In a world where family ties bind with unbreakable chains, Zara and Damon are caught in a web of loyalty, blood feuds, and forbidden love. The moment their eyes meet, sparks ignite, but their families have been enemies for generations. Zara, the daughter of a powerful crime lord, is promised to a man she does not love, while Damon is the heir to the rival family who killed her brother. As their paths intertwine, the heat of their passion becomes the ultimate betrayal, and every stolen moment could cost them everything. In a world of vengeance and sacrifice, can love survive the storm?
Chapter 1 1
Zara's world had always been one of shadows and silence. Beneath the opulence of her family's estate lay a foundation built on whispered deals, veiled threats, and blood-stained promises. The night air was thick with the scent of blooming jasmine from the garden, yet the weight of her father's expectations pressed down on her chest like a stone. Tonight was supposed to be a celebration-a party to mark her upcoming engagement to Matteo, the son of one of the most influential crime families in the city. The union would solidify her family's position as untouchable, untarnishable.
But Zara could not silence the gnawing feeling in her gut that the price of this alliance was too steep, and the cost would be her freedom.
Her father, Lorenzo Moretti, was seated in the grand hall, surrounded by guests whose names she could never remember, only their titles. All the faces blurred into one-wealthy, powerful, eager to do whatever it took to curry favor with the Moretti family. The silverware gleamed under the low chandelier lights, but Zara couldn't shake the growing sense of suffocation. She wandered the marble halls of the estate, avoiding her guests' pitying stares. Her marriage to Matteo had been arranged when she was just a child, a decision that, even now, was beyond her control. Yet, no matter how many times she tried to convince herself of the benefits, the sacrifice weighed heavily on her.
The glass doors leading out to the garden creaked as Zara pushed them open. The cool breeze immediately washed over her, and she drew in a sharp breath. A moment of peace. But even here, there was no escaping the suffocating weight of her reality.
Her gaze fell on the empty stone bench beneath the looming oak tree. It was her haven when the world became too much. The place where she went to remember who she was before her father's empire had consumed every ounce of her freedom.
Footsteps echoed behind her, soft but unmistakable.
"Zara," a familiar voice called, and she stiffened.
Turning, she saw Matteo approaching, his sharp features framed by the flickering light from the mansion. His dark hair, neatly combed, and the tailored suit he wore only accentuated the cold, calculating nature that had always been there. He was handsome in a way that could never be called charming, his expressions often too stiff, too rehearsed. She had learned to tolerate him, to put on the smile she knew he expected, but that was the extent of their relationship-an arrangement, nothing more.
"You've been avoiding me." Matteo's tone was almost too light, as if he didn't truly care but was simply stating a fact. His eyes, though, were sharp, always watching, always probing. Zara resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
"I'm not avoiding you," she replied, her voice steady. "I'm simply enjoying the night in peace."
He stepped closer, his gaze never leaving hers. The smell of his cologne, expensive and overpowering, lingered between them. "The night will end soon, Zara. Don't waste it." His lips curled into a smile, though it didn't reach his eyes. "You're mine now. You've always been mine."
A chill ran through her.
"I'm no one's," Zara retorted, her eyes flashing with sudden defiance.
Matteo's gaze hardened, but he masked it quickly, his smile still intact, albeit less genuine. "You'll come to understand," he said, his voice lowering to a near whisper. "Everything we do is for the family. You'll see that soon enough."
She didn't respond, only turned her gaze back to the garden, her thoughts swirling like the leaves caught in the wind. It was the same rhetoric every time. The same excuse for every sacrifice they'd forced upon her. *The family* was always the answer. Her father, Matteo, even her own mother-everyone had the same unwavering devotion to it, as though she were born only to serve it. And she had no choice but to play her part.
Yet, beneath the weight of her duty, Zara couldn't ignore the feeling of something more. She wasn't meant for this life. She wasn't meant to be another pawn in their ruthless game. But breaking free... that would come at a cost. One she was unwilling to pay, not yet.
Matteo's voice cut through her thoughts. "There's someone I want you to meet, Zara. Someone who might help you understand." He didn't give her a chance to reply before taking her arm and guiding her back toward the grand hall.
Reluctantly, Zara allowed him to lead her. The night was far from over, and her father's plans were moving forward. But the sense of unease that had settled in her chest only grew heavier.
Inside the grand hall, the music had changed to something more lively, and the chatter had risen to a murmur of excitement. Guests sipped wine from crystal glasses, their laughter echoing off the marble floors. But amidst the swirling sounds, Zara felt the quiet pull of something-or someone-out of place. Her eyes scanned the crowd, her instincts kicking in.
It was then that she saw him.
He stood near the far corner of the room, his posture relaxed, yet his presence commanding. Damon King. The son of her family's greatest enemy. Zara's heart stuttered, though she couldn't explain why.
Damon was everything she had been taught to despise. His family had been responsible for her brother's death. His name was synonymous with betrayal, violence, and the loss of those she loved. Yet, there was something about him that drew her in-something dark and dangerous, yet undeniably magnetic.
Their eyes met across the room, and for a brief moment, the entire world seemed to fall away. The people around them, the music, the laughter-they all disappeared, leaving only the weight of that gaze. She quickly looked away, but the image of him lingered in her mind.
"Zara," Matteo said again, his grip tightening on her arm. "You're distracted. Focus."
She blinked, forcing herself to return to the present. Matteo, however, hadn't missed her reaction. His gaze narrowed as he followed her line of sight.
"King," he muttered, his voice dripping with disdain. "Stay away from him. He's trouble. And you're mine, Zara."
His words should have reassured her, but they only deepened the sense of unease. Damon King was trouble, but for reasons she couldn't explain, he was the kind of trouble she might not be able to resist.
Matteo led her through the crowd, but her steps slowed as they neared Damon. She could feel his gaze burning into her back, but when she finally dared to glance over, Damon was no longer looking at her. His focus had shifted to something else, something behind her, though she couldn't figure out what.
The feeling of being watched never quite left her. It was as if Damon knew more about her than anyone else, knew things even she hadn't yet acknowledged.
Damon didn't belong in the world she was part of. And yet, something about him was impossible to ignore.
Matteo steered her toward a different corner of the room, away from Damon's presence, but Zara couldn't help the feeling that the night was only just beginning. That something far more dangerous was about to unfold... Something that would change everything.
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