AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Correction, my engagement party. How sad I’d prefer to be strapped to a dentist’s chair having all my teeth pulled without Novocain. Then again, maybe I could use the drill to cut tiny pieces out of Dante before shoving the cold steel into his eyeball socket.
At least my violent thoughts helped with the nausea and heartache, now both down to a dull twinge of pain. I’d been able to shut down most of my emotions, although I knew tonight would twist my anger into a frenzy. The cape I’d worn had been removed from my shoulders, a glass of champagne almost immediately shoved into my hand. Then I’d been pushed from the back room into a brightly lit restaurant turned into every girl’s engagement party fantasy with only a few words spoken from my father.
“Fuck this up and you’ll pay dearly.”
Love you too, Daddy dearest.
The thought of wearing a pretty dress, pretending I gave a damn about the man I was standing next to while being forced to interact with dozens or hundreds of people I didn’t know not only left a bad taste in my mouth; it kept me on edge, trying to do everything I could not to react at all. If I did, the bastards would win.
Yet here I was, a fake smile on my face, standing in the middle of a crowded restaurant that I’d never been to, trying to find the courage from deep within to be able to plaster a smile on my face. My father and I had arrived only minutes before, whisked into the back like some hired help. I shifted further into the room, glancing around at the entire facility. The Bianchis had pulled out all the stops, likely spending a small fortune. This was all about glow and show. Nothing more.
I hadn’t been told where I was going, although I’d suspected, given a dress had been selected for me, placed on the bed by one of the house employees. The only good news about being paraded around like a trained seal was that the ankle bracelet had been removed. It would be blasphemous for a daughter of an important man to be seen treated like an animal.
I’d been appropriately warned, told that if I tried to make a run for it, I’d be severely punished. I had no idea where in God’s name I’d run to, since there were guards everywhere, soldiers with huge guns who tried to blend in. That was ridiculous, given I recognized movie stars and musicians, obvious friends or at least acquaintances of the man I was supposed to marry.
At least my father no longer stood behind me like a stalking vulture. He’d gone off to find a proper drink, skipping the expensive bottles of bubbly. Meanwhile, I wanted to drown myself in the liquid libation. Maybe that would take the pain away.
The moment I moved two feet from my intended, Dante grabbed my arm, yanking me against him and lowering his head. “Don’t do anything stupid, my lovely bride to be. I don’t want a reason to hurt you.”
“Which is something I’m certain you’ll do after we’re married. You do seem to enjoy it so much.”
“Only to keep you in line. A good wife is a well-disciplined wife.” He turned slightly, rubbing his knuckle across the yellow bruise that I’d tried my best to conceal with makeup. It was still tender, the slight split in my lip accentuated by the flaming red lipstick I’d been forced to wear. I refused to flinch.
“Fuck you, Dante. You might have a contract but be careful of falling asleep at night.” I took a sip of champagne, enjoying the fire in his eyes. While pushing his buttons wasn’t necessarily the best thing to do, I wasn’t going to fall into playing the hapless girl with no spine. Fuck that.
“Thank you for the warning, my beautiful bride to be. I would hate to disfigure such a stunning face. I wouldn’t want our children terrified of their own mother. Now, would I?”
God. The man disgusted me. “You’re a bastard and I’m positive you’ll do everything in your power to alienate our children.” Thank God, I was able to keep the smile on my face. I tossed back the remainder of the bubbly, blinking profusely as I placed the crystal stem on a vacant table. When I tried to turn away, he jerked me by the arm.
“Yes, I am. It’s best if you learn that right away, Christiana. Then your transition into a dutiful wife will be that much easier.”
I wasn’t going to just drive a stake through his heart. If the man had one. I had plans on using a dull steak knife. “My. My. We shall see, Dante.”
As a waiter walked by, he grabbed a second glass of champagne, shoving it into my hand. “Don’t get drunk, my sweet fiancée. We have a long night ahead of us.”
“Fuck you, darling.” I offered another sweet smile, enjoying the snarl he issued. Maybe if his devout fans witnessed him beating up his wife to be, I’d get some help.
He pulled me even closer, his hold on my arm painful. Fortunately, he released it as soon as an aging man headed in our direction.
“Mayor Santiago. It’s good to see you,” Dante said as he stuck out his hand, no doubt demanding a handshake.
“Dante Bianchi. I was elated when my assistant received your phone call. This is an event I wouldn’t miss for the world. You must be Dante’s fiancée.”
“Yes, this is Christiana Lorenzo from Chicago. You might know her father, the honorable Michael Lorenzo. He is considered a consummate businessman in the Windy City much like my father and I are in New York. That will help you get reelected.”
Well. Well. Now I could see where this was headed. I was no fool in the methods of my father’s business. I was a bridge that would soften the various legal and illegal temperaments. I studied the mayor’s face, noticing he continued to glance toward the wall of windows fronting a very busy street. Who was he terrified would see him sucking up to a man like Dante?
He spouted off my father’s name as if the entire world should know who he was. Sadly, by the slight irritation in the mayor’s eyes, I could tell he had heard of him. I was being used as a powerplay.
“Why, of course. You are beautiful and I must say, Dante. You’re one lucky man.” The mayor tried to bring my hand to his lips, but I refused to allow him, offering a firm handshake instead.
“Luck isn’t the word for it, Mayor Santiago,” Dante said, his tone full of amusement. “I am considered quite the eligible bachelor.”
“You’ll have to get in line behind Francesco Arturo, Dante. He’s certainly the talk of the town.”
As soon as the mayor mentioned the rival’s name, my entire system was electrified. While the name Francesco was common in a city full of Italians, what were the odds that the man I’d spent a night with was an obvious Bianchi enemy? I glanced at Dante’s face, noticing the way his nostrils flared. He was pissed the name had been brought up.
I couldn’t breathe as images and thoughts from the past trickled in. For some crazy reason, I glanced toward the massive set of front windows, watching as people came and went on the crowded street.
