The Kessler Mansion. Everybody in West Philadelphia knew the Kesslers. The richest family in the region.
Casinos. Nightclubs. Shipping companies. Luxury hotels. Businesses scattered everywhere. On the surface, they looked untouchable.
Successful. Powerful. But underneath the money and luxury, everyone whispered the same thing. The Kesslers owned the underworld.
And at the center of it all was Viktor Kessler. The mafia king nobody had ever truly seen. People talked about him like a ghost story.
A monster who took control of the mafia at fifteen years old after his father’s death and somehow survived long enough to build an empire twenty years later.
People feared his name. Feared his temper. Feared disappearing if they crossed him. Yet nobody seemed to know what he actually looked like.
And now....Sienna is sitting beside him, the most dangerous man alive.
"How am I supposed to escape from this?" she whispered to herself. The van finally stopped in front of the mansion.
Before Sienna could think, Viktor stepped out first and then reached back inside for her.
"Come." But Sienna didn’t move. Fear rooted her to the seat. "No," she whispered shakily. Viktor’s eyes darkened slightly.
"Baby girl."
"No!" She pressed herself harder against the door, panic finally crashing over her fully.
This was their territory. Their home. If they killed her here, nobody would ever find her body. Nobody would even know where to look.
"Boss," one of the men suddenly said nearby. Sienna looked up to see Viktor’s assistant, Marco. Tall. A scar across his jaw. Cold eyes.
"She’s seen your face," Marco said bluntly. "I’m saying she has to die." Sienna felt the blood drain from her body.
"No... no, no, no," Pure panic exploded out of her.
"Please!" she cried, scrambling out of the van herself now. "Please don’t kill me! I swear I won’t say anything!" Tears blurred her vision completely.
"I won’t go to the police! I won’t tell anybody anything!" Several guards nearby looked away awkwardly, while others remained emotionless. To them, this was probably normal.
That realization terrified her even more. Viktor watched her quietly. Rain fell softly around them while Sienna stood there shaking, crying, completely broken down now.
She didn’t want to die. Not here. Not like this. "You want a life?" Viktor asked calmly. Then suddenly he grabbed her arm and pulled her fully out of the vehicle. Sienna stumbled against him.
"Yes," she said immediately through tears. "Yes, I’ll do anything." And she meant it. At this point, survival was all that mattered.
"Just let me go," she begged desperately. "Please..." Viktor stared at her for a long moment. Then he spoke.
"Then be my wife." Silence. Even the rain suddenly felt quieter. Sienna blinked at him in complete confusion.
"What?"
For the first time that night, she genuinely thought she heard him wrong. "Be my wife," Viktor repeated calmly. Like he was discussing business.
Like he wasn’t casually proposing marriage beside armed guards and a kidnapping van. Sienna stared at him as he had completely lost his mind.
"You’re joking."
"I don’t joke." Her mouth opened and closed uselessly. Marriage? What the hell was happening? Viktor stepped closer, towering over her.
"Take my name," he said quietly. "Then you can’t testify against me in court." Understanding slowly dawned on her face. In the country, spouses couldn’t be forced to testify against each other.
Oh my God. He was serious. "Or," Viktor continued coldly, "you die." Sienna’s heart nearly stopped.
The rain continued falling around them while the armed men waited silently for her answer.
Marry a hard criminal. Or die tonight. And somehow... Neither option felt real. Who was the man lying dead in that library? The question kept circling in Sienna’s head like a nightmare she couldn’t escape.
Who could possibly be important enough to die like that? And who exactly was this man that he could murder someone, walk away from the police, and return home as if nothing had happened?
Rain dripped from Sienna’s hair as she stood frozen in front of him, surrounded by armed men and luxury cars. This couldn’t be real. Marriage? To a stranger? To a murderer?
There had to be another way to survive. "There has to be something else," Sienna whispered desperately, wiping tears from her face. "Please."
Viktor said nothing. Sienna’s mind raced wildly. Think. Think. She needed to make herself useful.
Useful people lived. "I...I can work for you," she blurted out quickly. Marco looked confused. Viktor only stared at her calmly.
"I have skills," she continued frantically. "A lot of them." Her breathing shook as she forced herself to keep talking.
"I can code. I can hack systems. I know how to trade stocks and crypto, and...and I studied medicine before dropping out."
The words rushed out of her now. "I can help you with things. I can work for you instead!" She looked at Viktor desperately. "I swear I’ll be useful."
Truthfully, Sienna had hidden most parts of herself from the world for years. People thought she was just the quiet librarian girl. But late nights alone had taught her many things. Coding. Cybersecurity. Trading. Medical training.
Skills she never bragged about because she never needed to. Until now. Now those skills stood between her and a grave. But Viktor’s expression never changed.
"I don’t care," he said flatly. Sienna felt her stomach sink. "This is the only way you stay alive." He stepped closer slowly. "So choose." The coldness in his voice terrified her more than shouting ever could.
"A bullet," Viktor said quietly, "or my wife." Sienna stared at him in disbelief. "You can’t be serious."
"I’m very serious." Tears filled her eyes again.
"This is insane..." Then suddenly another thought hit her. "Simon."
Viktor’s eyes narrowed slightly. "I have a boyfriend," Sienna said quickly. "Simon and I...we’re happy together." At least, she thought they were.
The memory of Simon’s smiling face flashed painfully in her mind. "I love him." For the first time, Viktor looked mildly annoyed. "Then break up with him."
The words came so casually that it stunned her. "He can’t protect you," Viktor continued. "I can." Sienna let out a small, disbelieving laugh through her tears. Protect her? He was the danger.
"Be my woman," Viktor said calmly, "and the world will fall at your feet." That was it. Something inside her finally snapped.
"You sick jerk!" she shouted suddenly. Several guards looked shocked. Even Marco blinked. Sienna stepped toward Viktor angrily despite the tears streaming down her face.
"This is a joke to you, right?" she demanded. "Kidnap a girl, destroy her life, then force a ring on her finger?" Her chest rose and fell rapidly.
"You’re insane!"