The dept
Chapter On
The old compound had never felt this quiet.
Aria noticed it the moment she stepped into the hallway.
Usually, the house was filled with familiar sounds—the clatter of dishes from the kitchen, her mother's soft humming, the creak of the old wooden chairs whenever her father sat down after a long day.
Tonight, there was nothing.
No laughter.
No music.
Not even the sound of her father's usual footsteps.
Only silence.
Aria frowned and pulled the curtain slightly aside.
Outside, the compound was swallowed by darkness. The single security light near the gate flickered every few seconds, casting the yard in brief flashes of yellow.
She was about to let the curtain fall when headlights appeared beyond the gate.
Two black cars rolled slowly into the compound.
Aria's heart skipped.
Her father wasn't expecting anyone.
At least, not that she knew of.
The first car stopped.
The driver's door opened.
A man stepped out.
He was tall.
Broad-shouldered.
Dressed entirely in black.
He didn't look around like a visitor trying to find his way. He walked as though the compound already belonged to him.
Two other men followed.
Then the rear door opened.
A second man emerged.
He was older, colder, and somehow more frightening than the others.
Even from the window, Aria could sense something dangerous about him.
Her father appeared at the front door.
The moment he saw the men, all the color seemed to drain from his face.
Aria immediately knew something was wrong.
Her father stepped outside and shut the door behind him.
"Please," he said.
The older man stopped a few feet away.
His expression didn't change.
One of his men walked forward and shoved Aria's father to his knees.
Aria's hand flew to her mouth.
"Father!"
But the glass window swallowed her voice.
Her father looked toward the house.
For one terrifying second, Aria thought he had seen her.
He hadn't.
His eyes remained fixed on the men surrounding him.
"Please," he repeated. "Just give me more time."
The older man slowly removed his gloves.
"Time?"
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
"I gave you time."
"I know."
"You promised."
"I know."
"You promised twice."
Her father's shoulders dropped.
"I can pay you."
The man's lips curled into a humorless smile.
"With what?"
"I'll find it."
"You've been saying that for months."
One of the men beside him stepped forward.
"Boss, we've searched the property. There's no money here."
The older man looked at Aria's father.
"So you lied to me again."
"I didn't lie."
"You told me the money would be ready tonight."
"It will be."
"How?"
Aria watched her father struggle for an answer.
Nothing came.
The older man glanced toward the house.
Then toward the old cars parked beside the garage.
Then back at Aria's father.
"Your business is gone."
Silence.
"Your properties are nearly worthless."
Her father's breathing became heavier.
"And yet you still expect me to believe you have money hidden somewhere?"
"I'll get it."
The man's eyes hardened.
"No."
He turned to his men.
"We're leaving with the money."
One of them nodded.
Aria's father suddenly grabbed the man's trouser leg.
"Wait!"
The man looked down at him with disgust.
"Please."
Aria had never seen her father beg before.
Not once.
He had always been proud. Sometimes too proud.
But now he looked completely broken.
"I have a family," he whispered.
The older man stared at him.
"Then you should have thought about them before borrowing money you couldn't repay."
Aria's stomach tightened.
Borrowing money?
What money?
How much could her father possibly owe these people?
Her mind raced.
She had known their financial situation wasn't good. She knew the family business had been struggling.
But she had never imagined anything like this.
The older man turned away.
"Take him."
Two men grabbed Aria's father by the arms.
Then something caught the older man's attention.
He stopped.
His eyes slowly moved toward the house.
Toward the window.
Toward the exact place where Aria stood.
Her breath caught.
She froze.
Had he seen her?
She quickly stepped backward.
But it was too late.
The curtain moved.
And the man's eyes met hers through the glass.
For a moment, neither moved.
Aria couldn't explain what she felt.
It wasn't simply fear.
There was something about his stare that made the entire room feel colder.
He tilted his head.
Then he smiled.
Not warmly.
Not kindly.
It was the smile of someone who had just discovered something valuable.
"Who's that?"
Aria's father went completely still.
The older man pointed toward the window.
"Her."
"No."
The answer came so quickly that Aria's father almost sounded desperate.
The man turned toward him.
"I asked a question."
"My daughter."
"Your daughter?"
Aria's father's face tightened.
"Yes."
The older man looked back at the window.
Aria had already moved away, but she could still feel his gaze burning through the curtains.
"She's beautiful."
Her father's jaw clenched.
"Leave her out of this."
The man laughed quietly.
"Interesting."
He walked closer to the house.
Aria backed away from the window.
Her heartbeat hammered against her chest.
She wanted to run to her mother.
She wanted to scream.
Instead, she stood frozen.
Outside, her father struggled against the men holding him.
"She's not part of this!"
"Everything you have is part of this."
"Take the house."
"I don't want the house."
"The cars."
"No."
"My business."
"You don't have a business."
Her father swallowed.
"Then what do you want?"
The older man looked toward the window again.
"You know exactly what I want."
"No."
"Either you pay your debt..."
He paused.
"...or you give me your daughter."
