Chapter 1 - The Dark Offer
Gabriel did not lower the weapon pointed directly at her face.
He simply stood there, an immaculate figure in a tailored suit, radiating a cold and lethal energy.
Clare stared down the barrel of the gun with bloodshot, exhausted eyes.
She was supposed to be terrified.
Any normal person would be begging for their life on the floor of this dark study.
But Clare had nothing left to lose.
Her sister was dying in a sterile room across town, and the hospital was demanding thirty thousand dollars she did not have.
"Are you going to shoot me?" she asked, her voice cracking in the quiet room.
Gabriel narrowed his dark eyes, his finger resting perfectly flat against the trigger guard.
"Why are you crying in my private study during my birthday party?" Gabriel demanded smoothly.
Clare let out a broken, humorless laugh.
She told him about the medical bills, the failing antibiotics, and the countdown on her sister's life.
She told him that if he wanted to pull the trigger, he should just get it over with.
Gabriel slowly lowered the gun, fascinated by the complete absence of fear in her expression.
He had spent his entire life surrounded by people who lied, cowered, and schemed for his favor.
This ruined, desperate girl in a cheap catering uniform was the most honest thing he had seen in years.
"I will pay the hospital right now," Gabriel said, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous register.
Clare froze, her breath catching sharply in her raw throat.
She asked him what he wanted in return.
Gabriel stepped closer, his imposing shadow swallowing her entirely.
"I want you," he stated softly.
He explained that if he bought her sister's life, Clare would belong to him entirely, leaving her old life behind forever.
Clare looked into the eyes of a mafia boss and opened her mouth to accept the devil's bargain.
May you like
Before she could speak a single word, the heavy oak door behind her violently shattered.
A deafening spray of machine-gun fire tore through the wood, sending lethal splinters flying across the room.
