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I almost smile. “Alright, a normal day for me starts at 6 a.m. I get out of bed, get dressed, head down here for breakfast, and I leave before 8 a.m.”
“To where?”
“The D’Angelos have a pub on Bleeker Street. I mostly run the business from there.”
“A pub,” Daniella muses. ‘Can I go with you sometime?”
“Women aren’t allowed, Evans. Especially not women in the family.”
“But I’m not in the family yet,” she counters. “And women aren’t allowed? What kind of outdated, misogynistic rule is that? Bullshit.”
I raise an eyebrow. “While I didn’t make the rule, it’s one that’s strictly followed by D’Angelos. You aren’t going anywhere near that pub.”
“I’ll do whatever I want to do.”
I inwardly sigh. She’s so fucking stubborn. And it seems she hasn’t learned her lesson yet. The minute I found out about the agreement between her father and my family, she lost all autonomy when it comes to making her decisions. “Keep telling yourself that.”
“So, you spend all your time in your pub conductingbusiness.That’s it?”
I shrug. “I head to the gym sometimes. There’s one close to the pub and one at home.”
“This house?” she questions in surprise.
“Of course, Evans. It’s in the basement. I’m surprised you haven’t been down there.”
“I’m not a fan of exercise,” she informs me.
“Honestly, that doesn’t surprise me. You’re lazy.”
Her eyes narrow. “I’m not lazy!”
“You literally do nothing except sit on your ass all day, scrolling on your phone. Then you pick up the occasional book.”
“I would have more of a social life but a certain misogynistic asshole is trying to restrict my movements!”
“I’m trying to keep you safe.”
“It’s not like you have much of a life, either. All you do is read, work, work out, and kill people! You’re in no position to judge me.”
“I didn’t judge you. I called you lazy.”
“Same thing!” she bursts out.
For some reason, I laugh. “Are we really sure we can make this work?”
“Either we do or one of us ends up in a body bag,” Daniella says under her breath.
I give her a look. “Stop talking about getting killed or killing anyone. I’d never let anyone hurt you. Least of all me.”
“But you’d marry me against my will?” she asks softly.
Her words give me pause. Is that really what this is? If she’s so opposed to the idea of marrying me, am I really ready to force her? It hits me that I could so easily release her. We haven’t been made any public appearances together, no one knows about the arrangement. It would be so easy to end it. But I would be dishonoring my father.
“Do you want me to end it?” I voice out my question.
She stares at me, not comprehending the question for several seconds. When she finally does, she lets out a tiny gasp of surprise. “You would do that?”
“I’m not sure. But, I don’t want to force you into a marriage, Daniella. If you say no, then… this is over.”
