Chapter 4

The hospital bill came in just a few hours after my father was admitted.

The number printed on the paper might as well have been a death sentence. I clutched it in my trembling hands, my eyes wide as I stared at the bottom line.

$10,000.

Just because I had no insurance.

Fucking hell.

I also had half a million dollars too to pay.

Even if I worked every day for the rest of my life, I wouldn’t be able to pay it off. I leaned against the corner of the emergency room, watching the steady rise and fall of my father’s chest as he lay in the hospital bed, tubes running into his arms.

The nurses had been kind enough, offering warm smiles and gentle reassurances, but I could see the pity in their eyes. They knew. They’d seen this story before, a family drowning in debt, scraping the bottom of the barrel just to keep their heads above water.

My throat tightened, and my hands shook as I squeezed the paper, crumpling it into a ball. There was no way out of this.

No savings to pull from, no relatives to call for help.

My father had gambled away every bit of security we’d ever had, and now this mountain of debt loomed over us like a crushing weight.

“I’m sorry, Aria,” my father croaked from the bed, his voice hoarse and weak. His eyes fluttered open, meeting mine with a look of shame that only fueled my anger.

“Sorry?” I hissed, my voice sharp and cutting. “You’re sorry? Do you think that fixes this?”

He flinched, his hand twitching as he tried to reach for me. “I didn’t mean for it to get this bad. I thought I could win it back… for your mother.”

I laughed bitterly, the sound harsh and hollow. “Win it back? You lost half a million dollars gambling, and you thought you’d fix it by gambling more?”

“I was trying to help!” he snapped, his voice breaking under the strain.

“Help?” I shouted, my fists clenched at my sides. “You call this help? Look at where we are! You’ve destroyed us!”

Tears welled in his eyes, and for a moment, he looked utterly defeated. “I never wanted this for you,” he whispered. “I never wanted you to suffer because of my mistakes.”

I turned away, unable to bear the sight of him. My chest heaved with the weight of my anger and despair, the two emotions tangling together until I couldn’t separate them.

“And Dominic De Luca?” I asked, my voice low and trembling. “What about him?”

My father’s face paled further, his hands clutching the edge of the blanket. “He’s not just anyone,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “He’s… he’s dangerous, Aria. A mafia boss. The kind of man who doesn’t forgive, doesn’t forget.”

The words sent a chill down my spine. Of course. Of course, my father would owe money to the most dangerous man in the city.

I stared at the crumpled bill in my hand, my heart pounding. The realization hit me like a freight train: there was no way out. Not without help.

—

We left the hospital that night with nowhere to go. The nurses had been kind, but the administration wasn’t. No insurance, no money, no service. The moment they realized I couldn’t pay the bill, they practically pushed us out the door.

Days later, our landlord followed suit, locking us out of the apartment with no warning. The little money I had left went toward food and a few blankets, but it wasn’t enough.

So here we were, huddled under a bridge on the edge of the city. The wind howled through the concrete pillars, biting through my thin jacket as I sat on the ground. My father lay beside me, his face pale and drawn as he clutched at his side. He was getting worse.

And my mother? She wouldn’t survive much longer without proper care.

I couldn’t let this continue.

My fingers brushed against the edge of the card Dominic had thrown at my feet. It was still in my pocket, the sleek black surface cold against my skin. I pulled it out, staring at the name printed in gold letters.

Dominic De Luca.

He was the devil, and this card was his pact. I could feel it, the weight of the choice pressing down on me.

If I called him, it would change everything.

There would be no going back.

But what other choice did I have?

I clenched my jaw, my resolve hardening as I pulled out my phone. The screen was cracked, the battery nearly dead, but it would have to do. I dialed the number, my hands trembling as I held the phone to my ear.

It rang once.

Twice.

Then, his voice came through the line, smooth and dangerous. “Aria.”

I froze, the sound of my name sending a shiver down my spine. How did he know it was me?

“I…” My voice wavered. I swallowed hard, forcing the words out. “I’ll do it.”

