Thorns And Silk

Aria's POV The whiskey bottle trembled slightly in my hands, and no matter how tightly I tried to grip it, I could not stop the shaking. The crystal glasses on the long mahogany table reflected the dim amber lights hanging above the dining hall, making the room glow with a warmth that did not exist inside it. Men like these did not carry warmth with them. They carried violence in tailored suits and death beneath expensive watches. I kept my eyes lowered as I moved around the table silently, pouring drinks exactly the way Viktor had taught me years ago. Never too much. Never too little. Never spill. And never speak unless spoken to. The heavy scent of cigars and expensive liquor wrapped around me like smoke from a fire I could never escape. My black dress clung too tightly to my ribs, making it difficult to breathe properly, but Elena had insisted on it. “You should look presentable tonight,” she had said coldly while fastening the diamond earrings into my ears earlier that evening. “For once, try not to embarrass this family.” Family. The word felt almost laughable. I stopped beside another man seated near the end of the table and poured whiskey carefully into his glass. He thanked me absentmindedly before continuing the discussion about shipments and territory routes, as though murder and smuggling were ordinary business topics discussed over dinner. Maybe for them, they were. My fingers tightened around the bottle when I felt Sebastian’s gaze sliding over me from across the table. I could always feel it. Like insects crawling beneath my skin. “Aria,” Viktor suddenly called. I straightened immediately. “Yes?” “Come here.” My pulse quickened. Every eye in the room shifted toward me as I slowly walked closer to where Viktor sat at the head of the table. His expression remained calm, but that meant nothing. Viktor Voss smiled before ruining people. I stopped beside his chair quietly. “This,” Viktor said while lazily gesturing toward me with his cigar, “is my daughter.” A few men glanced at me with mild curiosity before returning their attention to the discussion. Except one. The man seated directly across from Viktor continued staring at me without blinking. Dante Castellano. I had heard his name whispered for years. The Devil of Chicago. The monster who drowned traitors in Lake Michigan. The mafia king nobody crossed twice. I had expected someone older somehow. Crueler looking. Less… beautiful. But Dante Castellano looked terrifying in a quieter way. Dark eyes. Sharp jaw. Expensive black suit. A face carved from coldness itself. He sat lazily in his chair with one hand resting against the armrest, appearing completely relaxed while the entire room remained tense around him. That kind of calm only belonged to dangerous men. His gaze moved over my face slowly. Not hungrily. Not appreciatively. Observantly. As though he noticed things people usually missed. My stomach twisted. “Pretty little thing, isn’t she?” Sebastian muttered with a smirk. Before I could step away, Sebastian’s hand suddenly landed on my wrist beneath the table. Hard. Pain shot through my arm instantly. I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from reacting. His fingers tightened cruelly around the bruises already hidden beneath my makeup. “Sebastian,” Elena warned quietly. He ignored her. “She gets nervous around guests,” he said mockingly. “Don’t you, sweetheart?” “I-I’m fine,” I whispered. His grip tightened further. My vision blurred for a second. Nobody moved. Nobody ever did. Then suddenly— “Enough.” The deep voice cut across the room sharply. Sebastian’s hand loosened instantly. I looked up before I could stop myself. Dante Castellano was watching him now. Not me. Him. The silence that followed felt heavy enough to choke on. Sebastian slowly leaned back in his chair with a fake smile. “Just joking around.” Dante said nothing. But something in his expression darkened slightly. I quickly lowered my gaze again and stepped back from the table, my wrist throbbing painfully beneath the sleeve of my dress. “Continue,” Viktor ordered. The conversation resumed immediately, but the air had changed. I moved toward the corner of the room quietly, trying to disappear the way I always did. That was the safest way to survive here. Invisible. Small. Forgettable. My breathing finally slowed until Viktor spoke again. “There is another matter we should discuss tonight.” The room quieted instantly. Viktor leaned back in his chair slowly before glancing toward Dante. “As you know,” he began smoothly, “recent events have placed my organization in an… unfortunate position.” Unfortunate. A polished word for collapsing. Shipments intercepted. Money disappearing. Enemies circling like wolves. Even I knew the Voss family was weakening. Luca Romano, the man seated beside Dante, folded his arms. “Your debt is nearing fifty million.” “I’m aware.” “And yet you still requested this meeting,” Luca said coldly. Viktor smiled faintly. “Because I came prepared to offer something valuable in return.” A strange feeling crept into my chest. Fear. Sharp and sudden. I looked toward Elena instinctively, but her face remained unreadable. Sebastian smirked beside her. Something was wrong. Very wrong. Viktor turned his gaze toward me slowly. My blood ran cold. “No,” I whispered before I could stop myself. His expression hardened instantly. “Come here, Aria.” Every instinct inside me screamed to run. But fear had trained my body long ago. I obeyed automatically. My heels echoed softly across the marble floor until I stood beside Viktor once more. He rested a hand on my shoulder. I nearly flinched. “She is untouched,” Viktor said calmly. “Educated. Obedient. Beautiful enough to stand beside a man like Dante Castellano.” The room fell