Mated To The Deranged CEO

‘Beautiful Mistakes’ I said to myself as I stared at my reflection in the mirror, eyes swollen and red from crying all night. My legs felt weak like jelly, yet I managed to stand. Dark purple marks on my light skin made me look like a massive rice dough with cream on top. I sighed and turned back to the bed I woke up in—scattered, with nothing but a button-up shirt that barely covered my thighs and the scars on them that extended up to my waist. I wanted to feel disappointed, ashamed, or even hate myself for whatever I allowed to transpire in this room, but I just couldn’t. I couldn’t remember a single thing about last night, except that I got drunk and fainted after seeing something silver glow, like a man’s eyes. To be honest, his eyes were beautiful, and I just couldn’t let myself forget that. “Miss Luna.” I turned my head toward the direction of the voice, hating being pulled out of my thoughts. I hurried over to the door, opened it, and poked my head out. Regret immediately washed the smile off my face. “Thank you so much,” Damian thanked the concierge and strode into the room, ignoring the fact that I could be naked or not properly dressed. I quietly closed the door, using my foot to pick up a piece of my dress that the stranger had probably torn off. I wasn’t really surprised—he might have been drunk as well. “Luna Giovanni, care to explain why you left the house at midnight, woke up in a hotel room with your clothes thrown around, and...” His eyes scanned my body, widening briefly before he raised his head and covered his mouth. “In a man’s shirt?” I sighed, already tired and exhausted. I couldn’t lie to my immediate elder brother. Even if I tried, he always seemed to see through them. “Look, I can explain. There’s no point scolding me because I know I made a mistake,” I stated, moving around randomly to pick up the pieces I could find. “You’re nineteen, for crying out loud! You don’t even have a boyfriend. Where and how did you—oh my God, Luna! You shouldn’t be doing things like this!” His voice was stern, yet it brimmed with care and pity. I only smiled and walked past him, pushing the bathroom door open with my elbow before turning on the tap and letting it run so I could take a bath. I strolled back into the room, ignoring Damian’s intense gaze. Well, until he said something that almost made me die of fear. “What if Mother finds out?” “I... I...” I stuttered, suddenly perplexed and filled with regret. I could only imagine the punishments waiting for me—not just for leaving the house, but for indulging in a one-night stand with a stranger. “I won’t tell, just tell me who it is. I can’t risk you getting...” “I don’t know who or where he is,” I confessed, cutting him off before he could say anything else. I almost laughed, though. He looked like he was about to choke but was fighting it back as if his life depended on it. “I can’t remember how it happened, okay? Just don’t tell Mom.” “She’ll eventually find out,” he sighed softly, running his fingers through his hair to push away the strands that fell on his forehead. “Okay, clean up. Let’s go to the hospital, take a test, and wash out everything he put in you.” “No,” I said, almost yelling. I didn’t want any test. If I got pregnant, then so be it. I would never cut the life of my baby short for any reason, be it health or financial. I could never do that. “What do you mean no?” Damian asked, looking at me in disbelief. He wanted an answer, but I just told him to forget about the test and walked to the bathroom to wash up. --- I sat quietly in the sitting room while Damian spoke to Father. He left nothing out—how I looked, what he saw in the room, and my reaction to the idea of taking a test. Father’s eyes occasionally fell on me each time Damian mentioned something about pregnancy. I could see the disappointment in his gaze. I felt guilty. Being pregnant would mean losing the opportunity to carry on Father’s legacy by taking over from Mother when she retired. He was an old man, but he looked younger and healthier than his age. “Luna,” Father called softly, patting the spot beside him. I quietly left my seat and moved closer to him, avoiding his gaze because I felt ashamed for disappointing him. “Are you sure you want to live on and face the consequences of your actions?” he asked, his voice oddly calm and laced with love. I couldn’t really understand why he was asking such a question, but I nodded, and he smiled. “You remind me a lot of her.” I mirrored his smile, knowing he meant his first wife. She died giving birth to Damian, but no one knew what killed her. Even when I tried to find out, I couldn’t. Then Mother came into the picture. But I lost my real mother to the company and wealth she married into. “We know how your mother is. So tonight, I’ll ask the guards to move your things to the house on the island. How’s that?” I stared at him, dumbfounded. If anything, I was surprised. He was offering me his vacation home—for free. Yes, he’s my father, but it was all too much. I wanted to reject his offer, but Damian glared at me, his eyes silently telling me to shut up and take whatever Father would give me. “Thank you so much,” I whispered, my heart swelling at the thought of living alone, focusing on my own life and choices. Father turned to me, his gaze warm, and patted my forehead before standing. Without a word, he left the room, likely to attend to other matters. I turned to Damian, who let out a long sigh. “And now we wait for the lioness to speak.” --- “I did not raise my daughter to be a w***e! How dare you speak of her like that!” Mother’s voice echoed through the halls as I approached her study. Earlier, after she returned from work, I had asked her personal assistant to speak on my behalf while I prepared my things. A few of my belongings were already in the Rolls-Royce Father had signed over to me a few days ago, while the rest, the ones too cumbersome to move quickly, were already waiting at the island house. I inhaled and exhaled deeply, trying to steel myself against the storm I knew was coming. I knew she would be furious, but I cared less now. After all, I was old enough to make my own decisions. I knocked gently on the study door. Her assistant stepped out with a frown, and I whispered an apology, promising to compensate her later. I entered the room, closing the door behind me, and approached the desk. I made an attempt to sit, but Mother’s cold, disdainful gaze stopped me. “Where were you last night, Luna?” “I went to a party,” I replied calmly. “Why? And who invited you?” “A friend of mine. It was mainly for business,” I explained sincerely, bracing myself for whatever interrogation would follow. “What business exactly? I fail to see why you’d step outside your father’s company to attend to matters that don’t concern you.” “Maybe I don’t want to work in Father’s company. Maybe I want to start fresh and build a legacy and name for myself. Ever thought of that?” “Luna Giovanni.” Her voice was ice-cold, her tone cutting. “Have your wings grown so big that you dare to raise your voice at your own mother? Or have the men you’ve been dancing around with filled you with such arrogance and pride that you’ve forgotten how to speak to me with respect?” Her words stung, but I refused to let them show. “Mother, I did not disrespect you, nor would I ever. And you are wrong about me dancing around with men. I haven’t been with a man in a long time.” “Until last night,” she snapped, her tone both calm and stern, like a blade hidden in silk. “Katrina tells me you indulged in a one-night stand with a stranger. I refuse to believe it.” I crossed my arms under my chest, meeting her gaze without flinching. “I did.” Her face paled slightly, though her composure remained intact. “Have you been to a hospital? And who is this man?” “I will not go to a hospital for anything beyond checking for diseases. As for the man? I know nothing about him. He’s a stranger, and he’ll always be one.” Mother’s lips thinned into a hard line, her voice shaking with restrained fury. “You are so ungrateful. After everything your father and I have done for you, this is how you repay us? By tarnishing our family’s name? How will the public react when they find out the Giovanni princess is pregnant out of wedlock? And how do you think your fiancé will feel?” I froze. My fiancé? I frowned in disbelief. I wasn’t wearing an engagement ring, and I hadn’t been with any man before last night. Before I could voice my confusion, the door to the study opened, and in walked a man—a striking figure dressed in a polished black suit, a massive bouquet of flowers in his hands. I squinted, struggling to make out his features without my glasses. When his face came into focus, my heart nearly stopped. “Good evening, Mother,” he said smoothly, his voice rich and self-assured. He turned to me, his eyes glittering with something unreadable. “Good evening, my love.”