HIS RUTHLESS REDEMPTION

CHAPTER 1

Atlanta, Georgia

~Ariella~

"If you move your head, you will die, so you better stand still, woman," Emily said, as Luis stood next to her without saying anything. I am not sure how a wife and lover can live together.

Examinations were quickly approaching, and I had not yet paid my outstanding examination fees. As a law student, things have been difficult, but holding onto the hope of one day making my father proud has kept me going. I know things would not have progressed this far if my mother, the only person who truly provided me with everything I needed, was still alive. A brave and supportive woman who had always fueled my desire to become a top lawyer left when I did not expect her to, and now I am stuck in a mess I do not know how to get out of.

I took on a serving job for the night because I knew the money I would make would be more than enough to pay for my exam and buy a gift for my father's birthday. I had never served before but was eager to do so because I did not have any other option, but when the worst happened, all hell broke loose. I was kidnapped and awoke to confront my worst nightmare in person. I was terrified and had already entered the lion's den; we all know what the Delucas are capable of, not to mention their heir Luis, the last man anyone in Atlanta would want to mess with. When I saw him for the first time at the party, I knew it was over. I was still wondering why he had not killed me yet.

I was in a dark room for about a week, and only delicious meals were brought to me; I had no idea how I was going to survive because death was the only fate that those who messed with them faced. I heard footsteps approaching, and I realized I had failed my parents. When the door opened, Luis Deluca walked in; I still did not dare to look up, so I remained looking down. "Sign these damn papers," he said, and I looked up in alarm.

I could tell which papers I was signing just by looking at the color. 'Marriage?' When a drop of blood landed on the paper, I said at the back of my head, unsure whether to sign.

"Look here, young lady, it is either you sign that paper and go get tortured out there, or you stay and let me send you back to your family, OK, in a body bag," Luis said, his voice commanding and fierce.

"No-I will sign, sir," I responded, signing the paperwork.

"Please keep that lame excuse to yourself; it must have been your plan all along to take my-"

"Emily, you, of all people, should know that we do not kill our assets," Luis responded to the woman.

"Seriously, you're taking her as a wife?"

"Come on, you know that is not what I want her to be. But since she is valuable I am sure Enrico will love this news when it reaches him," he said, and I could not believe it.

I looked up and was about to say something when I realized I could not because of the blood on his face, which appeared to be the result of a violent fight. "Hello, little Miss, I hope you are ready for what is coming your way; nobody except me rules the devil's heart, so you might as well cooperate or have your days cut short as a result of messing with me," Emily said, roughly freeing my chin.

"Oh," I said softly, as Emily had not yet left my room. I would never have heard of her, but the way Luis spoke to her suggested they had a deeper connection. I am not even sure how I became an asset to Luis. "I will send the maids to bring you some clothes, but do not be overconfident because Luis is mine," Emily said before walking out.

I freed my hands and wondered, if she could hear herself, what would I want to do with a murderer like him anyway? When I get out of this mess, she will undoubtedly be the first person I get locked up. I was deep in thought when a woman dressed in white approached me and bowed. 'Goodness, what is happening here?' I questioned myself before they both greeted me and invited me to follow them to my room.

I was going to ask them a lot of questions, but I could not because I needed to process everything that was happening. How on earth did I get a room in the Deluca mansion? "Madam, this is your room. Please let us know if you want us to make any changes," one of the women said, placing some clothes on the bed.

"No, it's OK you may leave," I said.

They left, and I took a deep breath before deciding how I was going to get myself out of this mess. I had not taken a shower in days, so I went for one right away, and it was extremely comforting. I got out and went to dress up when I noticed Luis sitting on the bed. "Impressive; I did not know lawyers could look this good," he said, looking me over from head to toe.

"Why did you marry me?" I asked in a serious tone.

"Ms. Johnson, please look around before saying anything you might regret later, okay," he warned.

"Look Mr.Deluca I'd advise you to let me go before -"

"Before what? Hmm, I admire your courage but keep in mind that this is not a courtroom. OK, get ready. Your father is waiting for you downstairs, and I believe you do not want him to find out about our marriage being forced, given his health," he said as he walked out.

"What!" I exclaimed shocked that my Dad was here.

CHAPTER 2

Ariella

I finished dressing and made my way downstairs, amazed at how romantic Luis was pretending to be. "Oh, there comes my darling wife," Luis said, approaching me as I took my final step. He reached out for my hand and kissed it.

"Papa," I smiled as I sat on the couch beside him holding back my tears.

