Chapter 2

Arielle stared at her stepfather, she honestly didn't want to be here, she shouldn't have come home in the first place, not like she had anywhere to be, maybe she would have taken a walk and she won't have been here listening to him talk about marriage.

“Your dad borrowed money in your name, and I found out about it, he practically used you as collateral and if he can't pay back, you will have to pay,”

Her mom said and Arielle turned in her direction.

“What? What do you mean?”

She asked her mom but she didn’t say anything again, she turned to her dad.

“Dad? What did mom just say?”

She asked. She couldn’t take her mom seriously, she was always talking nonsense.

“That’s why I wanted you to agree to get married and we won’t be having any issues, I just need to let him know and my debt will be off,”

He boldly stated and Arielle’s eyes widened in shock.

"Dad, please tell me this is not true, you are joking, right? You are pulling one of those tricks on me again,"

Arielle said willing her stepfather to laugh in her face and tell her he was joking but his face remained as serious as it had been when she had walked in, he wasn't smiling, and Arielle turned to her mom.

"Mom, you are not saying anything, this can't be true right? I am not being sold off to anyone right?"

She asked.

"I have no hand in this, don't involve me, I did good by bringing it to your notice and that’s all I am going to do, don’t drag me into it,”

Her mom said coldly, Arielle knew her mom didn't really like her because she thinks she ruined her life but this was too far, she couldn't just act this way.

"Mom, I am your daughter, it should concern you, what are you saying right now, mom?"

She yelled at her mom, she has never yelled at her mom before, never, she turned to her stepdad.

"I am not going to let you do this, I am an adult and have a right to say no when I don't like it and I am saying no, I wasn’t aware you borrowed money and you can’t use me as collateral,”

She said to him.

"Then you want us to get killed, we are all going to die if you don't do this, Luciano is going to get us all killed,"

He said and the name he mentioned made her almost lose her balance, Luciano? the Luciano? her dad has been doing business with Luciano?

"Dad? which Luciano are you talking about?"

she asked even though she already knew who he was talking about, the whole of Russia knew who Luciano was, no way her dad had time to do shit with the Luciano, he wasn’t just any kind of man, he was evil, pure evil, he made people miserable, destroy families and businesses, he wasn’t someone her dad should have been messing with, she knew they were not financially okay but what would her dad have needed money for that he had to get it from Luciano of all people?

“Dad, please tell me you are talking about someone else, it’s not him, right? It can’t be right?”

She asked hoping against all hope that it wasn’t but her dad’s expression said otherwise, yeah, she thought she was having a bad day, well her life just went down the rabbit hole.

“Dad!”

She yelled at him.

“He is the one you are thinking about, yes, I needed the money and someone was willing to lend me, I didn’t know he was associated with Luciano in any way until I have gotten the money, I can’t pay back because I lost my job as you already know and the interest rate is killing and it just keeps adding and there is no way of paying back.”

He explained.

Arielle couldn’t think straight, just how much did he borrow and why did she have to be the one to pay? Well, she just had to even if it means not being able to move out again, once she gets another job, she would do that, but one thing she wasn’t going to do is be Luciano’s slave.

“Dad, how much do you owe him?”

“It’s not something you can pay with the income you get from your jobs, Ariel,”

He said and she let out a breath.

“I asked how much is the money!”

She yelled at him, her mom who has been silent got up, and walked out on them, way to be the perfect mom, she couldn’t say she hated her mom but she was close to doing just that, the woman failed her in a lot of ways but again she didn’t kill her which was still a good thing.

“Five hundred,”

Her dad said in a low voice, Arielle let out a sight, five wasn’t huge and she could easily wire him the money.

“That’s not much, I can pay him,”

She said but his expression made her think he meant something else, no way did he mean five hundred thousand dollars, no way!

“Dad?”

“It’s bigger than that Ariel, it’s five hundred thousand dollars,”

He said and her head started spinning, she has never worked up to a hundred thousand in her whole life not to talk of five hundred thousand dollars, to some it might be small money but for her, there is no way she can afford such an amount and what did her dad use such huge money for? As long as she can remember he hasn’t done anything huge.

