The Essence Of Us

Chapter 1: The Bet

All I ever wanted was a quiet life—nothing extravagant, nothing dangerous. But the universe has a cruel sense of humor.

It started with a single phone call, the one I had ignored three times before finally answering. In my defense, my brother, Ezra, had a habit of drunk dialing at ungodly hours, usually for trivial things. I'd been burned by those calls one too many times.

But this one wasn't trivial. This one was a disaster.

"I made a mistake," Ezra's voice was thick and slurred, the telltale sign of him being way past the point of no return. "Ria, you need to come get me."

I pinched the bridge of my nose, resisting the urge to snap. "Where are you, Ezra?"

"Carmine's," he said, naming a dingy, back-alley bar we both knew too well. I could practically smell the stale cigarettes and bad decisions over the phone.

My heart dropped. Carmine's wasn't just a sketchy dive—it was a place known for attracting all the wrong people, the kind of crowd that made you clutch your purse a little tighter. The Rossi family owned it, or at least that's what the rumors said. And where the Rossi name lingered, trouble followed.

I grabbed my keys, not even bothering to change out of the sweatpants I'd been lounging in. "Stay there, Ezra. I'm on my way."

The drive to Carmine's felt longer than it should have. My stomach twisted with each passing mile, the knot tightening until it felt like I couldn't breathe. Ezra had always been reckless, always chasing the next thrill, but something about this night felt... different. Worse.

I parked a block away, not wanting to draw attention to myself by pulling up directly outside. The last thing I needed was to be noticed by the wrong people. Carmine's had a reputation, and I was about to walk right into the heart of it.

The neon sign flickered above the door, casting a sickly red glow over the entrance. I steeled myself before pushing the door open, immediately assaulted by the stench of booze and cigarette smoke. The bar was crowded, filled with people hunched over their drinks or whispering in dark corners. I scanned the room, my heart pounding as I searched for Ezra.

There, near the back, I spotted him.

Slumped over at a table, his usually sharp features were softened by alcohol. But what caught my attention wasn't the state he was in—it was the man sitting across from him.

A man who exuded power. His dark eyes locked onto mine the second I entered, as if he had been waiting for me.

Damon Rossi.

I had never seen him up close before, but I knew who he was. Everyone did. He was the kind of man who didn't need an introduction, the kind of man you instinctively feared. The air around him crackled with something dangerous, something more than just his reputation.

I forced myself to look away from Damon and hurried to Ezra's side. "What the hell are you doing here?" I hissed, grabbing his arm.

Ezra's head lolled toward me, his bloodshot eyes barely focusing. "I messed up, Ria. I really messed up this time."

The knot in my stomach tightened. "What did you do?"

Damon leaned back in his chair, his dark gaze never leaving mine. "Your brother made a bet," he said, his voice smooth, almost casual. "A foolish one, as it turns out."

Ezra groaned, burying his face in his hands. "I thought... I thought I could win."

The pieces started to fall into place. Ezra had been gambling again. He'd promised me he was done with it, that he'd never touch the cards again after what happened last year. But here we were, in Carmine's of all places, and he'd clearly lost. The Rossi family didn't deal in small debts. This wasn't a matter of owing a few hundred bucks. This was life or death.

"What's the damage?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper, afraid of the answer.

Damon's smile was slow, like a predator toying with its prey. "I don't think you understand, Aurelia. This isn't something that can be paid off with cash."

I blinked. He knew my name.

"I—what are you talking about?" I stammered, my hands gripping Ezra's arm tighter.

Damon's gaze slid back to Ezra, then to me, cold and calculating. "Your brother wagered something far more valuable than money. Something he no longer has."

My heart stopped. "What did he bet?"

Ezra groaned again, his head hanging low. "I... I bet you, Ria. I didn't mean to. I was drunk, I wasn't thinking."

I stared at him, the words not sinking in at first. It was like my brain refused to process what he had said. "You bet me?"

"I didn't know what else to do!" Ezra's voice cracked, desperation creeping into his tone. "I thought I could win. I thought..."

"You thought wrong," Damon said smoothly, standing from the table. He towered over me, his presence as suffocating as it was magnetic. "Your brother has failed to deliver on his promise. And now, Aurelia, you belong to me."