Chapter 5

• Domenico
• I didn’t want to be here at all, but my grandfather had to pull one of his crazy stunts. Damn him.
• “Where is she?” I asked, looking around for any sign of my bride.
• “My wife went to get her. Just a few more seconds,” Rafael said with that fake smile plastered on his face.
• I didn’t answer. My eyes stayed locked on my sleeve where he’d just touched me. The spot burned with irritation.
• “Weren’t you told that my boss hates being touched?” Abel, my top guard and secretary, immediately pulled out his gun.
• I raised one finger, then flicked it dismissively. “Let it go. He’s my father-in-law.” I looked at Rafael coldly. “Careful though. I’m not usually this nice.”
• Abel glared one last time before putting his gun away.
• A maid suddenly came running down the stairs, nearly tripping. “Lady Chiara locked herself in her room. She won’t open the door, and ma’am is panicking.”
• Rafael’s whole body went stiff. “She locked herself up?”
• The maid nodded fast, her entire body shaking with fear.
• I didn’t react to any of this chaos. I leaned back in my wheelchair and closed my eyes. I expected this. Rich, spoiled kids always made everything about themselves.
• “Six minutes, Rafael. You have six minutes to get your daughter down here,” I muttered.
• “Yes... Yes, I’ll get her right now. She’s just nervous.” His words stumbled out before he rushed upstairs, his footsteps heavy and frantic.
• “Boss, Godfather Alaric keeps calling and texting. He wants to join the wedding online,” Abel told me.
• My eyes snapped open. Anger flared hot in my chest. “What wedding? Isn’t it enough that he’s forcing me into this mess? Turn that damn phone off, or you can let him join your wedding instead.” My voice came out sharp.
• “I’m so sorry.” He bowed slightly.
• I didn’t respond. I just closed my eyes again, trying to control the rage building inside me. “How much time before the handover?”
• “Godfather says once you’re married, everything stays on schedule. That’s in fifty-four minutes,” Abel answered.
• I nodded. Godfather made it mandatory that I get married before he handed the company over to me. He wanted an heir. Some legacy bullshit.
• Either I got married, or the company went to my pathetic uncle. That was never going to happen. An heir he wanted? Fine. He’d get one, as long as the company stayed in my father’s bloodline where it belonged.
• “The Gallos still haven’t come back, and the six minutes are up. We’ll be late for the ceremony, and the handover might get pushed back,” Abel said, worry creeping into his voice.
• I sighed, feeling my patience snap. “Abel, go get her, even if you have to break down that door. I’m not letting one spoiled brat ruin everything I’ve worked for.”
• Abel rushed upstairs immediately with several of my men following behind.
• “Boss, she escaped. Pieces of her dress are all over the room. She’s gone,” Abel reported, hurrying back down the stairs.
• My jaw clenched tight. Then I laughed—a dark, humorless sound. “Gone, huh?”
• Rafael and his wife came down next, panic written all over their faces. “We’re so sorry, Mr. Vieri. Chiara is just a bit too spoiled and stubborn, but trust me—Ah!” Rafael’s voice cut off into a scream as he hit the ground, clutching his bleeding shoulder.
• His excuses grated on my last nerve, so I did what I always do: I shut him up with a bullet.
• “Please... please,” his wife, Gwen, dropped to her knees. “We’ll find Chiara right away. Please, spare us.” Tears were already streaming down her face.
• I sighed, completely unbothered. “Do I look like a joke to you two? She escaped? How?” My voice came out calm and cold, like I hadn’t just shot a man two seconds ago.
• “I only left her for a minute to come welcome you, but she’s definitely hiding somewhere nearby. We didn’t help her escape, and we don’t think you’re a joke,” Gwen sobbed, her whole body shaking.
• My men didn’t wait for orders. They knew what to do the second I glanced left.
• I rolled my wheelchair closer to the pathetic couple on the ground. “If she’s not back here in fifteen minutes, then I’ll calm my anger with your blood instead.”
• They scrambled backward, crying quietly as they stared at the floor.
• I rolled my neck slowly, feeling every muscle tense with frustration. Every passing second made me angrier. I wasn’t supposed to be here, wasting my time searching for one stupid, spoiled girl who was set on destroying everything I’d carefully planned. But no, Godfather wanted this marriage. Screw him.
• “Two minutes until you die. Better pray harder,” I hissed.
• I wasn’t joking. I was going to kill the Gallos. If they couldn’t deliver their daughter, they should have refused to sign the damn papers in the first place.
• But they didn’t refuse, probably because of the money I offered, and now they were trying to play games with me. How dare they?
• “Put me down! Put me down, you bastards!” A small, fierce voice screamed just as I pulled out my gun.
• “She’s here. Chiara is here!” Rafael gasped, his eyes going wide with relief, like he’d just been saved from death.
• I hissed under my breath. Too lucky. I’d really wanted to watch their bodies turn purple and cold. Greedy fools.
• A body was thrown at my feet. For the first time since this mess started, I looked left, and there she was.
• Smeared makeup running down her face, a torn and dirty dress, bleeding elbows and knees, and wild and tangled hair. The little thing who dared make me wait. Interesting.
• “How could you disappear like that? And what did you do to yourself? I told you to sit still! Are you trying to ruin us, you stupid, evil girl?” Gwen screamed at her.
• My stubborn bride. Very stubborn. Even bleeding and injured, she pushed herself up and glared straight at me before limping backward, refusing to give in.
• A princess in ruins.
• “Why wouldn’t I run when you’re marrying me off to a murderer? You said he was weak, dying, and useless. He’s obviously not! And I’m not going through with this marriage! Screw you all!” she yelled back with fire in her eyes.
• Weak? Useless? Me? We’d deal with that insult later.
• “Unfortunately, Chiara, I’m not here to deal with your spoiled tantrum. The priest and I have been waiting, so you’re going to be a good girl, turn around, and get this over with.” I cocked my gun and pointed it directly at her head.
• Her face went ghostly white. Her throat moved as she swallowed hard. Her grip tightened on her torn dress until her knuckles went white.