Chapter 4

Elena

I could barely focus, every step feeling like a careless dance on unsteady ground. Marco's ordeal was a looming specter, a dark cloud threatening to suffocate me.

Why is he doing this? What does he want from me? It's illegal, it's outrageous! My own father, willing to hand me over to this devil in exchange for a debt clearance, and the audacity of Marco to suggest... that!

I refuse to be a sacrificial lamb, not for my father, not for anyone. I've worked tirelessly, day and night, to keep us afloat. This is a line I won't cross.

Daren's voice broke through my swirling thoughts, a lifeline in the storm. I blinked, my gaze drawn to the spilt coffee on the kitchen sink. Dammit!.

"What's going on, Elena? You've been off since you got here," Daren's concern was evident.

I let out a deep sigh, "Just overwhelmed, you know? Life and all."

"I get it," he chuckled. "Take it easy on yourself. Why don't you go take some orders, assist McKenzie? I'll handle this."

His words were a small comfort, a reminder that I wasn't alone in this. "Thanks, Daren."

I pushed through the kitchen doors and entered the bustling cafe. McKenzie's instructions echoed in my ears, a lifeline of routine in the chaos.

"Hey Elena, Table six, ten, and eleven. Take care of them," McKenzie's voice reached me as she passed by, tray in hand.

"Sure, that's my job," I reluctantly folded In.

Approaching table six, I was met with a group of leering men. Their flirtatious smiles made my skin crawl. Focus, Elena.

"What can I get you all?" I mustered a forced smile, pushing back against the discomfort.

"Why don't you give yourself baby?" One cheesily remarked.

"Sorry but I'm not on the menu,

now what can I get you all?" I pressed my lips into a thin line of forced smile.

"Eggs and Bacon then. And pancakes with chocolate syrup will do"

I took down their order and sauntered over to table ten and eleven, repeating the same question.

Just as I finished, the door swung open, and my heart sank. Not again. Marco and his goons.

Biting back my fear, I turned to retreat to the kitchen, but Marco's voice stopped me in my tracks. Of course.

"Elena, are you either blind or just plain stupid?" His words were laced with derision.

This man, if only I could...

"I didn't see you all. What can I get for you?" The words came out slow, measured.

"Have you considered my proposal, ragazza timida?" Marco's tone was sharp.

"There's nothing to consider. My answer is no. Take it or leave it," I shot back, my defiance a shield.

His anger flared, fists clenched. "Your ego won't save you, I assure you."

"At least it will save me from you," I retorted, a spark of defiance in my eyes.

A sinister smile played on his lips, chilling me to the bone. "You're making me eager to break you, cucciola. You have no idea. Stubborn thing."

"How dare you?"

"You have no idea who you're dealing with, Elena. With a snap of my fingers, I could wipe you and your pathetic family from the face of this earth," his threat hung heavy in the air.

I pointed a trembling finger at him, my voice steady. "I don't know what my father did, but you won't have me. You won't use me as a sacrificial lamb, do you understand?"

His glare bore into mine. "This ego of yours, I'll enjoy breaking it. Seventy-two hours, that's all you have to give me an answer. One night with you, Elena, and I'll clear your father's debt. Just one night."

His words were a weight, a countdown to a nightmare. I walked away, determined not to let him see my fear.

Seventy-two hours. My body or my life?