Chapter 9
Dmitri
My eyes followed Rocco’s hands and intercepted him before I could think of stopping myself. It was unlike me to interfere in family issues but with the little troublemaker about to get beaten right in front of me, I just couldn’t stay still.
“You can’t hit her while I’m here,” I reprimanded him with my Capo’s tone.
He clenched his jaw and snatched his wrist away from me. “This is family business, stay out of it,” He growled in anger and I understood the reason for his annoyance.
Butting into his business like that made him look weak, but I wouldn’t stand him hitting my fiancee, not while I was here.
“And she’s to be my wife. Need I remind you that we’d have been married if you didn’t let her slip away from your sight?”
He propped his arms against his waist and sighed in agreement, nodding his head. “Tell me, Dmitri, did you find her in a compromised position? Did that fucker lay his filthy hands on her?”
My blood boiled with anger at the thought of her sleeping with a stranger, worst still, a man. I could imagine the naughty things he planned to do to her.
No matter how long he denied it, he’d have tried to make a move on her and I didn’t believe that he accommodated her just because of whatever flimsy excuse she gave.
“I don’t care to know what he did and didn’t do, he’ll pay for it anyway,” I replied calmly.
Ariel clicked her tongue and shook her head. “No, Dmitri. You aren’t going to punish him for what he knows nothing about. It’s all my fault, blame me for it. I was the one who seduced him into allowing me to stay in his place,”
My fists clenched on their own and the urge to practice my torture skills on the man coursed through me.
“You shameless whore,” Rocco roared, “How dare you say such words so carelessly? When did you become this rotten?”
“You pushed me into it,” She spat back. “If you hadn’t decided to make my life a mess just because of some stupid alliance, I wouldn’t be throwing myself to any man I see,” She retorted sharply and this time I couldn’t prevent the punch that landed on her face.
She stumbled backward and held her broken lips that was already bleeding. Her eyes shimmered with tears that she struggled to keep from falling and immediately my heart swelled with pride.
Even though I couldn’t stand her, I still admired her boldness and strength. She was what I needed, a strong woman who could hold her own.
And then I realized that our marriage might be more interesting than I thought and my body turned cold instantly. I shoved the nerve-wracking thought aside and circled my arms around to steady her.
“Don’t touch me,” She shriveled from me.
I cleared my throat and moved closer to her father who was still fuming erratically. “We can settle this amicably, Rocco. You don’t have to be this angry at her,” I turned into a mediator even though I was hungry for blood.
Rocco stirred at me as if I’d developed two heads and returned to his seat. “The priest is on his way to wed the both of you. I don’t want to hear any stories this time,”
A loud gasp flew spurted from Ariel’s lips. “This is unbelievable, am I not getting married with two big cakes anymore? You didn’t even wish me a happy birthday,”
Her father snorted and propped his chin against his arm. “So that you can abscond again? Not in this lifetime. Your mother will clean you up and get you ready for the ceremony. Once we are done, you’ll leave with your husband immediately,”
“Are you still my father?” She mellowed, her voice showing how vulnerable she was.
The room fell silent after her question and I gauged his reaction. He pressed his lips and shut his eyes to hide the battle that was raging within him.
The same happened to me as I forced my mind to shut off the painful memories from the past that threatened to flood my mind. I didn’t want to have anything to do with them.
Rocco sighed deeply and entwined his fingers. “I’m still your father, Ariel. You just saw a different version of me,” He answered nonchalantly with a subtle hint of sadness.
I understood how he felt even though I wasn’t in his place, but this wasn’t the time to let our emotions run free.
“Alright, then. I’ll do what you want and get married but we have to strike a deal,” She gulped, her jaw set stubbornly.
I folded my arms while she trained an impassive gaze at me. “What do you want?”
“Freud has to stay alive. As I said earlier, I took advantage of his kindness and put him in trouble and if he knew who I was, he wouldn’t have agreed to accommodate me. Also, Guilia shouldn’t be punished for what I did, I convinced her to help me abscond. Let this marriage be my punishment, just let them go,”
“Granted,”
She flashed me a puzzled expression and nodded in gratitude. “Let’s go, mom,”
Her mother got up and regarded me with a glare for a moment then shut the door behind her. I ignored her and settled on the couch.
“I’m sorry for what happened,” Rocco apologized. “But you didn’t have to grant her wish. She should understand that she can’t get everything she wants,”
“I’m to be her husband soon, Rocco, isn’t your daughter’s happiness important? Besides, she was right about Freud. He doesn’t have to suffer for what he does not know about,”
His brows climbed his forehead in confusion. “Have you forgotten who we are? If you don’t set an example, then we are giving other men the liberty to make moves on our women. You shouldn’t allow him to return alive,”
I chuckled and leaned on the backrest. “And who said I planned on doing that?”