A grandma in the crowd faints from all the violence. Some people still try to escape, so I flick my fingers at my guards and say, “Close the doors. I want everyone to remain in this room and watch.” I nod at Franco. “And take care of that old lady over there.”
He immediately runs over to the woman to take her pulse, while I focus on Lucio’s demise.
Only one thing will truly hurt him right where I want him to feel it…
“You want to keep your balls, your fingers, your face?” I tighten my grip on the girl. “Then I will takeherinstead.”
She gasps. “Wait, what? No.”
I ignore her. “Franco, chair.”
Franco immediately grabs a chair from the audience and scoots it underneath Lucio’s ass so he’s forced to sit down. Isnatch the box with the rings from his filthy hands.
“You wanted a spectacle, you’ll get one. You don’t get to ruin my life because I will destroy yours instead. I will take the one thing you never wanted to give, and you will watch while I make your fiancéemywife.”
STELLA
I can’t believethis is happening. I’m getting married to an actual Mafia don?
My eyes widen as I find my mother in the crowd, passed out from shock. One of Matteo’s guards hovers over her to check her well-being. All I want to do is run over to her and see if she’s okay, but I’m too stunned to even speak as Matteo grabs both my hands and directs me toward the altar.
Lucio looks just as shocked as I am, while Matteo’s guard holds him in place with a gun pointed at his head.
“Pastor, continue where you left off,” Matteo tells the man, who shivers in a corner. The man swallows and slowly steps forward, clutching his Bible in his hand. I softly shake my head, but no one sees. No one’s looking at me. All eyes are on Matteo, while his eyes are solely fixated on me, and itfeels as though I’m drowning in them.
Is this really happening right now?
“What’s your name, sir?” the pastor asks.
“You can’t be for real,” Lucio says.
But Matteo’s guard pushes the gun further into his head. “Shut the fuck up.”
“Matteo De Silva,” Matteo says while looking straight at me. “That’s my name. Better get used to it because now it’ll become yours too.”
My breath falters.
Oh God.
This is all my doing.
I should’ve never taken the tracker with me.
“Matteo De Silva, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
Not one second does he flinch. “I do.”
My heart palpitates in my throat, and even though I try my best, I can’t take my eyes off him. He even has a proper suit on, as if he were ready for this exact occasion. Ready for the chance to steal me away from Lucio.
“And do you, Stella Runner, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
Matteo’s eyes narrow at the sound of my name, as if to warn me not to deny him what he’s owed, but I’ve done nothing to deserve this.
Lucio thrust me into this mess, and now I have to solve his problems for him?
“I … I …” My eyes find Lucio, who sits behind Matteo while he grinds his teeth and shakes his head, threatening me notto say the words. He won’t let this go, I’m sure of it.
Both of these men see me as a prize to win, but only one of them has shown me he’s willing to exert violence to get his way.
