Chapter 4 ACT 1: THE MARRIAGE DEAL

Chapter 4: The Contract Is Signed

The air inside Alessandro DeLuca's penthouse felt heavy, suffocating, like the weight of the decision I was about to make was pressing down on my chest.

The contract sat on the glossy black marble table, its pristine white pages a stark contrast to the storm raging inside me.

Alessandro leaned against the window, his arms crossed, his sharp blue eyes pinned on me like a predator watching its prey struggle before the inevitable.

His suit, tailored to perfection, molded to his frame, but there was nothing comforting about his presence. He was power incarnate, ruthless, unwavering.

The kind of man who bent the world to his will without so much as breaking a sweat and now, he expected me to sign away my freedom.

His voice broke the silence, low and smooth, but there was an unmistakable edge beneath it. "You look like a woman contemplating an escape."

I let out a slow breath, my fingers gripping the edge of the chair. "Maybe I am."

A smirk tugged at his lips, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Then allow me to remind you that you have none."

His words sent a ripple of anger through me, cutting through the hesitation that had been clawing at my resolve.

I had spent my entire life fighting-against expectations, against the system, against men like Alessandro who thought they could manipulate the world to suit their needs.

But this time, I wasn't fighting for a byline in a newspaper. I wasn't fighting for recognition.

I was fighting for my father.

And for that, I would walk through hell itself.

My fingers curled around the pen, my breath catching for a brief second as I hovered over the dotted line that would change my life forever. The air felt thick, suffocating, as if even the walls of the penthouse were waiting to see what I would do.

Alessandro didn't move. He simply watched, his eyes never leaving mine, as if daring me to back out.

I could feel the weight of his presence, the silent, unyielding power he radiated, as if he already knew my answer before I did.

I swallowed, my throat dry, my pulse hammering like a war drum against my ribs.

And then, I signed.

The moment my pen touched the paper, a shiver ran down my spine, as if the very universe had just acknowledged that there was no turning back.

Alessandro stepped forward, his movements slow, calculated, until he was close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from him, the quiet dominance in the air between us.

"You just became Mrs. DeLuca." His voice was a whisper of steel, cutting through my resolve like a blade.

I forced my expression to remain unreadable. "On paper."

A glint of amusement flickered in his eyes. "For now."

A cold chill skated down my spine at the implication in his words.

He reached for the contract, his fingers brushing mine just slightly as he pulled the papers toward him. His touch was brief, barely there, but it sent a sharp, unwanted jolt of awareness through me.

I snatched my hand back, ignoring the way my skin tingled where we had made contact.

His smirk deepened, as if he had felt it too.

"Pack your things," he said smoothly, folding the contract with the ease of a man who had just secured his next victory. "You're moving in tonight."

The words landed like a gunshot, sending a fresh wave of unease rolling through me.

I had known this was coming. I had read the clause in the contract that stated I would be living in his penthouse for the duration of the marriage. But knowing something and facing the reality of it were two very different things.

"I'll need time," I said, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me.

His gaze darkened, his smirk fading just slightly. "You have two hours."

Two hours.

I should have argued. I should have pushed back. But the way he was looking at me, the quiet challenge in his stance, told me that he would not bend.

Alessandro DeLuca never bent for anyone.

I pushed my chair back, standing with a forced calm I didn't feel. "Fine."

His gaze flickered with something unreadable, but he didn't say another word as I turned on my heel and walked out of the penthouse.

The moment the elevator doors closed behind me, my breath left me in a sharp exhale.

I had just sold my soul to the devil and there was no going back.

I stood outside my apartment, staring at the door like it held all the answers I needed but refused to give them to me.

This was it. My last chance to walk away. My last moment of freedom before I stepped into a world I did not belong in.

But as I pushed the door open, the sight of my father hooked up to machines, his breathing slow and uneven, reminded me why I was doing this.

Why I had no choice.

"Sienna?" His voice was weak, but there was warmth in it, a softness that threatened to shatter the wall I had built around my heart.

I forced a smile as I walked toward him, brushing a hand over his thin, trembling fingers. "Hey, Dad."

He gave me a tired smile. "You look beautiful, sweetheart."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. He didn't know. He had no idea the price I had paid for the money that would keep him alive.

And I would never tell him.

Because this was my burden to carry. Not his.

Two hours later, I stood outside Alessandro's penthouse with nothing but a suitcase and the weight of my decision pressing down on me.

The door swung open before I could knock.

Alessandro stood there, shirt unbuttoned at the top, his sleeves rolled up, his watch glinting in the dim lighting. He looked unbothered, unaffected, like this was just another business deal to him.

Maybe it was.

"That was quick," he murmured, stepping aside to let me in.

I walked past him, my chin lifted, refusing to acknowledge the way his presence filled every inch of the space.

"This isn't my first time packing light," I said smoothly.

He chuckled, low and dark, and something about the sound made my stomach tighten.

"This is your home now," he said, closing the door behind me.

My grip tightened around the handle of my suitcase.

No.

This wasn't my home. was a gilded cage, and I was just another possession locked inside it.

Alessandro moved toward the bar, pouring himself a drink with the ease of a man who had never second-guessed a single decision in his life.

"Your room is down the hall," he said casually, sipping his whiskey. "Make yourself comfortable."

I set my suitcase down, my heart pounding in my chest.

One year...

One year of living with a man who was more dangerous than he let on.

One year of pretending to be the perfect wife to the world's most powerful billionaire.

One year of walking on a razor's edge, knowing that one misstep could cost me everything.

Alessandro set his glass down, his gaze locking onto mine, amusement flickering in his blue eyes.

"Welcome to your new life, Mrs. DeLuca."

My stomach twisted.

Because I knew, without a doubt, that this was just the beginning of something I might not survive.