Silence hung heavy between us, and I could almost hear the smirk in his voice when he spoke again. “Good girl. I’ll send a car.”

The line went dead.

I sat there for a moment, clutching the phone in my hand, the reality of what I’d just done sinking in. My heart pounded in my chest, my stomach twisting with nausea.

I had just sold myself to the devil.

*****

The private lounge at Dominic De Luca’s mansion was dimly lit, the warm glow of a single chandelier reflecting off the polished marble floor. A small poker table sat at the center, cluttered with cards and a neat pile of chips.

Dominic sat back in his chair, one leg crossed over the other, his sharp eyes scanning the cards in his hand. His movements were deliberate, his demeanor cold and calculated, the very picture of control.

Across from him, Nico “The Snake” Renaldi shuffled his own cards with an annoying smirk plastered on his face. Lean and wiry, Nico thrived on chaos, and tonight was no different. Every joke, every smirk, was designed to needle at Dominic, to push his buttons just enough to get a reaction.

Beside Nico sat Julian De Luca, Dominic’s younger brother and his polar opposite. Where Dominic was cold and methodical, Julian was carefree, lighthearted, and more than a little reckless. He leaned back in his chair, spinning a poker chip between his fingers as if the game didn’t matter to him in the slightest.

“Raise,” Nico said, sliding a pile of chips to the center of the table. His grin widened as he met Dominic’s steely gaze. “Come on, Dom. I know that look. You’ve got nothing.”

Dominic didn’t respond, his face unreadable as he placed his own chips into the pot. His focus remained on the game, ignoring Nico’s attempts to provoke him.

Julian snorted, shaking his head. “Nico, you never learn, do you? Pissing off Dominic isn’t a game you want to play.”

“Oh, but it is,” Nico shot back, his grin growing wider. “It’s my favorite game, actually.”

Dominic remained silent, his dark eyes flicking to Julian for a moment before returning to his cards.

“Call,” he said simply, sliding in more chips.

Before the next round could begin, Dominic’s phone buzzed on the table, vibrating against the polished wood. All three men glanced at it.

Nico raised an eyebrow, leaning forward slightly. “Who’s that?”

“No one,” Dominic replied coldly, picking up the phone and slipping it back into his pocket without so much as a glance.

Julian chuckled, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table. “No one, huh?” His tone was teasing, his smile mischievous. “Funny, because I’ve never seen you take a call from ‘no one.’”

Nico’s grin widened, his sharp eyes glinting with curiosity. “Come on, Dom. Spill. Who was it?”

“I said no one,” Dominic repeated, his tone clipped.

Julian, however, wasn’t about to let it go. “It’s his new toy,” he said, a laugh bubbling in his throat. “That little dancer from De Stone, right?”

Dominic’s sharp glare shot across the table, silencing Julian for all of a second before he burst into laughter.

“Oh, come on,” Julian said, raising his hands in mock surrender. “Don’t look at me like that, Dom. You can’t expect me not to notice. You’ve been watching her for weeks. I didn’t think you’d actually make a move, though.”

“I didn’t make a move,” Dominic said flatly, his voice low and dangerous.

“Sure, sure,” Julian said, waving him off. “You just… happened to get her number and take her on as a project. Totally innocent.”

Nico leaned back in his chair, his grin practically splitting his face. “I’m shocked, honestly. Dominic De Luca, king of the underworld, getting all soft over a girl? What’s next? Flowers and love letters?”

Dominic’s gaze darkened, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop. “She’s not a toy,” he said, his voice quiet but laced with enough menace to make both men hesitate.

Julian raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised by the seriousness in Dominic’s tone, but before he could respond, the door to the lounge opened.

A figure appeared in the doorway, her silhouette sharp and commanding.

“Victoria’s here,” one of Dominic’s men announced, his voice stiff with formality.

The room went silent, all eyes turning to the door as Victoria Romano stepped inside.

Dominic’s expression didn’t change, but a flicker annoyance? Amusement?, crossed his dark eyes as he leaned back in his chair, watching her approach.

This was going to be interesting.