AMARA
True to his words, Dante had wasted no time in getting us packed and ready for the trip. Most of it had been handled by his second in command, Cassian. I'd barely gotten a single word from the man, save for the grunt when he'd gestured for me to get into the jet.
Now I was about to enter a whole new domain.
A new life, some place different from where my father's words were absolute. The more I tried to calm down, the harder it was to forget Philip's unconscious body in my head.
"Amara,"
Dante took the seat in front of him. I sent him an unamused glare. "There are literally so many other seats you could have taken. Why this one?"
"My jet," He gestured at the place with his finger. "My rules."
"Fuck you." I grumbled, turning back to the window I'd been staring out of. The whole scenery felt like a mockery itself.
This should have been me and Philip. On some plain far away from New York. It should have been us for crying out loud.
Instead, I'd somehow gotten myself into an engagement with the worst man possible. Dante could give Sevro a run for his money any day and as good as that was, I knew better than to relax fully.
A hand roughly grabbed my chin, and sure enough, I was now facing Dante again. This time, there was a certain iciness in his eyes. One that wasn't there before.
It made my stomach dropped.
"Contrary to what you might think, I'm not a man of patience." He leaned forward, eyes holding a promise of cruelty. "Tread carefully."
And then, he let go of my chin.
I held my sore jaw for a while, watching as he got comfortable in his seat before fishing out his phone. Was it hard holding back my anger? Yes.
But we weren't the only ones on the plane. And as much as he'd like to try me, I had a reputation to maintain. One that I wasn't about to soil because he was being such an ass.
Hours went by and I found myself still unable to slowly lull to sleep. Was it the whole intensity of everything? The knowledge that my father must have no doubt started some sort of witch hunt for me.
Just what could I do about this?
Suddenly, someone slid into the seat by my side. I looked up to find Dante's right hand man staring back at me.
"You're oddly quiet."
On instinct, I brought my walls up. "Don't go talking like you know anything about me."
The man let out a grunt, eyes still studying me, as if he could read through my very soul if he so wished. I held his gaze for as long as he was willing to look.
If there was one thing I was sure good at, it was doing that. Maybe I was the only one who saw it as a contest, but it didn't mean I'd be backing down.
Not in the slightest.
He didn't say anything, simply moving over to Dante and whispering something to him. I tried listening in on it, but could barely grab any word.
I clicked my tongue and turned back to the window. My heart ached with a burning feeling I couldn't quite describe. I'd be living the only place I'd ever known. Did it mean being far away from my family? Yes.
But could you stay calm knowing the very man you were engaged to wanted your family gone?
About an hour later, the static of the speakers made me stiffen. The pilot cleared his throat a bit.
"We're now approaching our destination. Please ensure your seatbelts remain strapped in."
I quickly pulled out my phone and checked our location. My heart stuttered for a split second.
Chicago? We were in Chicago?
Dante exchanged one last word with Cassian before turning to me. I tried to ignore the look in his eyes. And the way it made my stomach churn with an indescribable emotion.
The mechanical sound of the plane's engines came to a slow whirr as we touched the ground. For a while I didn't move, even the pilot's voice came on the static again with him giving the go ahead for us to move.
I still couldn't move.
"Shell shocked?"
I turned to find Dante staring down at me. At once, the irritation came back, and I was rising to my feet before I even realized it.
"Watch your tongue." I glared hard.
He remained unfazed. "We move now. The sooner you get yourself together, the better."
Before he could turn away, I closed the distance between us, our faces now dangling only a few inches away from each other. Steel eyes stared back at me with just as much intensity as I did.
"You may think you have the upper hand in this relationship, but bear in mind that you do not own me." I pointed a finger at his chest. "Got it?"
His eyes glinted with amusement. Before he could get another word in, I pushed past him and made my way outside.
Cassian was already on the tarmac, eyes watching me with a certain cautiousness.
"Lovers spat?"
I ignored him, moving further way from the plane. I had to get away. From Dante, and everything else that would come with him.
But that wasn't much of an option now. Not when I'd pretty much sold my soul off in this deal.
Two sleek black cars, a Mercedes and an Audi, stood at the edge of the tarmac, no doubt waiting to convey us to our new location.
I got in first. Not a second later, the door pushed open and Dante slid into the seat beside me. His voice dropped, cold enough that it sent a chill down my spine.
"Andiamo." Move
The driver nodded. "Yes, sir."
Slowly, he began to drive out of the hanger. I dared to take a glance back, noting the Audi steadily following right behind us.
Cassian had to be there. No doubt the second in command wouldn't want to stray too far from his boss. I put a hand under my chin as scenes blurred past me, trying my best to act like I wasn't fazed by the recent happenings.
By the fact that everything was moving faster than I could even keep track of.
The drive was silent for the most part. Up until we finally approached tall black gates that towered over us by a huge length. The guards took one look at the car and immediately let us in.
What greeted my eyes next was the most beautiful building I'd seen. Ivory pillars, and spires that towered beautifully next to each other.
"Welcome to your new home, my fiancée." Dante's voice snapped me out of my daze.
I didn't say a word in response, not even when the car came to a slow stop before the entrance. Just as we stepped out, a line of maids filtered out of the house and arranged themselves before us.
"This is the DeLaurentis Mansion," Dante gestured at the place. "They will be at your beck and call to do your bidding."
"My bidding?" I turned to him.
He held my gaze for a moment. "Yes. Whatever it is you need, they'll arrange it."
Then without warning, he grabbed my arm and pulled me close enough that only I could hear him.
"You disobey my rules, you die." He said, voice as cold as steel. "You obey my rules, you don't die. Got it?"
I glared back at him, digging my nails hard enough into his skin that I was sure it would draw blood.
"You don't own me. So don't push it, Dante."
He held my gaze for a couple more seconds before letting go of my hand. Then, a cruel smirk spread across his face.
I tried to ignore how hard my heart was pounding in my chest. Or how desperately I wanted to sock him hard in the face.
"Cassian." He turned back just as the second in command sauntered over to us.
"Yes, Don."
"How long till the guests are here?" Dante asked.
Cassian turned to his watch. "In a few hours, they should start arriving."
I glanced between both of them, suspicion already eating at me. "Guests? What do you mean by guests?"
Silence.
I bit my lip in frustration, reaching for Dante's shirt and pulling him closer. "Tell me what the hell is going on."
His gaze slowly crawled from his bunched-up shirt before finally stopping at my eyes. The smirk on his face widened, sending another chill right through my body.
"For our engagement party, remember?"
He reached for my hands, squeezing them hard enough to cause pain. His eyes still glinted with amusement.
I was being terrorized. And he was enjoying every bit of it.
"Our guests will be arriving soon," He leaned even closer, my heart nearly coming to a stop.
"And in a few hours, you officially become mine before the world."