Fallen Ashes |✔️

Ruthless

Kicking and thrashing against my captor was the last thing I recalled as I felt myself being dragged into a vehicle somewhere in the grounds of the mansion.

I blinked furiously in an attempt to orient myself, vowing to murder whoever had the audacity to attack me outside my own property.

I felt the restraints on my hands as I turned to the driver- a mere servant for the man who had wanted me here now.

And somehow, all it took was one glance in the mirror to take notice of the real beast sitting in the back. To know that this man was Vero- my future husband.

Like hell he would be.

"Apologises for the slightly hostile measures." He grunted, his voice showing amusement rather than remorse.

"Let. Go. Of. Me." My every word was clipped as if I'd explode any moment.

With a single swift movement, he leaned forward to cut the fabric which bound my hands together.

"You are no prisoner. You see, tonight was when your father told you I would meet you. And you missed our meeting. I don't like to be kept waiting. Or to be stood up." I could feel my face turn red with rage as he clearly delighted in having me under his control.

I'd never met the heir to the mantle of his father the Belgian mafia lord before except for rumours of his ruthlessness- a brutality which aided the prominence of the Belgian mafia in becoming a recognised threat in the eyes of the other rivals.

It was clever of father to seize the opportunity to strengthen a future alliance, to recognise a potential threat before they came knocking at our door. But trading his daughter away like some worthless pawn- it was a mistake I'd ensure all of them realised sooner or later.

I couldn't prevent my thoughts drifting back to Ash- an equally dark twin to myself he seemed in many ways. Likely to pose as much of a threat as Vero.

But where Ash was delicately sculpted, a sharpened blade... Vero was a brute.

I could sense it even as we both sat in his evidently expensive sports car which he took no small amount of pride in. His build was significantly larger than mine I realised as he sprawled across the back seats, taking up all the space.

His arms could have been mini tree trunks as his powerfully huge corded muscles lay on display for me to observe with silent rage, wondering why I hadn't spat on his face and exited the vehicle yet.

As if he'd read my thoughts, he claimed "there's no way for you to escape our wedding."

"Like hell there isn't." I snapped back, gritting my teeth.

"Don't do anything stupid."

"I don't listen to the words of a piece of shit novice like you to tell me what to do." I turned to ensure he looked into my eyes set alight with rage.

"I wonder if you have the fiery in bed to match with your words." He chuckled, as if I were some docile woman he'd easily pacify into warming his bed.

"Its not my job to fuck an ape like you; I don't belong in a zoo."

"Your job is to be a good bitch and know when to stand down. You will belong to me, and strengthen our alliance if you know what's best for you." I felt myself cringe at the look of the glint in his dark eyes, the dark promise that lay behind them.

I hated his guts. His overly entitled behaviour. Being Venus Castellanos, everyone was an enemy. But who would work to my advantage and who I needed to pick fights with was up to me.

I'd seen the way he moved- Ash, not Vero. Whichever mafia he belonged to, he may know more about Vero and his father, even if he was an insufferable prick. After all, I supposed they had more to gain from this marriage than us. Perhaps digging any dirt on them, using anything as leverage against them would be enough to end this cursed engagement.

I still hadn't forgotten to begin looking for the piece of shit target my father had left me- The Prince of Scars. I wondered who might have a lead to bring me closer to finding this 'Prince'. The Italian mafia was a mutual enemy of ours and the Belgians and yet I didn't dare reveal my plans to Vero, to give any indication as to what I was trying to find.

"I almost forgot." Vero smirked with a look that almost sent me running as he pulled out an engagement ring.

I ignored his motion for me to slide the ring onto my finger as I made a move out of his maserati, spitting on his outstretched hand as I purred "May the best bitch win" and slammed the door in his face.

The faint sound of an enraged growl from inside the vehicle made me shudder, as I locked the door once I made it down the frigid halls of the mansion and to my room where I couldn't stop shaking.

And I knew it wasn't from the cold.