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After the events of last night, I had been locked in my room throughout the entire morning. I woke up with my pillowcase stained with mascara, and looking like a walking corpse. From there, I was forced to get ready for the ever so important dinner.
The air was unusually cold for an evening in late May. My body suddenly felt exposed as I stepped out of my father's black Bentley. I was wearing a simple black dress, a pair of black Louboutins, and an oversized leather jacket. The fabric against my skin felt icy, and I was abruptly aware of what I would have to face as soon as I walked into the restaurant before me.
My future husband.
The three words made me nauseous to even think about.
My father trailed behind as I briskly moved through the cold air. My footsteps stopped when his hand gripped my wrist. "Behave yourself, Violet. You have no idea how important this is." He reminded me. I rolled my eyes in response while biting the side of my cheek. As if I needed to be reminded of what he would do if I blew this. "And for God's sake, take off that jacket." I immediately pulled my wrist from out of his grip without another word.
After opening the rather heavy and extravagant door, I stepped in, instantly relieved as the warm air surrounded me. The smell of tomato sauce and spices filled the room, and the sound of clinking glasses and lively conversation created a continually atmosphere. After not having the slightest clue of what I was doing as I stood in front of a 'Please Wait To Seated' sign, I turned around to look at my dad.
"This way." He spoke impatiently with an unimpressed expression played across his face. Was it the jacket? Because I wasn't taking it off.
Swiftly, he guided us through the Italian restaurant. I was amazed, to say the slightest. Painted artwork and delicate architecture filled the area from head to toe. Most seats were rounded with rustic orange sofas around them. There was limited greenery, but the dim lighting and the soft music tied everything together.
Our footsteps made their way towards a table that was hidden away at the back left corner of the room. There sat two men; one wearing a black tailored suit, the other in a white button up. Their hair was black, and they both had somewhat of the same muscular build, just one was obviously younger than the other.
My heart began to pound in my chest as we neared. It wasn't too late to run away, was it? The younger man's features became more noticeable, thought I couldn't make out his face. His elbow was propped up against the table, the palm of his hand resting against his forehead as he waited.
Then suddenly my father and I stood in front of their table within a blink of an eye. "Good to see you, Antonio." My father said nervously. He was the one who was nervous. The man- Antonio stood up from his chair and extended a hand to my father, who shook it with a firm grip.
I would be lying if I said that Antonio didn't scare me a little. From out of the corner of his suit, I could see many scars that peaked from out of the collar out of his shirt. I could only wonder how he managed to get them. Though, he looked somewhat familiar, I just couldn't shake it. "You must be Violet." The man's hand reached out to me. Unsure of what to do, I slipped out a hand from my crossed arms and shook it.
His hands felt cold and tough, not warm and inviting. I don't know why that unsettled me, but it did. I was so focused on trying to find out where I knew Antonio from that I hadn't even noticed his son, who's arm had no longer blocked his face. "And this is my son, Dominic."
My pulse disappeared for a split second as Angelo—Dominic looked up, his expression full of annoyance and boredom. With my jaw on the floor, I saw his eyes glimmer with familiarity. His deep blue and unforgettable eyes still held the same empty gaze as they did last night at the club, in the car. Complete disbelief and revelation began to course through my body.
I didn't know how to react.
The man stood up from his seat, extending his hand to me, pretending we didn't even know each other. I paused, momentarily frozen before taking his hand into my own, as if his hands weren't all over me and fingers deep inside of me the other night.
Angelo's eyes pierced through me, looking at me up and down, eye fucking me me.
I think we shook hands a little too long, because Antonio had to clear his throat in order for us to stop looking at each other. I bit my bottom lip as I turned my attention back to his father, who had something of an unimpressed smile on his lips. "You've met before?"
I glanced at the man in front of me. "We've talked." I was even more disturbed than before. Not only did I have to marry a man that I barely knew, but he was also the man that fucked me merciless in his car. Fuck my life.
"We've done a lot more than talk." Dominic said quietly, I shot him a glare.
I gave my father a worried expression. "He just drove me home once, that's all." He nodded and I took a seat by the table on the left of my father. Dominic was directly across from him.
I didn't know what to call him anymore; Dominic or Angelo? I figured I'd just call him Dominic since he fucking lied to my face.
I wouldn't even dare to look at either of them. The seats were cushioned with a plush material, and I was instantly relieved to get off of my feet. "You look much different than the last time I saw you." Antonio mentioned.
The last time he saw me? What the fuck did that mean? "I hadn't noticed." I muttered under my breath, yet my voice was still audible to all of the men at the table. My father let out a nervous chuckle. "I apologize for my daughter, she has something of an.. attitude problem."
"You have a perception problem." I countered. I had had enough from my father and his stupid apologies. If I were to apologize for every snarky remark he'd made, he would've cut out my tongue by now. Antonio's dark brows raised before he brushed off his hands on his suit.
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.
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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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