In his vengeance

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 4

Dante

I sat at my desk in my office , I stare at the glass of whiskey in front of me which I haven’t touched yet not that I didn’t want but I couldn’t bring myself together.

Mark, my right-hand man and consigliere sitting across me, wearing his signature black leather jacket. Tapping his hands on the arm rest, staring at me with anticipation in his eyes, waiting for my response, the next action. Something I always admire about him, always ready to take action with no hesitation, always prepared, and if loyalty was a person, it would be him.

“Chicago or Miami?” I asked, raising a brow.

“Miami.”

He needed to say now more, I already knew who was responsible for the delay in shipment in Miami, and I am already disappointed and disgusted in Don Salvador and his empire. he always felt underpaid during my father’s regime and was sliding away, now he is playing childish games.

“Set a meet ASAP, he should stop acting like a child and man up, face to face, and stop messing with my business.”

“Okay, boss.”

“But you know the problem with the Salvador’s and their tradition?” I grinned my teeth.

The Salvador always believe in a complete family, they always say family comes first. Without one, it’s usually hard for them to do business with another family. Since I am practically single at the moment, thanks to the Moreau Empire, it will be hard negotiating with them without a partner.

Ever since the incident, I lost the belief in love. I kept my head down and working, making everybody involved dead in the most brutal way ever, imprinting my name on their forehead. Making sure everyone sees the repercussions of messing with my own.

“Boss, I will arrange for that, but you have to choose which one.” Mark, referring to a makeshift potential partner, jolts me from my thoughts.

“No. I think I already have one.”

He turned and stared at me, reading my mind. “What? Don’t tell me you are considering her?”

I waved my hand in the air to stop his protest.

I know he would possibly think I am crazy. But whenever I stare at Isabella’s almond-shaped hazel eyes, it reminds me of my late fiancée, but with a spark of fire in her eyes, one that amuses and annoys me at the same time. I haven’t seen that fire in anyone for a long time now.

How could Isabelle get to be alive and my family dead? When the Moreau family orchestrated the m******e. For someone claiming to be innocent and not even knowing her father’s whereabouts five years ago, and was in hiding all this while, I have been in this game long enough to know not all pretty innocent faces are innocent after all, everyone is out for themselves in this game.

I want her dead, I want her to visit her father and all her ancestors, but one thing I have learnt from my revenge quest is that death, like mercy killing, is too quick and not satisfying enough. Instead of that, I’ll make her suffer till she wishes for death or kills herself.

But now, the opportunity has presented itself to make her useful, and I will be happy to see her do something stupid, maybe try to escape or something, it will make the hunting more fun. One thing am good at is hunting.

I give Mark a dismissing nod. “Go and get her wardrobe.”

Without saying another word, he gets up and leaves, understanding fully well what I meant.

****

I knock just once before opening the door with my key, slow and deliberate, another way of torture. I arranged a new room for her yesterday after I left; she isn’t in chains or cuffs, but she is still locked inside. The door only opens when the maids bring her food.

I need to feed her, so she would be in good shape, not that I cared, but for her to be healthy before I unleash my wrath on her slowly. Sometimes slow and steady wins the race, another lesson I have learnt from the game.

When I stepped into the room, the sweet smell of lavender hit my nose. The specific scent of air freshener I ordered my men to fix in the room it felt refreshing. Reminding me how sweet and satisfying my quest for revenge would be at the end.

I took a deep breathe taking it all in.

Stepping towards the queen-sized bed, I shoved the diamonds imprinted emerald dress on the bed right away without even looking at her directing. From the corners of my eyes, I could see her tucked in a corner near the window.

I turned to her slowly. “Put this on now, I want to see you in it.”

I wanted to make sure it looked good on her body first, I can’t have not looking like a queen in this meet.

She held her arms around her torso. “Why?”

“You don’t get to ask the questions…. put the damn cloth on in this house when I bark you obey period.” I lashed out at her.

“No, am not going to put that on.” She said, looking at the dress.

“Then it will be my pleasure stripping you naked and putting it on you.”

I saw a little hesitation in her eyes before--

“Fine. Huh… always this difficult?”

I shot her a glare. ” It's people like you that made me become who I am.”

I watched her closely as she stripped off her cloth. Taking it off slowly and very deliberately, like something has possessed her, like she was trying to tease me, more like seduce me.

But I am not buying any of that, I know better, more than anyone else. And she must be crazy thinking whatever she is doing is working, or even the thought of it.

How cony of her, I was right about her all along. She is just like her father, if not worse, and I know how to handle people like her.

She was adjusting her cloth on her hands, the force she exerted made her trip off her foot, my reflex fast enough grabbed her by the waist, steadying her just before she hit the ground, or that’s what I thought initially, without realizing I was standing on one foot.

It happened just like in the theaters, I landed face-first on her in slow motion, my face just inches away from hers, our eyes locked.

I felt her hot breath against my face, which sent shivers down my spine.

The smell of vanilla extract from her hair filled my nostrils. And for a moment, I was caught off guard, staring deep into her eyes.

The eyes, too familiar, for a slit second it was like her, my late fiancée, the one I refused to call her name since the incident. It was too hurtful to bear.

The more each second passed, the more my face grew closer and closer to hers as I got lost in the moment.

Just like like charges attracting on a magnet. And it seems like she was lost in the moment as well.

“Boss.”

Mark jolts me back from the magnetic pull into reality.

I tilted my face towards the door staring at him, I could read his face already, I knew too well what he was thinking in his god damn mind and I knew he wouldn’t let is slid easily.

I turned my face back to her and jolted myself up instantly.

“Be careful next time.” I extended a hand.

When she extended hers towards mine, I pulled back. “Hmm… No help yourself.”

I could see the shock in her eyes, which made it more satisfying for me.