The Rules
336 Words
The car was silent. Aria sat rigid beside Dominic in the back of the black limousine, her fingers clenching the folds of her wedding gown like a lifeline. Outside, the city blurred in streaks of gold and grey—but inside, the air was thick with tension.
She hadn't spoken since they left the chapel. Not when photographers shouted her name. Not when her parents looked the other way. And not when Dominic helped her into the car with all the tenderness of a transaction.
Finally, she snapped.
“What did you do to Luca?”
Dominic didn’t flinch. He stared out the window, voice low and immovable. “He backed out. I stepped in.”
“You expect me to believe that?” she hissed. “You hijacked my wedding!”
“I corrected it,” he replied coolly. “Luca was weak. You would’ve chewed him up within a year.”
Aria’s jaw tightened. “You don’t know me.”
“I know enough,” he said, turning his gaze on her. “You’re proud. Stubborn. You need someone who can tame that fire. I’m the only one in this family who can.”
The way he said it wasn’t a compliment—it was a verdict.
“You can’t just decide to marry me like it’s a business merger,” she snapped.
“But it is, Aria. Your family needed money. Mine needed… insurance.” His lips curled slightly. “You should be grateful. You got the better brother.”
She turned her face away, anger and humiliation burning hot in her chest.
“Where are we going?” she asked after a moment.
“Our home,” he said simply.
“You mean your house.”
“No,” he corrected. “Our home. And starting tonight, there will be rules.”
She glanced at him, defiant. “I don’t follow rules.”
His smirk deepened, dark and promising.
“You will, Aria. Or you’ll learn what happens when you don’t.”
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