Velvet Vows and Iron Chains

Chapter Four

The night was heavy and quiet.

They were in different rooms, different worlds, different spaces and separate boundaries.

Alina stood on her balcony again and watched as the city lights shimmered.

She should feel trapped but no, she felt alive. Seeing Dante reeled made her happy. It was better than getting no emotions at all.

Across the hall, Dante poured himself a drink. He rarely drank because he loved to be in control of situations but tonight, tonight was different.

Viktor appeared at the door

"Marcus Hale has been asking questions"

Dante didn't look surprised.

"Monitor him"

"Do you anticipate any interference, sir?"

"I expect envy"

Victor hesitated, "And her?"

Dante's voice lowered as he gave Viktor a stern look.

"She is not to be threatened". It wasn't a suggestion, it was a law. And anyone who broke Dante's law would have a broken body part.

Later, unable to sleep, Alina walked quietly down the hallway.

She wanted to see Dante, hear his voice too maybe… She was lonely, she told herself, and just needed to talk to someone. And since she had no friends there, he was her only option.

She didn't expect to find him awake but his office light glowed beneath the door. She knocked once.

"Enter"

He was at his desk, jacket removed and sleeves rolled slightly to expose hairy arms. His hands were large compared to her tiny and delicate ones.

He looked handsome without all his 'armour' but still ruthless and dangerous.

His dark silhouette made him look like a dark angel, big and scary but deadly handsome… Those arms sent shivers down her spine again.

"You don't sleep?" she asked.

"I do"

"That wasn't the question"

He leaned back. "What do you want Alina?"

She stepped inside fully, "Ground rules"

"They're in the contract"

"Not those. Real ground rules", she continued, "If we're doing this, we need to do it as partners publicly. You don't speak over me and you don't try to diminish me"

"I don't diminish you"

"You control"

"That is different"

She moved closer to the desk, "And privately?"

"What about privately?"

She held his gaze, "Do you intend to treat me like an acquisition?"

His jaw tightened slightly, "You are not an object, Alina"

"Good! Then don't handle me like one"

There was a beat… a pause… slight tension in the air…

"I won't", he replied. His words were low and measured but they were real.

The air between them shifted again, but closer this time and more dangerous.

She noticed the glass of whiskey in his hand.

"You drink often?"

"No"

"Why tonight?"

His eyes flickered. Those lashes… She was almost fanning herself.

"I'm adjusting", he replied

"Adjusting to what or to whom? Me?"

He didn't answer and she stepped closer, too close, close enough to feel the hot air emanating from his body, close enough to feel heady by breathing in his cologne, close enough to sense restraint.

"We're getting married soon", she said softly.

"Contractually"

"Still", she rolled her eyes.

"Youre testing boundaries, Alina"

"Am I?"

He set the glass down slowly.

"Yes"

"And what happenes if I keep pushing?"

His eyes darkened.

"Be careful"

The word wasn't a warning. For a second, his composure shook and then he stepped back. With the distance restored, sanity also was.

"Good night, Alina", he dismissed her without simply, almost sounding rude.

She did not look unaffected as she left without another word.

And behind the closed office door, Dante exhaled for the first time in minutes.

Control... He needed control because the moment she stepped too close, he had almost forgotten the contract.

Outside the estate walls, unseen eyes were watching through long lenses.

A rival syndicate had taken an interest because marriage changed power structures and it was believed that whoever Dante was getting married to wasn't any ordinary lady.

What connection or power did she have?

Alina had just stepped into a war she didn't know existed. And Dante had placed something very interesting and precious on the board, whether he admitted it or not.

Marcus Hale never liked losing.

Deals, status, arguments and women, he did not like losing any of these.

He especially did not like losing something he once considered his. His phone screen glowed in the dim light of his upscale apartment.

Every business blog displayed the same image of Alina stepping out of Dante's car.

She looked composed, unshaken… Didn't he just break her heart a few minutes before that photo was taken?

How was she now just engaged? The word gnawed at him, it didn't make sense.

Dante Russo didn't marry nobodies and Marcus had been certain Alina was exactly that… a nobody.

Had she lied to him? Had she played small?

Or worse, had she been playing him? His ego twisted the narrative until he became the injured party.

She moved on too fast... She must have known Dante Russo before… or maybe she was even using him.

THE NEXT MORNING

The thought both angered and unsettled him.

Marcus opened her contact again, he had deleted nothing.

He typed: 'We need to talk'

He erased and typed again: 'I made a mistake'

Deleted… Typed again: 'call me' and then finally he hit send.

