Chapter 10 - Marco

I had to leave the bathroom the moment she asked about my scar. I had plenty of them, but that one in particular meant a lot to me—it was where my reputation as the Demon of the Camorra began. The last thing I wanted at that moment was to talk about it with her, to recount how I became a killer so young. I needed to earn her trust; it was enough that her father had told her things out of context.

But I couldn’t stay away. Even though the world outside was going up in flames, everyone trying to figure out who had invaded the grand Cosa Nostra wedding, all I wanted was to keep my eyes on the angel who would be my downfall.

I entered her room and took my sister’s place, brushing her long brown hair. I needed to stay close to her all the time because the sooner Angela made her decision, the better. Everything would resolve much faster.

“Tell me what’s going on,” she said, even though I could feel her hardened nipple against the fabric of her bathrobe.

“What?” Her request genuinely caught me off guard.

“You say I’ll be able to rule by your side if I agree to marry you. So I think I deserve to know what’s happening, what problems you’ll face after what you did today.”

“You don’t need to worry about that, at least not yet. No one has figured out it was us,” I sighed, grabbing another handful of her hair and watching her skin prickle as I ran the brush through the strands. “But I have to admit, I underestimated your father’s intelligence. I thought he’d know right away that I was behind this attack after what he did to me.”

“What did he do to you?” Angela asked, turning to face me with her big brown eyes.

I sat behind her, setting the brush aside and abandoning the task of brushing her hair. It was time to start planting discord within her. Not that it would take much, given her disgust for how her father treated her, but I needed to erase any lingering trace of respect she might still have.

“I proposed a union to your father. I’d marry you, and the two mafias would be united. We’d defeat the Bratva, crush everyone together, and expand our business.” She stared at me with attentive eyes. “He said he’d give me an answer, and two days later, he was making the same proposal to the ‘Ndrangheta, handing you to Filippo on a silver platter.”

“You proposed that to my father? The idea was all yours?” A crease formed on her perfect forehead as Angela seemed to process everything that had happened.

I raised my hand, touching the crease between her perfect eyebrows, trying to smooth it out while taking the chance to touch her and see how much it affected her.

“Yes, I went to your father with the idea of a union. We already had a truce while we dealt with the Russians and the Japanese, but with their alliance, we needed something bigger. A truce wasn’t enough.”

“So you wanted me as your wife to unite the two mafias and expand everything. And when my father played you by giving me to Filippo, you decided to take what you wanted by force!” she shouted, slapping my hand away from her face before standing up and stepping back. “This was never about anything but power, and now you want me to believe you care about me, that we can be equals and rule together.”

“Angel…”

“I’m so stupid! I thought after all these years listening to the men of the *Famiglia* handling their business, I’d have learned something, but of course not!” Angela paced back and forth, shouting and hitting her own forehead.

“Listen to me, angel…”

“Why wasn’t I born a man? Everything would be so much simpler, so much easier! I’d marry some fool to do the mafia’s bidding, unite the families, rule an empire, and not have to be pulled back and forth like a damn rope in a tug-of-war!” she kept shouting, not giving me a chance to explain.

“It’s not what you think!” I shouted, stepping closer, but it didn’t seem to intimidate her.

“Even your sister lied to me! You’d expect women to be a little more supportive of each other, but wake up, Angela! We’re at war, so of course she’d pretend to be free to seduce me with that idea, just so I’d agree to marry you and bend to your will.” She growled, running her fingers through her hair, messing up the wet strands and pulling at them in frustration. “If I died, this would all be over—this nonsense of my father trying to be bigger while you try to make him pay for not accepting your proposal. I should’ve killed myself when you left me alone.”

I took two long strides and reached her, my hand flying to her chin with force, pushing her against the wall. I hadn’t measured my strength and ended up slamming her body without care, only wanting to shut her up.

“Never say that again!” I growled, feeling a mix of emotions in my chest. “Do you hear me? Don’t you ever dare say you should kill yourself!” Angela’s eyes were wide, staring at me with pure terror, but she nodded in agreement. “There are a million ways to solve things. Killing yourself isn’t one of them.”

I forced myself to calm down and release her chin, but I didn’t step back. I needed to make sure she wouldn’t do anything foolish.

“Why did you lie to me? Wouldn’t it be easier to just force me to sign the papers and have me as yours?” she asked in a low, weak voice, but without looking away from my eyes.

“I already told you I’d never force you or do anything against your will. Proposing a union through marriage is something your father is used to, and I had to try.” I told the truth, watching Angela breathe heavily, attentive to my every move. “I’d have preferred to make the proposal directly to you, but your father would never allow that. So when he took that option off the table, I decided to create my own opportunity. I went against everyone because I was determined to ask for your hand personally. After all, you couldn’t marry without knowing your options.”

She shook her head in disbelief and let out a forced laugh, just like she did in the car, making it clear she was mocking me and didn’t believe my words.

“You went against everyone, started another war, and made more enemies for the Camorra, purely for your ego!” she declared, lifting her chin, still with her back against the wall. “Don’t pretend for a second that you did it for me, because you wanted me to know my options. You just couldn’t let them ridicule you, and that’s what the Cosa Nostra and the ‘Ndrangheta did, conspiring and shaking hands behind your back using your deal.”

I clenched my jaw because she was smarter than I could’ve imagined. Her father liked to say women didn’t get involved in *Famiglia* business, but it was a waste with a mind like hers. Angela might seem harmless and naive to him, but I saw her exactly as she was—sharp and cunning. Even after my outburst of anger, she didn’t back down and had the audacity to throw the truth in my face.

“Before I made the proposal to your father, I looked into you. I didn’t find much; you were a mystery.” I raised my hand again, touching her cheek. “But one thing fascinated me, and I knew you were made for me.”

“What thing?” Her voice was almost a whisper as I touched her, her breathing already quickening, her eyes scanning every inch of my face, especially my lips.

“Your eyes!” I brought my other hand to her face, holding it in place before sliding my thumbs around her eyes. “There’s a dark gleam in them that captivated me. They show the strength you have, screaming that you don’t reveal even half of who you really are!”

Our breaths mingled, and I didn’t wait for her to ask. I pressed our mouths together, hearing a surprised gasp escape her lips. Angela opened her mouth, enveloping my lower lip and sucking it in a delicious way, making me want to sink into her. I slid my hand down her neck, grabbing the back of it and tilting her head to deepen our kiss. Her lips released mine, staying open to give way to my tongue. I didn’t waste time and slipped into her mouth, rubbing my tongue against hers and claiming her moan of pleasure.

Angela followed, swirling her tongue with mine in a sensual dance, each of us seeking the other’s surrender. I slid my left hand down her body, toward her slim waist, and wrapped my arm around her, pulling her closer. Her nails found my shirt, and she grabbed a handful, gripping and pulling me against her body.

I couldn’t hold back and grabbed her round ass, drawing another moan from her as my fingers sank into the soft flesh covered by the bathrobe. I thought she’d push me away or ask me to stop, but instead, she wrapped her lips around my tongue and sucked, making my cock throb inside my pants.

I held her firmly and lifted her into my arms while sliding my other hand to her thigh, pushing up her robe. I gripped the soft flesh before bringing her leg to my hip. Angela seemed to understand exactly what I wanted and raised her other leg, wrapping my hips with her thighs.