Chapter 1 – The Proposal That Wasn’t a Choice

 Elaine Lee never believed her life would change in a single night. She had always thought the world spun in predictable rhythms—her small apartment, her classes in business school, the little coffee shop on the corner where she worked part-time to cover tuition. Nothing extraordinary, nothing dangerous. But the moment she heard her father’s voice trembling over the phone, she knew something was about to break.

“Elaine,” her father whispered, “come home tonight. We need to talk. It’s… urgent.”

She frowned at the clock on the coffee shop wall. It was nearly midnight. Urgent? Her father wasn’t the type of man to dramatize. He worked in real estate—or at least, that’s what he’d always claimed. He was the kind of man who polished his shoes until they shone and folded his newspapers neatly after reading. For him to sound shaken… something was wrong.

When Elaine arrived at their family estate on the outskirts of the city, she immediately noticed the row of black cars parked outside. Sleek, expensive, and menacing, they lined the driveway like predators. Her chest tightened. She stepped inside, and the air felt heavier than usual.

In the living room sat a group of men in tailored suits. They looked sharp, dangerous, and utterly out of place in her father’s pristine home. At the center of them sat a man who drew her eyes instantly—not because of his looks alone, though he had them in abundance. Dark hair, sharp jawline, broad shoulders. But it was his aura that pulled her in like gravity. Calm, powerful, cold.

Drake Alfie.

She didn’t know his name then, but she could feel he was someone no one dared to cross.

Her father stood quickly when she entered. His face was pale, lined with something heavier than worry. “Elaine, this is Mr. Alfie. Drake Alfie.”

Drake rose to his feet slowly, like a king granting the room his presence. His eyes—stormy gray—rested on her with quiet intensity, assessing her, measuring her. Elaine’s breath caught, though she tried to mask it with defiance.

“What’s going on?” she demanded, folding her arms across her chest. “Who are these men? Why are they here in our house?”

Her father’s voice cracked. “Elaine… I owe Mr. Alfie a great deal. More than I can repay.” He swallowed hard, his hands shaking. “And to settle that debt… you are to marry him.”

The words slammed into her like a bullet.

For a moment, she couldn’t breathe. She looked at her father, then at Drake. A bitter laugh bubbled in her throat, but no sound came out. “You’re joking.”

Her father lowered his gaze. “I wish I were.”

Elaine turned to Drake, her voice sharp with disbelief. “You can’t be serious. What am I—some kind of bargaining chip? A check you can cash?”

Drake didn’t flinch. His lips curved, but it wasn’t a smile—it was a warning. “Your father made choices. Choices that come with consequences. You may not like the arrangement, Miss Lee, but in my world, loyalty and payment are not optional.”

His voice was deep, smooth, laced with quiet authority. Every word carried weight, as though it could shape reality itself.

Elaine’s heart pounded in fury. “Your world? I don’t care about your world. I don’t even know you. You can’t just—”

“Elaine.” Her father’s voice cracked again. “Please. It’s the only way.”

She spun toward him, tears stinging her eyes. “The only way? You’re giving me away like property!”

Drake stepped closer. She felt the heat of his presence, the danger radiating off him. He didn’t touch her, but the space between them shrank until her pulse raced in her ears.

“You misunderstand,” Drake said softly, though his tone was iron. “This isn’t about possession. It’s about survival. For your father. For you.”

Elaine wanted to scream, to run, to break the suffocating silence. But she found herself trapped by his gaze. Those gray eyes weren’t just cold—they were hiding something deeper. A storm.

“What if I say no?” she whispered, her voice trembling.

Drake tilted his head, studying her. His answer was calm, but it cut through the room like a blade. “Then your father pays the price. And trust me… you don’t want to see how I collect debts.”

Her father’s knees buckled as he sank into a chair, covering his face. Elaine froze, torn between rage and terror. She hated Drake Alfie At that moment—hated his arrogance, his control, his quiet certainty. And yet, a part of her, buried deep, couldn’t ignore the dangerous pull of his presence.

Finally, she lifted her chin, her voice steady despite the storm inside her. “Fine,” she said. “I’ll marry you. But don’t think for a second that I’ll make this easy.”

A flicker of amusement passed over Drake’s face. For the first time, he almost looked alive. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

And just like that, Elaine’s world shattered.

Her life, her choices, her freedom—all bound to a man whose name carried fear in every corner of the city. A man who would soon be her husband.

A mafia boss.

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