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melina
“I won’t do it!” I snap.
Panic makes my words shriller than they should be. You would think if I had learned anything in life, it would be to use caution around my father and brothers. Right now, however, I’m not thinking straight. I’m just in utter panic. I stare at all of them and wish for the millionth time I was an orphan.
“Melina, you will do as I order. You are part of this family, even if, as a girl, you don’t hold much value,” he returns.
His words shouldn’t hurt me after all this time. I’m twenty years old. I’ve been alone with my father and six brothers for most of my life. There’s no softness to be found in any of them. The only hugs I get are ones given for show at dinners. If I fail to smile or entertain, I pay for it later in private. I don’t know why I think any of them would listen to me now. Logically, it’s apparent they won’t. I’m not in the mood to be logical. I’m in a full-blown, adrenaline-fueled panic.
“Father, please listen—”
His fist slaps down on his solid mahogany desk so hard that I jump back in my seat. All too late, common sense begins to infiltrate my brain. I moisten my lips as the man who stares back at me reveals the monster that I know he is.
“Youlisten to me. You have no useful skills. You’re nothing but a liability that spends her time with zero responsibilities. It’s time you step up and do what you need to do for this family.”
“You want me to marry a man who is older than you!”
“He’ll provide well for you, and it will further our reach. With this marriage, we will all but have a lock in America when it comes to shipping. That means, you will marry Doyle Kelly and that’s the end of this discussion.”
He gets up, striding around his desk. I know he’s leaving. I’m alsomore than aware of the fact that I’m walking on thin ice that is about to break through into a raging river. I need to recede into the shadows—that’s the safest place to be when it comes to my father—but the sad fact is, I’ve never been particularly intelligent when it comes to dealing with him. Hell, the best thing I could probably do is to keep my mouth shut and marry Doyle Kelly. He can’t possibly be worse than the monster who has raised me.
Afterall, surprisingly, the thought of marrying a stranger isn’t what bothers me. It’s just the fact that for once in my life, I want to experience real love. I want a man to look at me and see a woman they don’t want to live without. I don’t want to be someone they use as a bargaining chip—a pawn to be played in a bigger game.
I’m not stupid. I know there are no fairytales in this world. Still, it’d be nice to have a man who will cherish me because he cares about me. I’m certain I have the ability inside of me to care deeply for a man. I want to love someone—that’s all I’ve ever wanted. If I marry this guy, I’ll never have that.
I think I’ll shrivel up and die.
“Father, please,” I plead, standing up to scurry in front of him. “Don’t ask this of me. I’d do anything to make you happy, but don’t sell me to a man who is more than triple my age. I beg you, please don’t do this. You’re the most powerful man around. You can make anyone bow to your will. Can’t there be some other way?”
I count it as a win that I don’t choke on my words. It’s enough that they burn as I say them. I hate begging, but I know appealing to my father’s enormous ego is my only hope to get a reprieve from this horrible situation.
I wait for his answer. The only warning I receive is when those blue eyes of his—so pale they freeze you clear to your soul—seem to grow impossibly colder. His lips thin out and before I can gather my wits enough to step back, his hand comes out to smack flat across the side of my face. My head whips sideways from the force of it. Tears immediately spring up and sting my eyes with the need to release. My skin burns, instantly throbbing as I bring my hand up to hold my cheek. I do my best to contain my tears.
Crying isn’t allowed.It never has been—not even when I was a small child.
I rub my jawline and notice the tips of my fingers are wet. I look down at my hand seeing the bright red color, realizing he split the corner of my mouth open.
It’s not the first time, but again it hurts more than it has in the past. I’m not sure why, unless it is because I’m finally realizing there is no hope. I have no say in anything. I never have and never will.
“You’re marrying him. Be an adult and accept it. You owe me. You owe this family. The world is full of disappointments, Melina. Learn to accept them like an adult.”
He stomps off then and I watch as he and my brothers all leave.
The door closes softly—too soft for what just transpired.
antonio
“What the hell is going on here, Dracos?”
“Nothing is going on. I have elected to go an alternative route.”
“Another route? Do I need to remind you that you’rethe one who arranged this damn meeting?Youcame to me.”
“I need no reminder. I have decided after meeting you that the two of us aren’t a good fit. Doyle Kelly’s offer is much more beneficial. You Americans take everything so personal. It is not. This is business. You need to learn to separate it from your emotions,” he lectures.
This son of a bitch.My hands try to shake with the need to choke the life out of his miserable hide—but I contain it.Barely.I always keep a tight rein on my emotions, but I’m sick of this asshole.
“You approached me. On your assurance, I decided to go with you instead of my other options.Youasked me down here to seal the deal.”
