Chapter one: The Meeting

Aria's POV

“What?!”

“Stop yelling.”

"You betrothed me?  You can’t be serious."

The words burst out of me before I could think. My heels slammed against the marble as I walked across the drawing room and stopped right in front of my father's chair.

He didn't even look up. Just sat there in his perfectly ironed suit with his legs crossed like we were discussing stock portfolios instead of my entire fucking life.

"The agreements were signed years ago," he said. "This isn't a negotiation."

"A negotiation?" I laughed and it came out harsh and bitter because that was all I could feel right now. "You sold me like cattle and you're telling me there's nothing to negotiate?"

My mother turned from the window with her glass of whatever expensive liquor she was drinking today. "You were promised at birth, Aria. We just didn't see the need to tell you until now."

"Oh perfect. That makes it so much better."

My father finally stood and walked to the fireplace. He still wouldn't look at me. "This isn't about you. It's about legacy. Blood. The Valente name."

"The Valente name is already soaked in blood," I said. "And you've never cared about me. Just control and power and how things look to your precious associates."

He turned then and his eyes were cold enough to freeze the Pacific ocean over. "You live in luxury because of this name. Don't forget who built the empire you play CEO in."

I stepped closer and my hands curled into fists. "I built my division from nothing. Every contract. Every expansion. I earned it."

"And you'll lose all of it if you refuse this marriage."

The air left my lungs.

"What?"

He moved to the center of the room and his voice stayed calm like he was reading terms and conditions. "Refuse and we revoke your shares. Remove your name from the trust. The board will vote you out. Your accounts will be frozen. Your title stripped. You'll leave this house with nothing."

It felt like he'd shoved a knife between my ribs.

"That's blackmail."

"That's family business," my mother said and finally turned to face me fully. "We all make sacrifices. This is yours."

My voice shook when I asked, "Who is he?"

"Nero Moretti."

The name hit me like a fist to the stomach.

Moretti.

The fucking Moretti family.

The family we'd been at war with for decades. They were ruthless and feared and everything we were supposed to hate.

"There's a vendetta between our families," I said slowly. "You've lost your mind."

Yup. My father was on some sort of cheap crack or something because there was no way in hell he'd have agreed for such an agreement with his sworn enemy.

"We made peace with it," my father replied. "Nero is the youngest Don Italy has ever seen. He's tactical, dangerous and he inherited the position after his father and brother died—"

“—were murdered.” I interrupted. "You mean after you had them murdered."

His jaw ticked. "That was business and it stays in this house."

"So is this," my mother added. "A marriage to end the vendetta. Merge the empires. One bloodline. One legacy."

"And what about me?" My voice cracked and I hated it. "I'm supposed to marry a stranger and smile for cameras and spread my legs for an heir?"

My father's eyes narrowed. "You'll do what you're told."

Silence filled the room and I could hear my own heartbeat pounding in my ears.

I laughed but there was nothing funny about it. "You think you can threaten me into this?"

"You have one week to prepare."

"No." I shook my head. "I'm not going to Italy. I'm not signing anything. I'm not marrying anyone."

"You're leaving tonight," he corrected. "He's waiting."

My chest tightened.

The note from earlier flashed through my mind. “You have a surprise coming.” It said.

Is this what he was talking about? How did he know?

I backed up until my shoulders hit the wall and my fingers pressed against the smooth surface.

I was trapped.

They'd planned this down to the hour.

My father stepped closer and lowered his voice. "Walk out that door and turn your back on this union and you'll have nothing to come back to. No name. No power. And the Morettis don't take rejection well."

My throat felt dry and my pride screamed at me to fight but somewhere underneath all the rage a quiet voice whispered that I could play this better than any of them.

Fine.

I'd marry him.

And I'd destroy the marriage from the inside.

***

The plane to Florence passed in a blur of white noise and racing thoughts.

I changed into a black dress with a slit up the thigh and heels sharp enough to be weapons. My makeup was flawless. My lipstick was the color of blood.

If I was walking into hell I'd look like I owned it.

An SUV waited at the hangar with blacked out windows and a driver who didn't say a word as we drove through winding hills toward an estate that looked like it belonged in a dark fairytale.

When the gates opened I saw the Moretti mansion.

Stone walls. Ivy. Guards everywhere.

The SUV stopped and the driver opened my door.

"This is it," he said.

I stepped out and my legs were steady even though my heart wasn't.

A butler with gray hair met me at the entrance. "Miss Valente. He's waiting in the library."

Just him?

No family. No welcome party.

Okay.

I adjusted my shoulders and followed the butler through hallways lined with paintings and chandeliers that probably cost more than most people made in a lifetime.

He opened the double doors to the library and I stepped inside.

Then I stopped breathing.

He stood with his back to me. Tall and broad shouldered in a black shirt rolled to the elbows and tailored pants. Dark hair. Perfect posture.

He held a glass of liquor in one hand.

He turned slowly.

And the floor dropped out from under me.

My lips parted but no sound came out.

Because the man standing in front of me wasn't a stranger.

He was my Dom.

The man who'd made me sign a contract with shaking hands.

The man who'd taken me apart with nothing but his voice.

The man I only knew as Dominus.

And now I knew exactly why he'd sent that note.