Page 50 of Vow to Corrupt You
“Thank you for inviting us, Nikolaos,” my oldest stepsister oozes seduction. “I may call you Nikolaos, right? Considering we’re family now.” Valeria leans forward slightly, her breasts on display and her tone as flirtatious as it gets.
The audacity.
“It was Serena’s wish to have her family over for lunch. She’s the lady of this house now,” Nikos says flatly, his ice-cold tone completely contrasting with Valeria’s suggestive attempts. His gaze doesn’t rise above his plate, and he cuts into his cake as if it were the most intriguing thing to do. “And it’s Mr. Romano to you.”
Valeria nearly chokes on the sip of the wine she’s just taken, and I hardly suppress a smile. I can’t deny that Nikos’s resistance to my sister’s charm is rather satisfying.
“Oh… I see.” Valeria’s expression sours. A hint of disappointment flashes on her face, but she doesn’t seem to take the hint. “Well, Serena is still a very inexperienced woman. She seems a bit out of her element here. Perhaps I could offer her some advice.” She straightens her posture, her enviously big boobs straining against the tight, deep cut of her silk red dress. She brushes her hair away from her neck, the golden bracelets on her hand jingling irritatingly as she continues to try to seduce my husband.
Nikos’s fingers drum rhythmically on the table. He glances at me briefly, waiting for my reaction, so I redirect my gaze to Valeria.
“I appreciate your concern, sister, but I’ll do just fine without your advice.” I clear my throat to continue.
Valeria raises an eyebrow, a smug smile never leaving her lips. “Are you sure about that? Because, you know, it’s okay to ask your older, more experienced sister for some… tips. I’m sure your husband would appreciate that.”
My lips press together, and my eyes close momentarily to keep my mounting anger in check. Did my sister really just mean she would know how to satisfy my husband better, because she’s obviously slept around with enough men? She would jump into his bed the second he showed any sign of interest, no doubt, not minding that I am her sister, and he is my husband.
“Careful, Valeria,” I speak in a surprisingly cold tone. “You seem to forget who you are talking to.”
Valeria’s expression shifts from smugness to confusion and then irritation, but she quickly composes herself and offers me a tight-lipped smile.
“Silly, I’m just talking to my younger sister, whom I care for. I meant no offense.”
The rhythmic drumming stops, and Nikos’s hand tightens into a fist as soon as the word silly leaves my sister’s mouth.
“I’m sure you didn’t,” I say, hoping I can end this ridiculous dispute before Nikos’s patience reaches its limit and before he gets involved. You are Mrs. Romano now. Own it. His words echo in my mind, and that’s what I do. I own it. “After all, you wouldn’t be so stupid as to insult the wife of Nikolaos Romano.”
But my pride crumbles with Valeria’s following remark.
“Darling, you’re just a part of the bargain, nothing more.”
“Enough.” Nikos’s threateningly low hiss seems to stop the world from turning. For a moment, it seems the whole universe is holding its breath, terrified of his chilly gaze fixed on my sister.
“Disrespect my wife once more, and I’ll marry you off to the oldest, filthiest man I can find, and you’ll beg for that marriage as if it’s a blessing.” Nikos’s tone is icy enough to freeze all that it touches, yet dangerous enough to burn everything to ashes. “Is that understood?”
Valeria clears her throat, and suddenly, she seems so tiny. “Understood.”
“I will not let you threaten my daughter!” Papà shrieks. His chair, screeching against the marble floor as he abruptly stands from the table, makes my skin crawl. “And I will not let my daughters fight because of a man whose family bonds mean nothing. Because of a fucked-up, unapologetic bastard with no conscience!”
“Papà!” I assert, scared of how things might escalate, but my father doesn’t even acknowledge my intervention.
“Isn’t it enough that you have my daughter? Do you want to ruin her bond with her family now so she has no one left but you to mistreat her?” he erupts.
Nikos looks at my father, his head angles with a dark glint flashing in his eyes, “You think I mistreat her?”
Suddenly, no one dares to speak. The room grows uncomfortably silent.
“You have no idea, Lucio,” he growls with malice. “Your daughter is my little sex slave. She’s on her knees for me every morning, noon, and night.”
It takes me a second to shake off the shame, only for anger to take its place. It burns so hot beneath my skin that I don’t even think. I slap Nikos’s cheek with such force that the sound echoes through the room. It takes me another second before the lethal darkness in his eyes makes me realize what I’ve done.
CHAPTER 25
Nikos
Do that again, and you’ll see a side of me you won’t like,” I warn, my tone low and dark as I lock the door to my office behind me.
Serena stands there, her eyes flickering between mine with fear. This woman seems so innocent, vulnerable, and fragile, yet she’s the only person who has ever dared to cross me like that. She fucking spit on me in the tattoo shop a few weeks ago, and now she fucking slapped me in front of her family and my staff. I’ve said she’s either foolishly fearless or she hates me to such a degree that the prospect of death seems more appealing than spending the rest of her life by my side. Still can’t decide which one it is.