silent. My heartbeat stopped. No. No no no— “She will become his wife,” Viktor finished. The whiskey tray slipped from my hands. Crystal shattered across the floor violently. Nobody moved. I stared at Viktor, unable to breathe properly anymore. “You can’t—” His fingers dug painfully into my shoulder. “You will speak when permitted.” My vision blurred. This wasn’t happening. This could not be happening. Sebastian leaned closer with a cruel smile. “Careful, sweetheart. You should be thanking him.” I could barely hear anything over the roaring inside my head. Wife. Marriage. Sold. Again. The room tilted slightly beneath my feet. “I believe,” Viktor continued smoothly, “an alliance through marriage would benefit both families.” Luca looked disgusted. “You’re offering your daughter as collateral?” “She is more valuable than money.” I wanted to scream. Instead, I stood frozen beside the table while the men discussed my future like negotiating a shipment contract. “She’s terrified,” Marco muttered suddenly from further down the table. “Can you blame her?” Luca replied. I could not look at Dante. Could not breathe near him. Could not think. Because somewhere deep inside myself, beneath all the fear and panic, one horrifying realization echoed louder than the others. Dante Castellano had not refused. Dante's POV She looked like a ghost. That was the first thought that entered my mind the moment Viktor Voss placed his hand on her shoulder. Not beautiful. Not delicate. Not fragile. Haunted. The bruises hidden beneath her makeup were almost invisible unless someone knew where to look. Faint discoloration near her wrist. Finger-shaped marks barely concealed beneath foundation along her collarbone. Most people in the room missed them. I didn’t. Because I had seen bruises like those before. On my mother. The memory surfaced so suddenly it almost irritated me. My father dragging her through the hallway. Her silence. The blood on her lip. The way she used to apologize for breathing too loudly. I leaned back in my chair slowly while Viktor continued speaking. “She will become his wife.” Interesting. The girl looked seconds away from collapsing. Luca muttered beside me, “This is pathetic.” I ignored him. My eyes remained fixed on Aria. Aria Voss. Even her name sounded soft. She stood perfectly still despite the terror written all over her face, as though fear itself had become muscle memory. That kind of fear was learned slowly. Over years. “Dante,” Viktor said carefully. “What is your answer?” The room fell silent again. I tapped my finger once against the armrest thoughtfully. A marriage alliance would solve several problems immediately. The Voss ports would become mine. Their remaining political connections would be useful. And refusing publicly would embarrass Viktor enough to create unnecessary conflict. Logically, accepting made sense. But logic was not why I kept staring at the girl. She finally looked at me then. And Christ. Those eyes. Terrified. Exhausted. Empty in the way abused people became empty after enduring too much for too long. Not once did she look hopeful that I might save her. She simply looked resigned. Like she already knew monsters always won. Marco sighed quietly. “Boss…” “She’s shaking,” Luca muttered. I noticed. Every breath she took trembled slightly. Viktor’s fingers still dug into her shoulder possessively. Ownership. Control. Cruelty hidden beneath politeness. I hated men like him. Which was ironic considering what people called me. Demon. Monster. Executioner. Maybe they were right. But there were rules even monsters followed. And touching what belonged to me without permission was one of them. I finally spoke. “I accept.” Aria inhaled sharply. The sound barely reached me, but I heard it anyway. Viktor smiled with visible relief. “Excellent.” “She will be transferred to the Castellano estate after the wedding,” Dante continued calmly. “Effective immediately, any harm against her becomes an offense against my family.” Sebastian scoffed. “Little protective already, aren’t you?” I turned my gaze toward him slowly. The smile disappeared from his face. Good. “She is now under my protection,” I said evenly. “That includes you.” The warning settled heavily across the room. Sebastian leaned back silently. Viktor cleared his throat awkwardly. “Of course.” Aria swayed slightly beside him. Something about that small movement irritated me unexpectedly. “Sit down before you fall,” I ordered. Her eyes widened slightly, as though kindness confused her more than cruelty. Interesting. “I’m fine,” she whispered automatically. Lie. Her skin had gone pale. Her breathing uneven. Trauma response. Before I could say anything else, her knees suddenly buckled. The room erupted into movement. Marco cursed loudly while Viktor stood abruptly, but I reached her first. Her body collapsed against my arms weightlessly. Too light. Far too light. A faint scent of jasmine clung to her hair as I steadied her unconscious form against my chest. “She fainted,” Marco stated unnecessarily. “No s**t,” Luca muttered. Viktor looked embarrassed rather than concerned. That alone told me enough. I glanced down at the girl sleeping unconsciously in my arms. Fear had exhausted her so completely that even fainting looked peaceful. Something cold settled inside my chest then. Possessiveness. Sharp. Instant. Dangerous. Mine. The thought arrived suddenly and without permission. I disliked it immediately. Yet I tightened my hold on her anyway. “Prepare the car,” I ordered calmly. Viktor frowned. “The wedding arrangements are not finished.” “I wasn’t asking.” Silence. Nobody challenged me. Because everybody in this room understood one thing very clearly. Aria Voss no longer belonged to the Voss family. Now she belonged to Dante Castellano.