TRAPPED TO A CONTRACT WITH MAFIA

Kate opened her eyes slowly, her eyelids feeling heavy as if they were carrying an invisible weight. The soft scent of sandalwood touched her sense of smell, making her realize that this was not her room.

The room's luxurious, classically carved ceiling greeted her gaze, reflecting the soft light from the crystal chandelier above.

She felt the coolness of the silk fabric against her skin, making her shudder. As she tried to sit up, her head throbbed, and a heavy voice stopped her.

"Awake, Kate?"

The voice was like lightning striking her consciousness. Kate turned her head quickly, and in the corner of the room stood a tall man in a perfect black suit. His face was so cold, his eyes as pitch black as a bottomless pit. Willson.

"Who... are you? What are you doing?" Kate whispered, her voice trembling.

Willson stepped closer, his hands shoved into his pants pockets, his movements confident and threatening.

"I'm Willson. You may have heard the name before, but now you have no choice but to recognize it."

Kate backed away slightly, pressing her body against the back of the bed.

"Why am I here? What do you want from me?"

Willson gave a short, humorless laugh. "It's not you I want, Kate. But unfortunately, you are part of my plan. You should thank your fiancé, the asshole who betrayed me first."

Kate widened her eyes. "What do you mean, my fiancé has nothing to do with you!"

"Really?" Willson lowered his head, bringing his face so close that Kate could feel the chill from it.

"He ruined my life, stole something so precious. And now, you will pay the price."

Kate felt her whole body tremble. "This is absurd! I don't know anything about it!"

Willson gave her a long look, his eyes full of hatred mixed with coldness.

"Unfortunately, you are now my pawn, Kate. The more you resist, the more painful the consequences will be. So you'd better be prepared."

Kate could only stare at him silently, her body frozen.

Kate looked at Willson breathlessly, trying to digest every word that had just rolled out of the man's mouth. Willson's eyes stared at her sharply, like embers burning the air between them.

"Listen, Kate," he said in a low tone, almost a whisper, yet filled with pent-up anger. He stepped closer, until he was only inches away from Kate.

"Your fiancé, the asshole you thought was perfect, cheated on me. He stole millions of dollars from my business, destroyed my reputation, and left scars I can't erase."

Kate shook her head slowly, her eyes reddening. "No... that's not possible. Liam's not that kind of person. He would never-"

"Shut up!" Willson's voice exploded, making Kate flinch. "You think I'm talking without proof? I have all the documents, all the recordings, all the evidence of his betrayal."

"And now, he's living comfortably, getting ready to marry you, while I'm being destroyed behind the scenes!"

Kate felt her chest tighten, as if the room was getting smaller.

"But... it's not my fault. I didn't know anything about this. I wasn't even involved!"

Willson laughed sarcastically, but there was no happiness in his voice. "Maybe you didn't know, Kate. But you're the person he cares about most..."

Willson then approached Kate, and that made Kate spontaneously inch back.

"And since I can't touch her without risk, you will be her substitute. You are the price he must pay for everything he has done to me."

Kate froze, her body feeling cold as ice. "You can't do this... I'm not a thing, Willson. I'm not a tool for your revenge!"

Willson leaned closer again, until their faces were almost touching.

"Listen carefully," he said in a low, threatening voice.

"You are now mine. And as long as you're here, you're going to be the collateral to make sure she feels every hurt she's left on me. So, you better start accepting this fact."

Kate felt her tears fall unstoppably. In front of her eyes, Willson was a storm that could not be stopped, and she could only hold on, praying that this storm would not destroy her completely.

Kate bit her lip, trying to hold back the rumbling in her chest as she stared at Willson who stood calmly by the large window.

His light coming through the glass highlighted his body like a living marble statue-cold, solid, immovable. But Kate didn't care about the man's strength right now. There was only one thing on her mind: freedom.

"I have to go, Willson," her voice broke, almost a whisper, yet full of determination. "I have my own life. You can't keep me here."

Willson turned his head slowly, his eyes dark and full of mystery. "Oh, I can, Kate. And I will."

Kate stepped forward, trying to push aside the fear that gripped her.

"I don't care what Ethan did to you. I don't even know about that! But I... I have the right to live my own life! You know how important marriage is to me. You can't destroy it!"

Willson chuckled, but his voice was cold.

"Important? Your marriage is important? Do you think he views it as important too? Or is he just playing you like he played me?"

Kate shook her head quickly, tears starting to roll down her cheeks.

"I don't care what you think of Ethan. I love him! And I don't deserve to be treated like this because of your grudge against him."