"How are you doing, princess? I have missed you; why didn't you tell me you loved Lius and not Enrico?" He asked, and I had no idea how to respond.

"No, it's not like that I -"

"Dad, Ariella, and I are very sorry; we should have told you sooner," Luis interrupted me.

"Yes, I am sorry papa," I agreed, not wanting Luis to reveal any secrets.

"I will forgive both of you, but not again," Dad said, and we smiled at each other.

"I will excuse both of you and come back later to have fun," Luis said, exiting the living room.

"Madam, would you like us to bring you anything?" the maid inquired, standing beside my father.

"Uh, no, I'm OK. Just make my father coffee and bring it to the garden," I said as we stood up to go there.

We moved a few steps away from the mansion and entered the garden. "Dad, are you all right?" I inquired, hoping he was not worried about anything.

"Of course not; Luis is a completely nice guy. I never imagined a Mafia Don had a heart, but are you certain the two of you will work out?" he asked.

'Oh my, what am I supposed to say? I don't even like that beast,' I said at the back of my head.

"Hello, Arie," Dad said, waving his hand at my face.

"Yes, I'm sure about it papa," I replied with a smile.

"Okay, I am happy for you, but what will happen when Enrico finds out? I mean, you were supposed to marry him in the first place?" Dad asked.

"Dad, do not worry, Luis said he has everything under control; since I do not like Enrico, he will just have to accept that I can not be with him," I said confidently.

"I hope you are going to be OK I'm just scared -"

"Oh, Mr. Johnson, do not worry about anything; you and Ariella are in good hands. Enrico will not touch either of you," Luis interrupted.

"OK, son, I'm entrusting you with my princess's life. You better take good care of her, OK?"

"Sure, Mr. Johnson, I'll do so," he replied, kissing my hand.

'What a jerk! Does he even think I'll be here for long?' I thought to myself.

"It is getting late now; I will need to go back home, children; please take care of yourselves," Dad said as the guards led him to the car.

Luis removed his hand from my waist just as the car began to drive away, giving me a disgusted look. "I can't deny your acting was quite good. I had no idea you could be a good actress in addition to being a lawyer," Luis stated.

"Look here, sir, I am not sure what games you are trying to get me into, but you will get in trouble with the law, so let me go before it is too late," I warned.

"To be honest, I am not involving you in any games; I just needed to get my hands on my enemy's prey before them, okay," he said, and I could not believe what I was hearing.

"What? So this is about power huh? Do you even know how long people are imprisoned for what you have just done?" I inquired.

"Maybe, but I do not think anyone in their right mind would want to lock up their husband, right?" he asked, and I felt disgusted.

"You are not my husband, and I will never be your wife, so keep dreaming. When Enrico finds out about this, he'll-"

Luis cut me off with a laugh and started shaking his head. "Maybe you should do your homework, Ms. Intelligence," Luis said quietly before walking away.

"Gosh!" I exclaimed, frustrated because I did not even understand what was going on.

I screamed out my lungs and started crying. I have never felt so helpless before. I only took a job to help fund my upcoming exams, but it all ended up putting me in the worst possible situation. One I would like to watch burn down when my career reaches new heights. "Hey there, I heard you screaming and thought I would come help," Emily said, approaching me with a rope.

"What do you want?" I asked my tone so rough.

"Hey, watch your tone. Do you think being Luis's wife gives you power over me?" Emily inquired, staring at me disgustingly.

I didn't even have time to answer her stupid questions, so I walked away. Just as I was about to enter the mansion, I ran into a young woman. "Ouch!" I heard her scream.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to -"

"Who the hell are you?" she asked, looking confused.

"Nobody, I mean I'm Ariella-"

"Wait, aren't you a famous law student?" she asked.

"Yes it's-"

"Annie, what happened sweetie?" Emily interrupted as she walked in.

"It is nothing; I am just wondering what the famous lawyer is doing here," she responded.

"What! You don't know? She is your brother's new wife," Emily responded.

"Luis got married? I mean how and when?" Annie asked, looking surprised.

"Well, you know your brother is so mysterious about everything," Emily said, leading Annie away.

"Goodness, will I ever wake up from this dream?" I wondered to myself before someone else responded.

"That is if you want to," they said, and I immediately looked up to see who it was.

"Hi, I'm Kendy. I am so sorry for what happened to you, Ariella right?" she asked.

"Yes–yes, that's right," I replied, meeting her hand.

"I am such a big fan of yours, and I love how you get to help people so early in your career; you are so impressive," she said, smiling at me.

