3

Serena’s POV

Heavy velvet curtains parted in the warm morning sunlight. A bright strip of light fell across the large hotel bed. I opened my eyes slowly, blinking against the light. For the first time since yesterday my head was clear, but my body felt totally trapped. I tried to move my legs, but something heavy kept me down.

I looked down and my eyes opened wide in sheer shock. I was scared stiff.

I was wrapped around Dante Moretti like a giant body pillow. My right hand rested spread out on his warm, bare chest. He threw my left leg heavily across his two strong ones. Worse, my cheek was pressed against his chest, listening to the steady calm rhythm of his heartbeat.

A wave of panic and shame washed over me. I tried to slide my leg off him without noise and slowly. I wanted to get away before he saw.

But as I tried to shift an inch, a heavy arm wrapped round my waist like an iron band and dragged me back down against his warm skin.

He was awake already.

"Where you going then?" Dante's voice was deep. It rumbled in the quiet room.

I raised up my head and looked up at him. He was leaning against the wooden headboard, watching me with those sharp unreadable golden eyes. His dark hair was tousled from sleep, but his face was completely placid. 

“Let go of me, Dante,” I said, trying to push my hands against his chest to get some distance between us. "It's morning now. You can let me go now."

Dante didn't let me go, he tightened his hold around my waist, pressing me against his side. 

“Don’t move,” he commanded, his voice rough and serious.

'Why?' I demanded, cheeks burning with embarrassment. "Why are you squeezing me so hard?"

"My head hurts less when you're close to me," Dante said plainly, not looking embarrassed at all. “The second you transferred your weight off me, the loud buzzing sound in my ears returned. Don't move Serena."

I stopped fighting, and relaxed against his chest. I felt a wave of emotion inside my heart. It was. The moment I stopped resisting and let my hand settle on his skin, his tight muscles loosened under my fingers. My simple touch controlled the horrible neurological pain that had tortured him.

I was lying in his arms, and I realized that the illegal drug Giada gave me last night had completely worn off. My mind was sharp as a tack now. I knew full well what a crazy situation I was in. I was in bed with the most dangerous man in America. Everyone in the city was afraid of him. He could ruin a man with a single word.

And to make it worse, the memory of last night came flooding back. While I was high and drugged, I actually looked this terrifying man in the eye and suggested a contract marriage to him!

“You’re awake now,” Dante said, calmly cutting through my racing thoughts. “Your breathing is even. Now we can finally talk about your situation."

"You know my situation already.” I looked up at his sharp jaw. "I told you last night."

"Yes, but I wanted to be sure," said Dante. With his other hand he reached across to the bedside table and picked up his black smart phone. "I looked at your ID in your little purse, while you were sleeping, Serena Valenti. You are the disgraced fiancée, who was meant to be ruined inside Room 1204 last night.”

He reached for his phone and handed it to me. "Look at the display. Look at what your family is doing right now."

I grabbed the phone from his hand and read the morning news headlines. My picture was all over the internet. The big bold letters on the screen made my heart freeze in my chest. I was cold in expression.

BREAKING NEWS: VALENTI HEIR FLEES FIANCE'S BIRTHDAY PARTY WITH MYSTERY MAN!

NICO MORETTI LEFT HEARTBROKEN ON HIS BIRTHDAY! WHERE'S SERENA VALENTI?

I scrolled down the page, reading the fake drama.  Nico was already playing the heartbroken, victim of betrayal for the cameras. He gave an interview to the press saying he was shocked and deeply hurt by my sudden disappearance with a man unknown to him. Apparently my stepsister Giada had fainted from worry at the party last night. She made a public video pleading for her poor lost sister to come home safe.

“They’re lying,” I whispered, my voice ice cold, my grip on the edge of the metal phone so tight my knuckles went white.

A deep painful memory from my previous life flashed in my mind. In my previous life, I had exited this hotel, alone, weeping, with my garments wrinkled and my hair disheveled. The paparazzi had hundreds of photos of me that made me look like a crazy lady. My family used those pictures as proof of my shame and insanity. That morning started my end. From there everything went to hell until I lost my mother's company, my good name, my eyesight, and finally my life on the dirty floor of that rat-infested asylum.

"If you leave this room alone today, you're finished," Dante said, his deep voice cutting through my dark thoughts. His golden eyes looked down on me very seriously. "They've got the whole narrative now. You are perceived by the media as an unstable and unfaithful woman."

"I know," I said, softly, with a lump of anger in my throat.

"But walk out of this penthouse with me on my arm and the story is completely different." Dante was watching my reaction. 

"How?" I asked, looking him in the eye.

“It won’t be a walk of shame anymore,” Dante said simply. “It’s going to be a huge powerplay. You marry the head of the Moretti family, boom, your whole family's plan is destroyed in one second. My nephew Nico will end up looking like a total idiot and no one's going to dare say anything bad about my wife."

I considered his words carefully.  He was correct.  A strong sense of determination filled my chest. I took a deep breath, pushed myself up a little so I could look him in the eye.

"Fine," I said, clearly. "Let’s make it official, Dante. But if we do this, I have conditions."

“Name them,” Dante replied without hesitation.

"First, we get married for a year," I said, holding up a finger. "Or, the contract terminates early if I can get my late mother’s company away from my father and Giada. Secondly, you have to use your power and influence to keep me safe from my family, and Nico.

”Easy.” Dante agreed. "And what else?"

"Thirdly, no physical obligations between us whatsoever," I said firmly, looking right into his eyes. “We only share a bed for medical treatment.I heal your pain by touching meridian points at the base of your skull and that's it. We have separate lives of our own."

“I agree to all of it,” Dante said immediately, not even a second to think about it.

"So Fast, you agree?" I asked, surprised at his quick response.

Dante turned his gaze towards the window with a serious and cold look on his face. 

"To tell you the truth Serena, I am very mysophobic. I’m grossed out at touching other people. I hate human contact so no physical obligations suit me perfectly."

I looked at his face in perfect silence. I felt like laughing out loud, but I suppressed it.

He hates human touch? I said in disbelief to myself. He must be joking.

I thought of how he had hung onto me like a giant koala bear all night. Five minutes ago he'd just about begged me not to get away from him! His mighty arm still pressed tight around my waist, refusing to let me go even now. But I chose not to say anything. I wanted to let the mighty king of the city keep his pride.

"Deal?" I just reached my right hand out to him, and asked.

"Deal." Dante nodded. He took my hand and shook it hard and strong.

Suddenly a gentle tap at the bedroom door.

"Come in," Dante called and finally let go of my waist, sitting up straight in the bed.

The heavy mahogany door opened and Dante's personal assistant, Matteo, stepped into the room. He looked relieved to see Dante sitting up quietly, not in pain. Matteo was holding a huge, expensive black garment bag in his hands.

“Morning, Boss,” Matteo said, bowing his head just a little respectfully. "I've brought the clothes you asked for from the boutique downstairs, and the chauffeur is waiting with the car when you're ready.

"Set the bag on the velvet chair and wait outside in the hall." Dante spoke with command in his voice.

“Yes boss,” Matteo said quickly. He set the big garment bag carefully on the chair by the desk and left the bedroom, closing the heavy door behind him.

Dante kicked his legs over the edge of the mattress and rose. He walked across the carpet to the enormous bathroom. He stopped before he opened the bathroom door, looking back at me over his shoulder with a sharp, confident smirk on that handsome face.

“Go get dressed Serena”, said Dante, his golden eyes twinkling with excitement. "We're going to gatecrash a birthday party downstairs."