𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐊𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒

𝟎𝟓 || 𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐑

My father cleared his throat before asking some of Dominic's interests. Whatever they were, I didn't care enough to listen. Instead, I zoned out from the conversation and fiddled with the gold ring on my finger.

I had absolutely no interest in the man that I would call my husband. I mean, obviously I was interested in him, but I was beyond mad at him. The whole situation baffled me to a point beyond comprehension.

"Violet." My father called my name. I lifted my chin up and removed my eyes from my fingers. His eyes darted towards a server who stood infront of our table. "May I interest anyone in some red Sangiovese wine?" She asked. Her brown hair was pushed back into a slick ponytail as she held the rather large bottle in her right hand.

Both my father and Antonio received a generous amount in their wine glass. "And for you, ma'am?" She asked, presenting the bottle in front of me. Oh, fuck me. I was hoping I looked too young for her to even ask. "Ah, she's too young." My father spoke for me.

I pressed my lips together in a thin line. I tried to refuse the urge to look over to Dominic, but I failed miserably. Our eyes met from across the table and I instantly felt shivers run down my spine. Just by the single glance, I could tell he was already amused. His jaw was clenched, yet his lips were curved slightly into a subtle smirk. He knew I was underage at the club, and he could call me out at anytime.

Why did this have to happen to me?

"My apologies." The waitress smiled and left the table silently. I bit my tongue to keep me from looking twice into Dominic's direction. "Oh, of course. When is your birthday, Violet?" Antonio questioned. I hated the sound of my name coming out of his mouth.

"In a month and a half, roughly." I said simply. The man nodded slowly while taking a sip of the red wine before him.

________

Between the time that my food had arrived and then, I had barely even touched it. The whole situation had made me lose my appetite, and I poked my food with silverware instead of eating it.

The conversations over dinner came in slow. They were mostly directed for either me or Dominic, though we never spoke to each other. My father had mentioned my future career to study in Law, and Antonio mentioned Dominic's plans to invest; it was mostly just talk of business, money, and career.

"Well, now since everyone seems to be.. finished with their food, I think it's time to discuss the marriage." Antonio suggested. The sound of my fork clinked against the plate as I set it down and clasped my hands together.

"For the sake of my son and his new position, this arrangement has been made to not only offer our family protection in our dangerous line of work, but to keep Dominic from having any distractions."

Dangerous line of work? What were they, hitmen? I took a sip of my water to keep myself from getting distracted. "This means, in your marriage, sexual relations between you two are strictly forbidden."

The water nearly came gushing from out of my mouth. I covered my mouth with my hand, concealing my shocked smile. I suppressed a small scoff, or maybe it was a laugh, I wasn't sure.

Antonio ignored the scene that I had caused and continued. "Once the two of you are legally married, Violet, you'll move into Dominic's place. From then on, the two of you can choose to ignore each other, as you're doing now, or you can get used to these circumstances."

"How does tomorrow sound?"

Tomorrow? How could I explain to Mae and Ryla everything that had happened with that small window of time?

An abrupt cellphone call interrupted my thoughts. The three of us glanced to Dominic, who's phone was in his hand. "I need to take this." He spoke, his voice deep and tired. The chair made a quiet squeak as he removed himself from the table and headed outside towards the back exit.

The table was silent, but the laughter from all of the other tables washed over. I began to eye my food. I didn't feel comfortable eating with strangers, and by my assumption, neither did Dominic. His food remained just as it was when he got it, not even touched. "I need some air." I excused myself, and without even thinking, I pushed my chair backwards and headed towards the exit.

I felt unstable in my heels after receiving all of that information. My steps weren't coordinated and my breathing was shaking. It was all getting too real. The metal felt cold on my hands as I pushed it open, the cold air flooding the room.

Sure, maybe I did need some air, but my only intention was to find Dominic. As I stepped outside, I looked to my right and saw Dominic's figure leaned against a wall. With a cigarette between his lips and a lighter in hand, he seemed to not notice anything around him.

I quickened my steps in a fury. Without a single thought in my mind, I clenched my fist and threw a hard punch, striking firmly in the jaw. 

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