CHAPTER 3

Atlanta, Georgia

Luis

Ariella is undeniably beautiful and intelligent. I am relieved Enrico did not get to make the first move; otherwise, my entire Mafia would be in trouble. "Boss, we sent the message to Enrico," David, my right-hand man, said, standing on the opposite side of the table.

"Good, I can not wait to hear from him," I replied, smiling devilishly.

"You outsmarted him on this one," David responded.

"I always enjoy crushing my rivals' pride."

"So, what are we going to do with Ms. Johnson?" David asked.

"Ms. Johnson huh? Do not let anyone hear you call her by her original surname," I told him as I prepared my cigarette.

"Sure, Boss, I won't," David agreed before approaching me with a lighter.

He returned to stand at the door while I completed some paperwork. "May I come in?" I heard a voice ask from outside, and I looked up to see Emily.

"I hope you came for something important because you, of all people, know how much I dislike being disturbed," I said, looking at her seriously.

"Come on, Luis, drop that attitude; we both know how much the sight of me weakens your-"

"Emily, stop what you are doing," I told her, but she did not listen and kept playing with her fingers around my neck.

"So, let me show you what I am made of," she said, attempting to lick my ear before I pushed her to the ground.

"Ouch!"

"I believe I warned you," I said in a serious tone.

"What the hell is wrong with you? I was just -"

"One more question and I will have you taken to the Red Room, OK?" I cut her off.

Without saying anything, she stood up, and I had David walk her out. Emily has been such a pain for the past few years, and even though I have made it clear that our relationship is over, she can not seem to stay away from me. Apart from the tragic death of my first love, Anna, falling in love with Emily has been difficult because they were twins. I only let her stay in our mansion because she had nowhere else to go after her family was tragically shot by Enrico's men.

I was still in the office when I received a call that Ariella wanted to leave the house. "Boss, is everything okay?" David inquired as he hurried behind me.

"No, Ariella is attempting to leave," I replied as we both approached the door she was at.

"Where do you think you are headed?" I asked in a serious tone.

"To my father's house; I can not stand another hour in this house, so leave me, or you will face jail time," she warned, but I could not help but laugh as David looked down.

"Listen, Miss, do yourself a favor and return to your room, or else I might lose my patience and-"

"Do what?" she cut me off which was something I don't like.

"Quite audacious huh? Look, I am warning you for the last time, miss, go back to your room before I lose my patience, okay!" I exclaimed.

"Luis, whatever you call yourself, I do not care what you are capable of; I just want to go home, and that is all that matters right now," she said, and a guard slapped her.

"Woman! How dare you speak to Mr. Deluca in that manner?" he asked her.

"How dare you lay a finger on my wife?" I questioned him, pointing a gun at his forehead.

"Wife? No, boss, I did not know. Please forgive me," he begged, attempting to kneel, but I directed the other guards to take him to the Red Room.

I then pointed the gun at Ariella and asked whether we were going to do it the easy or hard way.

"Anyone who tests my patience is always sent to the Red Room, where they meet me in my true dark form; are you going to your room or willing to meet me there?" I asked her.

I could tell she was panicked, and before she could move, she fainted, and I caught her just in time. "I thought you were brave," I said, gazing at her face.

Boss, let me take her," David suggested, and I was about to hand her over when I was stopped by something.

"No, just carry her bags I will take her myself," I said, making my way upstairs.

I was about to enter her room when I came across Marcus, my cousin. "Is this a romance scene or what?" he teased.

"No Mrs. Deluca fainted," David said, and Marcus looked surprised.

"Will you open the damn door or simply stand there?" I inquired while he stood in front of it.

"Sure, I will," he said, opening the door and watching as I lay Ariella on the bed. David walked out and closed the door, leaving me wondering whether I should stay and wait for her to wake up or get back to work. "Doctor, please check on her," I said as he walked inside.

"OK, Mr. Deluca, isn't this the famous law student?" he asked, recognizing Ariella.

"No, that is my wife," I replied, watching how he treated her.

"Goodness, what happened here?" Kendy inquired as she entered with a tray of food.

"It is nothing; just put it there and leave," I told her.

"OK," she replied, and as she was about to leave after placing the food, she stopped and stood stunned.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked.

"No, I just hope her baby is fine," she replied, and my heart skipped a beat.

"What!"

"Ariella told me earlier that she might be pregnant and -"

"Get out; the doctor will handle the rest," I told her.

"Doctor, do a pregnancy test on her," I instructed fiercely.

'So she wanted to leave because of that. How dare she lie to me?' I said at the back of my head.