“The wedding will take place in six months,” Francis said.
“That’s enough time to plan a proper celebration without dragging things out too long. However, public announcements should go out right away.”
He smiled, showing no hint of the snake coiled beneath his genial tone and expression.
We’d adjourned to the dining room soon after my arrival, and the conversation had immediately veered into wedding planning territory.
Distaste curled through me. Of course he’d want the world to know his daughter was getting hitched to a Russo as soon as possible.
Men like Francis would do anything to increase their social standing, including finding the balls to blackmail me in my office two weeks ago, right on the heels of my grandfather’s death.
Fury reignited in my chest. If I had my way, he wouldn’t have left New York with his bones intact. Unfortunately, my hands were tied, metaphorically speaking, and until I found a way to un tie them, I had to play nice.
For the most part.
“No, it won’t.” I wrapped my fingers around the stem of my wineglass and imagined it was Francis’s neck I was strangling instead. “No one will believe I’m marrying someone with such short notice unless something was wrong.”
For example, your daughter is pregnant, and this is a shotgun wedding.
The insinuation had everyone shifting in their seats while I kept my face blank and my voice bored.
Restraint didn’t come naturally to me. If I didn’t like someone, I made damn sure they knew it, but extraordinary circumstances called for extraordinary measures.
Francis’s mouth thinned. “Then what would you suggest?”
“A year is a more reasonable timeframe.”
Never was better, but sadly, it wasn’t an option. A year would do. It was short enough that Francis would agree to it and long enough for me to find and destroy the blackmail evidence. Hopefully.
“Announcements should also go out later,” I said. “A month gives us time to craft a proper story, considering your daughter and I have never so much as been seen in public together before.”
“We don’t need a month to come up with a story,” he snapped.
Although arranged marriages were common in high society, the involved parties went to great lengths to conceal the true reason behind the nuptials. Acknowledging one’s family joined with another simply for status reasons was considered vulgar.
“Two weeks,” he said. “We’ll announce the weekend Vivian moves into your house.”
My jaw tensed. Beside me, Vivian stiffened, clearly caught off guard by the revelation she’d have to move in before the wedding.
It was one of Francis’s stipulations for keeping his mouth shut, and I was already dreading it. I hated people invading my personal space.
“I’m sure your family would like the announcements to go out sooner rather than later as well,” Francis continued, placing a soft emphasis on the word family. “Don’t you agree?”
I held his stare until he shifted and looked away.
“Two weeks it is.”
The announcement date didn’t matter. I’d simply wanted to make the planning as difficult for him as possible.
What mattered was the wedding date.
One year.
One year to destroy the photos and break the engagement. It would be a huge scandal, but my reputation could take the hit. The Laus’ couldn’t.
For the first time that night, I smiled.
Francis shifted again and cleared his throat. “Excellent. We’ll work together to draft—”
“I’ll draft it. Next.”
I ignored his glare and took another sip of merlot.
The conversation devolved into a mind-numbing rundown of guest invites, flowers, and a million other things I didn’t give a shit about.
Restless anger churned beneath my skin as I tuned Francis and his wife out.
Instead of working on the Santeri deal or relaxing at the Valhalla Club, I was stuck entertaining their bullshit on a Friday night.
Beside me, Vivian ate quietly, appearing lost in thought.
After several minutes of strained silence, she finally spoke. “How was your flight?”
“Fine.”
“I appreciate you taking the time to fly in when we could’ve met in New York. I know you must be busy.”
I cut a piece of veal and brought it to my mouth.
Vivian’s stare burned a hole in my cheek while I chewed leisurely.
“I also heard the more zeroes one has in their bank account, the fewer words they’re capable of speaking.” Her deceptively pleasant voice could’ve sliced through butter. “You’re proving the rumor correct.”
“I thought a society heiress like yourself would know better than to discuss money in polite company.”
“The keyword is polite.”
A ghost of a smile flickered over my mouth.
Under normal circumstances, I might’ve liked Vivian.
She was beautiful and surprisingly witty, with intelligent brown eyes and the type of naturally refined bone structure no amount of money could buy. But with her pearls and Chanel tweed, she looked like a carbon copy of her mother and every other uptight heiress who only cared about their social status.
