IN THE MAFIA WORLD
Ella's head throbbed as she slowly regained consciousness. Her surroundings were dimly lit, the room's dark, opulent decor giving off an air of danger. The faint scent of leather and whiskey lingered in the air, and muffled voices could be heard in the distance.
She blinked, trying to make sense of where she was. The last thing she remembered was the car being intercepted.
Her gaze shifted, and she froze. Sitting across from her, leaning back in a high-backed chair, was Damien. His piercing eyes were fixed on her, cold and unyielding.
Ella gasped softly, her body tensing. "Damien?"
"You're awake," he said, his voice calm but laced with menace.
Ella sat up, her hands trembling as she realized Lily was still unconscious beside her on the floor.
"Where are we?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Damien didn't answer immediately. He stood, his movements deliberate as he adjusted the cuffs of his tailored suit. "You made a mistake, Ella."
Ella's breath hitched. "A mistake?"
Damien's eyes darkened, and he stepped closer, towering over her. "I told you everything when you signed that contract. I laid out the terms. No leaving. No emotional entanglements. No running away. And yet here you are, trying to flee the country like a coward."
Ella's lips quivered, but she forced herself to stay calm. "You don't understand. I—"
"I understand perfectly," Damien interrupted, his tone sharp. "I paid off your father's debts. I gave your sister a home. I've kept up my end of the deal, and you repay me by trying to disappear?"
Ella's eyes filled with tears, but she held his gaze. "You lied to me, Damien. You never told me you were still seeing Victoria. You let her humiliate me in your house, and you said nothing. And your father—"
"Stop," Damien snapped, his voice echoing in the room. "Whatever you think happened with my father, I don't care. You're here to play a role, Ella. That's it. If I choose to have an affair with another woman, it's none of your business. Your job is to stick to the contract for six months. After that, you'll be free to live your life however you want."
Ella's tears spilled over as she looked at him, her heart breaking all over again. "Do you even hear yourself, Damien? Do you even realize how much you've hurt me?"
Damien's jaw tightened, but he didn't respond.
Ella's voice cracked as she continued. "I trusted you. I thought—"
"That was your first mistake," Damien said coldly, cutting her off. "This is a business arrangement, Ella. Nothing more. Stick to the contract, and I'll hold up my end of the bargain. Try to run again, and you'll regret it."
Ella's tears fell silently as Damien turned to leave, but before he reached the door, Lily stirred, groaning softly. Ella quickly wiped her face.
Damien stepped out of the dimly lit room, the heavy door closing behind him with a metallic click. His chest tightened as he exhaled, running a hand through his hair.
He should've felt in control, victorious even. He had found Ella before she could escape, dragged her back to fulfill her end of the bargain, and reminded her of the terms she'd agreed to. Yet, as her tear-filled eyes lingered in his mind, a strange discomfort churned in his gut.
Damien leaned against the corridor wall, closing his eyes briefly.
"She signed the contract," he muttered to himself, as if saying it aloud would make the weight on his chest disappear.
He hated complications. Everything about his life was meticulously planned, calculated to perfection. Ella had been nothing more than a means to an end—a solution to his father's incessant pressure to settle down and strengthen the family's reputation.
But she was proving to be a complication he hadn't anticipated.
Flashback to the Interception
When his men informed him Ella was trying to flee, something inside him snapped. He'd been furious, not just because she was breaking their agreement, but because she was leaving without so much as an explanation.
"Bring her to me," he'd ordered, his voice colder than ice.
When he arrived at the estate, he'd half-expected her to be defiant, ready to argue and fight him on the terms of their deal. Instead, she looked… broken.
And that was what unsettled him most.
The Present
Damien pushed himself off the wall and walked toward his private study. Victoria was waiting for him inside, perched on the edge of his desk like she owned the place.
"Handled your little runaway?" she asked, smirking as she swirled the glass of whiskey in her hand.
"Get off my desk," Damien said flatly, ignoring her question.
Victoria pouted but complied, sliding off with a dramatic flair. "You know, you wouldn't have to deal with this mess if you'd just taken me back."
Damien shot her a glare. "We've been over this, Victoria. You and I are done. Whatever we had, it's over."
"Why so agitated, Damien?" she asked, her tone dripping with mock concern. "Did your sweet little fiancée say something to upset you?"
Damien stopped abruptly, fixing her with a glare. "Leave Ella out of this, Victoria."
Victoria tilted her head, feigning innocence. "Why? I'm just curious. I mean, it's not every day you find a woman like her—so... ordinary."
"Don't," Damien said sharply, his voice low but firm.
"Don't what?" she replied with a smirk. "Tell the truth? She's clearly not cut out for this life, Damien. Honestly, she looks like she'd be more at home cleaning houses than living in them."
"That's enough!" Damien's voice echoed through the room as he stepped closer, his eyes blazing. "You will not insult Ella in my house. She's my fiancée, and you will respect her."
Victoria blinked, momentarily startled by his intensity. Then her smirk returned, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "You're defending her? How noble of you, Damien. But let's not pretend she's anything more than a passing phase. She's not one of us, and she never will be."
Damien's jaw tightened. "Whatever your opinion is, keep it to yourself. Ella is here because I want her here, and that's all you need to know."
Victoria's expression darkened. "I see. So you're really going to throw everything we had away for her?"
"What we had is over, Victoria," Damien said coldly. "It ended a long time ago, and nothing is going to change that. Now, I'm asking you to leave."
Victoria's eyes widened in disbelief. "You're serious? You're throwing me out?"
"Yes," Damien said, his tone final. "And don't come back."
Victoria stood, her face a mask of fury and humiliation. "You'll regret this, Damien. She'll ruin you, and when she does, don't come crawling back to me."
Without another word, she stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
The silence that followed was deafening. Damien stood there for a moment, staring at the closed door.
Victoria's words lingered in his mind, but he pushed them aside. She didn't understand, and he didn't owe her an explanation.
Ella's presence in his life wasn't something he could explain easily—not to Victoria, not even to himself. All he knew was that no one, not even Victoria, had the right to disrespect her.
He sank onto the couch, running a hand through his hair. "Six months," he muttered under his breath. "Just six more months."