Rebound // Alfie Solomons

68. Your Heart

Drama Queen // Otto Hightower out now!

"You see ms cora is your heart and thats what im taking from you." Luca told tommy. Tommy grit his teeth, did this man really think that Cora would agree to this? She wouldn't.

The contract was precise. Luca Changretta's legal representative was well knowledged in the law. Cora read it over slowly, she must have read it five times. They acknowledged the Property Act passed down by the parliament some forty years past with regard to married women, enabling wives to own and control their own property independently of their husband. She would not be a prisoner, this was a good start. Yet... the more she read and reread this was sounding more like a prison than a marriage. But looking at Luca, meeting his niece she hoped that this was for show, to torment Tommy because she was not about to be someone's property.

The marriage would be held according to Italian customs, and according to Italian customs, Cora tapped a finger on that part. 

"I'm not converting to whatever Italian breed of crazy you are." Cora warned. "And no to the customs. Unless it means endless pasta and garlic bread." she added with a cheeky grin. 

"It is more the... union than the party afterwards." Luca corrected. 

"I need details of that." Cora countered. "And again, I like bread."  Cora watched Luca snap his fingers and one of his men headed out. "If he's going to get me fresh bread I might marry him on the spot." She teased.  A smile curved Luca's face. 

Luca's gaze though was more demanding, reminding them that he was indeed in charge. He was the boss here. If he got what he wanted then everything would be fine. 

"You sent your fucking Gypsies after me the other day," Luca reminded them suddenly.  "Killed two of my men. Two."

"I'm not a gypsy." Cora reminded him. "Dont have that sixth sense. I really wish I could stop being associated with you, Tom, yet here I am doing this for you." Cora huffed out. 

"I want signatures from both Thomas Shelby saying he will not retaliate and from Ms Cora..." Luca stopped himself. "What is your last name, before it is changed to Changretta?" Luca pondered. 

"Sheridan." Cora whispered. "Then Cora Shelby... then just Cora..." her gaze lifted up to him. 

"Cora Changretta has a nice ring to it, dont you think?" Luca purred. 

"Not the worst." Cora agreed softly. Tommy stared at the document, he was hurting Cora again and again. He loved her yet he couldnt love, couldnt love her right and now she was in trouble because she had always been a good person and he was awful. 

"Fucking sign it." Luca demanded and cora let out a long breath.

Tommy's hand was steady on the pen.

Polly knew better, she saw beneath the steady hand, beneath Tommys cold, dark gaze, the imperceptible tremor of the bone that made him never want to agree to such a thing.

First Grace was killed by a changretta named Angel of all people and although Polly wasn't a fan of Grace, she adored Cora. Cora was family. She didn't want Cora getting stuck in the crossfire. Yet Cora willingly came here. Willing did this to protect them from Tommy's stupidity. They would never be able to repay her for giving up her own happiness to be a bargaining chip, an eternal chip in the game of life. 

Cora signed her name on the line swirling around the tip of the A, not wanting to finish, wanting to say no, no, I dont want this. I want Alfie but then she thought about Finn, about Ada and little Karl, she thought about Charles. She capped her pen and put it down. She didnt look at Tommy, she couldnt, but she looked to Luca. 

Luca looked over the signatures before handing the contract over to one of his men. The papers slipped inside a leather briefcase, stored away and protected. Cora heard the latch click and it was like a bomb, tick, tick, waiting for her life to explode. She looked Luca over again, he was handsome and if she werent in love with Alfie maybe she would have agreed to this, a union, if he took her out and kept being charming, he wasnt charming right now. 

 After a long deadening moment Luca rose from his seat and came around to Cora, he knelt next to her. He held out two rings and Cora stared back at them glittering in his palm. 

"I'll hold on to this until our matrimony," he told her. "Keep to tradition." Luca assured as he pocketed the rings. "Happy doing business with you, Tommy." Luca looked back to Cora and reached out kissing her hand. "See you soon Cora." her name a purr on his lips. 

They went their separate ways. Miraculously, no blood was spilled but Cora felt her heart being ripped from her chest.