The applause was still echoing in my ears when I walked out of the ballroom.
I didn't run.
Moretti daughters don't run.
But my heels struck the marble floor harder than necessary.
"Elara," my father called behind me.
I didn't stop.
Not until I reached his private office.
The door shut with a sharp click.
I turned.
"You sold me."
The words were calm.
Too calm.
My father exhaled like I was being unreasonable. "This is bigger than you."
"Of course it is," I laughed bitterly. "It's always bigger than me."
He straightened his tie. "The Romano alliance secures our future."
"By handing me to a man who hates you?"
His jaw tightened.
"It's strategic."
"No," I said quietly. "It's cowardly."
The slap never came.
But the silence that followed felt worse.
"You will marry him," he said. "This is not a request."
A knock interrupted us.
My stomach dropped.
The door opened without waiting for permission.
Luca Romano stepped inside.
Of course he did.
He didn't look at my father first.
He looked at me.
Calm. Controlled. Almost amused.
"I see the bride isn't pleased," he said smoothly.
"This isn't happening," I snapped.
His eyebrow lifted slightly. "It already has."
My father cleared his throat. "I'll leave you two to discuss arrangements."
Discuss.
As if this was about flowers and guest lists.
The door shut behind him.
Silence filled the room.
Luca moved closer — not aggressively, just deliberately.
"You should be grateful," he said.
I laughed. "For what? Being used?"
"For being protected."
My anger faltered. "Protected from what?"
His gaze darkened slightly.
"From what's coming."
I searched his face.
He wasn't joking.
"This is revenge," I said.
"Yes," he answered without hesitation.
The honesty stunned me.
"You admit it?"
"I don't hide what I am."
He stopped a step away from me now.
Close enough that I could feel the calm confidence radiating from him.
"But understand something, Elara," he said quietly.
"You are not the target."
"Then what am I?"
His eyes held mine.
"A move."
The word hit harder than any insult.
"In your little game?"
"In a very real one."
I stepped closer, refusing to shrink.
"I am not your pawn."
For the first time, something shifted in his expression.
Not anger.
Interest.
"No," he murmured. "You're not."
His voice lowered.
"But you're not the queen either."
My heart pounded.
"You don't know me."
"And you don't know what your father did."
The tension thickened.
I swallowed. "Whatever this is… I won't make it easy for you."
A slow, dangerous smile touched his lips.
"I would be disappointed if you did."
He stepped back then, straightening his cuffs.
"The wedding is in three weeks."
"I won't say yes."
"You don't have to."
And just like that—
He walked out.
Leaving me standing in my father's office.
Engaged.
Cornered.
And more determined than ever.
If Luca Romano thought he was playing a game—
He was about to learn
I knew how to play too.