Married To The Man I Swore To Kill

Chapter Two

The Devil's Bargain

For a second, the air left my lungs. I stared at Lorenzo, waiting for the punchline, waiting for a cruel smirk to break across his composure.

"Have you lost your mind?" I demanded, pressing my hands flat against the dark mahogany desk to keep them from trembling.

"Not that I'm aware of," he replied smoothly, without a single flicker of hesitation.

"Why on earth would you want to marry me?"

Lorenzo stepped closer, his shadow falling over me. "Because someone inside my organization is leaking high-level financial information," he said, his voice dropping to a low, quiet intensity. "I need an auditor, someone who can navigate complex ledgers and trace hidden transaction routes without being swayed by internal board politics or old family loyalties. You have the exact background and skill set I need for that kind of work."

A bitter laugh escaped my throat. "And you think a fake marriage will somehow make me trust you?"

"No," Lorenzo said, his dark eyes locking onto mine. "I think it will give you unrestricted access to the very private archives and financial records you’ve spent the last three years trying to breach."

His words struck painfully close to home. He knew exactly what I was after. He knew I had reached a dead end on my own, and he was offering me the keys to the castle wrapped in a golden cage.

"What's in it for you?" I asked, my voice hardening as my analytical brain took over. "Besides an auditor?"

"Your full cooperation," he answered promptly. "And a marriage that satisfies my family's traditional expectations while settling quiet power struggles within the board. A temporary, clean business arrangement."

"So I'm just a strategic piece on your chessboard," I said.

"At the moment, yes."

Every survival instinct honed over the past three years screamed at me to walk away. Accepting any offer from Lorenzo Vitale was playing with fire. He had power, limitless funds, and a ruthless reputation, giving him control over my position inside his world could backfire instantly.

Ma, if you were here, you'd tell me I'm crazy.

Yet, the photographed ledger page on my phone proved one thing: the evidence surrounding my father's tragic death was inside this organization. If I wanted to expose the truth, sneaking through vents and hacking keypads would only get me so far. I needed to be on the inside.

I reached down and slowly opened the sleek folder he had placed on the desk. Inside was a pre-drafted non-disclosure and marriage agreement.

"Six months," I repeated quietly, tracing the bold print at the top of the page. "That’s all."

"Six months," Lorenzo confirmed. "After that, we quietly dissolve the union, and you leave with whatever answers you find."

Six months to uncover what he was hiding. Six months to unearth the truth about my father. Six months to decide whether Lorenzo Vitale was a ruthless monster or the only man capable of helping me find justice.

I closed the folder with a sharp snapping sound.

"Six months," I said, holding his gaze with unwavering determination. "Then we go our separate ways. No extensions. No interference in my private life."

Lorenzo extended his right hand across the desk. "Agreed."

I hesitated for half a beat before placing my hand in his. His grip was firm, warm, and entirely steady, his expression unreadable as his fingers wrapped around mine.

I entered the casino tonight as a ghost trying to uncover a secret. Instead, I was leaving as the future bride of the man I had suspected of destroying my family.

It's only a business deal, I told myself, stepping back as he released my hand. I will never fall for him. I will never trust him.

And as I turned toward the office door, I made myself one final, unbreakable promise: if Lorenzo Vitale had any hand in my father’s death, I would find the proof and I would burn his empire to the ground.