Chapter 6

Milene’s POV

The silence inside the car was heavy, almost suffocating. Angelo sat beside me, typing something on his phone with an intensity that made it clear he was used to being in control of everything.

I kept my gaze out the window, watching the city blur past. The farther we went, the fewer buildings I recognized. The streetlights became sparse, and the roads smoother, more private. My mother’s words echoed in my head: “He’ll bring you home after the event.” But something in my gut said that wasn’t entirely true.

“Are you hungry?” he asked suddenly.

I startled, looking at him. “No,” I replied too quickly. My voice sounded thin.

He gave me a brief look — unreadable — then tapped on the console in front of him. “Stop at Le Doré. Pick up dinner,” he told the driver.

“Yes, sir.”

I folded my arms, trying to steady myself. “Where are we going?”

“To my house. For now.”

“For now?” My fingers curled into my dress. “My mother said I needed to go with you to an event.”

He tilted his head, eyes narrowing as if he was weighing how much to tell me. “We made an agreement that you should be aware of but it seems like your mother kept the details from you.”

I blinked. “What agreement?” Just as the words slipped from my tongue, I remembered that I needed to play it cool so that he won’t be angry and then send me back to my mother. If the deal does not go as planned, then I should be rest assured to get the beating of my life or probably get thrown out.

“Oh yeah, that agreement..” I said quickly before he would be able to sense my lies. “It slipped my mind” I said again. He looked at me with a raised brows. I looked away immediately, I could feel the tenacity of my nervousness from within and if he continues staring at me like that, the truth might just come out in the open.

I know nothing about the agreement, I would probably figure it out later but when. For now all I have I been able to gather is the fact that I would be spending the night at his place nights.. what about the event mother spoke about?

The cracking of his knuckles brought me back to reality and then his voice broke into my thoughts. “You don’t need to worry. You’ll be safe, fed,and treated with respect, as long as you don’t give me a reason not to.”

There it was; a silent warning and also a confirmation that I would be leaving with him henceforth… what sort of arrangement had my mother done with him?

We fell into silence and then dinner was picked up from a well known five star restaurant downtown. A man in a black suit handed Angelo the bags through the window like it was a briefcase full of gold. He passed one to me. “You’ll need to eat.”

I nodded, but my appetite was gone.

When we finally pulled through a large iron gate, I realized this wasn’t just a house  it was an estate. The driveway was endless, lined with trimmed hedges and glowing lanterns. The building that emerged was massive modern, elegant, and cold.

I stepped out, the gravel crunching under my heels. “This is… yours?”

“Yes,” he replied simply. “You’ll be staying in the west wing.”

There were guards. I counted at least six before we even entered the building. Not regular security these were men with sharp eyes, hidden weapons, and that quiet readiness to act.

The foyer was grand, marble floors, vaulted ceilings, expensive art on the walls. I felt like I’d walked into a movie set for the ultra-wealthy.

“Come,” he said, leading me down a hall with walls that smelled faintly of leather and cedar. A housekeeper appeared and bowed slightly before speaking to him in Italian.

“Your room,” he said, pushing open a door. Inside was a luxurious bedroom too big for one person, yet impersonal.

“There are clothes in the closet, essentials in the drawers. If you need anything, tell Mara,” he said, gesturing to the woman standing silently behind me.

“I’ll have someone bring your dinner here,” he added.

“I thought we’d eat together,” I said without thinking.

He looked at me. “Do you want that?”

I didn’t know. Did I?

“I am not used to eating alone.”

His expression softened for a fraction of a second. “Fine. Come down in twenty minutes.”

Twenty minutes later, I followed Mara through the maze-like hallways to a dining room that could seat twenty people. He sat at the head of the table, now changed into a simple black button-down.

He stood when I entered. “Sit.”

We ate in silence for a while. The food was delicious, but I barely tasted it. My thoughts were too loud.

“So, this would be my home for now? I asked finally, pushing aside my plate.

He didn’t answer right away. “Yes, that is how it seems.. except you have some reservations and I would personally make your opinions count.”

I went silent, something in me wanted to ask if I would be working for him but the room was shown did not seem like that of a worker. “I am only here because I need to help my family out..” I paused for a brief second “I have no reservations, I should be thanking you for the help.”

I looked up from my meal only to see him staring at me with a mischievous smile on his face “then you should have no issues becoming my bride, I thought you were already rethinking your decision”

My chest tightens, I feel my left hands shake underneath the table “your bride?” I asked, I could barely hear the sound of my own voice but I bet it was loud enough because he nodded in response.

“Yes! Your bride” I responded again trying not to seem suspicious.. if this is the only way to bring my family out lf debt then I would willingly sacrifice myself for them.

“You’ll get used to this,” he added, sipping from his glass.

“What is this exactly?”

His eyes gleamed. “A life you don’t walk away from.”

My stomach twisted

After dinner, he walked me back to my room. The house was quiet now, save for the distant buzz of security radios and the hum of power.

“Lock your door,” he said.

“Do I need to?”

“Everyone here answers to me. But not everyone has discipline.”