My father holds his arms outstretched, and I reluctantly go to him. He crushes me to his chest in a hug, pressing against my bruised back, and I bite my lip to keep from crying out in pain. Tears well in my eyes, and I gently sigh with relief when he finally lets me go.
My father stares into my eyes and wipes a stray tear away from my cheek. "I'll be back before you know it, Adeline," he tells me, obviously convinced I'm crying because I'm going to miss him.
I glance at Gio, who is giving me an empathetic look. I wonder if he knows… It wouldn't surprise me if my father bragged to him about my beating. My father loves to brag about all the horrible stuff he does to me to "put me in my place"…even when he thinks I'm not listening.
Giovanni steps forward. "Sal, would it be all right to take Adeline to dinner tonight?" he asks suddenly.
I hold my breath as I wait for the answer. My father will no doubt be angry about the request considering what just happened last night. I wait for him to make a decision, and he takes his time glancing from Gio to me and then back again.
"That's fine, but I'm sending Bruno and Dario with you. And don't even think about bringing her back here after her curfew this time, Giovanni," he warns.
Gio nods in compliance and then winks at me once my father's back is turned. I can't help but smile. He certainly has become the only light in my dark, lonely world as of late.
We watch my father and his men leave, and then it's just Giovanni, me and some other of my father's hired help milling about the mansion.
Gio gently places a hand on my shoulder. "Did your father hurt you last night?" he asks in a low voice so no one else can hear.
"Not any more than he usually does," I admit fretfully.
Giovanni winces at my words. Then he takes my hand and pulls me into the study, closing the door behind us. "Adeline," he starts, but then pauses, his eyes searching the floor as if he's trying to find what he wants to say. When his hazel eyes meet mine, he says, "I know I may have seemed…reluctant when your father first arranged this relationship between us."
Reluctant is a poor way of putting it. I remember when my father first tried selling him on the idea of marrying his youngest daughter, producing an heir and, consequently, taking over the family business. All three of us were in my father's study, and Giovanni had angrily slammed his fists on the desk, causing me to jump. He outright refused my father's proposal, saying he was too old for me and that he could never see me as anything more than a little girl.
Giovanni is twelve years older than me, but I never saw our age difference as being an issue once I turned eighteen. And now that I'm twenty-one, I think the disparity in our ages is insignificant.
Gio takes my hands in his, pulling me out of my reverie. "It's only because I watched you grow up. I just couldn't think of you like that. But now…now I've come to realize how beautiful you are inside and out. And I want you to know that I'll always protect you."
I stare up at him with adoration. He has no idea how much love I have for him already. I've had a crush on Giovanni ever since my father first took him under his wing. He's always been a handsome and powerful man, and his presence constantly took my breath away when he entered a room.
In fact, it still does.
"If anything ever happens to you, know that I'll find you. I'll always be with you…in here," Giovanni says with a very serious look before pressing his fingers against my chest right over my heart.
My heartbeat stutters under his touch, and he flashes me a breathtaking smile that has me practically melting to the floor.
"I have to go now, but I'll pick you up for dinner at seven," he tells me before placing a quick kiss on my cheek and leaving.
It takes me a few moments to gather my wits before I go upstairs to get ready for our date tonight.
CHAPTER 3
LUCIEN
WHILE THE ENCRYPTED email is running through a special decryption program, I think about what it might contain.
My interaction with this particular supplier has been a difficult but rewarding one. Even though he's always right under the deadline date, he manages to somehow pull through with exactly what I need.
He has supplied me with the last four girls that have been to my home. The first two were from a different supplier, who now seemed unable to fulfill my requests.
I give the handlers a specific set time to comply with my demand. If they fail, then they don't receive one red cent from me. But if they succeed…then they're paid handsomely for delivering exactly what I want.
An alert pops up on my large computer screen, notifying me to the fact that the email has been decrypted and is ready to read.
Taking a deep, steadying breath, I close my eyes for a moment before clicking open the message.
Big Bad Wolf,
I have what you want, but it's going to cost you. One-hundred percent pure, virgin, 5'4", around 125 pounds, beautiful with dark hair, as you requested.
