Sasha arrived at the upscale, dimly lit bar where Dominic had asked her to meet him. She wrapped her arms around herself as she stood by the entrance, her pulse racing with anticipation and dread. Her thoughts were a maze of questions, doubts, and lingering love, each one cutting deeper as she waited. Dominic had asked her to come so he could “explain everything.” But after everything she’d heard, she wasn’t sure what “everything” even entailed anymore.
Just as she was about to turn and leave, unsure if she was ready to face him, Dominic stepped out of the shadows. His gaze met hers, intense and unwavering, and for a moment, she forgot to breathe. He was magnetic, his presence a force that pulled her in, despite everything that had happened. “Sasha,” he said softly, his voice laced with a mix of relief and tension. She nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat as she tried to steady herself. “Dominic.” They walked in silence to a private booth, the weight of unspoken words filling the space between them. When they were seated, Dominic looked her in the eyes, and she could see the turmoil brewing beneath his calm exterior. “Thank you for coming,” he began, his voice low, almost vulnerable. She forced herself to meet his gaze, though her heart ached with the weight of her unanswered questions. “I’m here because I want to know the truth, Dominic. No more half-truths. I need to know… did you do it?” He ran a hand through his hair, his jaw clenching as he struggled to find the words. “Sasha… you have to understand. Everything I’ve done, every decision I’ve made, has been to protect what I built—and the people I care about. My brother… he got involved in things that could have destroyed everything.” “That doesn’t answer my question,” she pressed, her voice firmer than she felt. “Did you push him out? Did you betray him to keep your empire?” Dominic’s gaze hardened, and for a moment, she saw a flash of the ruthless businessman everyone else saw. “Yes, I did. But it wasn’t because I wanted to. It was because I had no choice. He was reckless, dragging our family’s name through the mud, aligning himself with people who only cared about tearing us down.” Sasha’s heart sank, the weight of his confession hitting her like a wave. “You really did sacrifice him… for this.” Dominic’s expression softened, a flicker of pain crossing his face. “I know how it sounds. But my brother made choices that put us all in danger. I had to protect what was left of my family. Sasha, I never wanted to hurt him.” She looked down, her chest aching with a mixture of anger and sadness. “And what about me, Dominic? What about all the secrets you’ve kept from me?” He reached across the table, his hand hovering just above hers, hesitant. “I kept those things from you because I wanted to shield you from my past. I didn’t want you to be weighed down by the choices I had to make.” Sasha pulled her hand back, her heart breaking as she saw the raw honesty in his eyes. “But don’t you see, Dom? By hiding it, you were still lying to me. You were still letting me fall in love with an illusion.” He clenched his jaw, his gaze dropping. “You’re right. I should have told you. But I was afraid you’d leave if you knew everything.” Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as she looked at him, her love and her anger battling within her. “Maybe I still have to,” she whispered. A heavy silence settled between them, and for the first time, she saw Dominic falter. She could tell he was struggling, battling emotions he wasn’t used to showing. But just as he was about to respond, someone cleared their throat. “Dominic,” a cold, familiar voice interrupted, and both of them looked up to see Luca standing there, a smug smirk on his face. “Mind if I join?” Dominic’s expression darkened immediately. “What the hell are you doing here, Luca?” Luca shrugged, his gaze flicking between Dominic and Sasha. “I thought I’d stop by and see how things were going between the two lovebirds. After all, Sasha deserves the truth, don’t you think?” Sasha clenched her fists, anger flaring up inside her. “Luca, this isn’t your business. Just go.” Luca’s smile widened, unbothered by her words. “Oh, but it is my business. Dominic here has been trying to play the hero, but he forgets that his sins don’t just affect him. They affect everyone around him—including you, Sasha.” Dominic stood, his fists clenched, his expression livid. “Get out, Luca. I’m not going to warn you again.” Luca merely laughed, shaking his head. “Temper, temper. It’s funny, Dominic—you act like you’re in control, but you’re just as much a pawn as the rest of us. Do you really think you can keep your empire intact when everything you’ve built is based on lies?” Sasha’s heart pounded as she looked between the two men, each radiating a dark intensity that seemed to fill the room. This was the side of Dominic she’d feared, the one that was willing to do whatever it took to stay on top. And Luca… he was only too happy to see Dominic fall. “Enough,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper but laced with strength. “Both of you. I’m tired of this game.” Luca raised an eyebrow, his smirk fading as he regarded her. “Oh, Sasha. You’re in this game, whether you like it or not. Dominic’s secrets are only the beginning. If you really want to know who he is, just dig a little deeper. You might find more than you bargained for.” With that, Luca turned and walked away, leaving a trail