Ruthless Bargain

my palms without a word. I, Lucien Alexander Cross, was never one known to forgive in the whole of Velmoor and Mateo, he crossed the line. I pressed the metal to h

' His voice cracked on the word. ''Please Lucien, I have a family, I have- His words caught in his throat when I pulled the trigger. ''I don't care about your family.'' I said simply. There was no cruelty in my tone. It was simply the truth and I had long ago learnt that truth needed no decoration. ''I care about what you owe me. And since you don't have it-''. I pressed the metal on his throat, forcing his head upwards so his gaze would meet mine. ''I would take the only thing you have.'' ''Wait-,'' the sound tore out of him in a panic, his whole body shaking with fear. ''Wait. Wait, please. I have something.....someone. I could....I... uh...I could offer. Just give me thirty seconds.'' I was getting impatient already but also a part of me wanted to know what he could offer in exchange for eighty million dollars. He had nothing at the moment. ''Twenty,'' I looked at him. I did not lower the gun, neither did I pull the trigger. He was already speaking before I finished the word. ''My niece.'' He gasped out. My brows shot up but he continued. ''She's twenty-three. She's.....she's educated, she can cook, clean...she...'' he kept trying to catch his breath. ''You are offering me a person,'' I said slowly. ''To cover eighty million?" ''She's not just anyone.'' His desperation evident in his voice. ''She's beautiful, smart. She could work for you, live with you.....whatever you want.'' My gun was still raised while he continued, his words tumbling. ''I'll sign anything. I'll put it into writing. Just please.....don't kill me.'' He pleaded. I studied him for a long moment. The trembling in his shoulders, the blood on his face. The way his eyes kept darting from the gun in my hand, my face and over to Dominic, searching for something to hold onto. I felt nothing for him. That was not cruelty, that was how I was built. Mateo had borrowed money from a man who did not lend without expectation. He ignored the clock, the warnings. And now, at the very last second, he was throwing a twenty-three year old at my feet like a bargaining chip. Not because she mattered to him but because he didn't want to die. ''Tell me about her,'' I settled on the chair opposite him. Mateo exhaled so hard it rattled in his chest. ''Her name is Amelia. Amelia Nightshade. She's my late brothers daughter and has been living with us since she was young. She's well kept, she's...'' ''Does she know you are doing this?'' He hesitated for a fraction. ''Does she know?'' I repeated, ''that you are sitting he