Plus, she was Francis’s daughter. It wasn’t her fault she was born to the bastard, but I didn’t give a damn. No degree of beauty could erase that stain on her record.
“It’s not polite to speak to a guest that way,” I mocked softly. I reached for the salt. My sleeve grazed her arm, and she visibly tensed. “What would your parents say?”
I’d already clocked Vivian’s hangups less than an hour into our acquaintance. Perfectionism, non-confrontation, a desperate need for her parents’ approval.
Boring, boring, boring.
Her eyes narrowed. “They’d say guests should adhere to social niceties as much as the host, including making an effort to hold a polite conversation.”
“Yeah? Do social niceties include dressing like you stepped out of a Fifth Avenue Stepford Wives factory?” I flicked a gaze over her suit and pearls.
I didn’t give a shit if people like Cecelia wore such an outfit, but Vivian looked as out of place in the dowdy clothing as a diamond in a burlap sack.
It pissed me off for no good reason.
“No, but they certainly don’t include ruining a nice dinner with discourtesy,” Vivian said coolly. “You should buy a nice set of manners to match your suit, Mr. Russo. As a luxury goods CEO, you know better than anyone how one ugly accessory can ruin an outfit.”
Another smile, still faint but more concrete.
Not so boring after all.
However, the embers of my amusement hissed into a smoky death when her mother inserted herself into our conversation.
“Dante, is it true all Russos get married at the family estate in Lake Como? I hear renovations will be finished by next summer before the wedding.”
My smile vanished as my muscles tightened at the reminder.
I turned away from Vivian to face Cecelia’s eager expression.
“Yes,” I said, my tone clipped. “All Russo weddings have taken place at Villa Serafina since the eighteenth century.”
My many-times great grandfather had built the villa and named it after his wife. My family could trace its roots to Sicily, but they later migrated to Venice and built a fortune trading luxury textiles. By the time the Venice trading boom ended, they’d diversified enough to hold onto their riches, which they used to acquire property throughout Europe.
Now, centuries later, my modern relatives were scattered across the world—New York, Rome, Switzerland, Paris—but Villa Serafina remained the most beloved of all the family estates. I would rather drown myself in the Mediterranean than tarnish it with a farce of a wedding.
My anger came roaring back.
“Wonderful!” Cecelia beamed. “Oh, I’m so thrilled you’ll be part of the family soon. You and Vivian are a perfect match. You know, she speaks six languages, plays the piano and violin, and—”
“Excuse me.” I pushed my chair back, cutting Cecelia off mid-sentence.
The legs scraped against the floor with a satisfyingly harsh screech. “Nature calls.”
Silence thudded in the wake of my shocking rudeness.
I didn’t wait for anyone to speak before I walked out and left a fuming Francis, flustered Cecelia, and red-faced Vivian in the dining room.
My anger remained a restless burn beneath my skin, but it cooled with each step farther away from them.
In the past, I’d exacted retribution on those who crossed me immediately. Fuck revenge being a dish best served cold; my motto has always been strike fast, strike hard, and strike true.
The world moved too quickly for me not to move along with it. I took care of the problem harshly enough to ensure there wouldn’t be any future problems, and I moved on.
Resolving the Lau situation, on the other hand, required patience. It was a virtue I wasn’t familiar with, and it stretched tight over me like an ill-fitting suit.
The echo of my footsteps faded as marble floors gave way to carpet. I’d visited enough mansions with similar layouts to guess where the restroom was, but I bypassed it in favor of the solid mahogany door at the end of the hall.
A twist of the knob revealed an office styled after an English library.
Wood paneling, overstuffed leather furniture, forest green accents.
Francis’s inner sanctum.
At least it wasn’t overly festooned with gold like the rest of the house.
My eyes were starting to bleed from the eyesore.
I left the door open and walked to the desk, my pace unhurried. If Francis had a problem with me snooping through his office, he was welcome to confront me.
He wasn’t stupid enough to leave the photos lying around behind an unlocked door when he knew I’d be here tonight. Even if the photos were here, he’d have backups stashed elsewhere.
I settled into his chair, plucked a Cuban cigar from the box in his drawer, and lit it while I examined the room. My anger gave way to calculation.
