Page 2 of Chains of Obsession

“So, what’s this about, Luca?” I ask, flicking the ash from my cigar into the tray.

He hesitates again, his eyes darting to the windows, the door, anywhere but me. It’s as if he’s trying to avoid the weight of what’s coming. “My father… His debts. They’re... too much. The enemies he made, the people who are coming for us—coming for me—there’s nothing left to do.”

I nod slowly, not offering him sympathy. I don’t have time for weakness. “What does that have to do with me?”

Luca shifts in his chair, his hands clenched into fists as he pulls a picture out from his jacket and hands it to me. “I need your help. The Ricci name is on the line, Matteo. If you don’t step in, I’ll lose everything. But it’s not just me. It’s... my sister, Amelia. She’s in danger and if they come for her, I won’t be able to protect her.”

I lean back in my chair, the weight of his words settling in the pit of my stomach. Amelia.. I look at the picture, this is the girl I’ve been obsessing over for months. Beautiful, defiant, untouchable. She’s been a constant in my thoughts, a woman I’ve wanted for reasons I haven’t quite admitted to myself.

“Amelia? What do you expect me to do about her?” I repeat, my voice colder now.

He lowers his gaze, his expression darkening. “I’ll give her to you. You can protect her. She’ll be your wife, Matteo. I’ll offer her to you to seal this deal.”

For a moment, I don’t say anything. The idea of taking her—of possessing her—floods my mind. The thought makes my bloodburn hotter, a fever I can’t control. But I have to keep my head. I have to remember why I’m here. This isn’t just about what I want. It’s about power, control. It always is.

“You’ll give her to me?” I ask, my voice soft, testing the air.

Luca looks away, his shame palpable. “Yes. She’ll be the wife you need to solidify your position. In exchange, you protect her. You protect the Ricci name.”

I chuckle darkly. “So, you’re selling your sister, Luca? Offering her like a piece of property? Is that really the deal you want to make with me?”

His eyes flicker with discomfort, but he nods, his pride shattered. “I’m doing what I must to survive. What else can I do?”

I stand up, slowly circling the room. His eyes follow me, but he doesn’t speak. There’s a desperation to him, something that smells like fear and regret. But I don’t feel sorry for him. I’ve built my empire from blood and betrayal. This is nothing new.

I stop in front of him, my presence looming over him like a shadow. “Understand this, Luca. I don’t need a woman handed to me on a silver platter.” I let the weight of my words sink in, savoring the moment of silence before I continue.

“And if I take her, you will never have her back. She will belong to me. Understand?”

Luca nods, his jaw tight. “I understand.”

“Good. Then the deal is made.” I say, turning away from him.

The tension in the room thickens. He’s made his choice. Now, I made mine. It’s time to bring Amelia into my world—whether she likes it or not. As he leaves, the room smells of sweat, fear, and the sharp tang of blood lingering in the air. It’s late, the kind of late when the city feels like it’s holding its breath, waiting for its secrets to sink into the shadows.

I’m sitting at the head of the long oak table, my position one of power, but my mind is consumed by her. Amelia Ricci. A fewmonths ago, her name wouldn’t have meant anything to me. Just another daughter of another family—collateral damage in a war she wasn’t fighting. But Senior Ricci’s assassination changed everything. His death wasn’t my doing, though plenty of people assumed otherwise. Let them. Fear has its uses. What they don’t know is that his death created a vacuum I didn’t intend. His son, Luca, stumbled into it like a drunken fool, tripping over his own incompetence. It wasn’t long before he came crawling to me, his desperation like the stench that clung to him. He was out of his depth, bleeding Ricci territory to rival families, his alliances crumbling under the weight of his weak spine.

When he offered Amelia to me as part of a deal to save himself, I should’ve killed him on the spot. But then I think of her—the woman I’d seen once at the club, her sharp eyes cutting through the crowd like a blade. The way she carried herself, even after bumping into me, I have been thinking about her for months. I took the deal. Not because of Luca, but because of her. I’ve cleaned up the messes Luca created. Rival enforcers left dead in alleyways, a shipment of weapons intercepted before it could reach our shores, quiet meetings with powerful men, their loyalty bought with money, favors, and fear. The darkness of my world is nothing new to me, but now it feels sharper, more focused. Every decision I make is part of a larger plan. Not just to consolidate power, but to bring her into it. I don’t want her to be a pawn.

I want her standing at my side, her fire as much a weapon as my own ruthlessness. She doesn’t know it yet, but I’ll teach her what it means to be in this world. What it means to belong to me. The rain outside grows heavier, and I rise from my chair, dismissing the room. My men clear out, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I’ll claim her with the inevitability of a rising tide, her resistance drowned by the sheer force of what we could betogether. Amelia Ricci doesn’t know what’s coming. She doesn’t know that the devil is about to be her husband.

“Sir?” Enzo’s voice cuts through the night, steady and low. He waits just inside the doorway, his expression unreadable, though I know he’s waiting for orders.

“Is everything ready?” I ask, not turning to face him.

“Yes.” His response is clipped, professional.

Good. Everything has been planned down to the smallest detail. No room for mistakes. The thought of her—thinking she’s safe, thinking the world has already marked her as mine—sends a thrill through me. It’s not just obsession anymore. It’s hunger. A need so sharp it feels like it could cut through bone.

“What about Luca?” he asks

I smirk, a flash of cruelty in my demeanor. “He’s none the wiser. Thinks this is all part of the arrangement.”

The fool. He handed over his sister like a bargaining chip. I light a cigarette and inhale deeply. The smoke mingles with the rain, the acrid smell grounding me.

“Good. Make sure he’s kept in the dark until it’s too late to interfere.”

Enzo nods. “The girl? What if she resists?”

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