Prenuptial.
The sheet of paper shakes in my hand. “What is this, Dante?”
He flattens his palms on the desk, putting us on eye level. “It’s a long contract that’ll take quite a bit of time to read, so I’ll spare you the effort and give you the short and sweet version.”
I stop breathing as I look into his amber gaze which, for once, is heated instead of cold.
His voice, however, is toneless, giving nothing away. “You’ll give me control of your shares in Teszner Agglomerate. In order to do so, you’ll marry me.”
“M-marry you?” My mouth goes dry. “You never said anything about marriage.”
He fixes me with that unnerving stare that makes me feel as if he can see right into my soul. “Isn’t that where we were always headed?”
It feels as if my lungs collapse in on themselves. I can’t breathe. Yes, there was a time I wanted to marry Dante. Like having his children, it was all I wanted. I begged for that on my knees, and I paid the price.
Now? There can’t be a worse fate. Dante betrayed me in the cruelest way. I don’t want to tie myself to him with a sacred promise that, in our lives, is irrevocable.
Forever.
The wives of made men don’t get to divorce, not even if their husbands don’t love them.
My voice scrapes in my throat as I force out a single word. “No.”
Never.
I try to push back my chair, but Dante prevents me with a hand on my shoulder.
His order carries a silent threat. “You will sign that prenuptial agreement, Tatiana.”
The weight on my shoulder where he’s pinning me in place feels too much like that scene I’d witnessed in my mother’s walk-in closet. It scares me.
I look around the table for help, but the men only shift their weight. Reino appears mildly uncomfortable. The grey-haired man, who I presume to be Dante’s lawyer, is too busy shuffling the papers in front of him to pay me any notice.
Helpless tears burn at the back of my eyes. “Why do I have to marry you? Why can’t I just sign over the shares?”
“The shares can only be transmitted to family.” His lips twist into a smile. “Your father was clever enough to include the clause in the company bylaws.”
Of course. That sounds like my father. He would’ve made sure the shares could only go to Joni Stein if Joni married me, thereby creating the blood alliance my father needed so badly to strengthen his weakening empire.
I think I’m going to be sick.
Not batting an eyelash, Dante continues. “And I’m giving Noah my surname. My son will not grow up as a bastard, let alone with a false name.”
“Dante, please.” My lips tremble. “Don’t do this.”
He takes the pen and puts it in my hand before closing my fingers a little too firmly around it. “Sign the contract, Tatiana. You know what’s at stake.”
“Leander—” I start, but Dante cuts me short.
“Your brother won’t lay a finger on you. I’ll make sure of that. No one touches what belongs to me.”
Which confirms that I’m simply another one of Dante’s possessions, another piece he considers valuable enough to add to his collection.
Yet the document in front of me is too thick to just deal with the matter of my shares. Disregarding the men, I try to focus and take my time to read it. I may not be familiar with all the legal terms, but I know enough to understand that I’ll not only be signing over my shares but also everything I inherited from my parents, including the furniture and valuables in the condo that Dante already acquired when Leander squandered everything.
Dante is making sure I can’t claim anything he bought at the auction. He probably wants to rub Leander’s face in the fact that all my parents’ wealth now belongs to him. It’s part of his revenge plan.
Most alarmingly, the contract states that should I ever leave Dante, he’ll retain full custody of Noah. As long as we remain married and live in the same house, we’ll both have full parental rights.
