Page 137 of Vicious Intentions
Luckily, I don’t run into anyone in the halls or on the stairs leading down to the first floor of the penthouse. Part of me considers making a run for it, but when I spot the cameras mounted in the corners, I know I wouldn’t get far.
I let out a breath when I step into the living room, which leads to a familiar patio just beyond the large floor-to-ceiling glass doors. I rush toward it and step outside, the noise of the city traffic below rising up to meet me. It’s different out here. Like the city is happening somewhere far below, removed from me.
The sharp blare of horns reaches me in softened bursts. The steady hum of engines blends into a low, constant drone. A siren cuts through it all, faint but persistent, echoing between buildings before fading into nothing. It all feels unreal. As if I were watching it all from behind glass, even though there’s nothing between me and the open air.
The warm June breeze brushes against my skin, gentle at this height, carrying none of the grit or chaos I know lingersdown below. Up here, everything feels… cleaner. Calmer. But it’s just another lie. No matter how peaceful it feels, I know what this city is capable of. Whathe’scapable of.
I grip the railing tighter, my eyes scanning the endless stretch of lights and movement below. So many people. So many lives moving forward, unaware of the girl standing high above them, trapped in a gilded cage.
For the first time since I got here, the silence doesn’t comfort me. It suffocates me. Because it serves as a reminder that this city wants me to make it my new home. It wants me to enter an unholy union with the heir to the Donato throne.
If there’s one thing scarier than becoming king of theCosa Nostraunderworld, it’s being the girl he wants to crown his queen. He’ll inherit an empire built on blood, while I inherit the cost of his vengeance.
To ensure peace, a sacrifice must be made.Those were his exact words to me. For the past week, I have been inundated with lies, but those… Those were the most honest words he’s spoken.
When the fine hairs at the nape of my neck stand on end, I know I’m no longer alone on the balcony.
“You’re back,” I say, still staring at the city below.
“I am,” Matteo retorts, the sound of his footsteps approaching me.
“And my family?”
“All alive and well,” he says, assuring.
I let out the breath I had been holding since he left to meet them.
They’re safe. Thank God.
“Your fathers, Vincent, Giovanni, and Dominic, left the meeting of their own accord. Your brother Marcello did too. I’ve been told Jude stayed behind on their private plane, babysittingyour sister Stella. Apparently, her presence in my city wasn’t exactly sanctioned by her boss.”
A pang hits my chest at the mere mention of my sister’s name. But I don’t have time to dwell on it, not when something else he said catches my attention more. Especially since he insinuated something similar earlier tonight.
“Fathers?” I parrot, feigning ignorance.
“Secrets like that never stay buried for long.” He chuckles in amusement. “Someone with a bone to pick would have found proof of your family’s dynamics, sooner or later.”
Proof. He’s got proof. Damn it.
“I guess it was just our bad luck that we crossed paths, then,” I counter, my grip tightening in the rail.
“I don’t see it that way,” he whispers, now standing behind me. “Luck had no part in this. Fate, perhaps. Not luck.” When I offer nothing in response, he lets out a low, steady exhale. “I kept my word, Anna. Are you ready to give me yours?”
“My family will never accept this.” I shake my head, refusing to turn around even when I feel his chest graze my back.
“They will,” he says calmly. “I’ll make sure of it.”
“You can’t control everything, Matteo. Even if this ridiculous plan goes the way you expect, my father will still retaliate. He won’t just accept our marriage because tradition dictates it. Lives will be lost.”
“Yes, lives will be lost,” he replies, unfazed. “How many, depends on you.” Silence stretches between us as he lowers his head toward mine, his mouth so close to my ear I feel his breath against my skin. “Marry me,” he says softly, while brushing my hair to the side. “And you will belong to New York. Your father won’t be able to raise a finger against it ever again. And I will make sure that everyone you love will remain safe.”
I turn my head slightly, just enough to search his face for a speck of truth I can hold on to. Something to tell me I’m makingthe right decision. Something that will guarantee this sacrifice isn’t in vain.
“You promise that everyone I love will be spared? Even if war is a given?”
“All I want is New York,” he replies while staring deep into my eyes. “New York… and you.”
I don’t have a choice. I never had a choice. Only the illusion of one.
