Bête noire

Part 4

It was finally time for me to be betrothed.

The Buonarroti's send a dress and jewelry for me to wear. From this day, everything I do, wear, own, will be theirs. Antares Buonarroti will own my life.

I wore a beautiful long red dress , it reached my feet. It had a sweetheart neckline, and the train flowed elegantly across the floor.

I loved the way the dress looked against my skin, I loved how my hair fell perfectly over my shoulders. I hated how Antares would stare at my body when I walked by him. The way he kissed me, I could still feel his lips, the taste of his tongue, the feeling of his strong hands on my waist.

"Oh, Sierra" Mother said, staring lovingly at me in the mirror.

"What? You think I look good?" I said bitterly, "A perfect goat ready for slaughter".

"You're perfect, my child"

she said, grabbing me in her arms "you're absolutely perfect, I couldn't be happier."

As much as I appreciated her words, they did nothing to calm down my nerves.

The engagement ceremony was being held in a large hall owned by the Buonarrotis. It was a beautiful sunny day , perfect weather for such an event.

The guests began arriving, everyone wearing a different color scheme. I spotted some men dressed in white and some women in light colors. The only ones who appeared normal were my fathers friends.

Father took my arm and led me inside. I could feel the piercing gaze of all the girls who wanted to be Mrs. Buonarroti. All the young men who wanted to dance with me that night hiding their disappointment. And in the centre of the hall, was Antares, looking sharp and handsome, his aura confident and frightening. He eyed me from head to toe, as I neared him. Taking my hand, he kissed my knuckles. No matter how much he tried not to, he could never hide the lust in his eyes.

His gaze made me shiver. I wanted nothing more than to rip his eyes out, and throw them against the wall. But I couldn't do that. Not to him, not anymore.

"Oh, baby! You look absolutely beautiful!" he whispered in my ears, leaning close to me, his breath tickling the skin on my neck.  His eyes met mine.

I felt the blood boiling inside me, I wanted to hurt him so badly. I wanted him to suffer. The hatred I had for him, well, I had no idea how to control it. If he dared to touch me again, I swear I'd kill him. But I couldn't, he had all his rights on me. He took hold of my waist, and pulled me closer.  His eyes were full of desire, of something else I couldn't recognize.

"Why did you agree to this marriage, Sierra?"

"I wanted to spend eternity with you, I wanted to be with you" I replied coldly and sarcastically.

"I gave you a free choice" he smirked.

"And I chose you" I told him, raising an eyebrow. His hand moved down and he grabbed my butt, squeezing

"Are you ready to be Mrs. Buonarroti?" he smirked.

"Ready as I'll ever be" I answered, trying to ignore the burning sensation his grip was causing me to feel.

He laughed at my response, taking me further into the hall to stand at the very centre, where his mother and my parents waited, to initiate the ceremony.

My mother handed me the ring and I slid it down his finger without any emotion. The ring was simple, made of gold, not worth of his personality, but this is what we could afford.

He took a box out of his pocket and opened it. My heart skipped a beat, in the box lay, the most beautiful ring that could ever exist. Made of platinum, it had the largest diamond in the centre. He took it out carefully and slid it down my finger, then raised my hand and kissed my wrist, even licked it . His actions were so disgusting that I couldn't help but let out a growl.