“It's not what you did. It's what your father did.” I said in a low tone. “He borrowed millions of dollars from us, which he has refused to pay back. And although we've confronted him, he chose to show us how much of a coward he is. He’s left me with no other choice, you see.”
“So what do you intend on doing with me?” She asked with a cracked tone that seemed as though she'd burst out in tears at any moment. “Will it please you to kill me for the crimes of my father, even though I'm innocent? Does it make sense to you that I'll be wrongfully punished for a crime I didn't commit?”
The way she looked at me while she stood in plea for her life was the very thing that charmed me. She possessed the aura I needed, and I knew in that moment that I couldn't let her be my hostage anymore. Her fierce nature proved to me that she could rule without breaking a sweat, unafraid of anything in the world, not even in my grand hall filled with all my most feared councilmen who awaited my order so they could inflict untold amounts of pain on her.
I sighed.
“Fair point,” I uttered in retort and turned to see the hopeful gaze of every one of my council members. I gave her a very long look, and I felt cold. Of course, she would be able to do every bit of my bidding. A woman with curves like an hourglass, and the beauty of a full moon. I knew I wanted her, yet I hid my intentions with silence.
“From this moment on, I declare that no finger be laid upon her. She'll be neither sold nor kept hostage. Instead, I'm going to marry her.”
Lyon looked at me with utter surprise. Dimitri, on the other hand, was more stunned than ever, and I could tellthis disturbed him because he walked towards me.
“This is far from the idea, boss,” he said. “Marrying the collateral only blurs the line. It's dangerous, and you're putting the entire Bratva family at risk.”
“This isn't just about debts and collateral, Dimitri. There's no better way to deal with Romano than to possess all that he already has. I'm always willing to take my chances, and this time, I'm taking possession of his daughter. It's just the beginning of the many things I intend to do.”
“I would rather die than marry you,” she grated.
I turned back to look at her, and our eyes clashed like before.
“Then you die as my wife.”
Silence ensued for a while, and it was clear as day that no one had a thing to say, not even my wife-to-be. The shock I once spotted on their faces turned to certainty.
“Take her to her room,” I ordered, and immediately, they walked her up the stairs.
Chapter Three
Emilia's POV.
Two brawny men led me up the staircase while I follow with heightened awareness. I couldn’t believe that anything that had happened was real, regardless of facing the fact that I was held hostage by Viktor Lobanov. Somehow, the security that patrolled the house made me feel not only concerned, but alsocurious as to who Viktor was. What could he possibly be doing that would earn him the trust of all these men who looked twice as big as he?
“Take it easy now, will you? You wouldn't want to get hurt before your big day,” said one of the guards as I tripped on the slippery marble floor.
We walked past a passage with the walls made of glass, right before we arrived at a wooden door.
None of this felt right. Definitely, Viktor could be a prominent figure somewhere. It's either that or something else I didn't know.
“This is your room,” the other guard declared.
I glanced around the room, which was a banquet hall, compared to my other room. The yellow incandescence was dim. The round chandelier above my head sparkled, and I sat down on the soft mattress. I wasn't shocked to feel the bed welcome my ass in a way that made me lie back, just before I heard the lock on the door.
I jerked forward, opening my eyes to my lonely room. “My goodness,” I sighed. “I'm fucked.”
All this was Dad's fault.
I suppose my mother was the best family I never really had.
But dad? Dad was distant. I recall once when I asked him to take me to the carnival.
“I'll take you to the carnival, my dear,” he had said. “But not today. I have a meeting with the members of the board so I can have a shot at getting reinstated as senator.”
That was always his excuse.
It was hard to eat dinner sometimes without him and mom exchanging words at the dining table.
“You have no right to tell me what place I need to be in,” Dad said. “As far as I remember, I was the one who took you outof your parents' house, married you, and committed to raising this family with you, so don't you dare tell me that I've become unreachable, god-dammit. If anyone's unreachable, it's you.”
