Chapter 8: The Silent Storm
The moon lingered high in the sky as the night deepened into an uneasy silence. Inside Luca's sprawling mansion, the air was heavy with unspoken thoughts and unhealed wounds. Janet lay curled up in bed, her eyes wide open, staring at the empty space above her. Her mind wouldn't stop.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the altar. Her parents, restrained. The priest speaking words she didn't want to hear. Luca's hand tightening around hers, forcing a vow from her lips. The kiss that never touched her lips but landed coldly on her cheek.
She sat up with a jolt, gasping for breath.
How had it all come to this?
Meanwhile, just a few miles away, Asher and Janet's parents were drinking deep into the night in Asher's apartment. The air inside was bitter with the smell of smoke and alcohol.
Janet's father slammed the bottle on the table. "We're doomed. DOOMED! That man… the buyer… he'll kill us all."
Asher leaned back on the couch, his shirt half unbuttoned, hair disheveled. His eyes were bloodshot from rage and drink.
"We kill her," he muttered. "Simple. No Janet, no contract. We say she ran off and got herself killed or disappeared."
Her mother lit another cigarette, nodding slowly. "We can't let her live. She's become our liability. Luca might protect her now, but not always."
Asher gritted his teeth. "He's smart. But I know people. He won't see us coming."
Back in the mansion, Luca stood at the balcony, his hands gripping the iron railing, his face illuminated by the pale moonlight. He hadn't slept. Not after everything.
He heard a door creak open behind him and turned slightly.
Janet was there, wearing a soft nightgown, hugging herself.
Luca didn't move.
She hesitated, then stepped forward. "I couldn't sleep."
He nodded. "Me neither."
The silence between them was long. She finally broke it.
"Why did you marry me like that?"
His grip tightened on the railing. "Because I had to. It was the only way to protect you."
Janet looked at him sharply. "Protect me? You forced me."
"I did what I had to do."
"Why?" Her voice cracked.
He turned to her slowly, his eyes unreadable. "Because if I didn't, they would have taken you. Or worse. And I wouldn't have been able to stop them legally."
Her eyes filled with tears. "You don't even know me."
Luca's jaw clenched. "You're wrong."
Janet stared at him. "What does that mean?"
He looked away, brushing past her. "Get some rest. Tomorrow, everything changes."
The next morning was tense. Luca summoned his top security staff and issued strict orders.
"No one enters or leaves without my permission. Triple-check backgrounds. I want eyes on the entire estate, inside and out."
"Yes, sir."
He turned to his most trusted man, Mark. "They'll come. Be ready."
Meanwhile, Janet sat at the breakfast table, untouched toast and coffee before her. Her mind was elsewhere.
Luca entered, nodding at the guards to leave. He sat across from her.
"Eat," he said simply.
"I'm not hungry."
"You need your strength."
Janet gave him a cold glance. "Why do you care?"
He sighed. "You're my wife now. Like it or not."
She stood abruptly. "I didn't choose this."
"No, but I did," he said calmly. "And I will protect what's mine."
The word "mine" echoed in her ears.
Janet turned away and left the dining hall. Luca stared after her, his heart heavy, his expression unreadable.
Across town, Asher made a call.
"Yeah. You said you had something to take him out. I want it. Tonight."
He ended the call and looked at Janet's father.
"Tonight, we end it. We kill him. And we get her back. One way or another."
"But what if she refuses?" her mother asked.
Asher's eyes narrowed. "Then she dies too."
Back at the mansion, Luca stood in his private office, watching the monitors. His men were sweeping the perimeter.
He opened a drawer and pulled out a small black box. Inside was a ring. A new one. The real one he had intended for Janet—before all of this went wrong.
He closed the box again.
Suddenly, a knock.
"Come in," he said.
Mark entered. "We've intercepted chatter. Asher's planning something. Tonight."
Luca nodded slowly. "Good. Let them come."
That evening, Janet stayed in her room. She didn't speak to anyone. She had tried calling the one friend she had—but no one picked up. It was as if she no longer existed outside this place.
She stood by the window, watching the night fall.
Something felt… wrong.
Meanwhile, outside the estate walls, two black cars rolled to a stop.
Inside were Asher, Janet's parents, and two armed men dressed in black.
"You remember the plan?" Asher asked.
"Get in. Kill Luca. Grab the girl. Burn the place if we have to," one of the men said with a grin.
Asher smiled. "Let's give them hell."
But what they didn't know was that Luca had set a trap.
As soon as they climbed the back wall, red lasers clicked on, and guards emerged silently from the trees.
"DROP YOUR WEAPONS!"
Asher froze.
"Ambush!"
Janet's father pulled a gun, but before he could fire, a dart hit his neck, and he collapsed.
Janet's mother screamed and tried to run, but two guards caught her. The mercenaries were on the ground, bound in moments.
Asher was the last to be restrained.
"You think you can beat me?" he spat as Luca emerged from the shadows.
"I already have," Luca said coldly.
He walked up to him slowly.
"I warned you. Stay away from her."
Asher struggled against the guards. "She doesn't love you."
"That's not your concern."
With a nod, Luca ordered his men to take them away.
Janet watched it all from her window, frozen.
To be continued...