Married to the Devil in a Suit

Chapter 6: The Warning

The morning after our kiss felt like walking through fire barefoot. I couldn’t look Matteo in the eye. Not when my mind kept replaying the way his lips had claimed mine—possessive, hungry, and… confusing.

I expected him to act distant or pretend it never happened. But Matteo wasn’t built like that.

When I stepped into the dining room, he was already there, dressed in another dark, tailored suit. Coffee in one hand, the other scrolling through something on his phone like nothing had changed.

“You’re late,” he said without looking up.

I blinked. “Good morning to you, too.”

His lips twitched. “Sit. Eat.”

A full spread sat between us—omelets, fruits, toast, salmon, things I couldn’t pronounce. I wasn’t used to this life. Back home, breakfast was usually a slice of bread and maybe tea if the water bill had been paid.

I sat across from him, suddenly self-conscious in my oversized robe.

He finally looked up. “Sleep okay?”

“Yeah,” I lied.

The silence stretched too long before he set his cup down. “What happened last night…”

I held my breath.

“…can’t happen again.”

There it was—the slap of reality.

I nodded slowly, pretending like I didn’t feel something strange and disappointing twist in my chest. “Right. Of course.”

“It was a mistake,” he added, his tone sharper now. “You’re under my protection. This marriage is a contract, nothing more.”

My chest tightened. “You don’t have to explain.”

But he did. Matteo looked at me then—not cold, but not soft either. “I’m not a man you fall in love with, Emilia. I’m not safe. I’m not kind. And I don’t have the luxury of loving anyone.”

Before I could answer, he stood up and walked out, leaving me to chew my toast in silence. A toast that suddenly tasted like dust.

Later that day, I was in the library flipping through a novel, trying to distract myself when Maria, the head maid, burst in breathlessly.

“Miss Emilia,” she whispered, glancing behind her. “Be careful tonight. Matteo’s enemies are moving.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“There’s talk. Whispers. The De Lucas are being watched closely. Someone’s waiting for a crack.”

Fear slid into my veins like ice water.

Matteo had warned me. But now, it was real.

I was married to the devil, and the gates of hell were already knocking