Page 6 of Pretty Poison

The chatter in the room quietens as my mother and Katerina enter. They have that effect on a crowd, especially one full of men. Walking towards me, Mama’s face is stern, her eyes sharp as they stare into mine. “Dario Vitale, step up and see to her, would you? You two need to get acquainted. What better time than the present?” She says in one breath, her words carrying over to me like a punch to the gut. I’ve had very little time to adjust to this whole ordeal, and the last thing I want is to pretend I care. I’m not much of a habitual liar.

I turn to my father, glaring at him, hoping he’ll object, but he doesn’t. Instead, my mother pulls me aside and says, “Suck it up, son. You don’t have to like it, but you have to take it as another blow and be a man. You need this, not only for yourself, but your title too. If you want to keep it, that is.” She whacks the back of my head before returning to the group of people gathered around the dinner table as I venture off, taking my time as I make my way upstairs.

While I don’t like this, I know she’s right. I can’t sit around and brood over this arrangement. It will happen, whether I like it or not.

I wander the halls with the hope of stumbling into her. If the halls were silent, that would be my course of action, but her cries echo through the corridor. A soft smile pulls at my lips as her sobs guide me to my desired destination.

I pause outside her door for a few moments trying to find the words to say to her, but in reality, my choice of words doesn’t matter. As long as I say what needs to be said, my job is done.

I force my way through the locked door with my shoulder. The sound of her cries drowns out the sound of the flimsy metal lock falling to the floor. Any other time I’d relish in the whimpering sounds of helplessness, but these are different; they’re not the torturous cries I like to hear, these are the sounds of pure sadness.

“Anybody ever tell you, you’re an ugly crier?” My words startle her, and she whips her whole body around to face me. Her black dress is bunched up at her thighs and I, for some reason, can’t take my eyes off her. She’s an attractive woman, I’ll give her that, just not ‘wife’ material. Though, it doesn’t stop my mind from wandering what she’s hiding beneath that silk material.

“Anybody ever tell you, you’re an asshole?” She throws a pillow at me, missing her target.

“Always, little one, always.”

Her mouth twists in disgust, and I chuckle, making her shoot upright. “I’m not your wife,” she spits. “Just because we’re in this situation, does not mean I will become the obedient, stay-at-home wife you’re looking for.”

“The attitude is a nice touch, but everything you’re saying you won’t be, you most definitely will become in due time.” Her chest heaves as I take a few steps closer to her. “Now, listen closely,” I tell her, gripping her jaw and forcing her lips into a pout, holding her in place as her hands grab at my wrist. “I’ll only say this once, sí?” She says nothing as her nostrils flare and her eyes burn with pure rage. “This little arrangement is happening whether we like it or not. And you’ll be whichever form of wife I want, when I want.” Her eyes widen, her anger slowly fading into fear, and I hope this isn’t the last time she displays her emotions for me on a silver platter.

“Whatever you thought you would do or become is completely irrelevant now. The only thing you need to focus on is being my wife. Obedience and compliance are non-negotiable. You’re nothing more than a deal written on a piece of paper that binds us to one another. There’s nothing you can do to change any of this, including my beliefs and the actions I take. If you try, I’ll prove to you that I’m the worst of what you see in your nightmares and more.”

She doesn’t move as my eyes flick from her red-rimmed eyes to her plump lips. “Do you understand?” She remains silent. “Use your words, little one,” I growl as I loosen my hold on her face.

“Y-yes,” she stutters.

“Where's your spitfire attitude gone, Liana? Cat got your tongue?” I mock with a devious chuckle. I open my hand, freeing her face, and her head flinches backward.

I smile as I leave her in the eerie silence of her bedroom. A few moments later sobs take over again, and I hear them echoing downstairs as I return to the main hall.

She wants to portray herself as tough, but I can see through her little façade.

∞∞∞

“Did you have anything you wanted to add?” My father turns to me, ready to leave.

“Actually, yes,” I reply, a confused expression appearing on his face. “I have quite a few things I want to discuss. There are some things that need to be addressed.”

“I’m all ears,” Gabriel says, repositioning himself and swallowing harshly.

“This deal will happen on my terms, no one else’s,” I start, clasping my hands together. “After the little discussion I had with your daughter, I think it’s better for both parties if we move the wedding to sometime within the next two weeks.” Everyone shares a look of confusion before turning back to me, while Gabriel’s face turns the palest shade of white. “This ensures your complete focus on repaying us. Besides, your daughter could use a harsh reality check to keep her in line.”

“Now, for the terms of our contract, I’m willing to completely disregard the $4.5 million in interest you owe, and settle on the original amount.” Gabriel’s posture relaxes, allowing me tocontinue. “Whether or not you manage to pay back your debt in its entirety, your daughter is mine, Gabriel. Don’t take that as an excuse not to reimburse me, because it’ll only lead to negative consequences for you. Eventually, your daughter will bear my children and there’s nothing you can do about it.” All the unspoken words around the room bring a grin to my face and my mother shows a genuine smile.

Mama isn’t wicked or twisted, but she does like getting what she wants and I hope that my words will please her for a while.

“And if she’s unable to bear your heir?” Gabriel asks through gritted teeth.

“Then I have no use for her, do I?” I scoff. “If she can’t, the interest will be reinstated. It’s as simple as that.” Turning to Kat, I add, “Katerina, since the wedding isn’t for another week, would you take her to the clinic and get her checked? I want to know all the facts before we go ahead with this arrangement.” She nods her head with hesitation as she mutters something under her breath.

“Actually—” she speaks up, her voice oozing its regular disagreeing tone, “my schedule is booked, so you’ll have to find another errand girl.” She’s lucky she’s married to my brother; an attitude like that is what gets people killed.

“Next week then.” I shrug. “We haven’t agreed upon the wedding date yet, so we have a small margin of time to work with.” Raising an eyebrow, I continue, “I can find out your schedule, Kat.”

She scoffs, lifting herself from the chair. “Your brother is an asshole, Maze. I’ll be in the car.”

“If you don’t have anything to add…” Gabriel shakes his head. “Good, then it’s settled. I’ll have the new contract delivered toyou tomorrow.” Once my father says his goodbyes, we all leave in one big flock.

---