Forced To Be The Mafia King's Bride novel Chapter 3

Dante's POV

The moment our eyes met, it was sealed in blood, fate, and vengeance. She was going to be mine.

Lorenzo Giovanni’s daughter. Innocent. Untouched. She was the price, and I would collect in full.

She would carry her father’s punishment on that delicate, beautiful body.

And in time, she would beg for mercy, the same mercy he never showed when he murdered my wife, stole my mafia seat, and left my world in ruins, destroying everything I loved and everything I fought so hard to protect.

My men had been tracking her ever since the night we raided her father’s estate and she escaped with her aunt. Days passed, then the word came. Vincenzo had her, and she was being auctioned off to pay for her bastard father’s debt. That was all I needed... it was time.

She stood trembling, her skin glowing beneath the dim lighting. A slender waist gave way to soft curves and hips, leading down to long legs barely hidden beneath that thin, provocative excuse for a dress. She had the kind of body men killed for. This was the beauty Lorenzo tried to hide from the world. Too bad he failed.

My jaw clenched as I sat in the dark, watching beasts in tailored suits toss out numbers like they were bidding on meat. The worst of them, Diallo, was a bloated excuse for a man. He licked his lips as he shouted out bids. Every time his greedy eyes raked over her, I wanted to rip them out of his skull.

I should have looked away. I didn’t.

Mine.

The word echoed in my head over and over again. She was mine. And no amount of money or legacy would change that.

When I rose from my seat, the entire room quieted. She saw me. Our eyes met. I didn’t expect the heat, how fast and intense it came. Her face was innocent. Eyes wide. Terrified, yes, but I could also sense the defiance. Like part of her would rather die than surrender.

Good. I liked a little fire before I crushed it.

Her lips parted slightly, trembling. She stepped back, like she’d seen a ghost. And maybe she had. Because if she remembered the night I shot her father, she certainly remembered me.

The more I walked toward her, the clearer her face became... and fuck. She was stunning. Too stunning. And it infuriated me that she stood there, exposed, in front of those callous monsters who had only one thought in mind, to ruin her. But that was never going to happen. Because she was meant to be my retribution. Not theirs to ogle. Not theirs to claim.

Now, standing in front of her, every breath I took burned, not from hatred, but from a primal need. She looked so young. So fragile. But I didn’t care. I was a man consumed by vengeance. And I was far too gone to turn back now.

Vincenzo smirked from the stage. “Looks like Lorenzo’s brat is going home with you.”

I didn’t bother looking at him. “My men will handle the payment. I’m done here. She’s coming with me.”

I reached for her.

Then the pig barked.

“Not so fast.”

Diallo.

I turned slowly, gaze narrowing on his bloated, sweaty face. Of all the cowards in the room, he was the one foolish enough to challenge me.

“If none of these men have the balls to speak up,” he said smugly, “I will. You know the rules, De Luca. You don’t just buy the girl and walk out.”

He sneered, licking his dry, cracked lips.

“You fuck her in the viewing room, so we all get to watch.”

My chest tightened with fury. It took everything in me not to smash my fist into his face.

“You dare challenge me, Diallo?” I growled. “You filthy swine.”

He puffed his chest like the bloated pig he was. “If no one else will, I will. We all want a taste of Lorenzo’s precious little virgin. Just because you’re king of the seven territories doesn’t mean you get to keep all the fun for yourself.”

The crowd erupted in vicious chants. Their eyes moved back to Gianna, who stood frozen in fear.

I should have felt satisfied. But I didn’t. What I felt was something closer to rage, not at her, but at them. These men had no right to touch her. No right to even look at her.

Yes, I was going to break her. Yes, I was going to use her body strictly for my pleasure. But not in front of these animals. Never.

I turned to Vincenzo, who simply lifted his hands and shrugged. “Rules are rules, Dante. You know how it goes.”

There was no way I was going to claim her in front of them. The first time I took her would be on my terms. In my bed.

I looked down at her body, the lush swell of her breasts, the curve of her thighs, the way she fidgeted.

No. No one touches her.

Possession coursed through me like fire.

I turned to Vincenzo. “You know this is bullshit.”

He shrugged again, greedy eyes glinting. “Tradition, Don Dante. My hands are tied.”

Liar. Everything with Vincenzo had a price. Including this.

So I named mine.

“Ten million. Now.”

Vincenzo’s eyes widened. And just like that, he folded. “Sold. She’s yours. Get her out of here.”

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