Chapter 6

The silence that settled in the room after his words was impeccable. 

Elara blinked, her heart beating erratically. She tried to read the words in the contract, but somehow kept drifting back to the heading. 

“ I-i-i can't sign this”. She pushed the paper further away from her like the mere sight burnt her. It will burn her if her father knew anything about it. Although she hated everything about her fiançe but he was her father's choice and she knew never to defy him.“ I won't sign it”. She raised her head to meet Lorenzo's dark eyes. Her voice did not waver this time. 

Lorenzo chuckled darkly but his eyes were devoid of any sort of amusement. His calm demeanor despite her rejection did nothing but to unnerve her and somehow she wished she had stayed back in the room. 

“ It's funny how you think you have a say in this, mia cara”.

 

Fear gripped her when he leaned forward from his position and before he could reach her, she grabbed the wine bottle from the table and blindly smashed it on his head. 

Everything that happened after that played out slowly.

She watched with horror as the shards from the bottle scattered everywhere and her eyes fixated on the dark red liquid that flowed down from his head. She couldn't discern if it was the red wine or his blood. 

From the corner of her eyes, she saw one of the men move to grab her and she wavered the part of the bottle still with her at them. Her hands were trembling and her eyes clouded with tears that threatened to fall.  “ Don't…don't…”...her words could barely make it out of her throat. Her legs retreated to the back till she hit the wall.

What she did was yet to dawn on her but her subconscious seemed to recognize that she had just attacked a mafia leader.

From her blurry vision, she could see different barrels of guns facing her and the metallic sound of safety being turned off, echoed through the whole room. 

Sweat tricked down the back of her neck and she could literally hear her own heartbeat until…

A deep masculinity sound of laughter filled the air. 

Her eyes widened and she could feel her soul almost leave her body when Lorenzo came to her line of view.

The white shirt he was wearing was now smeared with blood…or wine and thick red liquid trailed down from his head to his jaw but the man was laughing. 

Laughing!

Shiver ran through Elara's spine when he finally raised his head from his haunched position. His eyes met hers and her knees almost buckled in fear at how dark and clouded they looked. 

“ It's either you're brave or stupid”. He stepped into the circle his men had made around her “ But judging from your reaction, I'd bet on the latter”. 

His voice was low and oddly calm as he approached her. Her trembling hands held tightly to the half broken bottle, its sharp edge pointed in his direction but he was unbothered. Her trembling form tried backing away but the hard wall behind her reminded her of how trapped she really was.

 Her stomach lurched when he stopped just close enough that she could feel the heat rolling off him, close enough that the barrel of the nearest gun seemed almost less dangerous in comparison to the man standing right in front of her.

One small step more from him and the point of the glass would kiss the crisp (now ruined) white of his shirt.

He tilted his head, studying her the way a predator might study something small and frantic that had just made an interesting noise.

“That is the first time a woman will attack me” he murmured, his accent rolling over his deep voice. “Most women are far more…accommodating. Both in and out” A ghost of a smile curved the corner of his mouth, the blood still sliding lazily down the side of his face. 

Elara swallowed, throat dry as ash. Her eyes were keenly focused on the blood  “Over my dead body” The words came out smaller than she intended, but they were there.

His gaze flicked to her mouth for half a heartbeat, then back to her eyes. Something flickered in his dark, hooded eyes for the first time. Interest, maybe. Or amusement. Or both.

“Admirable,” he said softly. “You might as well end up dead before tonight.” Her back stiffened with his words and she couldn't tell if he meant it or not, with how calm he was being. 

She eyed him as he lifted his hand, slowly, as if giving her every chance to drive the glass forward. She didn’t though. 

Her arm felt locked in place.

Two fingers caught the wrist holding the bottle and she let out a scream at the sudden contact. Her fingers felt numb with fear, an immense amount of fear flowing through her veins. 

“Drop it, cara mia.”

Her fingers spasmed open almost before the command finished registering. The broken neck clattered against the marble, spinning once before dropping and shattering into piece. 

The whole room paused or maybe she was the one who froze. Although she knew the bottle could do nothing to save her from this man, she felt an extreme amount of defeat and fear once it was gone. 

He had her cornered now and she was totally in his mercy. 

And judging from the dark look that spread across his face, he knew that all too well.

“ You've had your fun, Elara”. She gasped when his finger rested in her chin, tilting her head up “ Now it's my turn”.