Purchased by the Mafia

7

Mia’s POV

It was evening. I stood by the window, looking at the beautiful landscape of the house.

I shook in fear as the door swung open.

When I turned to see who had barged in without knocking, I was shocked.

Dante.

I hadn’t seen him since the night of the dinner.

He wore grey sweatpants and a black Ralph Lauren t-shirt.

He looked nothing like the last time I saw him. Cute. Calm. Handsome. Reserved.

He looked like a man who wouldn’t hurt a fly.

“Come with me,” he said.

“Why? Where to?” I asked, trying to hide my fear.

He looked irritated by my constant questions.

“I do not want to repeat myself,” he said bluntly.

Before now, I’d decided not to let Dante intimidate me with his presence or his bossy attitude. I was going to try it.

Hopefully he wouldn’t strangle me to death.

“I’m not going anywhere with you unless you tell me where we’re going,” I said, feigning stubbornness.

Irritated, he grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the room.

I tried to pull free, but my strength was nothing compared to his. I gave in and let him pull me.

He stopped in front of a door down the hallway. Unlike every other door in the house, this one had a fingerprint scanner.

He opened it and shoved me inside.

Can he be gentle for once in his f*****g life, I thought.

“Did you say something?” he asked out of nowhere.

I was sure I hadn’t said it out loud. So what the hell did he hear?

“No, I didn’t. Did you hear something?” I asked, trying to confirm.

He looked offended.

I was learning to ignore his attitude, so I shoved it aside and paid attention to my surroundings.

I looked around the big room, wondering why I was brought here.

White walls. Black furniture. The bed was neatly made. It was dark, but rays of light slipped through the slightly opened blinds.

We could barely see each other until he turned on the lights.

It smelled like dark chocolate and alcohol.

“Why am I here?” I asked, needing an answer immediately.

“This is my room,” he said, pulling off his shirt and dropping it on the chair by his bed. “And you’ll be staying here. We’re engaged, remember?”

I wasn’t expecting that. And not just the words, the tone.

He sounded different. Calmer than usual.

You’d never believe this was the same man who almost strangled me to death days ago.

And why was he shirtless?

“Engaged, not married,” I said, trying to make my point. I ignored the fact that he was shirtless.

“Besides, it’s not even real. I don’t have to stay in the same room.”

With his hand on the band of his sweatpants, he walked toward me.

He pulled them down. Like it was completely normal to do that in front of a woman.

I turned my head and tried not to look.

But of course, he had other plans.

“Look at me,” he said.

I did.

Broad shoulders. Well-built body. Firm chest.

Where else was I supposed to look? His eyes? I was too shy for that.

I got lost staring at his tattoos, trying to figure out what they meant. There were too many.

Dante snapped his fingers when he noticed how lost I was.

I gasped and pretended I hadn’t been staring.

“My grandfather is on his way,” he said in a low, tired voice. “He’s coming to confirm if we’re truly engaged. It’s better you stay here. Remember what I said about staying alive if he believes our little act.”

“Okay,” I said, swallowing hard.

He walked past me in nothing but his briefs and headed straight into the bathroom.

What just happened?

Who the hell was in that body?

Because it sure wasn’t the man who strangled me days ago.

Do we share a bed?

I couldn’t help but think about it.

***

Dante’s POV

After my shower, I walked into the room and saw Mia sleeping on the couch.

She was curled up like she didn’t want to ruin anything in the room.

Her presence in my room wasn’t appreciated. I liked my space. I hated sharing it. Especially with a woman.

I thought of ways to wake her up that would hurt.

“Get your lazy ass off my couch,” I said, hitting her shoulder.

She jolted awake, shocked. Confused why I woke her like that.

“You seem to forget that you’re a slave,” I said loud and clear. “And slaves shouldn’t get too comfortable in my house.”

“I’m sorry,” Mia said. She didn’t know what else to say.

We heard a knock on the door. Both of us turned toward it.

I walked over and opened it.

My grandfather.

Mia knew he was coming. She just didn’t know it was today.

Remembering why she was in my room, she put on a beautiful smile.

I was proud she did that.

“You didn’t tell me you were coming,” I said, acting caught off guard.

My grandfather kept trying to peek into the room. To see if I had company.

“I just came to see my soon-to-be daughter-in-law,” he said, walking straight in. “Or am I supposed to write a letter first?”

“Definitely not, Grandpa,” Mia said, walking toward him.

I wasn’t expecting that from her. And it made me feel a little more proud.

He was so excited to meet her in my room. His doubts about our relationship being fake completely disappeared.

He loved that she called him Grandpa. It warmed him.

He opened his arms and pulled her into a hug.

“Welcome, Grandpa,” Mia said softly.

“How’s the wedding preparation going?” he asked, smiling.

Mia turned to me, waiting for me to answer.

“Ella doesn’t want a big wedding,” I said. “Just family and friends.”

From the look on her face, she’d completely forgotten her new name.

“Ella, my dear,” my grandfather said. “You’re marrying into the most influential family in Italy. I won’t have my grandson get married like a pauper. Your wedding will be the talk of the town.”

Mia didn’t know what to say. Arguing with my grandfather wasn’t something she’d do.

“As you wish, Grandpa,” she said, smiling softly. She looked like she was actually excited to get married.

This might’ve been the happiest I’d seen my grandfather in a while.

“When is the wedding?” he asked.

“Five days from now,” I blurted out.

“Why the rush? We need time to plan. To invite influential people,” he said, looking between both of us.

I saw it. Seeds of doubt.

I needed damage control.

I walked to Mia and took her hand in mine, squeezing it tight.

“I can’t wait to make her mine,” I said. “I’ve waited for this moment for so long. Even five days feels like forever.”

Mia played along. She smiled and nodded.

“Five days is perfect, Grandpa,” she said. “I can’t wait to be his wife.”

“Alright then,” my grandfather said. “It’s late. Ella, you should get some rest. I need to talk business with Dante.”

We walked out, leaving Mia alone.

As I closed the door behind us, I saw her let out a huge sigh of relief.