Chapter 283 27

Chapter 283 27
Reyna POV

I don't sleep. The message burns in my head long after I've shut my laptop and shoved my phone into the drawer like that can erase it.

They know me fully now and its not just my apartment building or my name, not just what I can do on a keyboard. They know everything. My family, my past jobs, the times I took money under the table for hacks I swore I'd never admit to. I kept my parents out of it on purpose, made sure no trace of them ever linked back to me, but the files flashing across my screen tells me the truth, someone dug deep enough to connect every piece of my life.

This can't be no ordinary person

By the next morning, my mother calls. Her voice is clipped, polished, and too calm for a woman who has been begging me to return home for months.

"Reyna, you've ignored Charles long enough," she says, as if the last arranged deal hadn't already crumbled. "He was never serious, and frankly, neither were you. But your father and I have spoken. There's another option. A better one. You'll be grateful once you hear who he is."

My stomach twists. "Another option? I'm not shopping for a dress, Mother."

"This isn't about your feelings," she snaps, slipping back into that tone she's always used when the company is on the line. "Our family cannot afford another scandal. Not after what you did in New York, disappearing for weeks, refusing Charles, putting yourself above everything we've built. This man can save us, Reyna. He can save you."

The words slide like knives under my skin. I know what she means. She thinks a husband is insurance. She thinks marrying me off fixes the issues in the company, that it will erase the whispers about her daughter who plays with fire online, who doesn't act like the perfect heiress.

"I don't need saving," I say quietly, but my throat is tight.

"You will do this," she cuts back. "For your father. For us. You won't keep dragging our name through the mud. Not when this family gave you everything."

And there it is, the guilt trip, the one they've mastered. Every time I try to breathe on my own, they remind me that the air was theirs first.

When the call ends, I sit on the edge of the bed with my phone still in my hand, staring at nothing and my chest is heavy.

For years, I told myself I'd never let them pull me into another arranged marriage with  Charles. And now, somehow, this feels worse like they are so sure this time.

I.think deeper, if the hackers already know who I am, and if my parents are suddenly pushing for me to marry a new man again out of the blue, then it's not just some arranged marriage. It's a setup. A move on a board I didn't agree to play.

When my father calls again that night, I almost don't answer. But the phone keeps buzzing, his name lighting up my screen, and I know he won't stop until I pick up.

"Reyna," he says the moment I connect. "We've found someone better for you. Someone worthy of you."

I roll my eyes, pacing the length of the room. "If this is about Charles again-"

"It's not Charles," he interrupts sharply. "That arrangement is finished. This is a far stronger match, one you cannot refuse."

I laugh bitterly. "You and mom make it sound like I'm a stock you're trying to sell at a higher price."

"This is about stability," he says, ignoring me. "About securing our family's future. This man... he is powerful. Respected. His wealth alone would elevate us beyond every family in New York society."

I stop pacing. "Who is he?"

There's a pause, the kind that makes my skin prickle. Then my father says it.

"Alessandro Romano."

My breath hitches. The name isn't unfamiliar per se, it's infamous. Even people far outside Dante's world know who Romano is. He's not just another billionaire. He's one of the most powerful dons alive, second only to Dante Greyson himself.

And Dante's rival.

My pulse quickens, heat rushing to my cheeks. I've heard the stories whispered, Romano's fortune built not just on business but sabotage, shipments destroyed, alliances broken. He's been circling Dante for years, unable to strike directly because of mafia law from Ana's stories, but everyone knows if those rules didn't exist, he'd already have made his move.

And my parents... my normal, oblivious parents... think this is a good thing. That marrying me into Romano's world is security, prestige, the ultimate prize.

"You can't be serious," I whisper.

"This is already arranged," my father replies, his tone final. "You'll meet him when you return to New York. This is what's best for the family. For you."

My stomach twists. They don't understand the danger they're pushing me into. They don't see blood or power games. They only see the wealth, the name, the status.

I hang up before he can say more, pressing the phone against my chest.

Romano. Dante's rival. My parents' perfect choice.

And if I go along with this, I'll be stepping right into the middle of a war.