“Let’s get one thing straight,” he says, his voice cold now that we’re out of earshot of our families. “I’m not interested in small talk or pretending to care about who you are. You’re a tool, a means to an end for my family, and I’ll marry you because that’s what’s required of me. But I don’t have to like you. And I don’t give a damn if you like me. So, do us both a favor, Signorina Tanaka, and don’t speak to me. Hopefully, this farce will be over soon.”
His words are like a slap to the face, and that familiar ball of lead sinks into the pit of my stomach as I realize that the small glimmer of hope I’d felt about our marriage was nothing but a pipe dream.
This union is going to be the nightmare I always thought it would be.
2
LEO
The momentary crack in Sora Tanaka’s pristine veneer fills my veins with vindication.
She might be one of the most striking women I’ve ever laid eyes on, a picture-perfect bride, but that momentary glimpse of emotion told me everything I needed to know.
She doesn’t want this union any more than I do, and I intend to use that to my advantage.
Still, I’m impressed at how quickly she smooths her features back into a look of peaceful complacency.
Her full, glossy pink lips are the last to resume her impassive mask, pressing together in a dissatisfied pout for half a breath before they relax and she falls into silence—just like I asked.
She most certainly lives up to her reputation.
She’s rumored to be the crown jewel of Chicago, a woman of grace, poise, and beauty who has been molded since birth to be the perfect Yakuza wife—a woman coveted by all the powerfulmen who run the city’s underbelly along with a good number of politicians and business tycoons.
As a bride, she’s an invaluable asset to the Tanaka family.
In other words, just another mindless commodity to be sold in exchange for an alliance, which is what we’re supposed to be forming between my family and hers when we get married.
Not that I believe this contract has a chance in hell of achieving such a thing.
But my father refuses to see reason, even though I think he’s making a huge mistake to consider a ceasefire with the Tanaka-kai.
Too much bad blood has been spilled between us.
They have countless reasons to go back on their word.
And if we lower our defenses, that will give them an opportunity to stab us in the back when we least expect it.
In my eyes, this union will only set me up for failure when I’m supposed to be taking over my father’s legacy.
But who asked me?
No one.
I don’t even want to be Don.
Who in their right mind would choose to inherit a kingdom of sewers and rats?
But ‘no’ is not a word in my father’s vocabulary, and there’s no easy way out of this world that is my birthright.
It doesn’t matter if I’m Don Augusta’s oldest legitimate son.
He would kill me without hesitation if I tried to leave this life behind, so my only option is to inherit his empire.
That means I will grudgingly rule as he sees fit for as long as he lives.
Maybe Sora’s not the only mindless commodity in this negotiation.
Clenching my jaw, I shove the bitter thoughts to the back of my mind.
