CHAPTER 9
1445 Words
He gave a short smirk before slipping back into his usual cold demeanor.
“I want to take a shower. Wait for me,” he whispered slowly into my ear, sending shivers down my spine.
I swallowed hard as I watched him walk into the bathroom.
I sighed and looked around the room for anything to distract me. My eyes caught the edge of an old newspaper sticking out from the same drawer Dante had taken the cigarettes from.
Curious, I pulled it out carefully. It was still neat, but clearly old.
Why would Dante keep something like this?
I unfolded it and scanned the headline.
My breath hitched.
“Scarlett Moretti De Luca abandons her husband, the most feared Italian Mafia Boss, Vincenzo De Luca.”
My fingers tightened around the paper.
This was the first time I was hearing anything about Dante’s parents.
A storm of thoughts rushed through my head. I knew nothing about him… nothing about his family.
I was about to continue reading when the sound of the bathroom door opening snapped me out of it.
Quickly, I shoved the newspaper back into the drawer, closed it, and sat on the bed like nothing happened.
Dante stepped out with only a towel wrapped around his waist, water dripping from his hair down to his abs.
It reminded me of our wedding night.
I quickly looked away.
He walked toward me and stopped right in front of me. My body tensed. I wasn’t comfortable with him standing this close, almost naked.
I stood up immediately.
“I need to leave. I want to speak with Nat.”
“Not so fast, cupcake.”
Before I could react, his arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me hard against his bare chest.
“Let go of me,” I said, struggling against him.
He held me tighter and pushed me against the wall, trapping me.
“What do you want, Dante?” I asked, my breathing uneven.
“Stay still.”
His fingers brushed against my thigh, slowly moving upward. A sharp gasp escaped my lips.
“What… what are you doing, Dante? I might be your wife, but I will never love you. Kade is the man I—”
His hand shot to my throat, gripping it tightly.
“How many times have I warned you not to say that name?” he growled through clenched teeth.
Fear crept into my chest, but I forced out a bitter smile.
“What will you do… if I say it again?” I choked. “Kill me? Or take me to your torture room and do the same things you do to the people you drag there?”
His grip tightened.
“Dante… you’re… hurting me…”
For a second, I thought he wouldn’t stop.
Then suddenly, he let go.
I collapsed forward, coughing hard as I tried to catch my breath.
“You are a monster, Dante,” I gasped. “Why did you force me to marry you? You never told me the connection between you and my father.”
“I owe you no explanation,” he said coldly. “And you’re beginning to annoy me… cupcake.”
Before I could react, he lifted me onto his shoulder.
“Dante! What are you doing?!” I kicked, struggling.
He ignored me and threw me onto the bed. My head throbbed from the impact.
He climbed over me, pinning my hands above my head.
My breathing quickened.
“What are you doing, Dante?” I whispered, trying to free myself.
He said nothing.
His hand slipped under my gown, moving slowly from my thigh up toward my stomach.
I froze.
“You can’t do this, Dante… this is wrong…” My voice trembled, tears threatening to fall.
His hand stopped at my belly button.
Then I felt something cold press against my skin.
A ring.
He adjusted it carefully, securing it in place before pulling his hand away.
He got off me and stood up like nothing had happened.
“Never take that off,” he said, his voice ice-cold. “Don’t even think of testing me.”
I stared at him, stunned.
I had misunderstood everything.
I pulled my knees to my chest, wrapping my arms around them.
“I’m sorry… I thought you were going to…” My voice trailed off.
I couldn’t even say it.
Dante ignored me and began getting dressed.
I looked away again.
“Let’s go,” he said.
I stood and walked toward him, my eyes briefly lingering on the drawer.
The newspaper.
I needed to see it again.
---
The elevator ride was silent.
Painfully silent.
I shifted slightly, uncomfortable, but Dante didn’t seem to care. He was focused on his phone.
We arrived at the torture room.
I frowned.
It was spotless.
This was the same place that had been soaked in blood not long ago.
Code White really did a thorough job.
We left the dungeon and returned to the mansion.
Damian, Lucas, and Matteo approached us.
“Francisco has been released, and we’ve delivered Kelvin’s package,” Matteo said.
Dante nodded.
“I need to pay Kelvin a visit.”
“Are we coming with you?” Damian asked.
“No. I’m going alone.”
Then his eyes shifted to me.
“I’ll be home late.”
I snorted lightly.
“You know I don’t care, right?”
Damian’s mouth fell open in shock.
Matteo and Lucas exchanged looks, equally surprised.
But of course, Damian was the most dramatic.
Dante gave me a cold look that sent a chill down my spine.
He stretched out his hand. Lucas placed a curved, sharp knife into it.
I had never seen anything like it.
With a small click, the blade folded into a compact shape, almost unrecognizable as a weapon.
Dante turned and left.
Moments later, the sound of his car echoed as he drove off.
Almost immediately, calls were made across different networks, ensuring his safety.
At La Tana del Serpente…
A hidden bar in Ballarò Market.
From the outside, it looked abandoned, with a rusted door and a faded sign.
Inside, it was something else entirely.
Dim lights. Smoke-filled air. Quiet voices exchanging dangerous secrets.
Nothing spoken here was ever casual.
A hidden passage led to a private room and an escape route into the market’s alleys.
Kelvin ran everything from the shadows.
Calm. Observant.
Deadly in his own way.
Kelvin laughed loudly, a bottle of beer in his hand, a woman draped across his lap.
His associates surrounded him.
“Kelvin, you must have a death wish,” Enzo said, chuckling. “Going after The Viper?”
Marco shook his head.
“Do you even understand how dangerous Dante De Luca is? There’s a reason they call him that.”
Kelvin smirked.
“Oh please. I’ve never seen him, only heard stories. I’m the boss here in Ballarò. This is my territory. He won’t do anything here.”
He took another drink.
“And besides… I’m not alone in this.”
Marco frowned.
“And your spies? They haven’t reported back in days. Doesn’t that bother you?”
“They’re the best,” Kelvin replied confidently. “Even if something happened, it won’t trace back to me.”
Marco sighed.
The door suddenly opened.
One of Kelvin’s men walked in with a box.
“Boss, a package.”
Kelvin smirked.
“Open it.”
The man obeyed.
The moment the box opened, he dropped it and stumbled back in horror.
The woman on Kelvin’s lap screamed and ran out.
Inside the box…
A severed head.
One of the spies.
Kelvin’s expression crumbled.
“I told you this was a bad idea!” Marco shouted.
Francisco rushed in, collapsing at Kelvin’s feet.
“He’s coming… Kelvin, he’s coming! He said no one can save you. He’s a monster! I shouldn’t have listened to you!”
“I’m not part of this,” Marco snapped, rushing out with Enzo.
Kelvin trembled.
“He’s coming for you…” Francisco whispered again.
Kelvin’s face hardened in anger.
A gunshot echoed.
Francisco dropped dead.
---
Kelvin rushed out, jumping into his car.
He dialed a number.
No answer.
He drove home as fast as he could.
The moment he entered, he froze.
Dante stood in his living room.
Calm.
Holding his five-year-old son gently in his arms.
Speaking quietly with his elderly mother.
Fear crashed into Kelvin like a wave.
His entire body trembled.
“D… Dante?” he stammered.
Dante slowly turned, a cold smirk forming on his lips.
“Welcome, Kelvin,” he said smoothly.
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD