Married The Mafia King

Aria Vale sat still on the edge of her dorm room bed, her back straight with her tensed hands around the cream-colored envelope that had been pushed under her door an hour ago. Her textbooks remained open on the desk behind her, her laptop screen still displayed her unfinished thesis on a criminal law reform. But her focus was gone. All her attention was now locked on the paper in her hands.

The letter inside had been printed on thick paper. The typeface was sharp and clean and there was no company logo or any return address. Just a set of instructions she never expected to see. Her father's name was listed near the top, followed by a sum so large it didn't make sense. Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. She reread the amount again. Her father had always been careless with money, always chasing bets, but she never thought it had gone this far.

The second half of the letter was even worse. It wasn't a threat in the traditional sense. It was a demand, which seems direct and final. The words were clear: the debt would be forgiven in full if she agreed to a marriage contract with a man named Leon De Luca.

She didn't know the name. But she had heard whispers around campus and in news articles. The De Luca family. That family has a lot of connections and they are very dangerous. They are the kind of people others only mentioned in lowered voices. Her pulse quickened as she stood and paced the room, still gripping the paper. This had to be a mistake. She wasn't part of that world, she was a student who worked two part-time jobs. She kept her head down and always stayed out of trouble, she even planned to start a real career once she graduates.

A knock on the door startled her. She froze as her breath caught in her throat. It wasn't the soft knock of a friend or roommate, it was the kind of knock that didn't wait for permission, it sounded authoritative.

"Aria Vale?" a voice called from the other side.

She didn't answer.

"We won't wait long."

She moved to the door and opened it slowly. Two men in black suits stood in the hallway. Clean-shaven, well-dressed and both of them were taller than her, neither of them were smiling either.

One of them handed her a second envelope. "Your father's choices have consequences. You'll come with us now."

"I haven't agreed to anything," she said in a low voice.

"You will."

They didn't raise their voices, there was no aggression or open threat. But something in their tone made it clear that refusal wasn't a real option.

"I have class," she said, trying to stall.

"You no longer need to attend class."

They were still standing still but she didn't move and she felt exposed standing in the doorway with other students walking by, but none of them looked in her direction. She realized, with a hollow feeling, that this had been planned. These men didn't expect her to resist because there was no point. Her father had gambled away her future, and now someone else was writing the terms of her life.

She stepped back into the room, then grabbed her phone and bag, and followed them out.

The car waiting outside wasn't flashy, but it looked expensive, it had tinted windows, polished interior and the engine sound was quiet. Aria sat in the back seat, her bag on her lap with her fingers wrapped around her phone. She typed a message to Professor Ross, her advisor.

Family emergency, I'll be gone for a few days. Please excuse my absence.

She didn't press send because she wasn't sure how to explain all this either.

The drive was silent, the men didn't speak. The streets of New York passed by outside the window, ordinary people going about their days while hers unraveled. She tried to calm herself, to think logically. Her father was known to get into trouble, but why would someone offer to clear his debt in exchange for her? What did she matter to them?

The car stopped in front of a tall building in midtown Manhattan. A doorman opened the entrance without a word. Inside, the mansion looked wealthy and expensive, the floors were all polished tiles and the high ceilings stretched around her. She was led into a private elevator, no one was even explaining anything to her.

When the elevator doors opened, she stepped into a large penthouse. Floor-to-ceiling windows gave a view of the city skyline. Everything inside was clean, sharp and modern, the mansion looked like those places one can only see in magazines.

"Wait here," one of the men said, then walked through a glass door to the left.

Aria stood in the middle of the room, not sure what to do. She didn't sit, and she was too scared to touch anything either. Her stomach was tight and her hands were still holding her bag. A few minutes passed before a second door opened.

Leon De Luca entered the room.

He was taller than she expected, broad-shouldered, dressed in a black suit without a tie. His black hair was slicked back. His face was clean-shaven but his expression was unreadable. He didn't look like a criminal, but there was something in his posture and gaze that confirmed what she already suspected, he wasn't the kind of man who answered to others.

"So," he said. "You're the girl."

She didn't respond.

"Do you understand the situation?" he asked.

"I understand my father made a mistake, but what I don't understand is why am I suffering for it."

Leon walked past her, then poured himself a glass of water, and finally turned to face her fully. "Your father didn't make a mistake. He made a deal and part of that deal involves you."

"I didn't agree to anything."

"You don't have to. The paperwork is already signed."

She stepped back a bit. "That's not legal."

"It is in our world," he answered coldly.

Aria stared at him. She didn't know what to say. None of her classes had prepared her for this. This wasn't courtroom theory or debate, it was just raw and unquestionable power. She realized then that this wasn't about what is right or what she wants because control is the only legal way around here.

Leon walked toward her with steady steps.

"You'll be married to me by the end of this week. The wedding will be private. Your father's debt will be cleared. After that, you'll live here."

"And if I say no?" Aria whispered

"You won't." Leon said with a smirk

Aria clenched her jaw as she tightened her teeths together.

"You think you have a choice," he added, as if reading her thoughts. "But this is not about you. This is about loyalty, balance, and structure. You're not the first girl to be used in settling a score."

"I'm not a thing to be used."

"Then prove it," he said calmly. "Stay and fight to make your presence mean something."

She stared at him. He didn't raise his voice or threaten her directly. But every word he said held finality.

He turned and walked away, disappearing into a hallway without saying anything else.

The silence that followed wasn't peaceful. It was empty, the kind that left no room for illusions. Aria stood alone in the center of the room, surrounded by expensive furniture and cold space. Her hands trembled again as she looked out at the city skyline, but it didn't comfort her.

Somewhere, her father was gambling away lives, and she had just been folded into the stakes.