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“Yes, you’ll be under the protection of our family, but we don’t accept misconduct. We, especially, don’t let little know-it-all wives boss around our men. When they do something bad, it’s the responsibility of the husband to punish them. Are you telling me I should ignore my responsibility and change how my family has been doing things for years?” I threw her words back at her.
In her eyes was an intense hatred so strong that I’d never seen before. I expected to see fear, but Bria was a surprise at every corner. Wasn’t that what I asked for? To find a woman who wouldn’t bore me after a small amount of time? Well, I’d found her.
“Is that something you enjoy?” Bria asked to break the silence.
“Is what something I enjoy?” I mocked her. I’d never liked when people were vague, and that wasn’t different now. Vagueness was a waste of time, and it was something I didn’t tolerate. But that was a conversation for a different day. “Explain.”
“Do you like to punish people?” Her voice was soft, but she looked at me without glancing away. She had some courage, I would give her that.
“If they deserve to be punished.”
“You like to see people in pain?”
“I like for them to reflect on why they earned that pain and for them to never make that mistake again.” I shrugged, it was all reasonable.
“You sound sadistic.”
I laughed. “And who taught you such a word?”
It should have been an insult, but to me it wasn’t. I killed people, that made me a murderer. I lied, and that made me a liar. I enjoyed seeing people in pain, and that made me sadistic. I wasn’t going to deny the things I was. And, why would I? Everyone was created differently, and I’d never seen a problem with myself.
Bria seemed to be thinking of her next response. I could see the fire come and then her have to rein it back in; her eyes and face were so expressive right then. I would enjoy learning her mind and how she thought. She was a powerhouse all in herself.
“I learned the word as I became it. I’ve been called sadistic many times, by men who deserved every slice, stab and bullet wound I inflicted on their weak and deserving bodies.”
I didn’t let any of my shock show outwardly. I thought about her comment for a minute. Considering what her words meant. What role did she play within her family?
Before I could visit that line of questioning she reversed the conversation. “What are my tasks going to be as your wife?” I wasn’t able to tell if she actually wanted the answer, or wanted to give me one of her own. Both of us knew that neither of us wanted to be married, but it was the will of our parents. Unfortunately, there was no turning back now.
“Getting pregnant with my child should be your only task.” My words were genuine. Her pregnancy was something that would be expected sooner rather than later.
Marriage was a document, but blood was something that would bind us together. Our clan was a large one, and just as sure as I was standing here, I was sure there were some who would not be happy she’d married into the family. They wouldn’t see her rights, and there would be attempts on her life. Those who did so would easily be put to death. We’d already had one attempt today, resulting in the injury of my men. I would not let either disrespect slide.
But nobody could deny my son or daughter, regardless of who the mother was. They would have my blood running through their veins, the blood of a Romano. During her pregnancy, she would be untouched, and once a child was born, more so. The Romanos strived to raise children in an environment where they had two parents, which was incredibly hard with our occupation. But, we made do.
Bria looked absolutely disgusted by my words, but I wasn’t surprised. Most women in our world knew what it meant to be married to a don, Bria was no exception. That didn’t mean she would like what reality was. Most women would love a man to provide and take care of her. Except for the woman standing in front of me, something told me she would never want that.
“I don’t want to have your child, not as a duty to our family. I have something else in mind.”
I nodded, ready to hear her out, because I expected this. I could tell she was about to make another remark, but before she could, she was stopped by the sound of someone knocking on the door.
Two knocks around here meant it was a friend. I’d wanted to see what Bria would say, but I supposed there were other times in which I could do that.
The sound of the door seemed to remind Bria of my earlier request. She was silent as soon as the knock sounded.
“Enter,” I spoke up. My eyes never left Bria, even as she turned to see what was going on. She kept a wall at her back, even when she turned a little to address the person coming in. I wondered who had taught her that. She’d come in here and talked to me however she pleased. She kept surprising me with her actions.
“Bria Montrelli.” I turned, hearing the voice of my father. He walked in with a guard behind him, which meant he didn’t plan on staying long. I wasn’t surprised he had come.
The old saying ‘keep your friends close and your enemies closer’ rang a bell in my head. Maybe he’d wanted to see her or make sure that he invoked fear in her. My father was the don he was, not only because of the respect that he garnered, but because people were far too afraid of him to cross him. I regretted that I hadn’t given her the shirt as she hurriedly grabbed it and put it on. I didn’t want anyone else seeing her in a state of undress. Bria was mine, and only mine now.
Bria didn’t say anything, but that didn’t stop my father from continuing.
“I trust my son has not been remiss in relaying to you our expectations about your stay here and what it will look like.” My father sent me a glance, but I didn’t say anything. I hadn’t fully done that yet. He was interrupting that exact conversation, but I doubted Bria would speak up to my father of all people.
When I looked at her, the look in her eyes made me pause. I thought I’d seen hatred for me, but when she looked at my father, there was a murderous glint that shouldn’t have taken me by surprise, but yet it did.
CHAPTER5
