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“And who do you think I should marry, then?”
He smirks, and I know he’s flirting. “A better man.”
I wish that I could marry a man like James Wick. He’s kind, but strong and compassionate. The kind of man that my father would hate.
But Isiah is powerful, and if I can’t find a way to deter him, I’m doomed to marry him and be under that monster’s influence forever.
A wave of sadness washes through me. “That’s not going to happen...” I mutter under my breath.
James leans close, wrapping a powerful arm around me. His touch gives me goosebumps. “It may be hard, but there’s always hope if you’re determined enough to chase after it.”
I look up at him, pondering his words and whether they could be true.
Could I really beat Isiah Darcy and marry a man like James?
It seems impossible, but his encouragement ignites a tiny spark of hope that refuses to be put out.
I smile softly at him. “You’re right. I’m going to do my best to get out of this mess and marry a man of my choice. I’m not going to let Isiah Darcy win that easily.”
Even as I say it, a part of me doesn’t believe it. Girls like me don’t get to win. I have known most of my life I’ll be forced into a marriage with a man I don’t want. And it’s a fantasy to believe that somehow, I can change that. Even so, I don’t mind believing in a fantasy for a little while.
8
ISIAH
As I sit in the hotel bar, waiting with Gio for the senator to turn up, I know that he’s well and truly hooked by my guise. He’s practically already calling me his son.
The only one who’s not convinced of this match is Bella, and I sense that her opinion doesn’t really matter. Her family, like most families, takes matters into their own hands when it comes to picking a husband for their daughter.
“This member of the senate is our key to the police being on our side. If we secure him, then the sky’s the limit for the Benedetto family.”
The announcement makes my stomach churn, but it’s only a matter of time until there won’t be a Benedetto family at all. I despise having to play this part, as if I’m a friend of this narcissistic piece of shit. Once I’ve married Bella, then I will deconstruct their entire world as they know it from within the family until there’s not a Benedetto left standing.
“And what are you intending to give him in exchange for his loyalty?”
A sinister smirk tugs on the man’s lips. “Let’s just say this one has a taste for very young blood, and I can provide him with just that.”
I feel like I’m about to puke, as he is saying the guy is a fucking pedo. “Right.”
He must sense my disgust. “I hope my words don’t corrode your sense of morality. I thought being such a well-known criminal mastermind, you’d be used to such practices.”
I shake my head. “I don’t stoop to that level.”
Gio narrows his eyes. “What level is that?”
I realize I’ve offended him with my words, but I can’t condone pedophilia. It’s disgusting. No matter what other crimes I may commit, I have to draw a line somewhere. “The lowest scum on this earth prey on defenseless children.”
“I agree it’s unsavory, but business is business and we need this guy on our side.”
Our side.
It’s not the first time he’s referred to things as ours, which shows how he’s thinking. I’m part of the family already. Proving just how much of a gullible son of a bitch he is to open his arms to a man he barely knows based solely on his reputation.
It means crushing this family is going to be ten times easier. Even so, he is brushing a man taking advantage of children on his watch under the carpet. I hate that I have to turn a blind eye to it in order to get my revenge, but perhaps I don’t. Perhaps I can use this information to my advantage to bring all the bastards that prey on children to their knees, along with Gio Benedetto.
“And you want me to be civil to a man like him?”
Gio’s nostrils flare. “You must be. There’s no other choice.” He hisses as the man approaches.