of tension in his wake. Sasha felt a shiver run down her spine as she processed his words, a sense of dread settling over her. Dominic reached for her hand, his voice urgent. “Sasha, don’t listen to him. He’s just trying to drive a wedge between us. He wants to see me fail, to take everything from me.” She pulled her hand back, her gaze hardening. “Maybe he’s not the only one. Maybe… maybe you’re doing that all on your own, Dom.” He flinched at her words, his face a mix of frustration and sorrow. “Sasha, please. Don’t walk away from this. Don’t walk away from us. I’ll tell you everything, I swear.” She looked at him, her heart aching with the weight of her decision. “I don’t know if I can trust you, Dominic. I don’t know if I even know who you are anymore.” A flicker of vulnerability crossed his face, something she rarely saw. “You know me better than anyone, Sasha. I’ve done terrible things, yes. But I love you. I love you more than anything.” Sasha took a shaky breath, the intensity of his words filling her with a mixture of hope and fear. She wanted to believe him, to believe that they could find a way through this darkness together. But the doubts Luca had planted were like poison, slowly seeping into her heart. “I need time, Dominic,” she whispered. “I need time to figure out if I can live with everything you’ve done.” He nodded, his expression pained but understanding. “I’ll give you whatever time you need. Just… promise me you won’t shut me out completely.” She looked away, unable to make a promise she wasn’t sure she could keep. “Goodbye, Dominic.” As she turned and walked away, her heart felt like it was shattering with each step. She had loved him, and maybe she still did. But the secrets, the lies, the darkness—it was all too much to bear. She needed space, needed clarity, needed to figure out if she could accept the man Dominic truly was. But even as she walked away, a part of her knew that no matter how far she went, she would never be able to escape the pull of him. The next morning, Sasha woke with a heavy heart, her thoughts consumed by Dominic. She missed him, the way he made her feel safe, the way he looked at her as if she were the only thing that mattered. But she couldn’t ignore the darkness he’d hidden from her, the secrets he’d kept. As she sat by the window, staring out at the city, her phone buzzed with a message. It was from Luca. “If you want to know the real truth, meet me tonight. I have something to show you.” Sasha stared at the message, a shiver running down her spine. She knew that meeting Luca could mean opening a door she couldn’t close, exposing secrets she might not be ready to face. But if there was any chance of finding the truth, she had to take it. With a deep breath, she typed her response. “I’ll be there.” As she hit send, a sense of foreboding settled over her. She knew that whatever Luca had to reveal would change everything—and that, no matter what she discovered, her life with Dominic would never be the same.The hours leading up to her meeting with Luca were the longest of Sasha’s life. She tried to keep herself busy, but nothing could quiet the storm of thoughts and emotions swirling in her mind. She missed Dominic, his touch, his warmth, the way he could make her feel secure even when her world was in chaos. But now, with Luca’s words echoing in her head, every memory of Dominic was tinged with doubt and betrayal.By nightfall, Sasha had changed three times, unable to decide what felt right. She finally settled on a black trench coat over dark jeans and a sweater, hoping the nondescript outfit would blend into the shadows of the city. Luca had chosen a secluded spot, a rundown warehouse by the docks, and as she stepped out of her car, she felt an eerie chill in the air. The silence of the deserted area, the faint sound of water lapping against the dock—it all felt like the setting for a scene she wasn’t sure she wanted to play.“Sasha.” Luca’s voice cut through the darkness as he emerge
The air was thick with tension as Sasha and Dominic sat across from each other in the penthouse, their earlier embrace fading into a distant memory. She held his hand, but the warmth was marred by the storm raging in her heart. Dominic’s promise to leave his world behind meant everything, yet the looming reality of his past felt like a weight neither of them could shake.“You understand what this means, Dominic?” Sasha whispered, her eyes searching his. “Walking away… it’s not just leaving. It’s making enemies.”Dominic’s jaw tightened, his hand instinctively curling around hers. “I know. But I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. They can take the empire, the money—I don’t care about that if it means losing you.”The intensity in his gaze was fierce, almost desperate, as if he was holding onto her like a lifeline. And for the first time, she realized just how deeply Dominic had buried himself in this life he was now vowing to abandon. A twinge of fear echoed through her, but she
