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“How can you expect me to just marry some random guy?”
“I did it twice. It’s not so bad.”
“Being beaten isn’t so bad?” I asked incredulously.
“It wasn’t always bad. There were a lot of good times. And most of all…I had you. You’re the light of my life, Sofia. I know I don’t say it enough, but you’re everything to me. Never did I imagine I would have the most beautiful daughter in the world.”
It was hard to stay mad at her when she said something so sweet.
“I know this isn’t what you want. I know you deserve better. But this is the world we live in. You need to marry the right man to ensure a long and prosperous future for us. You can run the business under his protection, and no one will ever touch you. No one will touch me. And you can live a long and happy life.”
“How can I be happy if I’m married to a man I don’t love?”
“Maybe you’ll love him someday. I did love both of my husbands…just not in a romantic way. We became friends, allies. We became partners. That companionship is much better than a combustive and lustful relationship that runs off emotion rather than logic. I think you’ll like it more than you realize. And the two of you can always have your own arrangement. Make your relationship what you want it to be. Your father had his mistresses, and I was perfectly okay with it.”
That was gross.
“Gustavo didn’t. He didn’t have the same kind of sexual appetite…because all men are different.”
I didn’t want to fall in love and get married anyway, so this seemed like a decent alternative. But I also didn’t want to be the property of someone else, to be ordered around like a slave rather than a person.
“Sofia…you need to do this.”
I sighed quietly.
“Please.”
I wanted to run our family business more than anything, and I understood my mother’s unease about the lack of protection. I saw the way men dismissed me like I was stupid, and I could also envision the bad men who came to our hotel being difficult. One night, they waltzed into the hotel and took over the bar like they owned the place. What would they have done if I’d stood up to them?
They would have killed me.
“I don’t even know how we would do this. I mean, would we just send out a memo to rich dudes and tell them I’m looking for a husband? What would they get out of that?”
“For one, rich men all the want the same thing—a trophy wife. They want a beautiful woman who will give them beautiful children. You’re are stunning, Sofia. Even by model standards, you’re flawless.”
“Well…thanks.”
“Second, you don’t need to worry about finding a husband. I already have someone in mind.”
This just became real. “I won’t marry someone if they’re over ten years older than me. I’m not doing it.”
“He’s not. And he’s very handsome too.”
“Who is it?”
She smiled before she spoke, as if I would like the person she’d picked out. “Hades Lombardi.”
I almost laughed because she couldn’t possibly pick a worse guy. Yes, he was young, handsome, and rich, but he’d rather see me dead in a ditch than marry me. There was no one in the world who hated me more than him. “You’ll have to find someone else.”
“What’s wrong with him?”
“He and I don’t get along.” I’d never told my mother about my relationship with him. If she knew he’d proposed to me and I said no, she would flip out.
“Really?”
“Yeah. There’s no way in hell he’d be interested. And I’m not interested in him either.”
“That’s strange.” She propped her chin on her fist as she looked at me. “Because when I spoke to him, he was extremely enthused.”
My blood turned ice-cold. “What…?”
“Yes. In fact, he told me not to ask anyone else. He’s in.”
This was bad…very bad. “I’m not marrying him.”
“Why not? He’s got everything, Sofia. He’s been smitten with you for years. I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”
“He’s an asshole.”
“Really?” she asked. “I don’t think an asshole would fight for you so hard.”
“He doesn’t like me. He just wants to marry me to torture me.”
“I highly doubt that,” she said. “He seemed genuine.”
This couldn’t be happening.
“Hades is, by far, the best match. He’s young, extremely powerful, handsome, and he’s got resources we can’t even dream of. No one will touch you as his wife. No one will dare cross you. You can run that hotel however you want. You’ll get everything you want.”
“No.”
“Sofia—”
“I said no.” I didn’t turn him down just so I could marry him years later.
“Well, I’ve already agreed to it.”
“Then you marry him,” I snapped. “I’m not going to do it.”
She tilted her head slightly as she watched me. “Talk to him first before you make a decision.”
