"You can't stop me, you know that"
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LORENZO MARCELIO
My hand fisted the door knob to Gianna's room before I twisted it and opened the door. The bed was messy and unmade with Sofia's sleeping figure in on one side. I come to find out that the girl is just as strong-minded as her mother and as fearless as her father. It makes sense given the people she's grown up around, but it doesn't make my job easier in trying to make Gianna my wife and gaining power.
The light under the bathroom door illuminated the ground in front of it, the sound of moving water indicated that Gianna must be in the bath. So, I walked over to the door and pushed it open. There she was, Gianna was in the bathtub, bubbled covering her naked body, and her hair pulled into a messy bun. Her brown eyes met mine yet didn't seem bothered by the intrusion.
I walked over to the side of the sub, sitting down on the small white box chair next to the tub. "Are you here to ask for my hand in marriage... again?" Gianna asked, rolling her eyes. I hated that she sought me out as the bad guy when in reality I'm just trying to help us both. With this marriage, I will gain power over the Rostov family's mafia, the Rose Cartel, and the deadliest assassin in the world. I could protect her and Sofia, once Rowan was dead of course. And my mafia-the New York mafia would become more powerful with her by my side.
"I hate that you see me as the villain," I said as my fingertips traced her wet collarbone. "You don't seem to understand the things I could give you and the power we would both have if you took my offer." Gianna didn't seem affected by my touch like she used to be, instead, her eyes narrowed before her hand shot up to grip my wrist. "Gianna, I am only asking that you consider it, I-fuck-I need this marriage to happen whether you like it or not. I don't want to take things to the level they are going but if I must, it will happen and you won't like the end results."
"Maybe I would have given you a chance if your reputation with other mafias were better, maybe I would have given you a chance if you didn't probably kidnap Rowan or kidnap me and my daughter along with Dante and Declan. You would think that mafia men teach their sons how to be patient and accepting of refusal but I'm guessing that was never a lesson for you."
Gianna leaned on the lip of the tub, our faces inches apart.
"There are only so many things that will ever get me to accept a marriage with you and your begging isn't one of them. Even if I married you, I would make your life a living hell if it's the last thing I do. My mother ran from my father for a reason and never got the opportunity to kill him. I may end up following in her footsteps but the only difference will be that I actually killed you, whether I live or die in the end." My vision almost blurred with red, the urge to just push her underwater became very tempting right now. "Get. The fuck. Out," Gianna gritted slowly.
I had no more words for her, she had finally gotten on my last nerve and now all I wanted to do was hurt something-or someone. Once I was out of her room, I headed down to the basement to where my prisoners were being held. I opened the cell door, slamming it shut once I was inside. Rowan, Dante, and Declan all jolted away.
Rowan somehow pulled off a dead eye, it pissed me off how he endured my torture and continued to laugh in my face. "Good news, Gianna will be marrying me soon and your girls will finally be mine," I smirked. Maybe it was a bad idea trying to provoke him, but to hell, if I cared. I was angry and looking for some sort of control. A deadly assassin was chained on my walls, it would take a lot to break those chains so why not fuck with him a bit.
"She wouldn't, we all know she favors my dick better than you're considering it was my name she screams while it was your dick inside of her," Rowan chuckled darkly. Dante and Declan snicked behind me; my nails dug into my palms almost drawing blood.
"After our wedding, it'll be my name she's screaming while I fuck her for the rest of our lives as we grow old. Sofia will soon see me as her father and forget all about you. They both will. And when Gianna gives birth to my son, I'll let him be the last thing you see before I cover my hands with your blood," I gritted out in anger. Something in Rowan's eyes darkened yet his breathing was slowed and calculated. It was like something switched inside of him like he was no longer humane anymore.
I scoffed turning around to leave the cell, just simply done with all of them. But I froze when the sound of heavy chains clicked onto the stone ground. I turned around quickly to see the thick chains on the wall were ripped from it and hanging off Rowan's fisted hands. "Oh fuck," Declan muttered. That was the last thing I heard before Rowan threw a hard punch to my jaw. Everything became dizzy from the impact before I collided with the stone ground.