Sasha’s pulse hammered as she took in the scene, her hand still tightly entwined with Dominic’s. Luca stood in front of them, the gleaming muzzle of his gun pointed unwaveringly in their direction. His smile was a chilling contrast to the tension thickening the air around them, his gaze fixed on Dominic with a lethal calmness.“Well, Dominic,” Luca said, his voice echoing through the empty warehouse district. “I warned you. Running was never going to be an option.”Dominic shifted, angling his body to shield Sasha, his voice steady as he replied, “I’m done with this, Luca. You can have everything—money, connections. Just leave us out of it.”Luca laughed, his tone mocking. “It’s not about the money, Dominic. You know that. This is about loyalty. Respect. And you of all people should know that betrayal is something I don’t forgive.”Sasha felt the grip on her hand tighten, and she could feel the tension radiating through Dominic’s body. She knew he was running through every possible op
Sasha Lane sat in the dimly lit bar, the kind of place where shadows were thicker than the air, nursing a drink she hadn’t touched in an hour. The amber liquid swirled in her glass, but her mind wasn’t on the whiskey. It was on the man sitting across from her. Dominic Knight—billionaire, CEO, and rumored mafia kingpin. He had the kind of face that could make women weak, all sharp angles and dark, dangerous eyes. But Sasha was different. She wasn’t here for pleasure. She was here because she had no choice.“You understand the terms, Ms. Lane?” His voice was low, like velvet, but there was something dangerous lurking underneath it. The kind of danger that made a chill run down her spine.Sasha met his gaze, refusing to be intimidated. “I understand you’re blackmailing me into marriage.”Dominic’s lips curved into a smirk. “Blackmail is such an ugly word. Think of it as… an arrangement. You marry me, your brother’s debts disappear. Simple.”Simple. As if anything about this man was simpl
Sasha Lane hadn’t always been this tough. There was a time when she believed in happy endings and good guys, but that was before life knocked her down and made sure she stayed there.She grew up in the rough parts of the city, in a cramped apartment that smelled of cigarettes and desperation. Her father walked out before she could remember his face, leaving her mother alone with two children and a mountain of bills. Jason was her baby brother, just four years younger, but it always felt like she was raising him. Her mother, worn out by life, numbed herself with alcohol, drifting further away until one night, she simply didn’t wake up.Sasha was seventeen when she found her mother’s cold body in their dingy apartment. From that day on, it was just her and Jason against the world. She worked three jobs, pushed herself through law school, and scraped together everything she had to give him a better life than the one they had growing up. But the world has a funny way of destroying your be
The day of the wedding came too quickly, as if time itself conspired to rush Sasha toward her fate. She stood in front of the mirror, adjusting the delicate lace of her dress. It clung to her body like a second skin, emphasizing every curve she would rather hide. Her dark hair was swept back into an elegant updo, and the makeup, done by an artist Dominic had hired, made her look more like a stranger than herself. Everything about this day felt wrong, like she was playing a part in someone else’s life. But this was her reality now—a contract bride to Dominic Knight.Her hands trembled as she smoothed the fabric of her dress, the weight of the situation crushing down on her. Every fiber of her being screamed for her to run, to get out before it was too late, but there was nowhere to go. Dominic owned everything—her brother’s freedom, her future, and now, her.A sharp knock echoed through the suite, pulling her from her thoughts. Sasha’s heart skipped a beat. Was it time already?The doo
Sasha stood frozen in place as Dominic’s hands slid down her arms, his touch claiming her, making it clear that she was his possession now. Every instinct inside her screamed to pull away, to run, but there was nowhere to go. She had made her choice, and there was no turning back.Dominic’s breath was hot against her neck, his lips brushing the sensitive skin just below her ear. She shuddered, not from desire, but from the overwhelming sense of being trapped. He was dangerous, a predator circling its prey, and now she was bound to him by more than just a piece of paper.He turned her around slowly, his fingers firm on her waist. The intensity in his dark eyes locked her in place as he examined her, as if he was sizing up his new prize. His expression softened for a moment, but it wasn’t kindness she saw—it was control, power.“You’re scared,” he murmured, his voice low and gravelly, a smirk tugging at his lips. “Good.”Sasha’s breath hitched. She opened her mouth to respond, but the w
The morning sunlight streamed through the sheer curtains of Sasha’s room, casting a golden hue on the polished marble floors. Despite the warmth of the Italian sun, a chill had settled deep in Sasha’s bones. The impending gala, where she would have to wear the mask of Dominic’s obedient wife, loomed over her like a storm cloud. The uncertainty of what this event would reveal gnawed at her, and she had no doubt that something darker simmered beneath the surface of this business affair.She stood by the grand mirror in her room, gazing at her reflection. Iris, with her usual brisk efficiency, had already laid out the gown for the evening—a striking, deep crimson dress, fitted and designed to draw attention. Everything about it screamed elegance, yet all Sasha could see was how it turned her into a perfect doll, a showpiece for Dominic to parade.Her thoughts drifted to the night before. Dominic’s words—“You’ll learn to embrace this life”—echoed in her mind, sending a shiver down her spi