Page 47 of Wretched Choices

“Don’t,” I growl at him and grab him by the neck. His eyes bulge out in fear. “That piece of ass is mine, and I suggest you never look at her again if you plan on walking from here with your sight and tongue intact. As a courtesy to my wife andbecause I need to take care of her, I will give you a chance to walk away and never come back. If you do, you will regret it.”

I push him and he stumbles as he runs away. I smirk. Pussy. I would have fun clawing his eyes out and cutting out his tongue.

Now, back to my wife. She is standing in front of the dance floor, searching like she’s on a mission. I take the stairs and walk down to where she is standing. I walk around the corner and behind her, nodding at Valentino so he can step aside.

I stand an inch behind her and wrap a hand around her waist, pulling her to my chest. Her scent fills my nostrils, and I close my eyes for a second, savoring it. Her body stills under my touch. I exhale and my lips find her ear. “You shouldn’t be here, Bella.”

Her body relaxes and shivers all at once.

She turns in my hands, trying to take a step back. I keep my grip on her waist. She leans in so she can speak over the music. “We need to talk, and since you’re avoiding me, I came to you.”

I nod and take her hand, leading her through the crowd toward my office.

I close the door behind us and lead my wife toward the red leather sofa. I used to spend plenty of time in this office with different people, doing all kinds of things. None of them fit so perfectly as she is right now, which irritates me even more. I put my hand in the pockets of my slacks just in case I get any crazy ideas and lean on the edge of the dark brown oak desk.

“What is so important that you came here?”

She crosses her long legs and turns slightly toward me. “Have you spoken to my father since our wedding day.” Her voice trembles slightly, reminding me I still need to find out why the mention of her father bothers her.

“I did. He isn’t convinced an alliance is good for him. He can’t reach Sabatini to get his side of the story, therefore he put the alliance on hold.” A chuckle escapes me, and I shake my head. “He wasn’t even concerned when I said you were shot at.”

She narrows her eyes at me. “Why would he be concerned? If you think you can manipulate him with my ‘safety’…” She makes a quotation sign with her fingers and rolls her eyes. “…Then all your plans are for nothing.”

“So, you don’t matter to him? Is that what you’re saying?”

“No, I do matter, but not like you think. I am a pawn. A very precious one. Like a queen on a chessboard.”

“But without a queen, he is vulnerable as a king. Why wouldn’t he care that you could have been shot?”

“Because he can’t control me. Someone else has his queen. You. Andhecan’t controlyou. He could control Sabatini, and in return, he would have his kingdom after he dies. But there is a catch.”

“What’s the catch?”

“He would only get his kingdom, and only as executor, until I provide him with a male heir.” She leans back in her seat, exhaling. “I wouldn’t say he doesn’t care for me. He does in his own way. If he can control me, use me as his pawn, then I’m a good daughter. But I’m not that now.”

“I see.”

My legs move on autopilot. I walk to my dartboard that hangs on a wooden wall. I take the darts and walk back. I need to think.

Some things never get old.

I throw the first dart. Treble. Second dart. Bull. Third dart. Another bull.

I don’t hear Isabel walking toward me until she is standing next to me. She reaches for the red darts and throws one. It hits the wooden wall, and then it falls to the floor.

“You need to throw harder,” I say, amused.

She takes the second one. This time it hits number one, just above the scoring area. On the third dart, she bites her lip, scrunches her left eye closed, and throws. I let out a chuckle when it hits the wall beside the board.

She turns toward me. “I’ve never played before. You made it look so easy.”

“I have years of practice.”

She narrows her eyes at me. “Is this where you’ve been for the last two weeks?”

“Mostly.” My mood changes immediately at the reminder of what I did that night. I take a step aside, trying to avoid her, but she stops me, blocking my way out.

“You don’t get to walk away this time,” she snaps. “You made this mess, and I gave you time to work things out. God only knows I need time too, but you don’t see me running away. I don’t know what happened to you that night. All I know is you need to work your shit out.”

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