Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 27743 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 139(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27743 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 139(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
“Fine, amore.” Did he just call me that? I ignore it. I heard it earlier, but we were in the throes of passion. “Then you will wear this.” He slides a heavy yellow diamond ring on my finger. “This is for my wife.” It’s a beautiful ring, opulent and stunning.
“It’s beautiful, but it’s not for me.” I grasp it with my other hand, but he quickly places his hands over mine, stopping me immediately.
“Don’t fucking dare take this off.”
I glare at him suspiciously. “It has a tracker in it, doesn’t it?” The bastard. I wonder how he got it so fast. Who was this ring for? Well, I have average-size fingers.
“I don’t need one when it comes to you.” Oh, I forgot. I’m not that important. A means to an end. He protected me on principle, not because I mean anything to him.
“Of course, so if you’ll excuse me, I have to get a dress for tonight.”
“Don’t you have one for this evening?”
“It’s called retail therapy. I know it’s hard to fathom, but marrying you isn’t something I’m looking forward to doing, so I need to enjoy some time away.” A slow smile spreads over his face, but then I sense something else I can’t read.
“Go on, amore. I’ll enjoy seeing what you’ve selected. Don’t forget to buy something sexy for our wedding night. I want to see you in clothes I plan to tear off with my teeth.” He pops me on my ass with his palm, catching me off guard. “Get going before I forget all plans and take you to your room, putting my scent all over you. Everyone will know you belong to me, Vivian.”
His phone rings in his pocket. “Excuse me. Have fun.” He walks away without another word, stepping back outside and to his waiting car.
I walk out of the house with my emotions a complete wreck. “Oh, my goodness, Vee. That ring is beautiful,” my mother says, spotting the ring as soon as I climb into the back of the waiting limo.
“Thanks. Mom,” I say, feeling the weight of the ring and Matteo’s reminder not to take it off.
Matteo’s mother hasn’t said a word about the ring, but that is because she’s on the phone with her husband, who I’m sure is giving his warning about her safety for the hundredth time even though there is plenty of security going with us. We never leave without a handful of guards. Well, I escape sometimes on my own, but no one knows about that.
Chapter Five
Matteo
I storm back into my house and into my office where the mess of earlier has been cleaned up. No one would know that my second-in-command once lay on the floor in a pool of blood.
“A word, Matteo.”
“Yes, Father. Please close the door.” He shuts it and I stare at the desk, shoving it out of the way. “I want this fucking thing out of here before Vivian comes back here.”
“What happened?”
“I’m not sure why she was here, but he had her pinned to my desk, attempting to rape her. She was in tears trying to fight him off.”
“What?”
“Yes. And when I asked him about it, he dared to tell me they were having a discussion. So you see why I fucking put a hole in his head.” I could barely contain the anger in my voice as I let the words out. The memory so new and fresh replayed and I wanted to kill him all over again.
“Are you sure that’s not what you wanted to see?” Seriously, did he just say that?
“Father, you’re so fucking lucky that nothing happened to her because I’m on the verge of snapping. I heard what he told her as he threatened to take her.”
“I’m just making sure.”
“That my men don’t want to jump ship because I killed my second? Hell, they know they don’t cross me. He did, and if anyone else does, they’ll meet the same consequences. It isn’t that fucking hard.”
“That’s understandable. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t just being jealous because it could cost us a lot in the long run.”
“Of course not.”
“Then we’ll burn this desk. Do you know why she was in here?”
“No. She refused to tell me.”
“Damn, you have your hands full with her.”
“Tell me about it.” I smile. “Now let me call my men in for a brief meeting. I want to address the situation correctly before anyone gets out of hand.”
“Good. I have your back, as always. So do your brothers.”
“Thank you.”
We step outside of my office and he says, “Mando, go in and clear out the desk. We want it burned. Completely destroyed.”
“Yes, Don Dario.”
“Summon all the men into the meeting area as well in the next five minutes,” I say.
Less than five minutes later, we lock down the mansion and all of my men, including Enrico, are gathered in the meeting area. “Men, I’ve summoned you here today because tomorrow, I’ll be marrying Vivian Barone.” They all begin clapping and cheering. I raise my hand. “Calm down. There’s more.”