ivy called at dawn, her voice filled with frustration, I wasn’t surprised.

“Aria, Lorenzo’s phone isn’t reachable,” she said. “It kept ringing earlier but now it’s switched off. We’ll go to his place first thing in the morning.”

I nodded even though she couldn’t see me. “Okay. I’ll just…try to be calm.”

“We’ll figure it out I promise.”

**********

The sun wasn’t even fully up when Ivy arrived and pulled me into a hug. I didn’t bother hiding the dark circles under my eyes, I doubted I could if I tried.

We took a cab to Lorenzo’s address, one of those flashy buildings with tinted windows and music leaking through the cracks even at 7 a.m.

My stomach fluttered. Something felt wrong.

Ivy buzzed the apartment. No answer. She buzzed again.

Then we heard it, bass thumping from the hallway, laughter, female giggles, the unmistakable sound of a party well past its expiration date.

“He better be awake,” Ivy muttered, pushing the door open when someone inside yelled, “It’s unlocked!”

I stepped in, and froze.

The living room looked like a nightclub after an explosion. Empty bottles everywhere. Clothes on the floor. And Lorenzo… dancing shirtless with two strippers grinding against him while a third poured champagne over his head.

My jaw nearly hit the floor.

Ivy didn’t waste a second. “LORENZO!” she screamed.

He blinked at her through bleary eyes. “Cuzzzz… you’re early.”

“It’s 8 a.m.!” she dragged him away by the ear, ignoring the topless woman who reached for him like he was dessert. “Get. Over. Here.”

She shoved him into the hallway while I stood in the living room, trying not to stare at all the bare skin. I pressed myself against the wall, feeling like I’d walked into an alternate universe.

After a few minutes, they came out. Lorenzo clapped loudly.

“Ladies, the party's over! Home time!”

The girls whined but gathered their things. When the door finally shut behind them, Lorenzo sighed dramatically and flopped onto his couch.

“Okay,” he said, rubbing his face. “Tell me everything.”

So I did.

I told him about Damiano breaking into our house, about the debt, about being claimed like property. About the contract.

His expression sobered with every sentence.

When I finished, he whistled low. “That’s… bad.”

“No kidding,” Ivy snapped. “Help her.”

“I’ll talk to Damiano,” he said finally. “I’ll see if he’ll accept a different arrangement. But Aria…” He paused, His eyes met mine, sharp and unexpectedly serious. “You should prepare for the worst. When Damiano wants something, he doesn’t negotiate. Not even with me.”

My heart squeezed painfully. “But if we get the money…”

“Then he might consider it,” Lorenzo said. “But if I lend you the money and he finds out? He won’t just take my wealth. I’ll be done for..”

I swallowed hard. “So what am I supposed to do?”

“Call the police!” Ivy said angrily. “This is illegal. He can’t force her to marry him.”

Lorenzo shook his head instantly. “Don’t bother. The police won’t take the case. Damiano owns half of them. They’ll either ignore you… or you’ll make him angry.”

“So what’s the best option?” I whispered.

Lorenzo looked at me with a mix of pity and fear. “Accept your fate. For now.”

My throat tightened. My vision blurred and I forced a smile.

Then my phone rang.  It was Mom.

My heart plummeted to my stomach, but with shaking hands I answered. “Mom?”

Her trembling voice cracked through the speaker. “Aria… Damiano’s secretary just called. He has already sent the wedding date.”

My breath stopped,“When?” I whispered.

Mom swallowed audibly.“Two days from now.” she sniffled before ending the call.

I stared at my phone, numb.

“Aria?” Ivy stepped closer. “What did she say?”

My lips parted, but no sound came out.

“What did she say?” she demanded again.

I forced the words out, barely a whisper “Damiano’s secretary just called. The wedding is in… two days.”

Ivy’s mouth fell open. “In Two…two days? Are you serious?”

My knees buckled. I staggered backward, gripping the wall so I wouldn’t collapse.

Two days. Not two weeks. Not a month.

Forty-eight hours.

Lorenzo let out a sharp curse and ran a hand through his hair. “Dio santo! He's not giving you time to fight back.”

I felt my chest tight with panic. “He can’t, he can’t force me to… I’m not ready. I don’t even know him. I don’t want this.”

