Chapter 3 A Man So Ruthless

{Naomi POV}

A wave of relief washed over me as I stepped out of the hospital, staring at the remaining balance of the money on my phone. With the thought of what to do, I waved my hand to signal a cab, but a cold voice from behind me distracted me.

I turned hastily to see three men dressed in black. Dark shades covered their eyes, making it hard to read their expressions.

"Miss Naomi Ray, my boss requests your presence," one of the men said in a stern voice.

My heart skipped, and beads of sweat gathered on my forehead as I stared at them in horror. "I'm sorry," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "I can't follow you. I don't even know who your boss is or why he wants to see me."

The men scoffed and stepped closer to me. "That's not necessary, Miss Ray. I believe you know why we're here."

I blinked innocently, even though I could hear the thumping of my heart in my ears. My palms were clammy, my mind racing, but I forced my face to stay straight and calm. "I don't know what you're talking about," I muttered softly, trying to make eye contact with him. "And I'm not following you anywhere."

The man looked away from me and nodded at the other two. I tried not to think about what might be their next move, but before I could gather my thoughts, my gaze flickered over the man's shoulder.

The door of a black Mercedes parked not far from us slowly opened.

My breath hitched when I saw a man dressed in a black turtleneck and trousers step out and walk toward us. My legs threatened to buckle beneath me as I recognized him, the same man I had bumped into at the Vitale mansion.

He walked toward me, calm and cold, like the world would pause for him if he asked it to. When he stopped in front of me, he looked me dead in the eye.

"You have something that belongs to me, Miss Ray," he said. "Something you stole."

I swallowed hard. My pretense shattered instantly, replaced by fear.

"It's simple," he continued. "You can come with me now, or I can hand you over to the cops. Either way, you're coming."

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He gave a slight nod, and the two men flanked me again, no force needed. My legs moved on their own as I slid into the back seat of the waiting car.

The door shut behind me with a soft but final click.

I placed a hand on my chest, as if trying to hold my heart in place as the car pulled out of the hospital parking lot and into the road. I didn't even get the chance to call Chloe. My thoughts were a mess, a storm spinning around what my fate might be.

I didn't even realize how much time had passed until the door opened again. I looked around and saw that we were at the Vitale mansion.

The three men escorted me inside. The next thing I knew, I was on the floor of the same study where I had stolen the cufflinks.

The coldness of the marble-tiled floor seeped into my skin, a painful reminder of Chloe's words.

"I'm sorry. This must be a misunderstanding," I pleaded, completely clueless about how to survive this situation.

"You're sorry? And what misunderstanding are you talking about?" a stern voice said from behind me.

I looked up and saw the man on turtleneck walk in and stop in front of me. "I have evidence that yesterday, during the Vitale annual party, you snuck into this study and stole a pair of cufflinks worth fifty million dollars." He paused and looked at me in disgust. "Where is the cufflinks? I want it now."

I gulped down the lump rising in my throat. "I... I don't know what you're talking about," I said, forcing a voice I barely recognized as mine. I was sure no one had seen me take the cufflinks. Maybe he was only suspicious because I bumped into him.

The man scoffed and signaled to the guy next to him. The man picked up a tablet from the table and tapped the screen. A video began to play.

It was me, pressing in the code and opening the glass box containing the cufflinks.

I froze. Tears stung my eyes, and I lowered my gaze.

"Where is the cufflinks?" he asked again, his voice lower this time but more threatening.

"I don't have it," I whispered, my voice cracking. "I sold it... I used the money to pay my mother's hospital bill."

"I don't care what you used the money for," he snapped. "It's either you return the cufflinks or you pay me fifty million. And because you stole it, that adds another fifty million. One hundred million total. Try anything smart, and I won't hesitate to throw you in jail."

My heart raced, and my breathing grew shallow. How could I pay back one hundred million? All I had left in my account was fifteen million.

Even if I gave him that, it would be like tossing a pebble into the ocean. Tears spilled down my cheeks as panic gripped my chest.

"You have a third option," he finally said, taking a step closer. "Wait here while I call the cops. You'll be taken to prison for theft."

"No-please," I blurted, falling to my knees and grabbing his trouser leg. "Please, don't do that. I can't go to prison. My mom is all I have. No one will take care of her if I'm gone. She needs me... please."

He looked down at me, stone-faced. "You should've thought of that before stealing from me."

I sobbed silently, my face pressed against the cold floor, shaking from fear and helplessness.

He leaned down suddenly, his face inches from mine. His voice was cold and slow. "I'll give you one last option."

He signaled to one of his men, who disappeared for a moment and returned with a thin white folder. The man took it and handed it to him.

He opened it and took out a paper, then stretched it toward me.

"Your last option is this-" he said, his eyes narrowing. "Sign this marriage contract. Become my wife... until you pay off the debt."

My heart nearly stopped. I lifted my gaze slowly, staring at the paper in his hand as if it were poisoned.

"W-what?" I whispered.