Chapter 1: The Debt

POV: Isabella

The weight of the pen in my hand felt like a chain, chaining me to some otherworldly future I never wanted. My fingers had shaken while staring at the crisp, black letters on the contract before me, each word pulsating as if it mocked me with its cold finality: Property of Luca Romano

I forced myself to look at Father, desperation etching his face into a hundred deep lines. He didn't meet my gaze but kept his eyes fixed on the paper, as if staring at the contract would will me on to signing my freedom away, easing the weight from his shoulders.

"Bella, sign it," he pleaded, his voice trembling just enough to show the fear behind his words. "Please, If you don't…

I took a deep, shaking breath. My voice was barely above a whisper. "Is there really no other way to pay him back? We can't ask anyone else? Another family?"

He shook his head, cold and resolute. "Nobody crosses Luca Romano and walks away unscathed. He controls every family, every business, every favor. You're…you're the only collateral we have left."

The tears I had kept in started to sting, but I blinked them away, turning and facing my family, my so-called protectors. My mother was still silent, pale, clenching a handkerchief as if it were the last string to her sanity. My brother stood with his shoulders slumped in defeat, looking at his hands. In their eyes, I was no longer Isabella, but just. The last hope.

"Mother, please." My voice cracked as I whirled back to her, begging for a last-minute pardon. "There must be another way."

But she just shook her head, not looking at me. "I'm…I'm so sorry, Bella." Her voice wasn't much more than a whisper, thick with surrender. "Your father—he's right. This is our only alternative."

A ragged laugh jumped in the back of my throat. Their only alternative.

My father cleared his throat, his tone now laced with threat. "Enough of this. Sign the contract, Isabella. Now."

I signed my name, shaking, on that paper, as though it was the signature over my soul. The pen scratching on the paper sounded like thunder, its deafening echo in the silent tension within the room.

The moment the ink was dry, my father's voice turned cold, an icy blade slashing through the silence. "A car will be waiting outside. You're to go directly to his estate and do as he commands. Don't disgrace us any further."

My mother reached out as if to stop me, tears brimming in her eyes. "Bella, I—

"Enough," my father snapped, silencing her. "This was the rule every Mafia daughter had to obey."

I retreated a step back and let the weight of my family's betrayal settle deep inside me. My father's betrayal, my mother's silence, my brother's indifference-they left me no room to fight. The pain in my chest turned cold and unyielding with every step I took in retreat.

Luca Romano's Office

The silence in Luca's office was suffocating, like the man himself. He lay relaxed behind his gleaming mahogany desk, his eyes sharp, evaluating, as he watched me enter. He motioned for me to take a seat. I stood my ground and didn't sit, not about to give up even that small ounce of control.

"Welcome, Bella," he said smoothly, calculated. "You're now part of my mafia.

I narrowed my eyes, refusing to let him see the fear churning inside me. "I'm not family. I'm a transaction."

A smirk tugged the corner of his mouth. "Call it what you like. You will learn your place soon enough." He slid a small, ornate box across the table toward me, watching as I opened it to reveal, with a sinking feeling, a necklace-a delicate silver chain with a ruby-encrusted pendant that gleamed menacingly.

He reached forward, his hand clenching around mine as if in a vow, his eyes obsidian dark and possessive. "Consider this a token of our agreement. You'll wear it as a reminder of who you belong to."

I slapped my hand over the box as anger flared inside my belly. "I don't need a leash. I'll pay you back myself if I have to. You don't have any control over me.

His smile was deadly. "Blustery words, Isabella. If you do not want my warth, I suggest you learn your place. Unless you can repay me-ten billion dollars in a year-you are mine. Definitely."

I sputtered on the amount, between disbelief and indignation. "Ten billion? What did my family ever use it on?

He stood from his chair and crossed the room until he was standing inches away from me, his imposing figure casting a shadow over me. Then in one swift motion, he took the necklace from the box and secured it around my neck-the cold metal pressed against my skin like a brand.

“A woman has no business in the Mafia world," he growled. "Your place is to look beautiful, stay obedient, and make your master proud."

I glared up at him, my hands clenched into fists. "You're enjoying this, aren't you? Using me as a pawn to manipulate my family."

He shrugged, an infuriatingly calm expression on his face. "Business is business, Bella. Don't take it personally.

Anger swelled up, boiling in my chest. "It's personal when you're using me as collateral for a debt that isn't mine."

He watched me, the faintest glimmer of humor dancing in his eyes. "You'll make a fine addition to my family. Spirited, but trainable."

"Trainable?" I spat, my anger overflowing. "I'm not an animal, Luca.

The edges of his eyes flashed, darkening around his expression. "You'd do well to remember your place, Bella. From now on, you belong to me—body and soul."

A shiver ran through me as reality set upon me like a weight in my chest. This was the kind of man to give no quarter: the type that would look upon me as no more than a possession.

"You'll learn to obey," he said, his voice softening as if he relished every word. "To follow my rules. And if you don't."

He leaned in closer, the warmth of his breath dancing across my ear as he whispered, "I'll make sure your family suffers for it. Your mother, your brother, everyone you love."

My heart was racing in my chest, my defiance wilting under the heavy weight of his threat. I nodded, slow, as my spirit crumbled.

"Good," he murmured, straightening up. "Now, let's get you acquainted with your new life. I will be back shortly, and you'll be coming home with me tonight."

I met his gaze, pride making my head high. "Don't worry, Luca. I won't run. Not yet.

He chuckled again; a dark, mocking sound. "We'll see about that, Bella."

As he left the room, it slowly dawned upon me just how trapped I really was. To live in a world of extravagance, of lies and false pretenses with him owning every inch of me. No matter how firm my resolve, I was just one pawn in his game. A pawn within the Mafia.