Chapter 3 Never Letting Go

My breath caught the moment he said those words. A flood of questions raced through my mind, and I felt weighed down by their gravity. I looked into his eyes, hoping to find a hint of humor, but there was none-he was dead serious. "You can't be serious," I finally managed to say, my voice shaking just a bit.

His smirk faded, replaced by a steely expression. "Oh, but I am very serious, Nala." He straightened up, his presence growing even more imposing. "I want to marry you and you will have to accept me as yours."

My heart slipped into my stomach, and all I could manage was a stunned, "Huh?"

He scoffed, his eyes flashing with irritation. "Stop being dumb. I've already made it very clear, so quit acting like this. You're mine now, and there's no going back." His tone was sharp, cutting through the tension like a knife.

Despite the fear whirling inside me, I shook my head in defiance, my voice steadying as I said, "N... No."

His eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint sparking as his jaw clenched with anger. "What did you say?" His voice was low, almost a growl.

I gulped heavily, trying to gather my thoughts amidst the chaos. "I mean, no, I can't..." Before I could finish the sentence, all the men around us pulled out their guns, pointing them at me as if my refusal had set off an alarm. My eyes bulged, and I felt my heart pounding violently in my chest, the fear coursing through me like ice.

He looked at me for a brief moment, then shifted his gaze to the men, scoffing dismissively. "Do you want to die, Nala?"

I hesitated, terror gripping me as I whispered, "No."

"Then don't fucking say no to me, or my men will blow your head off!" He turned his intense gaze back to me.

It felt unreal, how could he have so much power to tell me what to do and who is he? As I kept looking at him, panic surged through me,

If I don't do anything now, he'll take over my life.

I immediately started trying to pull out of the chair, desperately trying to regain some semblance of control. I opened my mouth to speak, but he quickly silenced me. "Don't speak, Nala. Don't say a word that would fucking make me want to shoot you in the head." His warning was clear, and the weight of it pressed down on me, leaving me breathless and speechless.

I couldn't believe he was saying that to me; I couldn't even wrap my head around what was happening right now. It felt like I was trapped in some sort of dream, one that made no sense at all.

Everything felt surreal-why did he want to marry me? What did he want from me? So many questions raced through my mind, and all I could focus on was finding a way to escape. As if he sensed my thoughts, he leaned closer and said, "And don't even think about it because there's nowhere to escape."

"I wasn't thinking of escaping," I lied, knowing that being completely honest wouldn't help me at all in this situation.

"Good." He smirked a glint of satisfaction in his eyes.

"B... but I just don't understand... why me?" I pressed wanting to know the reason behind this madness.

"Because..." he smirked, taking a moment to savor my confusion before continuing, "You have everything I want."

"What?" I asked confused

"You heard me right Nala. You have everything I could ever want." He repeated, looking deeply into my eyes.

I didn't respond, I was shocked, how could I have everything he wants when I'm not even anything I want?

Trying to wrap my head around it, he suddenly leaned in closer, his breath warm against my skin. "I've been waiting for this moment for so long." He moved his face to look at me "I believe you're mine now, but I want to hear you say it. Tell me you belong to me, Nala."

My breath caught in my throat as I stared at him in shock. I couldn't say it; I wasn't his. But the fear of rejecting him loomed over me. I finally managed to say, "But I don't even know who you are."

"Why don't you ask me?" he replied, a glint of amusement in his eyes

I swallowed hard and asked, "Who are you?"

He smirked and declared, "I'm Carlos Mendoza."

At that moment, it washed over me and I instantly recognized his name. He's one of the most influential people in this country and he's very dangerous, I've heard a lot about him. My heart lurched in my chest I asked "You are a mafia king?"

"Yes, and you will be my queen." He said as he leaned in closer to my face, almost as if he wanted to kiss me but his actions halted for a second presumably because he noticed how scared I was. With a smirk, he whispered, "I will leave the intimacy when we are private." He pulled back, turned to his men, and commanded "Untie the Queen."

They quickly moved to obey his orders, the ropes falling away from my wrists and ankles. I rubbed my sore skin, still trying to process the intensity of his gaze and his words. He's the most dangerous man in the country and he wants to marry me? It just doesn't make sense to me, why would he want me when I don't even have the lifestyle he has, I have nothing of the sort that would make him want to be with me so seriously why me?

Carlos turned back to me "Now, my queen, we can finally have our conversation without any interruptions," he said, stepping closer. The air between us crackled with tension, and I could feel my heart racing in my chest.

"What do you want from me?" I managed to ask, trying to sound braver than I felt, but my voice trembled slightly. He stepped even closer, invading my personal space, and I could smell his extremely strong cologne.

"What I want is simple," he replied, his voice low and smooth, almost intoxicating. "I want you and everything that comes with you, and in return, I'll give you the life you've never had." His words lingered in the air making me question his intentions even more.

He smirked, held his hand up for me, and said, "Let me take you home, Queen."

I hesitated for a moment but knowing that rejecting him could cost me my life, I placed my hand on his. The warmth of his touch sent shivers down my spine as he wrapped his fingers around mine, holding me tightly as if he never wanted to let go.