Chapter 3 - The Devil's Proposal
I hesitated for a moment, weighing the danger of an abusive family against the danger of a mafia boss.
Another siren wailed in the distance, making my decision for me.
I climbed into the back of the armored Maybach, shivering violently in my soaked clothes.
Leo slid in beside me, and the car immediately sped away into the labyrinth of the city.
He handed me a dry towel and poured a glass of amber liquid from a crystal decanter.
"Drink this," he said gently, though his eyes never lost their lethal edge.
"You look like you're about to pass out from blood loss."
I took the glass with trembling fingers, letting the alcohol burn away some of my terror.
"Why did you save me?" I asked, staring directly into his calculating gaze.
"Because your father and Marcus Thorne are trying to launder money through my territory using your grandmother's properties," Leo explained simply.
"They think they can use the Vance estate to fund a rival cartel without my knowledge."
I let out a bitter, exhausted laugh.
"Well, they have the signed deeds now, so I have nothing left to offer you."
Leo leaned closer, the scent of expensive cologne and gunpowder washing over me.
"A forced signature means nothing if you have the power to take the estate back by force."
He pulled a velvet box from his suit pocket and snapped it open.
Inside rested a massive, flawless diamond ring that caught the dim light of the streetlamps.
"I need legitimate control over the Vance properties to crush this rival cartel, and you need an army to destroy your father."
I stared at the diamond, the sheer audacity of his plan leaving me speechless.
"You want a fake marriage?" I whispered in shock.
"I want a strategic alliance sealed in blood and legality," Leo corrected smoothly.
"Marry me tomorrow, Clara, and I will give you the resources to make your family beg for mercy."
I looked at the ring, realizing that my grandmother's pearl pendant was still securely recording everything from my neck.
"I will marry you, Leo," I agreed, my voice steady and cold.
"But when this is over, I keep the Aspen lodge and the Napa vineyard."
Leo smiled, a dangerous, thrilling expression that sent a shiver down my spine.
May you like
"Deal, but we have a slight problem," he murmured, glancing at his phone.
"Your stepsister Chloe just publicly announced her engagement to my worst enemy."
