Chapter 5: "The Deal."
Elena stared at the papers Dominic slid toward her. They looked so official, so... final. She felt like they were suffocating her, and all she could do was sit there, her mind racing.
“Read it,” Dominic said, his voice smooth like he was ordering her to do something simple, like pick up a pen.
She shook her head, not wanting to look at them. “I don’t want to sign anything,” she said, her voice a little shakier than she wanted it to be.
Dominic leaned back in his chair, eyeing her. “You don’t have a choice.”
“Why are you doing this?” Elena asked, desperate. She wanted to understand why. Why her? Why had her father sold her like this?
He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he stared at her, like he was waiting for her to give up or break down. But she wasn’t going to. Not yet.
“Your father made a deal,” he finally said. “And I’m not the kind of guy who lets deals get broken.”
Elena’s heart sank. Her father. The man who was supposed to protect her had just handed her over. She felt her stomach twist with anger and disbelief.
“My father?” she said, her voice rising. “He just... gave me to you?”
Dominic’s eyes narrowed, but his expression didn’t change. “It’s not that simple. He gave me something you can’t get back. And now, you belong to me. Until I say otherwise.”
The words hit her like a punch to the gut. Belong to him.
She wanted to scream. She wanted to throw something at him, to run away, but the truth was, she couldn’t. She was stuck. And he was right. She didn’t have a choice.
She looked down at the papers again, her hand trembling. They felt like they weighed a thousand pounds. But what could she do?
“You can either be useful,” Dominic continued, “or you can make this difficult for yourself. But either way, you’re not going anywhere.”
“I hate you,” she whispered.
Dominic didn’t seem bothered. “Hating me won’t change anything.”
Elena clenched her fists. “Then why don’t you just do whatever you want with me? I’m just a piece of paper to you anyway.”
Dominic’s eyes softened for just a second, but only for a second. “I never said that,” he replied quietly. “But you’ll learn that sometimes, life isn’t fair.”
It was hard to hold onto her anger when his words hit her in a way she didn’t expect. She still didn’t like him. She still wanted to get away. But something about how he said that made her feel... small. Like maybe he wasn’t all bad. Or maybe he was just really good at pretending.
“Sign the papers, Elena,” Dominic said again, his voice gentle but firm.
For a moment, Elena just stared at him. This was it. This was the moment that would change everything. She could fight, but she knew she wouldn’t win. Not yet.
With a heavy heart, Elena picked up the pen and signed the papers.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB4OEbo5dOf
