CHAPTER FOUR
1268 Words
Emily's eyes slowly fluttered open as sunlight streamed into the room. She yawned and stood up, stalking over to the window and stared at the garden.
There was a soft knock on her door.
"Come in", Emily answered without turning around.
The door opened and a woman who looked no older than Emily walked into the room balancing a tray on her hand.
"Here's your breakfast", she announced.
"Thank you Olivia", Emily responded.
Olivia dropped the tray on the table and Emily glanced at it, perfectly arranged fruits, eggs, toast and juice, just the way she liked it. She smiled gratefully at Olivia.
She met Olivia, the second day she moved into the main house. She had come into her room and introduced herself as Emily's personal maid and Emily had liked her instantly.
Emily dressed with care that morning. Not because she wanted to impress Daniel, but because she knew armor when she saw it. She chose a deep burgundy dress that clung to her curves like second skin and painted her lips a matching color. Her eyes, rimmed in soft brown, held steady in the mirror.
"What do you think?", she asked Olivia as she held up the dress.
"You look very beautiful", Olivia complimented and Emily nodded satisfactorily.
If he was going to turn her into a trophy, she'd become a weapon.
Ten minutes later, the guard outside her door knocked once. “Mr. Reid wants to see you.”
Emily didn’t flinch. “Let’s not keep my husband waiting.”
The walk down the marble hallway was silent, but she could feel eyes on her, servants scurried past, guards stood at attention. They led her into a study with high shelves and darker lighting than the rest of the estate. Daniel stood behind a sleek black desk, dressed in a tailored suit with no tie, sleeves slightly rolled. He looked casual. But everything about him screamed control.
“Sit,” he said.
Emily walked past the offered chair and leaned against the desk, arms folded.
“You summoned?”
Daniel looked up from the tablet in his hand. “Your attitude is exhausting.”
“I’m only just getting started.”
A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth before vanishing.
“We'll be having lunch with the DiGiovanni family this afternoon. They're one of my partners and they're hosting a small event at their estate.”
"Hmmm, your partners in business or in the underworld?", Emily asked.
Daniel ignored her question and continued .
"Some of my other business associates will be in attendance as well so keep that in mind"
“Of course,” she said sweetly. “After all, what’s a mafia bride without her leash?”
Daniel’s jaw tightened. “We’re not in the business of love stories here, Emily. You’re here because I allow it. I suggest you play nice.”
She leaned in slightly, lowering her voice. “Don’t worry, I’m the nicest girl you’ll ever regret crossing."
~
The DiGiovanni estate was even more ostentatious than Daniel’s. White columns, marble everything and a garden that looked like it belonged in a renaissance painting. But the moment Emily stepped out of the car, she felt it, the performance. Every smile was a calculated move and every compliment a veiled insult. She had grown up among such people, in the corporate world, of course. But now, she was one of them.
“Emily!”, cried Mrs. DiGiovanni, kissing both her cheeks with frosted lips.
“So good to finally meet you, you’re even more beautiful than the photos. Daniel’s so lucky.”
Emily smiled politely.
“He tells me that every morning.”
Laughter, applause, even Daniel allowed a small smirk.
As they moved into the sun-drenched courtyard for the meal, Emily fell into step beside him.
“So this is what you married me for? To show off to your allies?”
Daniel didn’t look at her.
“No. I married you because you were owed to me.”
Ah. The truth again, sharp as glass.
“Mission accomplished,” she said coolly. “So what now?”
Daniel took a slow sip from his wine glass. “Now we play nice and pretend we’re not at war.”
~
The event was like a battlefield of subtle power plays. The DiGiovannis brought up their recent expansion into France. Daniel countered with numbers, partnerships and pressure. They mentioned Emily’s background, art school, society circles, gala appearances. Emily responded by discussing market trends and international politics with such poise that one of the men in attendance stared at her with something close to admiration.
Daniel noticed and he didn’t like it.
After dessert, she excused herself to the garden, needing air or maybe just space to breathe without feeling Daniel’s eyes like daggers. She wandered past the roses, the statues, and the well-manicured hedges until she was alone.
At least, she thought she was.
“I must say,” came a smooth voice behind her, “you’re more impressive than I expected.”
She turned around to look. The man who had been watching her carefully at the event was now standing right behind her. He looked like he was probably in his late thirties, wearing a very nice and expensive sharp business suit.
He had a charming smile that seemed practiced and smooth, but his eyes stayed focused on her for just a little bit too long, making her feel slightly uncomfortable. This was Marcus Reeves, so they called him, and there was something about the way he looked at her that made her wonder what he really wanted from her.
“Should I be flattered?” she asked.
“I’m not sure Daniel appreciates what he has.” He took a step closer. “But I do.”
Emily’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Careful, Mr. Reeves, that sounds like a line.”
“It is,” he admitted with a wink. “But I mean it.”
A moment passed. His gaze was bold, inviting and Emily realized something with a quiet thrill, he could be her first potential ally. She leaned in, brushing a hand against his arm as she passed him.
“Then you’re smarter than you look.”
She walked back to the courtyard with careful, purposeful elegance, taking each step with intention. Daniel looked directly into her eyes from across the table where he was sitting.
The expression on his face was impossible to read or understand - she couldn't tell what he was thinking or feeling. But when they finally returned home together that night, it was in complete and total silence, with neither of them saying a single word to each other.
In the privacy of the car, Emily broke the silence.
“You’re welcome, by the way.”
Daniel didn’t look at her. “For what?”
“For charming your allies. For making you look good. For being the perfect little wife in public.”
“You’re not perfect,” he said.
“But I could be,” she replied, voice silk wrapped around steel. “If you play your cards right.”
He turned to her then, eyes dark, intense. “You don’t get to set the rules here.”
“No,” she said.
“But I know how to play them better than you think.”
A long moment passed. Then Daniel leaned in close, too close.
“You don’t know the first thing about me.”
She met his gaze without flinching.
“Then maybe you should be afraid.”
- Writer