The world seemed to stop.
Aria's eyes widened.
Her father stared at the man as though he had just heard something impossible.
"You can't be serious."
"I don't joke about money."
"She's my daughter."
"And you're her father."
The man's expression remained cold.
"Which means you should be able to decide."
"No."
The word escaped Aria's father like a broken breath.
"No. I'll find the money."
"You have until morning."
Her father shook his head.
"Please."
"By sunrise."
The older man turned to leave.
Then he stopped.
"Bring her willingly."
He looked over his shoulder.
"If you don't..."
His eyes shifted toward Aria's father's face.
"...we'll come back and collect what we're owed ourselves."
The men released Aria's father.
He collapsed onto the ground.
The cars remained silent for several seconds.
Then the engines roared to life.
One after another, the black vehicles disappeared through the gate.
Aria waited until the sound faded.
Then she ran.
She rushed downstairs and threw open the front door.
"Father!"
He was still on the ground.
Aria dropped beside him.
"What happened?"
Her father didn't answer.
"Who were those men?"
Nothing.
"Father!"
He finally looked at her.
There was something in his eyes that terrified her more than the men outside had.
Regret.
Fear.
And something dangerously close to shame.
"Where's Mum?" Aria asked.
"In the kitchen."
"Is she okay?"
He nodded.
Aria helped him stand.
"What did they want?"
Her father looked at her.
His lips parted.
But no words came.
"Tell me."
"Aria..."
"What did they want?"
He looked away.
"They want the money."
"How much?"
Silence.
"How much do you owe them?"
Her father closed his eyes.
"A lot."
"How much?"
He still didn't answer.
Aria's voice trembled.
"Father, who are these people?"
He looked at her again.
"The Moretti family."
She had heard the name before.
Everyone had.
Whispers about them existed everywhere.
Powerful men.
Dangerous connections.
A family nobody crossed twice.
Aria suddenly understood why her father looked terrified.
"Are they mafia?"
Her father said nothing.
That was answer enough.
Aria stepped backward.
"You borrowed money from the mafia?"
"I had no choice."
"You always have a choice!"
"I was trying to save this family!"
"And now what?"
Her father looked at her.
Aria's anger slowly disappeared.
Because she suddenly understood.
He wasn't looking at her like a father.
He was looking at her like someone who had already made a decision.
"What?"
He swallowed.
"Aria..."
"No."
She stepped farther away.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Listen to me."
"No."
"Just listen."
"Where's Mum?"
Her father didn't answer.
Aria's chest tightened.
"Where is she?"
Before he could respond, footsteps sounded behind them.
Her mother appeared in the doorway.
She looked from her husband to Aria.
Then she noticed the fear in both their faces.
"What happened?"
Aria stared at her father.
"Tell her."
Her father lowered his head.
Her mother walked closer.
"Tell me what happened."
Still nothing.
Then her eyes landed on Aria.
And whatever she saw in her husband's expression made her face change.
"Did they..."
Her voice broke.
"Did they ask for her?"
Aria stared at her mother.
Her blood ran cold.
"You knew?"
Her mother immediately looked at her husband.
"How could you?"
"I didn't have a choice."
"You always have a choice!"
Her mother's voice shook.
The same words Aria had just said.
Her father looked toward the locked gate.
"They're coming back at sunrise."
Nobody spoke.
The clock on the wall ticked.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Aria suddenly felt as though the entire house had become a cage.
Her mother grabbed her hand.
"You're not going anywhere."
Her father looked at them both.
For a moment, he seemed ready to argue.
Then he whispered the words that shattered whatever hope remained.
"I already agreed."
Aria stared at him.
"You agreed to what?"
He couldn't look her in the eyes.
"I agreed to give them you."
The silence that followed was unbearable.
Aria slowly released her mother's hand.
She looked at her father as though she no longer recognized him.
"You..."
Her voice trembled.
"You agreed?"
He nodded.
"When?"
"Tonight."
"Tonight?"
"Tomorrow morning..."
He couldn't finish.
But Aria understood.
They were coming for her.
She looked toward the window.
Outside, the compound was dark.
Somewhere beyond those walls, men were already preparing to return.
And somewhere in the city, the man who had just purchased her future was waiting for sunrise.
Aria wiped the tears from her face.
Then she noticed something.
The front gate was still open.
Her eyes widened.
Her father followed her gaze.
"Aria?"
She took one slow step backward.
Then another.
Her mother immediately understood.
"No."
Aria turned toward the back door.
"Aria, don't!"
But she was already running.
She had no money.
No plan.
No idea where she would go.
Only one thought filled her mind.
She would rather disappear into the darkness than let them take her.
And as she pushed open the back door and ran into the night, she didn't notice the figure standing beyond the trees.
Watching.
Waiting.
A phone was lifted to the man's ear.
"She's running."
A pause.
Then a cold voice answered from the other end.
"Let her run."
The man smiled.
"Why?"
The voice replied:
"Because by sunrise, she won't have anywhere left to hide."
