Page 6 of Corrupt Desires

“Well, that was my initial thought too, but when you think about it, it kind of makes sense. They demand her hand in marriage and they not only have Romani territory, but they then have the Bonetti territory. They know she’s the heir to the Bonettis, and you know her pops isn’t going to be around much longer. Her mom won’t be far behind him, or they’ll put a hit out on her. But either way, Emilia will take over the business.”

“FUCK!” Rage has me almost throwing my glass of liquor at the wall, but I refrain, just barely. It’ll be over my dead body that Emilia is forced to marry that prick.

“I gotta go, Kayden… I have to make a few calls.” I set my untouched drink down and shake hands with Kayden. “Wish I could have stuck around a bit longer…”

“Nah, I get it, Brother. You gotta take care of things.”

After navigating through the throngs of bodies, I head out of the club, waiting impatiently for valet to bring my car around. Once my car arrives, I make a call to Francesca.

Time to call in a favor. Maybe my busy week was worth it after all.

Five

Emilia

“Emilia, darling, would you please just listen to reason?!” my mother pleads. I want no part in what she is throwing out there as a solution.

“It is absurd,” I reply. “Completelyloco. I will not marry James, Mother.” (Crazy)

“Emilia, please, this is the only way to prevent handing you over to the Romanis. Can’t you see? This will solve the problem.”

Her eyes track me as I pace in front of her. I can’t believe James would dare ask to use a favor for my hand in marriage. The man is delusional. I can’t stand him… with his piercing green eyes and chiseled jawline. Most women would probably jump at the chance of marrying him, though. He comes from money and is the ideal bachelor. Me? I just want to punch him in his face.How dare he?!Like I’m some object to be won; he’s no better than Anthony in my mind.

“Mother, I will do anything you ask, but marrying James is off the table.”

“Emilia,” a faint voice sounds from the room across the hall. We must have woken my father. I wince at the idea. He is so frail, I feel horrible for waking him up.

I push the door open and walk into the dark room, the only light coming from the bedside table. “Yes,Papá?”

“Emilia, come sit with me…What is all this arguing about, myprincipessa?”

As I wander over to his bedside, I pull in the chair beside the bed and take his offered hand in my own.

“Papá, I don’t want to worry you over this, it’s nothing…”

“Emilia, it could be nothing if it upsets you so much.”

“Papá,” I continue, tears building in my eyes. I sniff them back, refusing to give James my tears. “Mother wants me to marry James. Anthony Romani has demanded my hand in marriage as payment for the death of his brother. She thinks this will save me.”

“Myprincipessa. I love you dearly, but I do not wish for you to fall into the hands of a Romani, especially that one. Why do you fight so hard on this? James is a good man; he has always been there for our family.”

“ButPapá, he is so much older than me, twelve years to be exact!”

“So? Did you know your mother is ten years younger than me, Emilia? You may not love him, but you may grow to. It is how it was between your mother and I. And I love her dearly.”

I exhale the breath I was holding. “Papá…” Before I can continue, he starts coughing. I hand him a tissue from the bedside table, which he accepts with a shaky hand. When he pulls it away, it is tinged with blood. My heart clenches. He’s getting worse every day, and there is nothing any of us can do, except wait for death to claim him.

“Principessa, if it’s the last thing I wish for, I wish for you to marry James. To save our family and to save yourself from that Romani scum. Do not fight me, Emilia. Please. Let it be known, as my dying wish.”

I gasp and shake my head, falling silent. There is nothing more I can say. I would give him the world if he asked me for it, and he knows it. I hang my head in defeat.

“If you wish it, Papá, then it will be so.”

I lean forward and give him a kiss on the forehead. My mother is waiting in the doorway. Sighing, I stand up and make my way over to her.

“I guess you win, Mother.”

She grabs me by my shoulders, leveling her eyes with my own. “I am not winning if you are unhappy, Emilia. Please do not hate us. This is for your own good. In time, you may come to see that.”

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