The dark computer screen tempted me, but I left the hacking to Christian, who was already tracking down digital copies of the photos.
I moved on to a framed picture of Francis and his family in the Hamptons. Research told me they had a summer house in Bridgehampton, and I’d bet my newly acquired Renoir he kept at least one set of evidence there.
Where else…
“What are you doing?”
The smoke from my cigar obscured Vivian’s face, but her disapproval came through loud and clear.
That was fast. I’d expected at least five more minutes before her parents forced her to come after me.
“Enjoying a smoke break.” I took another lazy drag.
I didn’t touch cigarettes, but I indulged in the occasional Cohiba. At least Francis had good taste in tobacco.
“In my father’s office?”
“Obviously.” Dark satisfaction filled my chest when the smoke dissolved to reveal Vivian’s frown.
Finally. Some visible emotion.
I’d started to think I was stuck with a robot for the remainder of our ridiculous engagement.
She crossed the room, plucked the cigar from my hand, and dropped it in the half-empty glass of water on the desk without taking her eyes off mine.
“I understand you’re probably used to doing whatever you want, but it’s exceedingly rude to sneak off during a dinner party and smoke in your host’s office.” Tension lined her elegant features. “Please rejoin us in the dining room. Your food is getting cold.”
“That’s my problem, not yours.” I leaned back. “Why don’t you join me for a break? I promise it’ll be more enjoyable than your mother’s hand wringing over floral arrangements.”
“Based on our interactions so far, I doubt it,” she snapped.
I watched, amused, as she took a deep breath and released it in one long, controlled exhale.
“I don’t understand why you’re here,” Vivian said, her voice calmer.
You’re clearly unhappy about the arrangement, you don’t need the money or connection with my family, and you can have any woman you want.”
“Can I?” I drawled. “What if I want you?”
Her fingers curled into loose fists. “You don’t.”
“You give yourself too little credit.” I rose and circled the desk until I stood close enough to see the pulse fluttering in her neck. How much faster would it beat if I wrapped her hair around my fist and pulled her head back?
If I kissed her until her mouth bruised and hiked up her skirt until she begged me to fuck her?
Heat ran to my groin.
I wasn’t interested in actually fucking her, but she was so prim and proper she begged for corruption.
The silence was deafening as I lifted my hand and grazed my thumb over her bottom lip. Vivian’s breathing shallowed, but she didn’t move away.
She stared at me, eyes full of defiance as I took my time exploring the lush curve of her mouth. It was full, soft, and disturbingly tempting compared to the stiff formality of the rest of her appearance.
“You’re a beautiful woman,” I said lazily. “Perhaps I saw you at an event and was so enamored I asked your father for your hand in marriage.”
“Somehow, I doubt that’s what happened.” Her breath drifted over my skin. “What kind of deal did you make with my father?”
The reminder of the deal killed the sensuality of the moment as quickly as it came.
My thumb paused on the center of her bottom lip before I dropped my hand with a silent curse. My skin tingled with heat from the memory of her softness.
I hated Francis for the blackmail, but I loathed Vivian for being his pawn. So what the fuck was I doing, toying with her in his office?
“You should ask your dear father that question.” My smile cut across my face, cruel and devoid of humor as I regathered my composure. “The details don’t matter. Just know that if I had any other choice, I damn well wouldn’t be getting married. But business is business, and you…” I shrugged. “You’re simply part of the deal.”
Vivian didn’t know about her father’s manipulation. Francis had warned me not to tell her, not that I would’ve, anyway. The fewer people who knew about the blackmail, the better.
He’d uncovered one of my few weak spots, and I’d be damned if I broadcast it to the world.
Vivian’s eyes glowed with anger. “You’re an asshole.”
“Yes, I am. Better get used to it, mia cara, because I’m also your future husband. Now, if you’ll excuse me…” I straightened my jacket with deliberate care. “I have to return to dinner. As you said earlier, my food’s getting cold.”
I brushed past her, reveling in the delicious taste of her indignation.
One day, she’d get her unspoken wish and wake up to a broken engagement.
Until then, I’d bide my time and play along because Francis’s ultimatum had been clear.
Marry Vivian, or my brother dies.
