Page 14 of Isle of Seduction

He chuckles before sobering and answering my question.

“Considering you’re Alana’s spy, I guess you already know I own West Hill.”

I wave my hand at him to continue and he plants his elbows on the table, resting his chin on them. He looks like a king giving an audience and I can’t stop but stare, blinded by his ambition and drive.

“The next stepping stone of my ambitions is a seat in the City Council. The elections are in May and my campaign is about to start in full force.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

“Politics and the mafia don’t mesh well, guerrieritta.”

“I thought they actually did.”

“In private, certainly. In public, however, that’s a different story.”

I laugh mockingly. “You need me to clear your image.”

“I need you to help me win.”

“Same difference.”

I recline in my chair and consider him under the light of this new information.

Andrea Capaldi is a successful businessman. He owns multiple corporations, all in service of the local communities that also bring him loads of money. His father was also a prominent mafia figure, dealing mostly in guns and information. From my latest knowledge, he still has a hand in that. I’m sure that’s not appreciated with the high snobs of the political elite of this shit hole.

“You want to be perceived as a family man,” I suggest. That would make sense. Politics and family go hand in hand in the public eye, no matter what happens behind closed doors.

“I want to be perceived as the best option, if not the only one, and a beloved one at that. How fantastic that my wife has a talent for winning crowds and gathering secrets?”

I’m used to getting disregarded by men and in general. They see my boobs and ass, the provocative clothes and the unapologetic way I walk in the world and assume I have no brains. I fucking love to put them in their place. Andrea’s display of confidence unsettles me. Respect has been hard earned with me collecting secrets for our family, and leveraging my knowledge to our gain. Having his, without demanding it, is … new.

I don’t like it.

“I guess I don’t have much of a choice. Will that be all, dear husband?”

His eyes dull, and his lips turn down.

“We entered a mutually beneficial agreement, Giulia. I already saved your cousin and agreed to your conditions. Now, I’m asking for you to play your part.”

The steel of his voice and the set of his jaw show me that he’s also not used to being challenged. I’d love nothing more than to do just that but unfortunately, he’s right. We entered a contract, and it’s my turn to pay up.

“I know what our lives and our contract entail, Andrea. But I don’t have to like it. I’ll play the dutiful wife outside these walls, but don’t think for a second that I won’t make your life miserable just for the fun of it.”

If he thought he was getting a meek little wife, he’s in for a fucking reckoning.

The smile is back on his gorgeous face and I’m shocked to think that I missed it for the few seconds it disappeared. I must be drunk.

“Like spending 200,000 pounds in a day?”

“That’s just collateral damage for making me live here. A gentleman wouldn’t even mention it.”

“No one ever called me a gentleman, guerrieritta.” His voice sounds like sin and I don’t miss the innuendo but decide to ignore my heart skipping a beat. I take a centering breath instead.

“So, what’s on our agenda?” I ask.

“We’ll start tomorrow by going out to dinner. We need to be seen spending quality time together, start the rumour mill. I’ll need your ring size right now so I can order your wedding band.”

“How romantic.”

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