Chapter 3 She couldn't help but think of the irony

Isolde sat in the silence that followed Luca's words, her breath shallow, heart racing. Nico slept soundly in her arms, oblivious to the dangerous game unfolding around him. She couldn't help but think of the irony-she had been running from her family, from the deal they had made with a man who saw her as little more than an asset. Now, she was being offered a new deal by someone even more dangerous.

The room felt small, suffocating. The walls pressed in on her, as if they were closing in with each passing second, trapping her in a reality she didn't want to face. She wanted to say no. She wanted to walk away from Luca Monticelli, to take Nico and run far away, to a place where no one could find them. But the weight of her situation bore down on her, and she knew, deep in her gut, that it wasn't that simple.

"You think I want to be tied to you, don't you?" she asked, her voice low and trembling with a mixture of fear and defiance. "You think I'll just fall in line because you're offering me protection?"

Luca's expression remained unchanged, his face a mask of controlled emotion. He didn't flinch. Didn't blink. "I think you'll do whatever it takes to survive, Isolde. You're not stupid. You know I'm your best option."

Her gaze faltered for a moment, a brief flicker of doubt creeping into her mind. Was he right? Was he really her only option? Was there any other way out of this nightmare?

"You're wrong," she whispered, shaking her head. "I'm not like you. I don't make deals with people like you."

Luca's lips curled into a thin smile, but there was no humor in it. "Is that so? Well, then you're welcome to try your luck without me. But let me remind you, Isolde... there are people out there who don't care about your morals. They'll take what they want, and they won't ask for permission."

Her heart pounded in her chest as his words sank in. She knew he wasn't lying. She had seen what his world looked like-corruption, violence, betrayal. She had witnessed it from the sidelines, her family entangled in it, but never fully understanding the depths of it. Now, she was standing at the edge, peering into the abyss, and the thought of falling in was more terrifying than anything she had imagined.

"I don't want to be a part of this," she said, her voice steady, though her insides were a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. "I won't be your pawn. I won't use Nico for your games."

Luca's eyes narrowed, his expression darkening. "It's not a game, Isolde. You think I'm doing this for fun? You think I care about power for the sake of power? I don't need a child to win wars or to gain more influence." He stepped closer to her, his voice lowering to a whisper that felt like a threat. "I do this because it's survival. Survival in a world that doesn't care about people like us. People like Nico. People like you. You want to protect him? You want to give him a chance at life? Then you'll help me, whether you like it or not."

She could feel his words wrapping around her like a noose, tightening slowly, relentlessly. He was right. There was no easy way out. But there had to be a choice.

A choice that didn't involve selling her soul.

"You're offering me a deal I can't refuse," she said bitterly, glaring at him.

Luca tilted his head, his lips curling into a smug smile. "I'm offering you a way to survive, Isolde. A way to make sure your little boy doesn't grow up in a world where he's just another pawn to be sacrificed."

Her eyes flicked to Nico, and for a fleeting moment, she wondered what kind of future she could give him. A future where his life wasn't determined by the whims of powerful men. A future where he was free to choose his own path.

But that future felt as distant as the moon. The reality was much harsher. Nico had been born into a world where survival was everything. And she wasn't strong enough to protect him on her own.

"You know what they say, don't you?" Luca continued, his voice low and coaxing. "You make your bed, you lie in it. Your family made their bed when they sold you off. I'm just giving you a chance to survive in it."

Her breath hitched in her throat as the weight of his words sank in. She was trapped. She could feel the chains already tightening around her wrists, invisible but real, and she couldn't escape them.

"I won't betray Nico," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I won't use him like you want me to."

Luca's gaze softened for a brief moment, and for a second, she saw something other than calculation in his eyes. Something that resembled pity, though she quickly dismissed it as another manipulation. "You don't understand," he said quietly. "This world doesn't care about your innocence, your morals. It doesn't care about Nico's future. I'm offering you a chance to protect him, Isolde. A chance to keep him safe, to give him a life he wouldn't otherwise have."

She was silent for a long time, her thoughts spiraling. Everything she had ever known, everything she had ever believed in, was slipping through her fingers like sand. She was caught between two choices, neither of which she wanted to make.

"Tell me what I need to do," she finally said, her voice steady but laced with an undercurrent of defeat.

Luca's smile was sharp, his eyes gleaming with triumph. "Good choice."

He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a thick envelope, tossing it onto the table in front of her. "This is a list of people you'll need to contact. A few people who can help you. But don't get too comfortable, Isolde. Once you're in, there's no getting out. Not without paying a price."

Her fingers hovered over the envelope, but she didn't touch it. Not yet.

"How do I know I can trust you?" she asked, her voice low but fierce. "How do I know you won't just throw me to the wolves once you've used me?"

Luca's eyes glittered, cold and calculating. "Because, Isolde, I don't need to use you. You're already mine."

The finality in his words left her breathless. She didn't know what was worse-the fear of what he would do to her, or the realization that, in this moment, she had already lost. There was no escaping this world. No escaping him.

Her fate was sealed, and it would be Luca Monticelli who held the key.