At the Russo estate, Alina's phone vibrated while she was reviewing wedding schedules with an event planner who looked more terrified of Dante than impressed by him.

She excused herself politely. The message glowed on her screen 'call me'.

For a moment, she simply stared. Not because she wanted to but because closure rarely arrives this conveniently.

Another message came in a few seconds later: 'I didn't know about him… about you'

She frowned. About you? What did that mean? Had he discovered something?

Her parents' warning echoed faintly in her memory; 'Be careful who learns too much'

Her phone rang, of course, it was Marcus.

She should ignore it but instead, she stepped onto the terrace and answered.

"What?", she said calmly.

Silence greeted her for a moment before he replied.

"So it's true", his voice sounded thinner than she remembered.

"Yes, it is", she replied

"Youre engaged to Dante Russo?"

"Yes"

He inhaled sharply, as if in pain.

"Thats convenient"

"Growth demands alignment, remember?", She smiled faintly as the words hit their mark.

"This isn't you, Alina"

"Yes, you're right. It isn't"

"Alina, I'm sorry. I didn't realise—"

"That I had options?"

"That you were connected"

"Connected? What exactly are you saying, Marcus?"

"I did some digging. You can't just jump from me to Dante Russo"

Her stomach tightened. Her parents had wiped every single detail that linked her to them. She'd kept only her name.

She almost laughed.

"You jumped from me to a venture capitalist's daughter in less than a week… That is one of the many affairs I know about. I knew about your affairs, Marcus"

"That was different"

"Of course, it was", then his tone became manipulative, softer now. "I was under pressure, Alina. I needed to secure my future"

"And I was a liability huh?", she scoffed

"I didn't say that"

"You didn't have to"

There was silence and when it dawned on him that he wasn't winning the game, he tried a different angle.

"Is this real?"

"What?"

"The engagement. Or are you just trying to make me jealous"

She leaned against the terrace railing, the estate grounds sprawling below, so vast.

"Why does it matter?"

"Because I want a chance to fix this"

He tried to disguise his regret as an apology.

"You made your choice, Marcus. Live with it"

"I can undo it, Alina. We've been through a lot together, remember?"

"No, you can't undo it"

This statement made him angry.

"You think Russo cares about you? Men like him don't marry for love. They don't marry someone they can't get anything from"

Her chest tightened but she kept her voice steady.

"And men like you do?"

Her words cut deeper than any double-edged sword. His tone hardened.

"Youre making a mistake, Alina"

"No, you already made it. In fact, the only mistake I admit to making is being with you all these years and even talking to you right now. Good night Marcus, goodbye"

She hung up. Her hand trembled and she hated him some more.

Inside his office, Dante watched her through the camera footage. She was standing outside the glass door leading to the balcony of her bedroom.

She looked calm but her shoulders were tense. He instantly knew who she was on the phone with. And so when she stepped back inside, he was waiting.

"Marcus Hale", he said calmly

She instantly froze.

"Are you monitoring my calls?"

"What? Why would I do that?", he scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Well, how did you know who I was talking to?"

"You just confirmed it"

"You monitor me then"

"I monitor threats"

"Im not a threat"

"He might be"

"No, he's not"

"Oh, you want to cover up your little boyfriend now?", he sneered.

"Marcus is not my boyfriend!", she was now red with anger.

"Why were you talking to him then?"

Was that jealousy? Was he jealous, she wondered.

It made her feel mushy inside but she wanted to take her own pound of flesh.

"Its none of your business who I talk to. Besides, don't sit there and act all jealous and whatever, I know the string of women you have at your beck and call. I know all your girlfriends, I've seen them! You don't believe I think they have magically vanished because they heard you were getting married, did you?", she was fuming now.

"You know nothing", he said calmly, too calmly.

And that calmness was unnerving her.

How could he say things like that and still be calm?

What was she even feeling? Why did she care? Was she jealous?

All these thoughts crossed Alina's mind, making her confused and losing focus and she hated that, she hated him for making her feel that way.

But she was done feeling sorry for herself. She'd gone through a lot, maybe worse than this... And maybe she should listen to Dante, This was his house afterall and if he said there was a threat, then there was a threat.

She inhaled, exhaled, closed her eyes and opened them again before speaking.

"What threat have you uncovered?", she asked

"He has been inquiring", Dante replied.

She did not even need to ask 'who'

"Inquiring about what", she asked, her eyes sharpening. She was discovering lately that there was actually nothing attractive about Marcus.

