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Chapter 8
Kasen~
While my voice sounded calm and reasonable, I was feelinganything but. With blood still staining my clothes, Fia’s anguished cries rattling around in my head, and my mother’s obvious favoritism, it was a miracle that I was still standing. While I’d known that Papa was going to be pissed at Fia’s recklessness, I hadn’t ever imagined that he’d shoot Mano in the head like that.
I was also curious as to how NeroSartori had gotten all that private information on Fia. While it wouldn’t be a surprise to know that he’d probably had her followed since the day of their betrothal, how did he know that she was pregnant?
Before I could give it any more thought, Nero said,“There’s a priest waiting outside, ready to officiate the ceremony.”
That had my stomach tripping over itself. “Wait, what?”
“What are youtalking about?” Papa asked, stepping in front of me in a futile attempt to protect me from the man in front of us.
Nero’s chocolate gaze slid my way, and it was hard not to acknowledge just how gorgeous he was. He was around six-foot-three with dark brown hair that looked as soft as silk with the way that it was trimmed short on the sides, but the top fell haphazardly in any direction. He also had a pair of whiskey-colored eyes that brought new meaning to the phrase bedroom eyes. His face was all sharp angles and prominent masculinity, and though he looked to be in his early thirties, the sharpness in his eyes and the way that he carried himself made him appear older.
He also had a body that probably worked out every morning. The expensive cut of his suitwasn’t enough to disguise how ripped and in shape this man had to be. It was said that Nero Sartori was as deadly as they came, but it was also said that he was a bit bloodthirsty and like to fight and kill with his bare hands. It was rumored that beating someone to death was his go-to choice in ending someone’s life, and if that was true, then I imagined that he’d have to be in tip-top shape to make that happen.
There was no doubt in my mind that Nero Sartori would make one hell of a lover andhusband for the right woman. However, I was not the right woman, and it was clear to see that Fia hadn’t ever been, either. Nero would have chewed her up, then spit her out within days of their wedding.
“We’re getting married tonight,” he announced, and Ihad to press my hand to my stomach to settle it down.
“What do-”
“I will not be making the mistake of trusting your family a second time, Renzo,” Nero said, cutting him off. “Do you really think that I’m going to give you time to formulate another alternative?” Nero looked between both me and my father. “The last thing that I’m going to do is give you time to ship your daughters off to wherever the fuck in a poor attempt to save your family.”
Papa’s back straightened. “A proper wedding is still-”
“Youhad your chance at a proper wedding,” Nero replied icily as he raised that cursed folder up higher. “The license and certificates are all in here. They just need Kasen’s signature, and then the priest can come in and perform the ceremony.” Nero leveled my father with a glare. “A ceremony that will be attended by the four of usonly.”
Papa turned to look back at me. “You don’t have to dothis-”
“It’s fine, Papa.” I lied as I took his hands in mine. Nothing was ever going to be fine again, but now wasn’t the time to be a coward. While I had a choice, I really didn’t.
“Kasen-”
“Papa, it’s fine,” I insisted. “Honestly, what difference is a huge wedding going to make? What difference is more time going to matter?”
Papa looked back at Nero. “And what will we tell people?”
“That’s simple,” Nero said as he shrugged. “We’ll say that we let people believe that Fia was my intended in order to preserve Kasen’s safety. We’ll let it be known that we took the spotlight off Kasen, so that she could pursue her legal career without interference.”
I hated how his explanation would make sense to anyone that asked. If I didn’t know better, I’d think that this had been Nero’s plan all along. However, he couldn’t have known that Fia and Mano would start a secret affair. At the end of the day, Nero was innocent of any deception, and I hated that. I hated thinking of him as a victim when he was upending my life like this. With my father’s promise, I’d been given a chance to marry for love, and Nero Sartori had just taken that away from me.
“It seems as ifyou’ve thought of everything,” I snapped.
“Almost,li mio cuore,”Nero smirked as my hateful gaze washed over him.
“I think that’s enough,” Papa snapped, not appreciating the endearment, though I didn’t know what it meant. I wasn’t bilingual, so I couldonly imagine what he was calling me.
Not wanting to make this situation any worse than it already was, I snatched the folder from Nero’s hands, and I could hear Aurelio let out a low chuckle over my obvious disrespect. Now, while I was doing what I believed necessary to keep my family safe, that didn’t mean that I had to take Nero’s shit lying down. While I was sure that he hadn’t meant to, he had given me the perfect out to this marriage. I was used to working long hours, and I planned to exploit that fact to avoid this relationship. After all, Nero had given me his word that I could still work, and I was going to hold him to it.
Walking over to my father’s desk, I opened the folder, and not needing proof of Fia’s duplicity, I flipped through the pictures and medical records until I found the marriage license and certifications. Grabbing a pen off the desk, I signed my name, my heart threatening to stop with each flick of the pen. I was signing my life away, and Nero was refusing to give me any time to sort out my feelings about what I was doing. Granted, at the end of it all, hehadgiven me a choice in the matter, but all that had been was manipulation at its finest. Everyone had their price, and the safety of my family was mine.
After signing the papers, I turned to face the three men in the room. “Well, what are we waiting for?”
Nero slid a glance Aurelio’s way, and the guard quietly exited the room to go get the priest, but I noticed the smirk on his face as he left. Though it was said that Aurelio Provenza was Nero’s personal guard, it was obvious that they were way more than that. If not, then Aurelio wouldn’t be showing his emotions to his boss the way that he was.
“While I expect you at my home this evening, I understand that moving in will take more than a day,” Nero said, and my stomach tightened with my new reality. “So, after the ceremony, you will go home, packa few things, then we will make arrangements to sell your condo and move you in permanently.”