“Dad? What did you use five hundred thousand dollars for? I just don’t get it? Why did you borrow such a huge amount of money and why did you do that in my name? Do you want me to be indebted for life? Is that what you want? Why are you doing this to me? I understand that you are not my real dad but that doesn’t mean you can do this to me,”

She cried.

“I didn’t know it would be him, I borrowed to start up a business,”

“Business? What are you talking about dad! You have never been a business person, pleated me you don’t gamble, dad, tell me you didn’t borrow such a huge amount of money to gamble?”

She yelled, there is no way her dad would have thought of business because he wasn’t good at it, he had zero business experience. And the fact that he wasn’t answering her questions made it even more obvious that he indeed borrowed money in her name just to spend it on games.

“How could you?”

She yelled as angry tears started streaming down her eyes, she wiped them off.

“I am sorry Arielle, I thought I would win but that didn’t happen and it just got worst,”

He said in a low voice.

“And you kept borrowing until you were five hundred thousand dollars in debt? We barely have food on our table yet you spent that amount of money on games? Dad? How did it happen?”

“I am sorry, I am sorry, okay, I thought it will go well and we can finally be wealthy,”

“Dad! If you hadn’t blown the money on useless things we would actually have money don’t you think?”

She questioned. She couldn’t even begin to process what this whole thing met, she had been in close contact with Luciano once when she had worked as a maid to one of the wealthy families in Russia, and Luciano had been dating her boss's oldest daughter, he has always been an intimidating figure and the few times their part crossed he always act like she didn’t exist or maybe she didn’t in his eyes, now he was doing business with her father and wanted to marry her? Why will he think that?

“Arielle, I know it is too much to ask for but you are a beautiful woman and no man can resist you, even I am sometimes amazed at how beautiful you are, and Luciano will not be able to resist you, you just need to play your games right, and save us from being killed!”

Her dad said.

“I refuse, I won’t be a pawn in your dirty business, I won’t,”

She responded, turned around, and left the house, there was no point being there, she couldn’t spend another moment in his presence or she was going to explode.

Arielle walked about with absolutely no destination in mind, she didn’t even feel anything, she was just nob, this had to be the worst day of her miserable life and nothing could happen to make it worst, just when she thought she would finally stay put and make enough money from a job, her boss decided to be a jerk and now she was out of a job and five hundred thousand dollars indebted to a man whom she didn’t know personally but who is known to be a villain, tall, thick hair and firm body, he was every bit of a villain and acted just like it, his family being the most wealthy in the whole of Russia, she wasn’t even making things up, the Siegel family was a huge name among mafia families in Russia, they took the word mafia to another new realm, they had mad money and influence which is why she didn’t get how her dad was able to get within that circle, how did he end up in a five hundred thousand dollars debt with Siegel?

Arielle decided she needed a drink to forget her troubles, she walked into the nearest bar and ordered some beers, she wasn’t a heavy drinker but she didn’t mind getting drunk, she just wanted to forget and maybe wake up tomorrow morning with a new purpose and with a huge debt.

“Fucking fuck everyone,”

She whispered taking a big gulp of her beer, she brought out her phone and searched for Luciano’s contact, she had it on her phone when she had gone to get something for Mari, her then boss who had been in a relationship with him, she saw his contact and kept her phone back, what would she possibly do? Call him and tell him to fuck off? Why would he agree to marry someone he didn’t even know? How stupid can he be? Or maybe she should really call him and tell him to his face that she wasn’t going to marry him and she wasn’t the one who owes him.

Arielle got out her phone and against her better judgment dialed the number, she was so sure he would have changed contact, it’s been over two years since she stopped walking for the Mavins, surprisingly, the number went through and started ringing, she knew she should end the call and just think about it but she didn’t, she needed to let him know she wasn’t going to marry him in exchange for her dad’s debt, never!