Chapter 3 THE DEVIL IN THE DARK

Alicia's POV

The Rolls-Royce was a tomb of silence, its tinted windows sealing me off from the world. My pulse thundered, each beat a reminder of my unraveling life, no money, no job, and in two days, no home. Vincent Rossi, the driver who'd yanked me from the park, gripped the wheel with a soldier's precision, his wiry frame and cold brown eyes hinting at something darker, a man who'd seen blood and didn't flinch. Fear clawed at my chest, but running was a fantasy; I was trapped, hurtling toward a fate I couldn't fathom.

"Where are you taking me?" I demanded, my voice sharp, my hazel eyes boring into his reflection in the rearview mirror.

"You'll see," he said, his tone flat, a wall of stone.

"That's not an answer," I snapped, my hands clenching in my lap, my deep brown skin prickling with the car's icy air.

Vincent's eyes flicked to mine, a faint sigh escaping him. "It's not a kidnapping, Miss Carter. If my boss wanted you gone, you wouldn't be breathing."

His words were a cold knife, slicing through my bravado. I sank back, my heart racing. Who was his boss? The man behind the near-accident two nights ago, the one who'd sent Vincent to hunt me down? My stomach twisted, the weight of my reality crushing, Langley's threats, the eviction notice, $2,500 in rent and medical debts from Grandpa's cancer battle. I was a painter with no canvas, a woman drowning in life's indifference, my parents stolen at 11, my grandfather Daniel gone three years ago when I was 21, his final words a fading echo.

The car slowed, gliding into a gated estate on Orlando's edge, its iron gates guarded by armed shadows, the long driveway flanked by towering oaks that swallowed the world. My breath caught, my fists tightening. This wasn't wealth, it was power, the kind that erased people like me.

Vincent parked before a sleek mansion, its dark glass windows and sharp angles exuding a cold, predatory elegance. "Out," he said, his voice clipped.

I froze, my sneakers glued to the floor. I could run, but the guards, the gates, they'd catch me before I reached the trees. Swallowing my fear, I stepped out, the humid Florida air heavy, Vincent's hand guiding me toward the entrance. Crossing the threshold, a chill gripped me, not from the marble foyer but from the danger pulsing within.

Power. Menace. A world I was never meant to touch.

Vincent led me to a dimly lit room, a fireplace casting flickering shadows across dark walls, and my heart stopped.

He was there.

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Adrian's POV

I lounged in a black leather chair, the fire's glow carving shadows across the room, my 6'4" muscular frame relaxed but taut, a king in his lair. My green eyes fixed on the doorway, waiting for her, Alicia Carter, the woman who'd stormed into my orbit two nights ago, her fire and pain awakening a hunger I couldn't name. The Blackwood Empire, a mafia dynasty of unmatched power, was my birthright, but my parents' murder when I was a boy had forged me into a man of ice, my heart locked, my life a cipher even to those I trusted. Blackwood Software, my tech empire, was a facade, but Alicia was a puzzle, a spark in the dark I needed to claim.

Vincent ushered her in, and there she stood, curvy, fierce, her deep brown skin radiant in the firelight, her dark curls loose, her hazel eyes blazing with defiance and fear. She was no victim, but a force, her vulnerability a mirror to my own hidden wounds. My lips curved into a subtle smirk, my voice low, a velvet blade honed by years of control. "You're here, Miss Carter."

Her pulse raced, I saw it in the vein at her throat but she lifted her chin, her voice sharp. "Who the hell are you?"

I leaned forward, elbows on my knees, my gaze piercing hers. "Adrian Blackwood."

The name struck her, her eyes widening, though she couldn't know its weight, not yet. Blackwood Software was known, but the Blackwood Empire was a shadow, its power whispered in fear. I was its heir, cold and untouchable, until her fire cracked my armor.

"Why am I here?" she demanded, her voice trembling but unyielding, her hands clenched.

I tilted my head, studying her like a masterpiece I'd yet to unravel. "Because, Alicia, I have an offer for you."

Her breath hitched, her eyes narrowing. "I don't want your money or your pity."

"You're mistaken," I said, my voice smooth, dangerous. "This isn't charity. You're drowning, no job, no home in two days, debts you can't escape. I know it all."

Her face paled, her voice a whisper. "How do you know that?"

I ignored the question, my gaze unwavering. I lifted a single document from the table, a contract, its weight heavier than my empire and slid it toward her. "This is your way out."

She stared at it, her hands trembling, refusing to touch it. "What is this?" she asked, her voice wary, her eyes searching mine.

I leaned back, my smirk dark, unreadable. "Your salvation, Miss Carter. Sign it, and you become my wife."

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Alicia's POV

The words crashed over me, the room tilting as I stared at the contract, its title stark: Marriage Contract. My eyes snapped to his, my heart pounding, disbelief choking me. "You're out of your mind."

Adrian's green eyes held mine, cold and unyielding, his smirk a shadow of menace. "I'm quite serious, Alicia."

My hands shook, my mind spiraling. Marriage? To him? A stranger whose name carried a chill, whose mansion screamed power I couldn't grasp? The firelight danced across his 6'4" frame, his muscular build overwhelming, his sharp jawline and piercing gaze radiating control, a mystery that terrified and pulled me in. He was a king in the shadows, rich, untouchable, and dangerous in a way I couldn't define.

"Why me?" I whispered, my voice breaking, my chest tight. "What do you want from me?"

He stood, closing the distance, his movements fluid, his voice low, a velvet promise laced with steel. "I want you, Alicia. Sign this, and your debts disappear, Langley, the bills, all of it. You'll have a home, a life, a future."

I stepped back, my breath shallow, his presence suffocating. "And what's the catch?" I asked, my voice sharp, fear and suspicion flaring. "Nobody offers that for nothing."

His smirk faded, his eyes darkening, a flicker of something, secrets? crossing his face before the mask returned. "The catch is you belong to me," he said simply, his voice low, evading my question.

I shook my head, tears stinging. "This is crazy. I'm not some... some trophy for you to claim."

"You're not a trophy," he said, his voice softer, almost convincing. "You're a choice. But time's running out, for you."

I glanced at the contract, its words blurring through my tears. Two days until eviction, Langley's vile offers, the debts crushing me, could this be my escape? Or was I trading one trap for another, this one gilded but no less deadly? He hadn't said why he needed this marriage, his silence a wall I couldn't breach, and that scared me more than his offer.

"Think it over," Adrian said, his voice calm, stepping back, his eyes never leaving mine. "Vincent will take you home. But know this, Alicia, my world doesn't offer second chances."

I swallowed hard, my heart thundering, the contract a lifeline or a chain. As Vincent led me out, Adrian's gaze burned into me, a king claiming his queen, and I knew, whatever I chose, my life was no longer my own.