"Oh, I forgot." He laughs in my face. "And you were so very eager to marry him, weren't you Marzia? It would be easier to believe you if you hadn't just leaked your virginity all over my fucking fingers a few hours ago."
"Fuck you," I spit out.
"Oh, you will. Soon enough. Be patient, bambina. Everything, including fucking your pretty little pussy, comes at a price."
"Haven't you already taken enough from me?" I spit out. "You took me away from my family. You killed them in cold blood like they were animals. You took everything from me."
"Only because I want to see you happy." He shrugs carelessly, as if taking my mother and father's lives means nothing to him. "I know you weren't happy in that house, Marzia. The faster you admit it to yourself, the fucking better. Anyway, enough of this fucking chatter. I have a surprise for you." He rings a bell on the wall.
Moments later, the double doors fly open and a young woman is ushered in the room. Actually, she's just a girl. She can't be older than sixteen, with pretty, wide blue eyes and dark brown hair that's neatly tied into a bun. Her skin is olive-toned and her gorgeous eyes flit from me to Adrian with fear. She offers a small bow in our direction.
"Marzia, this is Eleanora," Adrian explains. "She will be your maid."
"Another person you're keeping here against your will?" I argue back, examining the girl. She looks innocent enough, although there's a glint in her eyes I can't quite explain yet. "How old are you, Eleanora?"
She doesn't answer, instead glancing at Adrian.
He merely laughs, walking over to her. "Open your mouth, Eleanora."
Once she does, my stomach falls and my heart skips a beat in fear. Eleanora doesn't have a tongue. She can't speak. "You're a monster," I hiss at Adrian.
"She did it to herself." He shrugs in the way of an answer. "She didn't want to speak after her parents died."
"You probably killed them," I hiss.
"My father."
"You always let your papa do the dirty work for you?"
"Are you going to keep running that tongue until I cut it out for you?" He growls. "You and Eleanora can be just alike, then."
I'm about to snap back, but his eyes fill me with fear, so I swallow my complaint. Instead, I inspect Eleanora who stands awkwardly in the corner of the room. "What am I going to do with a maid, anyway?"
"She'll help you look presentable every day," Adrian explains. "She'll do your hair, help with getting dressed, and help you get ready in the mornings. You'll be having your meals here in your room. Eleanora will bring them to you. She also reports to me, Marzia. So I'll know your every step."
"Oh, you won't be keeping track of me yourself?" I hiss.
"I won't always be around. I have a business to run."
The thought fills me with fear. It's terrifying to think of being alone in this huge house with Adrian's father, the man who killed my parents in cold blood. Still, Adrian is right. I know his family are art dealers. There are rumors in Sicily that some dealings they make aren't exactly... legal. Still, the Bernardis are mega wealthy. The only thing they're missing is the lineage and reputation of a family like mine.
We, the Da Costas, are the owners of a grappa vineyard that has been famous for centuries. The family business has made us legends, but what the public doesn't know is that the business has fallen on hard times. My father has taken drastic measures to ensure we'd get to keep our vineyards and house, but that often included dangerous people in illegal ways. Of course, I'd never admit any of this to Adrian.
Instead, I glare at the man, wishing he wouldn't have to go away despite my best efforts to hate him. I'll hate being here alone, almost as much as I hated being captive at my parents' house.
"When I'm gone, Eleanora will still report to me," Adrian tells me. "I'll need to make sure you're being a good girl, and if I'm disappointed, you'll be punished. So you better be on your best behavior."
"Where are you going?" I bite my bottom lip the moment the question slips from my lips. I am so weak.
"Where do you think I'm going?" He laughs at me. "To put your brother and fiancé where they belong. In the fucking ground."
I spring from the bed, glaring at the man who is so very different from the boy I once fell in love with. "You're not going to kill my brother."
"You know, Marzia, I find it very interesting that you don't care about Vitto at all." He smirks. "You worry about your brother... What about your fiancé? Don't you care what happens to him?"
I purse my lips, refusing to answer his question. He won't manipulate me anymore.
He pays my silence no mind, just laughing in my face as he steps closer and attempts to touch my hair.
I snap my head away so he can't touch me.
He only grins wider. "I'll make you submit soon enough," he tells me darkly. "You'll be a good girl for me sooner rather than later."
"I'd rather die," I spit out.
"Careful what you wish for." His dark eyes sparkle with eagerness to hurt me. "I might just give it to you."
My heart pounds with fear. Surely, he wouldn't hurt me. I still see the traces of the boy I met in the docks all those years ago in Adrian. I can only hope there's still some humanity left in his soul.
"Maybe I'll bring you your brother's head as a little souvenir once I'm done," he tells me darkly.
In that moment, I see red. I stand up and walk up to him, my hand soaring through the air in an attempt to slap him.
Eleanora takes a deep breath, her hand flying up to cover her mouth just as Adrian catches my wrist mid-air.
"Did you just try to hit me, bambina?" He snarls at me.
9
Adrian
I glare at the girl before me, knowing both our hearts are pounding. Mine with desire, hers with pure hatred for me. But I'll change that soon enough.
My eyes devour her pretty features. The dainty nose, the full, bee-stung lips. She has porcelain skin with an olive undertone and a mass of dark, silky smooth hair. Her eyes are green, dark and piercing at the same time. She's absolutely stunning. How no man has claimed her body yet, will forever be a mystery to me. If I'd gotten my hands on her sooner, there's no way she would've remained a virgin for as long as she did.
Marzia Da Costa won't hate me for long. Not when I'm the only one that can give her what she wants.
I know she wants me. It's written all over her pretty, innocent face as she stares up at me defiantly. I hold her wrist in my hand, and we both know all it would take would be a twist of my fingers and her delicate bones would snap. I won't hurt her though, not today. It's too soon, and when I do give her pain, I want her fucking begging for it.
"Don't fucking test my patience, bambina," I tell her darkly. "You won't like me when I snap... It won't end well for you when I do." My warning is short and concise.
She recoils back in fear when I let go of her skinny little wrist. She rubs the spot I touched, glaring at me with undiluted anger. She feels disappointed that I've stopped her. She wanted me to see how angry she was when she slapped me, to feel the full extent of her anger.