As Sienna sat on the worn leather couch, the smell of stale smoke lingering in the air, her father sitting across from her, his face twisted in an expression she couldn't quite read. His hands, usually so steady, fidgeted nervously with the rim of his glass, fingers tapping against the cool surface. She had never seen him like this. The calm, stoic man who had always been her protector seemed... broken.
Her mind raced. The silence between them stretched on, unbearable, as Sienna waited for him to speak. He had always kept secrets—little ones, big ones, things she wasn't meant to know—but this was different. His eyes shifted toward the door, and then back to her.
"Sienna," he said, his voice low and strained. "I—I'm so sorry."
Her heart pounded in her chest. "What are you talking about, Dad? What's going on?"
He hesitated, taking a deep breath before speaking again. "I lost everything... The money, the house... everything." He wiped his hand over his face as if the words pained him. "I owe a lot of money, Sienna. More than I can ever repay."
Sienna's stomach churned. "What do you mean? What money? You've always been careful, you—"
His eyes flicked toward the floor. "It was the gambling. I got in too deep, and now... now I'm in trouble. Big trouble. They're giving me an ultimatum."
A cold chill ran down her spine. "Who? Who are you talking about?"
His voice dropped to a whisper. "The Vittori family. You don't know them, but they're the ones I owe. And they want something... something I can't give them."
Sienna's breath caught in her throat. "What do you mean, Dad? You're not making sense."
At that moment, the door to their small apartment creaked open, and a man stepped inside. He was tall, sharply dressed in a suit that screamed wealth, his face cold and unreadable. Behind him, two more men followed—silent, imposing. Sienna 's heart skipped a beat. This was no ordinary visitor.
"Is this her?" the man asked, his voice thick with an accent Sienna didn't recognize.
Her father nodded, barely meeting the man's gaze. "Yes. This is Sienna, my daughter."
Sienna stood, suddenly feeling as though she were trapped inside a nightmare. "Who are you?" she demanded, her voice trembling.
The man stepped forward, his eyes narrowing. "I'm Matteo Vittori. You may not know me, but your father owes me a lot of money. And since he can't pay... I'm here to collect."
A deep, sick feeling sank into her gut. "Collect?" Sienna whispered, already fearing the answer.
Matteo's cold eyes bored into hers. "You, Sienna. I'm here for you."
Her body froze. "No. No, you're not. This is crazy!" She took a step back, looking to her father for some kind of reassurance. But he wouldn't meet her gaze. "Dad, please tell me this isn't happening."
Her father swallowed hard, a single tear escaping his eye. "I'm sorry, Sienna. It's the only way. He... he's going to take care of you. I couldn't think of another way out. I'm sorry."
Matteo stepped closer, taking out a thick stack of papers from his briefcase. "This is your father's solution," he said, his voice flat. "Sign here, and the debt is cleared. No more bloodshed. No more problems. All we need is your agreement." He slid the papers across the table to her.
Sienna felt the world closing in on her. The papers. The man. Her father's betrayal. All she could do was stare at the papers, trembling, as her thoughts raced.
"No," she whispered, shaking her head in disbelief. "I won't sign. I won't be some... some bargaining chip for your debts!"
Matteo's expression remained unchanged. Without a word, his hand moved to the gun tucked in his belt, and he pulled it out, the cold steel gleaming under the dim light.
"Do we need to make this difficult?" he asked, his tone as sharp as a blade.
Her breath hitched in her throat, terror flooding her veins. "Please," she begged, her voice breaking. "Don't. I won't do it."
Matteo's eyes narrowed, his gaze colder than ever. "Then we can do this the hard way." He lifted the gun, pressing it to her temple. "Sign the papers, Sienna. Now."
Her heart pounded in her chest, her entire body trembling. This was her life. This was her future. She closed her eyes for a moment, fighting the wave of panic crashing over her. She couldn't escape.
"Wait," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "I'll sign... but you need to promise me something first."
Matteo arched an eyebrow. "What?"
"I'm not a toy," she said, her voice trembling but determined. "I won't be touched in ways I don't want. No inappropriate behavior, no control over my body." She met his cold gaze, desperation in her voice. "And you will let me go to college. I want to finish my education. I want a career. I won't have children before I graduate and get a decent job, understood?"
Matteo's lips curled into something that might have been a smile, though it lacked warmth. "I'll let you study. I'll give you the space to be whatever you want to be... but you'll follow my rules. And you'll be mine. No exceptions."
Sienna swallowed hard, her fingers trembling as they hovered over the pen. She reached for it, but before she could grasp it, Matteo's hand closed over hers, firm and deliberate.
"Not like that," he murmured, his voice low, edged with something darker. He pulled a small, gleaming blade from his pocket and pressed it into her palm. "Sign it in blood."
Her breath hitched. A slow, dreadful chill crawled up her spine. She met his gaze, searching for hesitation, for some sign that he was bluffing.
There was none.
The paper felt like lead beneath her touch. With a sharp inhale, she pressed the blade to her finger, watching as a bead of crimson welled up. Then, with shaking hands, she smeared her name across the page.
Matteo exhaled, satisfied. "Now, you're mine, go pack your things. You leave with me."
Sienna felt like she was walking in a daze, unable to comprehend what was happening. She turned and headed upstairs, her mind numb, her body heavy. The weight of the papers she had signed felt like a physical burden on her chest. When she reached her room, she packed quickly, the familiar objects in her room mocking her. This wasn't real. This couldn't be real.
As she descended the stairs, her father was nowhere to be seen. He had disappeared into the shadows of his choices, leaving her to face the consequences of his actions.
Matteo was waiting outside, leaning against a black car with tinted windows, the two men flanking him. As she stepped outside, she turned toward her father's old chair in the living room, the place where he had once sat, reading the paper, pretending everything was fine. Now, it was empty.
Sienna turned back to Matteo, her eyes filled with a mixture of anger and resignation. He opened the car door for her, his cold eyes still unreadable.
"Come on," he said, voice like ice.
Sienna hesitated for a moment. Then, gathering every ounce of courage she had left, she stepped forward, acknowledging his silent command. As the door closed behind her, her new life began.
And with it, a sense of finality.
But even as the car began to move, Sienna couldn't shake the feeling that this was just the beginning. Her story was far from over.