All Chapters of THE DE LUCA BARGAIN : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

I should have signed the contract.The thought had followed me for three days.Three long days of staring at document I hated.Three days of convincing myself I still had a choice.Three days of pretending the future wasn’t closing around me.The knock on my door came shortly after noon.A maid entered carrying garment bags.Two more followed behind her.Then another.And another.My eyes narrowed.“What is all this?”The first maid carefully placed the bags across the bed.“Dresses, Miss Moretti.”I hated that name now.It felt like a ghost.A reminder of a family that no longer existed.“Why?”The women exchanged a look.Then one finally answered.“The annual gathering.”I frowned.“What gathering?”A pause.“The De Luca gathering.”I froze, Of course.The gathering.For two years I had watched the estate transform for it.Servants rushing through hallways.Security tripled.Convoys arriving from every corner of New York.The entire system shifting into something ceremonial.I had n

The hallway outside my room was unusually busy.His men hurried past me, Nobody stopped me.Nobody questioned where I was going.Yet the entire mansion felt tense.Like something was happening beneath the surface.Something important.I followed the corridor toward the east wing.Not because I had a destination.Just because walking felt easier than thinking.The closer I got to Lorenzo's study, the more movement I noticed.The empire was awake.I was about to turn around when a voice drifted through the partially opened door."Three men died this week."I stopped.Every instinct told me to keep walking.Instead I froze.Inside, Lorenzo sat behind his desk.Across from him stood a man I recognized immediately.Damiano Ricci.The De Luca Consigliere.Domiano advised two generations of bosses.The man people claimed could start a war with a single sentence and end one with another.Everyone in New York Familia knew who he was.Damiano placed another file on Lorenzo's desk."Russo has c

I hurried back into the house before he realized I had overheard his phone conversation, once inside the house, I didn't want to hurry back to my room yet. I kept to the side corridors, climbing the stairs, the part of the house that always felt… sealed off. I made my way to the last flight of stairs and that's when I saw it.The door opens, not slightlyMy steps slowed without permission.That shouldn't have been possible. It was never open. Not in two years. Not once. Which made me curious. The closer I got, the colder the air felt. Like the house was exhaling something. Two years ago, I had seen the inside. That night he tricked me into coming here. Ever since the door has been locked. I stepped inside.Nothing had changed.That was the worst part.It wasn't damaged but rather looked maintained.Like someone still came here. Still used it. Still deciding what happened inside it.My eyes moved slowly across the space. Too slowly. Like I was punishing myself by taking in every de

The last of the guests left shortly after sunset.One by one, the vehicles disappeared beyond the gates.The music stopped, and the laughter faded. Lorenzo De Luca private estate slowly returned to its natural state. The wedding was over.I stood by the window of my room and watched the final convoy disappear into the darkness.For a moment, I thought I would feel different, since we are legally married.But nothing changed, instead I felt exactly the same.Just more trapped.A knock sounded at the door.Before I could answer, two maids entered carrying boxes.I frowned."What are those for?""Your belongings, Mrs. De Luca."The title made me wince.One of the women smiled politely."The boss instructed us to move everything to your new room."My stomach tightened."New room?"Of course. I was no longer Lorenzo's prisoner.I was his wife.Apparently that came with a change of address.The maids gathered my things with alarming efficiency.Books, clothes, and personal items.The few

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the silence. The last couple of days have been chaotic, but the estate has finally exhaled.For several seconds, I remained where I was, staring at the ceiling. enjoying the warmth of the sheets.But then reality returned, the wedding, the ring, and the new name."Mrs. De Luca."The thought made me pull the blanket over my face. I hated it immediately. If our engagement made the front cover of every magazine, I didn't dare imagine what they would say about our wedding.A groan escaped me. Eventually, I forced myself out of bed.The room felt different in daylight, it was less intimidating, but beautiful, and expensive.My gaze drifted toward the connecting door. It was closed. I wondered if he came back last night I leaned in to listen but it was silent.Exactly as it had been when I fell asleep.For some reason, that annoyed me. But I immediately shook it off. It has nothing to do with me.After showering, I changed into a soft cream-colo