Anna was just 19 when her life was signed away.
She had grown up in a peaceful Italian village, surrounded by vineyards, sunsets, and tradition. Her family wasn’t rich, but their land was sacred. That vineyard had been in the family for five generations — until the economy turned, the harvests failed, and the bank came knocking.
One desperate evening, her father received a visit. Three black cars. Four men in suits. And one contract.
In exchange for wiping away the crushing debt, Anna would be married to a man she had never met — a 75-year-old Moroccan Sheikh named Tariq Ibn Rashid.
She had no say.
Days later, she was flown to Marrakech. Greeted by silence. Gold. Power. Guards who didn’t speak. Maids who didn’t look her in the eyes.
She was told to prepare for the wedding immediately.
The ceremony was brief. No guests. No music. No vows. Just a signature, a seal, and a kiss on the forehead.
That night, as the desert wind howled outside the palace walls, Anna sat on a vast silk bed, her heart beating faster than ever before. She was dressed in a delicate white gown. Her hands shook. She kept telling herself: Maybe he won’t touch me. Maybe he just needs someone by his side…
But when the doors opened and Tariq stepped in, all her hopes evaporated.
He was tall, expressionless, and carried an air of absolute control. His eyes scanned her like a document, not a person.
He said only one thing:
“Take everything off.”
Paralyzed, Anna obeyed.
She undressed, slowly, shivering under the weight of shame and fear. She climbed into bed beside him, her eyes full of tears.
He lay next to her, not saying a word.
Then… he touched her hand.
But instead of pulling her close… he placed a small, sealed envelope in her palm.
Confused, Anna looked at him. He whispered:
“This marriage is not what it seems. Tomorrow, your life will change again.”
He stood up, walked out of the room, and never returned that night.
Anna opened the envelope only after sunrise.
Inside was a plane ticket back to Italy, documents for full ownership of the vineyard, and a handwritten note that read:
“You were never mine to claim. I simply wanted to see if you were brave enough to stand in front of power — and not break. Now you’re free. And your family is safe.”
Anna collapsed to the floor, crying — this time, not from fear, but disbelief.
To this day, she doesn’t know why Tariq Ibn Rashid chose her, saved her, or tested her.
All she knows is that one night in Marrakech changed her fate forever.
