CHAPTER FIVE: THE DEMAND

Dante’s pov

    

    

      Marco Virelli sat across from me, hands spread wide on the table like he was laying out a map of the future.

    

      “With this marriage,” he said, “the Virelli family won’t just hold the north. We’ll own it, stronger than before.” 

      His voice was too eager. Too practiced. Liked he’d rehearsed this in front of a mirror.

      I nodded once and said nothing.

      The room was too warm. The silver on the table caught the light and threw it back at me in sharp flashes. I kept my eyes on my hands instead. 

    

      He noticed my silence and leaned forward, elbows on the table. 

    

      “What do you think?” He asks me. 

      I felt the eye roll before I could stop it. Small but enough for him to see. 

      If it weren’t for the agreement with his father, I wouldn’t be sitting here wasting my time. I set my glass down. The sound was quiet, but it made him pause.

      “Do you know why this marriage is happening?” 

      I kept my voice flat. Cold. 

      “To call a truce,” he said, too fast.

      I shook my head. 

      “Wrong” I let the word hang. Watched him shift in his seat. 

      “This marriage is payment,” I said. “For the debt your father couldn’t cover. So if I were you, I wouldn’t start making demands I can’t afford” 

      He swallowed. His throat worked once, hard. 

      I smiled, slow and deliberate.

      “Who knows. Maybe next time I’ll ask for your mother instead.” 

      His face went still. “She does look good for her age, doesn’t she?” 

      He recoiled as if I’d struck him. 

      I laugh short and sharp. 

      “ I’m joking,” I said. 

      He didn’t laugh back. His eyes flicked between mine, trying to decide if I meant it or not.

      I didn’t correct him. Let him sit in it. Let him wonder what I’d actually do. 

      “So” I said, and his attention snapped back to me.

      “I want your sister to come live with me.”

      He froze 

      “Why so soon? We can wait till after the wedding” 

      I kept my voice low and even. 

      “After the wedding isn’t an option” 

      I didn’t tell him the truth. It had been eight months and I still remember exactly how she felt in my hands. The waiting was starting to feel impossible. 

      Instead, I said,

      “The moment I put that ring on her finger, she became mine, and I don’t share what belongs to me.”

      He measures his next words carefully, trying not to trip the wire. 

      “I understand that,” He said “but it isn’t ethical for a woman to live with a man before marriage” 

      I looked at him. Cold. 

      “I’m sorry, did I sound like I was asking ?” 

      His mouth opened. Closed. 

      “I wasn’t asking for permission,” I said. “She’s mine. I’ll do with her as I please.”

      I stood up and walked out.

      He hastily followed behind me. 

      “I’m not trying to dictate what you do…..” 

      “So it’s decided,” I cut him off without breaking stride.“She’ll come live with me.”

      He nodded in agreement. 

      “Yes. Of course, she will” 

      We stepped into the living room. Lena sat on the sofa beside her mother. Both of their heads turned toward us as we entered. 

      “Tonight was pleasant,” I said to Ms. Virelli.,

      “ But we’re leaving now“ 

    Her smile didn’t reach her eyes.

    

      “It was wonderful having you here.”

      I looked down at Lena. My voice is calm and steady.

      “Get up”

      She didn’t move. Her eyes flicked to her brother, searching for something in his face.

      “Lena” he said, tone sharp. 

      “You heard him. Get up” 

      She turned to her mother instead, looking confused. 

      Her mother moves first, stepping in front of her.

      “Lorenzo darling, what’s going on”

      His face hardened. 

      “She will be staying with the Morettis as of today.”

      “So she can start packing” 

      “Why?” Her mother asked, voice rising.

      I stepped in before he could answer. I reached out, thumb brushing Lena’s cheek slow and deliberate. 

      “Because she’ll be safer at my house” I said.

      “I don’t want anything happening to my fiancée”

      Her mother’s jaw tightened.

      “She’s perfectly fine in this house “

      A frown pulled at my mouth.

      “Like I told your son earlier, I don’t need anyone’s permission to take what’s mine.” 

      I nodded to Lena.

      “Go to your room. Pack. You have five minutes” 

    

      She didn’t move right away. Her eyes went to her brother first, then her mother, waiting for one of them to say no.

      Neither of them did. 

      So she stood and walked out. 

      I watched her go. This wasn’t the same Lena I’d met that night. That Lena had taken charge and didn’t wait for permission. The girl in front of me now was quiet, waiting to be told what to do.