LOGIN[ SALVATORE'S POV ]
I wanted her to say she's not mine. To say she doesn't belong to me. But she didn't. I leaned down , my face so close to hers that our noses almost touched .” I know everything about you .Iris . I know you hate the taste of champagne but liked tea. I know you sneaked out to the garden at 2:00 AM when you couldn't sleep. And in the afternoon when you're bored .I know you have a birthmark shaped like a star in the small on your back.” “ From the trees . Through the lens of my camera . From the back of the cars you never noticed. “I confessed. “ I watched you grow from a girl into a woman. I watched men try to approach you at school , men I had too ….. discouraged from ever speaking your name again.” I added and I watched her eyes grow into a realization. “ you’re insane ,” She whispered. “ I am obsessed,” I corrected, my hand moving from her hair to her throat , My thumb resting over her thudding pulse . I wasn’t squeezing, but the threat was there .” There is a difference . Insane men lose focus . But with you , I have never been more focused in my life . Every move I’ve made , every war I’ve fought , everybody I’ve buried , was to get to this moment . To this house,” “ Why not just ask for me ?” She cried .” If you wanted me so badly, why marry Sofia ?” My eyes darkened , a flash of genuine rage crossing my features .” Because your father would never have given me his precious youngest daughter. “ If you know me like you truly claimed, you would know I am not his precious daughter . I have no interest in the kind of world and businesses he runs . My sister does. So if you want a queen to your dynasty. It’s her . She need not say that out loud cause I know . But wanting Sofia as the queen of my empire. Never. “ He wants you for a political trade later . He thinks you’re a hidden ace . I said looking into her eyes. My lips brushed against her ear. “ I didn’t play by loreanzo Rossi’s rules. I took the bait so I could burn the whole trap down . By the time this wedding arrives, Sofia would be the least of my problems. And you . Will be in my arms. You belong to me , Iris. Every fiber in you is mine." She tried to push me away ,her hand landed on my broad chest . A simple gesture that nearly makes me roll my eyes behind my head. A gesture that makes big salva stands at attention. Wanting to be stroked and worshiped. I grabbed her wrists, pinning them behind the arms chair . Not to hurt her but to display that my strength was absolute. My eyes moved to her lip , it was fresh and blum. And it makes me want to place mine on it. To know if it's succulent and as fresh as it looks. “ Can I kiss you? Iris ?” I asked, my mouth almost on hers . “ Let me go, Salvatore.” She rasps. “ Not until you understand,” I said , my voice dropping to a low command.” You’re going to play the part of the dutiful sister . You are going to help Sofia plan her wedding . You are going to stand at the altar as her bridesmaid. I won’t ,"she sobbed.” I won’t do what you just asked . You belong to my sister . To Sofia . “ you will .” I countered , my eyes burning into hers .” Because if you don’t , I’ll start taking things away from his family. First , your father’s business. Then , your sister’s reputation. And finally your freedom . Do you understand, Iris? You are mine . And you do as I say. “You have been since the moment I saw you five years ago standing in the rain outside your school, looking like you wanted to set the world on fire , only that it’s me you light it on, and I can feel it burn, deep inside my veins.” I released her wrist and stepped back. “Go to sleep , little mouse ,” I said, glancing towards the door .” And keep the locket . It looks better on you than it did in the box. Without another word ,I melted into the shadows of the library. As I walked out of the library, I could see Sofia from the corner of my eyes , but I didn’t stop. Am not in the estate for me. She’s just a means to get what I desire. I went to the balcony, the fresh freeze hit my face calming my nerves. But not enough to calm the raging man in my trousers. Who wants nothing but Iris care and touch. Iris , I muttered into the darkness of the might. Minutes later, I felt a presence behind me , and I did not need to turn to know who it was . Sofia. With her heels clicking loudly on her feet and her perfume smelling like an abandoned sacrifice. Who in their right senses would wear heels at night. “Why didn’t you tell me you’re here? I should have joined you, so we can talk about the alliance and our engagement.” She said, biting her lips as she looked at me, only if she knew how ridiculous she’s looking right now. “Leave. Sofia, I want to be alone. I did not need you here?” I said not bothering to spare her another glance. “ You did not need to play hard. Salvatore. I know you want me, all men do, and I won't mind if you want me here, right now before the alliance is signed, you’re going to be mine anyways. So what do you say? She asked. “ Firstly I’m not any man, and secondly you have just three seconds to leave my sight or I would push you off the balcony. And watch you die in your own blood. Your father Lorenzo would not do shit about it . If I say you leave. You leave.[ SALVATORE’S POV ]The moment Iris stepped into the study everything else became noise .Maps. Contract . Old men pretending this was about peace instead of power . I barely heard my father speak . I barely saw Sofia in her white dress , smiling like she’d won something. Iris stood by the window, half- hidden , dressed in black like a sin no one wanted to name . Her pulse gave her away . I could see fear in her throat. Fear , anger , heat . All for me .When the pen slid across the desk , I didn’t reach for it . I let the silence stretched until Lorenzo shifted in his seat. Until he remembered who controlled it, who controlled the room, and the deal. “ The estate is compromised, " I said calmly,” if I can walk your hall unnoticed anyone can. Right Iris?” I asked intentionally , making her uneasy . She needs to know who is in charge. Not Sofia and definitely not her father.Iris's eyes snapped to mine . Fear flashed. She looked at her father, then her sister.“ You were in the lib