“He does what he wants,” Lorenzo said grimly. “If he sets the date that fast, he’s making a statement. He’s saying your family belongs to him now.”

I whimpered, covering my face with both hands. I felt like the walls were closing around me. Ivy grabbed my shoulders and shook me lightly. “No. We’re not letting this happen. Two days or not, Lorenzo you have to do something.”

Lorenzo looked torn for the first time since we entered the apartment. He paced back and forth, hand on his chin, muttering “This is bad” under his breath.

Then he stopped.

“Okay… okay, listen. There’s a way maybe.” His voice dropped to a whisper.

Ivy leaned in. “What is it?”

He exhaled shakily. “If I talk to Damiano today, maybe I can negotiate a delay. Not cancel the wedding, he’ll never agree to that, but maybe buy you more time. A week. A few days. Something.”

My heart hammered. “You can do that?”

“I can try.” He looked at me seriously. “But if he sees this as disrespect… it could backfire. For all of us.”

I swallowed hard. “I don’t have a choice. I need time.”

“Time for what?” Ivy asked.

I didn’t know. To breathe? To think? To find a miracle or anything, just a way out. 

Before I could answer, there was a loud pounding on the door.

BANG. BANG. BANG.

We all froze.

The music equipment in the room rattled. Ivy grabbed my hand. Lorenzo’s face drained of color.

“Who the hell..” he whispered, tiptoeing toward the door.

Then a voice boomed from outside, “Open the door. It’s me, Tony.”

Lorenzo’s eyes widened. “Tony?” He spun toward us, whispering sharply. “That’s Damiano’s secretary. Quick, both of you, hide. Now.”

He shoved Ivy toward the hallway closet and gestured for me to slip behind the tall speakers. My heart hammered as I crouched down, barely able to breathe.

Lorenzo inhaled once, forced a calm expression onto his face, and opened the door.

Tony stepped in, tall, polished. He carried a slim black briefcase,“Lorenzo,” he greeted curtly. “My boss sent me.”

Lorenzo clasped his hands behind his back, trying to look relaxed. “Tony, hey. What’s up?”

Tony opened the briefcase and pulled out a stack of organized documents. “Mr. Moretti needs you to review this business contract. He wants your analysis before signing it with the Russians. He said and I quote ‘Tell Lorenzo to use his brain for something useful today.’”

Lorenzo forced a stiff smile. “Yes… of course. I’ll look it over.”

Tony nodded, glancing around the room with a sharp eye. “Good. Make sure it’s done by tonight.”

He turned to leave…

And that’s when it happened.

A tiny sound escaped me. A sniffle. Soft, but not soft enough.

Tony stopped mid step.His head snapped back toward the room.“What was that?” he asked sharply.

I froze behind the speakers, hand clamped over my mouth. Ivy held her breath in the closet.

Tony took one step toward the sound. Then another.

His eyes narrowed as he scanned the room. “Lorenzo… you have someone here?”

Lorenzo stepped quickly into his path, blocking him with a casual laugh.

“Oh..that? Yeah. It’s, uh… my new pet.”

Tony stared at him, deadpan. “A pet.”

“Yes,” Lorenzo said, scratching the back of his neck. “A cat. Very shy. Very… emotional. Likes to cry for no reason.”

There was a long pause.

Tony blinked slowly. “You bought a crying cat.”

“Rare breed,” Lorenzo added confidently.

Tony stared another moment, clearly questioning every life decision that led him here.Finally, he sighed. “Whatever. Just get the document done.”

He walked to the door, opened it, and stepped out without looking back.

The moment it clicked shut, Lorenzo sagged like a dying balloon.“Holy shit,” he muttered.

Ivy burst out of the closet. “I thought we were dead!”

I crawled out from behind the speakers, my legs shaking. “Why is Damiano sending his secretary around? Does he check on everyone?”

Lorenzo rubbed his face. “Tony goes everywhere. He notices everything. If he had seen you two here, it would have gone straight to Damiano.”

My stomach knotted.

Lorenzo lifted a hand. “Don’t leave yet. Give it ten minutes or more.Incase he's watching me, I need him to think I’m alone.”

Ivy and I exchanged a look, fear, anxiety and helplessness.

Lorenzo dropped onto the couch, exhaling softly.

“Just… sit tight. You’ll leave when it’s safe.”