Page 29 of Dark Mafia Heir

The pull between us is so intense that it is driving me insane.

Before I can catch my breath, his lips crash against mine, firm and demanding. The kiss is fierce, controlling, and yet… my traitorous body responds.

I hate him, but God help me. I want him, too. His hand slides to the small of my back, pulling me closer, and I feel myself melting into the kiss, even as my mind screams at me to stop.

This is what he wants. For me to surrender. To give in to him completely.

And damn it, part of me already has. But I can’t let him see it. I’d rather die than give him the pleasure of knowing how much he’s gotten to me.

“Congratulations on getting married,” a voice says behind me.

We quickly pull away from each other, and I spin around to find a woman who looks to be around her early sixties.

Regardless of the wrinkles and her pale skin, she’s stunning. It’s honestly not hard to know she was a beauty when she was younger.

I chew my lips and glance at Antonio. I don’t know this woman, and I’m struggling to muster a reply.

“This is my foster mother, Mariana,” Antonio says. He cups the small of my back. “She and Dante raised me after my family was murdered when I was seventeen.

I blink at Antonio, completely stunned. “Your family was what?”

He smiles and ignores my question. “I’m glad you ladies have met.”

I get the hint that he doesn’t want to discuss his family with me. I mean, I wouldn’t share details about my family with him either.

Still, I feel my chest squeeze with pity for him. I understand grief well enough since I lost my mama when I was just seventeen.

I can’t imagine how hard it must’ve been for him. God, I can’t even begin to think of all the anger and pain burning inside him.

Staring at him, I notice the way his smile doesn’t meet his eyes and how soulless and cold his dark brown eyes are. I wonder if that experience helped to shape him into the cold person he is now. It must’ve played a part, that I know.

“And me? Why am I being excluded from this special meeting?” another woman asks as she joins us. She’s beautiful, with dark hair and blue eyes that sparkle under the sunlight.

“No one excluded you, Ginny,” Antonio says. He shifts his attention to me. “Ginny, this is my wife, Vivienne. Vivienne, Ginny, Dario’s wife.”

Ginny’s smile grows wider as she steps forward and hugs me. “It’s so nice to meet you, Vivienne. You’re so beautiful.”

I don’t know whether to hug her back or not, considering this is not a happy wedding, and I really do not want to get attached to anyone in Antonio’s life. I don’t want to be rude, though, so I don’t pull away. “You’re beautiful too.”

She pulls back, her smile dropping, and she pouts. “I’m so sorry about all of this. I know you didn’t want to end up in this situation.”

I glare at Antonio, who winks at me. I hate the way his eyes crinkle and the way my stomach flutters to it. “At least someone understands me.”

“Of course. I’ll always come around, so you won’t be too bored. I bet living with Antonio won’t be all that fun,” Ginny says.

I want to tell her that I would rather she sneak me out of here and back to my own home, but I don’t. I can’t trust anyone here, no matter how bright and genuine their smiles appear. “That would be nice.”

I mean it. If I’m in hell, I’ll rather have company than be all on my own and depressed. Plus, I can form a friendship with Ginny and use it to my advantage.

A sigh by the side catches my attention. Mariana is staring at me like I’m an alien who just fell to Earth from another planet. I guess she’s trying to decipher me. She wants to read my thoughts and intentions for agreeing to this marriage so easily.

Unfortunately for her, I plan to completely fool everyone from now onward. I’m in the land of wolves waiting to rip me apart, and wearing fangs is the only way I can survive.

Smiling to their faces and conniving against their backs until I am out of here is something I must do.

But that look on Mariana’s face tells me she’s already solved me like a piece of puzzle. I shudder at the thought that she can read me better than anyone could read an open book. The feeling is unsettling, and one thing is certain; I do not like being around her.

Clearing my throat, I say, “I’d like to excuse myself. I’m hungry and exhausted.”

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