"You. He's inquiring about you", A flicker of irritation crossed his face.

"And you're angry because???"

Dante looked at her pointedly, "Im not. But he doesn't get to ask after you".

The tone beneath that statement was not cooperative...

"Well, you seem… invested," she smiled carefully.

This couldn't be the insufferable Dante everyone spoke of… The mafia boss…

"I dislike variables", he said scoffing.

He scoffed a lot when it came to Alina. She always found a way to get on his nerves and he wasn't one to react to situations.

"I'm a variable?", she tapped her chest, his eyes following the movement of her hands.

"You are connected to one."

The words felt like a distancing manoeuvre. She crossed her arms over her breast, raising her chin and looking all defiant.

"You don't get to decide who I speak to."

"I do if it compromises security."

"No, you don't. And it doesn't."

He studied her.

"You're certain?"

"Of course!", she threw her hands up in the air, "It's Marcus, for godsake, he's an i***t, he doesn't even know how to knot a tie"

"And if he approaches you publicly?"

"Trust me, I can handle Marcus."

"That's not what concerns me."

There was a subtle shift in his tone and she caught it. This wasn't jealousy. It was a calculation, he was concerned for her safety, for the safety of his wife to be.

"He's ambitious," Dante continued. "Ambition makes men reckless."

"Reckless how?"

There was silence which meant danger and her pulse slowed or quickened…?

"You think someone could use him?", she asked wide-eyed.

"Yes", he replied without hesitation

"For what?"

"To reach you."

A strange warmth settled in her chest. He was showing concern… He was showing concern… Real concern.

She masked the smile threatening to break forth.

"I'm not fragile."

"I know."

"Then stop treating me like a liability."

His jaw tightened slightly.

"I am protecting my investment."

The word stung more than she expected.

"Wow… Is that all I am?"

This strange man just had a way with words. He knew when to make her feel like a quick and trashy in a heartbeat.

And he'd done that more than ten times already… Shed known him for just forty eight hours. Could she endure a year with him?

He held her gaze.

"Yes."

The lie sat between them like glass. She saw it. He knew she saw it. But neither addressed it.

⸻

That night, Marcus did something foolish.

He drove to the Russo estate. He didn't get past the first gate. Security stopped him before he could even state his name.

"I'm here to see Alina Moretti," he demanded.

"Mrs Russo is unavailable," the guard replied smoothly.

The title hit him like a slap.

"I'll wait."

"You won't."

Marcus clenched his jaw.

"Tell her I came."

"That will not be necessary."

The gate remained closed. Immovable… Untouchable.

Marcus drove away burning with humiliation. And humiliation, when paired with ego, becomes dangerous.

⸻

Inside, Viktor approached Dante quietly.

"He came himself."

Dante didn't look surprised.

"Emotional men escalate quickly."

"Do you want him removed from the equation?"

Dante paused.

Alina's face flashed briefly in his mind.

"No."

"Why?"

"Not yet."

Control required patience and Dante preferred watching men reveal their weaknesses before eliminating them.

"Keep surveillance," he ordered.

⸻

Later, Alina stood in her room staring at the engagement ring. It glittered under soft lamplight. It exuded power, protection and possession...

She thought about Marcus at the gate, blocked and denied.

She expected satisfaction but instead, she felt clarity. Marcus never loved her. He loved what she represented or what he believed she lacked.

And Dante? He didn't claim love, but he offered protection without hesitation, so, which was more dangerous?

Her phone buzzed again. It was an unknown number. She ignored it.

It buzzed again. She hesitated before answering.

There was silence then a distorted voice:

"Congratulations, Mrs Russo."

Her blood ran cold.

"Who is this?"

"Careful who you leave behind." The line went dead. Her breath slowed deliberately.

She began to panic. She walked across the hall… Knocked once on Dante's office door.

"Enter."

She stepped inside, eyes steady.

"I think," she said calmly, "you were right about variables."

His expression shifted instantly.

"Explain."

She told him. He listened without interruption.

When she finished, his voice was very quiet.

"You will not answer unknown numbers again."

"That wasn't Marcus."

"No," he agreed, "It wasn't."

Something darker had just stepped onto the board. And suddenly Marcus wasn't the most immediate problem.

Dante stood.

"From now on," he said, voice steel beneath silk, "you do not move without security."

"I'm not a prisoner."

"You are a target."

The word settled heavily between them. She met his gaze.

"And whose fault is that?"

He didn't answer because the truth was obvious. His world had just brushed against hers and it would not be gentle.