Chapter 2 TWO

The scent of old paper and turpentine clung to the air like forgotten dreams. Emilia Rossi stood in the corner of her family's failing bookstore, staring at her unfinished painting. Crimson roses bloomed across the canvas, wild and defiant-just like the girl she used to be.

Before debt notices. Before her father's shaking hands signed a deal with the devil.

Before him.

A bell above the door jingled. She didn't turn. She knew who it was. His presence arrived before he did-like a shift in gravity.

"Luca Moretti," she said softly, the brush falling from her hand.

He didn't need to introduce himself. Everyone knew his name. Everyone feared it. But when Emilia faced him, she didn't see a monster. She saw a man in an expensive coat, holding power like it was just another tool in his pocket.

"I assume your father told you why I'm here," he said, voice calm, almost bored.

She nodded. "You're here for payment."

He walked past shelves of dust-covered stories, eyeing the cracked wooden floor. "I'm offering an alternative. Marry me, and your family's debt disappears."

Emilia's world tipped sideways. "Why me?"

Luca looked at her, and for a second, there was something human in his gaze. "Because you didn't flinch when I walked in."