Page 50 of Bound in Vengeance
The heavy, reinforced front door suddenly swings open, cutting my bitter thoughts short.
Alessandro walks into the foyer.
The bickering cuts out instantly. Daniela and Camilla go dead silent, their eyes widening as they frown at him, their bodies instinctively bracing. I sit up straight, my pulse instantly jumping into overdrive.
He looks entirely too large for the room. Tall. Broad-shouldered. He’s rolled the sleeves of his dark button-down shirt up to his elbows, exposing the intricate, dark ink of his tattoos running up and down his thick forearms.
The mere sight of him makes a betraying, liquid heat coil deep in my stomach, my body reacting to his predatory presence before my brain can even stop it. His dark eyes scan the foyer, locking onto mine with a lethal, smug confidence that says he knows exactly what he does to me.
I rush to my feet, desperate to break the spell. "What are you doing here?" I demand, my voice sharper than intended.
Alessandro stops a few feet away, leaning his hip casually against the marble banister. "Is that any way to greet your future husband,dolcezza?"
Dolcezza…there it is again, the endearment that literally translates to ‘sweetness’.
I frown deeply at him, crossing my arms over my chest like a shield. "I’m going shopping with my sisters, I don’t have time. So you have to leave."
He doesn't look remotely offended. Instead, he claps his hands together once, a dark smirk playing on his lips. "Perfect timing, then. I’ll take you shopping instead."
"No," I say immediately, violently shaking my head.
“No?” He questions.
Daniela steps up beside me, her protective sisterly instincts overriding her fear as she frowns at him. "It’s wedding dress shopping, Alessandro. You can't go."
Alessandro slowly shifts his gaze to her, casting her a cold, unbothered glare that would make a seasoned soldier break a sweat. "I actually love wedding shopping."
“Yeah, right?” Daniela lets out a sharp scoff, crossing her arms. "Have you been married before?"
Alessandro arches a single, mocking brow, his dark eyes glinting. "Have you?"
Daniela snaps her jaw closed and steps back, glaring at the floor.
Alessandro turns his attention fully back to me, taking a slow step forward until he's completely dominating my personal space. "The wedding is for both of us, Sienna. And I want us to choose our things together."
"I want my sisters with me," I insist, my voice trembling slightly as I refuse to back down.
"No can do," he rumbles, his voice eases into that low, private tone meant for me alone. "I want some private time with my bride."
I glare at him with everything I have. A flash of pure, wicked amusement flares in his dark eyes at my defiance. He loves when I fight back. It just gives him something to break.
Fine. Two can play at this game. There is no way my traditionalist, control-freak father is going to let his prize daughter disappear into the city alone with a volatile Gallo before the contracts are officially signed.
"You can go upstairs and ask my father, then," I say, a triumphant tilt touching my lips. "If my father says it's okay for you to take me, then I'll go."
Alessandro stares at me for a beat, reading the trap I've laid for him. He lets out a low, rough chuckle that sends a shiver down my spine. "Sweetheart, your father has absolutely no right to refuse me anything. But if it makes you happy to see me play nice..."
He doesn't finish the sentence. He just winks at me, turns on his heel, and casually jogs up the grand staircase, disappearing into the upper corridors toward Massimo's private study.
"Dad is going to say no, right?" Camilla asks, her voice laced with disappointment as she watches the empty staircase.
"Dad will definitely say yes," Daniela replies, her voice flat. "He’s afraid of Alessandro, even if he’d rather die than admit it to anyone."
"Sienna," Camilla groans, stepping closer and wrapping a comforting arm around my shoulder. "How do you even deal with him? I’m so incredibly sorry you’re going through this."
Before I can even find the words to answer her, the heavy thud of leather boots echoes from the floor above. I turn around just in time to see Alessandro descending the grand staircase. He meets my gaze with a broad, arrogant grin, and my heart violently skips a beat.
I don't need him to say a word. The look on his face tells me everything: my father agreed without a fight.
