The rain had already soaked through Lia's jacket by the time she stepped out of the taxi. The small street she grew up on looked darker than ever, as if the night itself knew something terrible was about to happen.
She hesitated at the gate, gripping the cold metal.Dad should've been home by now.He always left the lights on for her. Always.
Tonight, the house was completely dark.
"Dad?" Lia pushed the door open. Silence. The kind that feels wrong. The kind that makes your heartbeat too loud.
She walked inside, calling his name again, louder this time. Nothing. His phone lay abandoned on the table. His jacket still on the chair. His coffee cup half full.
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
Before she could reach for her phone, a deep voice echoed from the doorway behind her:
"Looking for him?"
Lia spun around so fast she nearly tripped. Three men in black suits filled the entrance. Tall. Expressionless. Dangerous. The one in front stepped forward, his gaze sharp like a blade.
"He's not here," the man said. "And he won't be. Not until the debt is paid."
"Debt?" Lia whispered. "My dad doesn't owe—"
The man smirked. "Everyone owes the Romano family something."
Her breath froze. The name alone carried weight. Power. Fear.
"But don't worry," he continued. "The boss has decided on… an alternative payment."
Before Lia could run, before she could even scream, strong hands grabbed her arms.
"Let go!" she struggled, panic burning in her chest. "Please, I didn't do anything!"
"That's exactly why the heir wants you," the man muttered."Move."
Her heart hammered as they forced her outside. A black car waited near the sidewalk, windows tinted, engine running like a threat.
But nothing prepared her for what she saw when the door opened.
A man sat inside, one leg crossed over the other, his suit perfectly tailored, his expression unreadable. Dark hair, sharp jawline, eyes so cold they could've frozen fire.
Damian Romano.
The heir to the most feared mafia family in the city.The man who could ruin lives with a single command.
His gaze lifted slowly, meeting hers.And the world seemed to stop.
"Bring her in," he said quietly.
Lia was pushed into the seat beside him, the car door slamming shut behind her. She pressed herself against the far corner, shaking.
Damian didn't look away.
"You're Lia," he said, as if he already knew the answer."Your father ran from a debt he couldn't pay. That leaves you… as collateral."
"I'm not a thing," she whispered.
"No," Damian murmured, eyes darkening. "But from this moment on, you belong to me until the debt is settled."
The car pulled away from the curb, leaving her empty house behind.Leaving her old life behind.
And for the first time, Lia realized:she wasn't going home.She was being taken into the world of the Romanos.
Into his world.
Where nothing was safe—not even her heart.