Chapter 4

Papa went to the Morandi estate ahead of me. I only set off after I'd finished organizing the custom suit and the other gifts I'd prepared for Cassiano.

Dario and Lina were standing side by side on the porch when I arrived. Lina's eyes were still red, and she was half-hiding behind Dario, looking as if she'd suffered some huge injustice.

When Dario saw me, his expression turned contemptuous. "And here I thought you were all calm and unbothered, Cecilia. Yet the second I get mad, you still come running like an obedient dog. You even dragged your father over to back you up, huh?"

He came down the steps toward me, every step radiating pressure. "Apologize first."

I didn't move.

He stopped right in front of me, looking down at me imperiously. "Apologize to Lina. Say it to her face. Tell her you shouldn't have threatened her father, nor should you have blocked her."

Lina peeked out from behind him and said softly, "Dario, just let it go. Maybe Ms. Vito was just in a bad mood…"

The more she spoke, the more wronged she seemed, and she started crying again.

Dario's expression turned even colder. "Did you hear that? She's even asking me to go easy on you. What are you still standing there for?"

I looked at him and said slowly but clearly, "I'm not going to apologize, Dario. I already told you that I'm not marrying you."

The look in his eyes became dark and probing.

"You're not marrying me?" He laughed. "Then who are you going to marry?"

I didn't answer.

"Quit fooling around." He took a step closer, lowering his voice. "The engagement between our families was decided by our grandparents. You think you can just announce that you won't do this and walk away? Our elders are announcing the engagement today. Be smart and fix your attitude, or you're not getting through the front door."

He smiled a little after saying that. I knew that smile all too well—it was the one he'd worn in my previous life every time he thought he had everything under control.

He thought the announcement was about his engagement to me. He thought he still had everything firmly within his grasp.

Rage burned so hot in my chest that it hurt. I didn't want to argue with him anymore, so I started to walk past him into the house.

Right on cue, Lina's sobs grew louder, and Dario immediately yanked me back. My foot slipped; I crashed into one of the decorative columns by the door, and my forearm split open.

Just then, both sets of parents walked in from deeper inside the house. Papa was at the front. His brow tightened the second he saw my arm. "What happened?"

Don Morandi was right behind him. His expression darkened as well when his gaze swept over Dario and Lina. And then, I heard footsteps. They were heavy and measured.

A man stepped out of the shadows. He was incredibly tall—a good half a head taller than Dario, and he had shoulders so broad they looked like they were about to burst through his black shirt. His sleeves were rolled up to his forearms, revealing a web of interlaced scars from his wrist all the way to the crook of his elbow.

His expression was cold, and his features were chiseled. His eyes were light-colored, somewhere between gray and green. Those eyes landed on my wound with unerring precision.

When he spoke, his voice was low. "Who hit you?"

Lina instinctively shrank further behind Dario. The mockery playing on Dario's lips vanished. He stepped forward, his gaze wary and guarded. "Cassiano, Cecilia is my fiancee. It's none of your business."

Cassiano ignored him and walked straight up to me. He lifted his hand and brushed his thumb across my cheek, his touch feather-light.

"I asked who hit you," he repeated. His tone hadn't changed, nor had his volume, but everyone there could feel the killing intent rolling off him.

I drew in a deep breath and smiled at him. "It's no big deal."

Dario barked, "Get your hand off her face!"

Cassiano didn't move. He merely shifted his gaze from me to Dario, the motion slow and deliberate. It actually made Dario step back.

Just as things were about to boil over, Don Morandi stepped in to smooth things over. "Alright, kids, calm down. The reason we've gathered here today is to formally announce the engagement between our families."

Dario smoothed out his expression and slipped back into his effortless smile. He reached a hand out toward me. "Cecilia, come here."

I didn't even look at him. I simply extended my hand to Cassiano with a bright smile. "Cassiano, are you ready to spend the rest of your life with me?"