Page 9 of Dangerous Deception

“I’m not stalling, I’m musing behind the hidden reasons I’m about to marry this woman. And also wondering why some fucker is pretending to be the landlord of the buildings we claimed from the Amantes and milking me for money.”

“Probably some idiot who doesn’t know who he’s dealing with.” Vito stops in front of me and places his hands on my shoulders. “Enoughstalling. You asked for this.”

“I did.”

Vito squints at me, and I avoid his gaze, tweaking my tie slightly. “Are you nervous?” he asks.

“No.”

“You are, I can tell.”

“Fuck off, I’m not nervous. I’m just…” I can’t place my finger on it. While I never expected Pascal to agree to these terms, it’s strange to me that this is happening. Adelina didn’t try to run and Pascal didn’t try to negotiate terms like divorce after five years. He just said yes. That was it.

It’s strange.

“Whatever.” I shrug the uncomfortable feeling away and straighten my posture. “Let’s go and get fucking married.”

The hotel is decorated exactlyas I expected from the hotel brochure with only one exception. Since I had no time to spend with Adelina to learn what she likes and was under no illusionsthat this was anything other than a business transaction, I simply selected a package when I booked the place and ran with it.

The only request I made was to ensure the flowers matched the gorgeous copper red of her hair. Standing at the altar, they did exactly that. Each chair, filled with guards from my family and a handful from hers, is draped in white fabric with orange roses holding the silk ribbons closed along the backs. The aisle is covered in orange and red rose petals, and each large planter that sits in the gaps between the floor-to-ceiling windows is filled with orange, brown, and red flowers. The scent in the air is amazing. Sun pours in through the lace curtains, creating a golden hue in the room, which brings an unexpected warmth.

Maybe too much warmth.

Heat beads underneath my collar, but I refuse to adjust it, knowing every pair of eyes in this room is locked on me, watching and waiting. I’m about to marry a woman I have never met, but she currently holds immense power over me. One decision could leave me standing here, alone, while she vanishes into the wind.

That kind of embarrassment will not be lived down.

I debate leaving. If I’m the one to leave her at the altar, then I can come up with some crazy excuse and have us married at the registrar’s office a few hours later. Maybe I should have done that instead, a smaller wedding with a handful of people to watch us sign on the dotted line. That would have been my preference.

Over the years, however, I’ve learned that my position of power comes with certain unusual expectations. If I were to get married in secret, people would talk, and that kind of talk is the seed of distrust. To some degree, it has to be a spectacle. It shows people that I’m confident in my people to keep me safe while showing off the woman I deem good enough to be by myside. The showy side of things has never been to my taste, but if it’s the price I have to pay for getting this far in this life, I’ll get through it.

Vito stands next to me, ready to throw his life on the line should it come to it. If anything, he looks more nervous than I do and when our eyes meet, he flashes me a quick smile.

“Imagine she doesn’t turn up,” I murmur in a low voice.

“Don’t fucking jinx it,” Vito hisses back. “We don’t need that kind of bad press.”

“Bad press?” I snort. “What are we, celebrities?”

“You know what I mean. Something like this makes people look at you differently. It’s the difference between someone agreeing to a deal or pushing back because they think you’re weak.”

“It’s just marriage.”

“It’s commitment.” Vito sighs. “It’s power. It’s responsibility, and it opens you up to the most powerful thing everyone looks for.”

“Which is?”

“An heir, dummy. You’re powerful now, and having an heir implies you mean to stay that way.”

Shit.

In all the commotion, I hadn’t given much thought to what would happen after Adelina and I marry. I presume she’ll hate me, given that everyone else does, but if she comes from a family following traditions such as arranged marriages and more, will she do her duty there and lie in bed with me?

This new information worms around my mind and serves as a good distraction for the next few minutes as we wait for the arrival of my bride.

Then, the subtle music filling the air swells and the traditional wedding march suddenly belts out from the speakers.The double doors at the far end of the aisle swing open and in walks my bride.

Adelina’s face is hidden by a long white veil draped over it. Her modest but beautiful dress has lace sleeves that wrap down to her hands, a silky ivory bodice that hugs her natural curves, and a large puff skirt that kisses the ground with each slow step she takes. The ivory against the vibrant, deep red of her hair makes my heart skip a beat.

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