My father went straight to his knees without hesitation, I had never seen him beg before.
"Please Don, let's handle this man to man." My father's eyes went to the floor as he didn't dare to look at the 'don' in his eyes.
This sight was so unnatural and foreign, that my brain struggled to process it. My father, who always spoke of power and loyalty, was trembling before the man with a gun.
Was this the man who always told me to never show weakness?
The don stood tall, his presence like a storm cloud darkening the room and everything around him.
I swallowed hard as I prepared to speak. "Who the hell are you? And what do you want from us?" I winced as my voice came out sharper than I intended.
His eyes slowly went straight to me looking at me like he was allowing me to speak.
Who did this man think he was?
A smirk curled at the edge of his lips, "Adrian DeLuca," he said smoothly. "Your worst nightmare."
My breath stopped. Adrian DeLuca! What did my father have to do with Adrian DeLuca?
The name made me shudder. I had heard of him before. No one ever dared to speak his name, nothing more than whispers and stories. The kind of stories no one dared to say out loud.
He was ice cold and completely unshaken.
"And your father owes me money?" Everything became hazy, I looked at my father who couldn't see my gaze. What was he doing borrowing money from Adrian DeLuca?
It has to be a lie. "You are lying, my father would never take your dirty money, he—" But before I could finish my statement my father curtly interrupted me.
"It's not a lie Sienna." He said with a shaky voice, I gave Don DeLuca the fiercest look I could muster.
"You bastard! What did you do to make my father take your money?"
The Don didn't even shake, instead his eyes were still locked on mine. "Watch your mouth little girl, it would be a shame to make you lose your tongue."
That got me to shut up but it seemed as if the Don wasn't done talking.
"Your saint of a father owes me 10 million without interest, do you want to hear the amount with interest?"
I gulped as tears threatened to fall from my eyes.
"Fifteen million United States dollars! He came to me for help and now I've exhausted my rare grace."
His eyes finally left me and went to my father as his voice went two times deeper.
"You have until the count of three," Adrian said, his voice smooth but unyielding. "I want my money. Right here. Right now!"
A part of me expected my father to laugh or maybe to scoff at the absurdity of such a demand.
The amount Adrian was asking for was too large and no one carried that kind of money in a safe under the floorboards.
But my father didn't laugh.
He swallowed, his shoulders tense and his eyes darting toward the door as if he could somehow escape this.
Panic curled in my stomach.
Money shouldn't be the problem. My father had always had money, he had Investments, businesses and even properties but never in liquid cash.
He can't pay! Period.
The realization slammed into me like a wrecking ball the Don knew it too. His smirk deepened, though his grip on the gun never wavered, this wasn't about the so called money anymore
"Please," my father rasped with a shaky voice. "There must be another way."
I wasn't sure what terrified me more, the fact that my father was groveling at this man's feet or the fact that I had no idea what he was capable of.
All I knew than was that this wasn't about business anymore, it was about blood.
"Adrian, please," I blurted, stepping forward before I could stop myself. "This has to be a misunderstanding."
The second the words left my mouth, his gaze snapped to me, pinning me in place.
"It's Don to you?" His sharpness caught me off guard as I found myself whispering.
"Don Adrian please."
His dark eyes were practically gazing into my soul "You think this is a misunderstanding?" He repeated clearly amused as he smirked.
I swallowed hard. "Yes. My father wouldn't—"
I reached for him. It was instinctual as my fingers brushed against his wrist, my body acting before my brain could catch up.
And then, in the next breath, I was shoved backward. Not hard enough to hurt but it was just enough to remind me exactly who I was dealing with.
A sharp gasp escaped my mouth as I stumbled and fell
My father's face twisted with anger but he said nothing.
Adrian turned his attention back to him, pressing the barrel of the gun against his forehead.
I stopped breathing as I needed to take action fast. Was this the end? I was about to watch my father die and there was nothing I could do about it.
"No!" The word tore from my throat faster than I could process it. I lunged between them, my body acting on pure adrenaline. "Take me instead."
The room fell silent as all eyes went to me.
The smirk on the Don's face vanished, he tilted his head, studying me like he hadn't expected that move.
My father's breath hitched. "Sienna, no."
But it was too late, I had caught the Don's interest.
Adrian's lips curved into a slow, deliberate smirk. "Interesting."
My pulse roared in my ears.
"One year," he said, voice like the devil. "You belong to me. No freedom. No running. No mercy."
A tremor wave ran through me, but I held my ground not wanting him to see me shake.
"And after that?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
His smirk widened
"You die."
A sharp breath escaped me.
"Sienna," my father choked out, reaching for me. "Please, don't."
"Come." He said in his low tone. "You belong to me now."