001

Caterina.

I hated... no... that wasn't a suitable word. I loathed parties.

Especially when it was my engagement party.

The chandeliers above gleamed with the brilliance of a thousand crystals, casting an ethereal glow over the grand ballroom. Laughter and chatter echoed around me, voices mingling with the soft strains of a string quartet in the corner.

The air was thick with the scents of fresh roses and expensive perfume.

The place was perfect, every detail meticulously arranged for an evening of celebration.

I should have felt honoured, proud even, to have a gathering this perfect in my name. Instead, my stomach kept turning with every passing second.

"Smile, sweetheart."

The voice came from beside me, smooth yet commanding, as if daring me to disobey. Allesandro's hand rested on the small of my back, possessive and firm. His touch turned, not with passion, but with a reminder of ownership.

I plastered on a polite smile, the one I’d practised in the mirror. A hollow expression that I hoped masked the growing revulsion twisting in my gut.

"Of course."

Alessandro was everything one might expect in a wealthy heir... tall, broad-shouldered, with dark hair combed back in a style meant to project power. His smile gleamed, too perfect, too sharp, and his pale blue eyes scanned the room as though surveying his kingdom.

His kingdom.

I was to be part of it.

"Lovely evening, isn't it?" He murmured, leaning down just enough for his lips to graze the edge of my ear.

My skin crawled.

"Yes, darling," I lied through gritted teeth.

This wasn't about me.

It had never been about me.

This party, this engagement... this charade... was about my family. Saving them from ruin after years of poor business decisions and mounting debts.

Marrying Alessandro was the deal my father had struck.

His money for my future.

My fate had been signed away without my consent, but what choice did I have?

Alessandro shifted closer, his hand tightening against my spine. I held my breath as his lips curled into a smug smile.

"You've made the right choice, Caterina. Soon, you’ll see that."

My mouth twitched, but I couldn’t muster a response.

Instead, I turned to the sea of guests. Familiar faces smiled back at me, congratulating us on our match, on our supposed “perfect pairing.”

Every handshake, every kind word felt like a betrayal.

I gave them all the same practised smile, swallowing the truth.

The music continued, the violin's melody soaring above the hum of conversation. I sipped champagne, savouring the bitterness rather than the bubbles, and tried to ignore Alessandro's hand, which had yet to leave my back.

It happened so suddenly.

The air shifted, subtle but undeniable, as though the room collectively held its breath. A ripple of whispers spread through the crowd, heads turning toward the entrance.

What was happening?

He waled in as though he owned the place, and for all I knew, he might have.

The man was tall, his figure draped in a charcoal suit that fit him too well to be off the rack. Dark hair swept back on a way that was both careless and deliberate, framing a face that demanded attention.

He was the most handsome man I had ever had the pleasure of meeting. Striking, in a dangerous sort of way.

Where Allesandro's sharpness was calculated, this man's was natural... a predator at ease in unfamiliar territory.

The room fell silent as he crossed it, his strides unhurried, yet every step felt like a claim on the space.

My heart thundered.

He stopped in front of us, his eyes settling first on Alessandro. His lips curled into something resembling a smile, though it lacked any warmth.

"Alessandro," he said, the name rolling from his tongue with a hint of distaste. "Congratulations on your engagement."

Alessandro stiffened. It was slight... barely noticeable... but I felt it. Mostly because he refused to remove his hand from my back. The tremor betrayed the perfect facade he wore so well.

My, my.

What was this?

"Luca," Alessandro replied, his tone a bit tight.

So his name was... Luca. Not what I would have expected. I glanced between them, trying to decipher the sudden tension. Alessandro, so accustomed to commanding attention, looked... smaller in this man's presence.

"Didn't think you'd make it," Alessandro added, forcing a laugh that sounded painfully hollow.

"Oh, I wouldn't miss it," Luca replied, his eyes flicking briefly to me. There was no smile this time, only a quiet, unreadable intensity that sent a shiver down my spine.

What was wrong with me?

"You're here to celebrate?" Alessandro asked, his voice laced with what I could only describe as caution.

“Not exactly.”

The words were a knife, slicing through the polite atmosphere like silk.

Alessandro’s hand dropped from my back as he straightened, squaring his shoulders. “Then why are you here?”

Luca tilted his head, a hint of amusement dancing across his features. “I’m here,” he said slowly, “for the payment of your debt.”

The room might as well have disappeared.

I stared at Alessandro, watching the way his expression faltered for the briefest moment before hardening again.

“I told you,” He said through gritted teeth, his voice low enough to escape the guests’ notice, “I don’t have it yet.”

“Unfortunate,” Luca replied. His tone remained calm, but there was a weight to it, a subtle pressure that demanded submission.

Alessandro’s jaw clenched. “I just need more time.”

Luca’s eyes shifted to me then... those warm green eyes... and I felt my breath catch.

It wasn't the way Alessandro looked at me... like a prize he'd already won. This was different, sharper, as if he were appraising something valuable.

“I might be willing to grant you that,” Luca said, his eyes never leaving mine. “But only if you offer me... a suitable alternative.”

The silence stretched.

“What do you mean?"

Luca smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Her. I want her."

The word dropped like a stone, heavy and unyielding.

It took a moment for the meaning to register, for the weight of it to settle in my chest.

He wanted me as payment for Alessandro’s debt.