[ IRIS’S POV ]The room fell into dead silence .My father’s head snapped towards me , his eyes narrowing with sudden suspicion. Blood drained from my face . My heart is beating loudly against my chest. Salvatore was exposing our meeting , but why? Sofia’s stare burned into my skin . She has asked me . And I had lied. That I hadn’t seen him . That he wasn’t there with me . That I had never come face-to face with the beast wearing human skin.“ You were in the library?” My father’s voice slid over the room like a blade wrapped in gold. “ What did we say about you sneaking off there late at night, Iris?”“ Looking for a book ,” I said , the lie cracking as it left my mouth .” I didn’t see anyone, not the guards , not sir Salvatore.”He turned towards me as soon as the word sir left my mouth . A ghost of a smirk playing at his lips , the kind that makes my nerve flare and blood ache at the same time. His look tells me he would like me to repeat the word sir later , when it’s just the t
[ IRIS’S POV ]I woke the next morning with my bones heavy, lazy ,like sleep never truly reached them . I hadn’t rested . Not after what happened at the library yesterday.Salvatore. Five years . Good five years of watching me without my knowledge. Chasing men away, friends, strangers , even the ones I wanted gone myself. And the way he spoke of owning me sent a cold shock racing through my nerves. like I belong to him. How can a man be so crude….and so devastatingly hot at the same time?Claiming one woman while preparing to marry another . Only an insane man would attempt something like that . And unfortunately, that man was right here in the estate with me .I just wanted today’s alliance to go smoothly. Quickly. So I could return to my life, where no one noticed me . Where I was invisible by choice. “ Iris, are you there? Can I come in?”I tossed the duvet aside and bolted upright . My gaze flew to the clock on the wall , and I released a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding .
[ SALVATORE'S POV ] I wanted her to say she's not mine. To say she doesn't belong to me. But she didn't. I leaned down , my face so close to hers that our noses almost touched .” I know everything about you .Iris . I know you hate the taste of champagne but liked tea. I know you sneaked out to the garden at 2:00 AM when you couldn't sleep. And in the afternoon when you're bored .I know you have a birthmark shaped like a star in the small on your back.” “ From the trees . Through the lens of my camera . From the back of the cars you never noticed. “I confessed. “ I watched you grow from a girl into a woman. I watched men try to approach you at school , men I had too ….. discouraged from ever speaking your name again.” I added and I watched her eyes grow into a realization. “ you’re insane ,” She whispered. “ I am obsessed,” I corrected, my hand moving from her hair to her throat , My thumb resting over her thudding pulse . I wasn’t squeezing, but the threat was there .” T
“ I believe I asked a question. Iris. What are you doing here and why is he here with you?” Sofia is not a fan of the library. I expect that she will be somewhere drunk or sleeping. But here she is , asking me questions about his fiancé. “ Who do you say was here?” I threw the question back at her, the last thing i want her to know is that her so-called fiancé has been stalking me for good five years. “ The last time I checked Sofia, you met me here alone, didn’t you?” “I thought I saw Salvatore walking out of here , discreetly” she asked looking around, As if looking for pieces of evidence. “ Why would he be here with me? I left you guys at the party and if anyone should know where he is . It should be you . And maybe it was a guard you saw , how sure are you it was him.” “ Well, maybe, I saw wrong, Salvatore wouldn’t come to fathers private study late at night. Follow me Iris , let me walk you to your room. It's late.” Without waiting for me to reply she’s already
[ IRIS'S POV ]Bend me over ? Did he just say he would bend me over? Fear crashed into me. So much that I did not want anything than to escape . From him . From the estate and all other things.He watched me , a low smile crossed his face like a flash and it was gone. “ Relax . Iris. I would take you raw. Not now . And definitely not here. That would be in my house . My place, where you actually belong.”He leaned down , his face so close to mine that our noses almost touched .” I know everything about you .Iris . I know you hate the taste of champagne but liked tea. I know you sneaked out to the garden at 2:00 AM when you couldn't sleep. And in the afternoon when you're bored .I know you have a birthmark shaped like a star in the small on your back.”My blood ran cold .”you’ve been watching me ? In my room ?”“ From the trees . Through the lens of my camera . From the back of the cars you never noticed. “He confessed, his voice devoid of shame. In fact he sounded proud . Obsessed, li