I attempted to fight back, but Rowan was stronger. Straddling my hips, he held the collar of my dress shirt as his fists slammed down on my face over and over again. My consciousness went in and out, the punches sent me into a deeper haze. Blood covered his fists and face, my bones and muscles in my face screamed and ached as the wet feeling of blood slid across it.
Suddenly, my men barged in but that didn't stop Rowan. My body had fallen limp and my vision blurry. Rowan eventually fell limp to my side; they must have injected him with something to knock him out. My breathing was slow, all things became black as my body faded into dark oblivion.
❦
It's been a week since Rowan beat the shit out of me. They put him down like an untamed dog and I avoided contact with him ever since. I kept away from Gianna and Sofia so they wouldn't see the bad aftermath of what their loved one did to me. But now the swelling in my face finally went down and was only covered in dark bruises.
I had my maids prepare Sofia for dinner. I had a plan to convince her mother to marry me as I was getting sick of constantly asking and being refused. Raphael sat to my left as we settled at the large dinner table. He had been very depressed for a while now; I'm guessing it has something to do with Mila.
"What's up with you?" I asked.
Raphael shrugged, downing his entire glass of wine. "Mila hates me now and ran off to God knows where, I have a feeling she might be with Leonid Rostov, as they have been getting close ever since Gianna left." I've heard from other mafia men about Leonid's newfound obsession with Mila. He is a man of many tricks and games, a man who no one dares to cross for a reason. They almost fear him as much as they fear the current leader of the entire Russian mafia, Octavia Russo but nothing compares to how everyone fears her son, Kaiden Russo.
"Looks like we are both having trouble with getting what we want."
Raphael scoffed. "Says the guy who literally kidnapped the woman he's obsessed with along with her child." He was never fond of my way and definitely wasn't supportive of my current actions. But I couldn't give a fuck either way. I want what I want.
He looked like he wanted to say more but we quickly turned our attention to the door when Sofia walked in with a maid. Her dark hair was half up with a couple of strands in the front, she wore a red dress with her bunny held tightly in one arm. Sofia's eyes narrowed in on me with a mean glare as she walked over to the available seat next to me. Once she plopped down in the chair, she huffed and crossed her arms glaring at her food.
"Sofia, why don't you eat?" I urged.
"I'd rather starve," she gritted.
The little fucker was just like her parents and it was really pissing me off. If she didn't want to play nice then I was just going to get to the point.
"Look, I need you to do me a favor," I began. "I need you to convince your mother to marry me, it will protect both of you and we would all have so much power. Plus, you'll be the princess of the New York Mafia, and we could all be at peace and happy." Sofia gave me a dry stare before she lifted up, standing on the chair with her hands on her hips.
"The only person my mom is going to marry is my dad. I don't want your protection or your power and I could care less about being a princess because all I want is my daddy, Uncle D, Uncle Declan, and my mommy to all be safe and away from you." I stood at the moment she finished her rant, but before I could speak again, she leaned toward me a little with a grin. "And I hope those bruises my daddy gave you hurt."
"You little shi-" Before I could finish that sentence, Sofia grabbed her plate and flung it at my face. Food smeared all over my face and suit, and just as I thought she was done, she grabbed my glass of wine and chucked it at me before storming out of the kitchen.
"I hate you!" Sofia yelled through the house.
My eyes met Raphael who held back the urge to burst out laughing. Fists clenched, breathing rapid, I slammed my hands on the table with a loud grunt before storming out of the dining room and toward my office. My men gave me a confused look, eyeing the mess all over me.
"Gather Dante and Declan in my goddamn office!" They quickly left to do exactly that as I cleaned up. I warned Gianna, I gave her the option of the easy way or the hard way. She chose the hard way, and that's exactly what I'll give her.
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