Page 5 of Deadly Don's Baby Contract

"Oh," I say softly. "Okay. My things..."

"The servants will bring them," he says. "This way."

He has a long stride, and I have to walk quickly to keep up. I'm barely able to take in anything else as he leads me into another huge space. We go up a flight of stairs, and he takes me to the right. We walk up to a set of double doors, and he turns to me. "My room is just over there," he motions to some doors we just passed. "So if you need anything, you can just knock or ask a servant who's nearby."

"Servants... your family must be doing extremely well," I say, with a slight hint of condescension.

"It's a big place, it needs a staff." He turns and opens the double doors. It's a bright room with pastel colors. I step inside. To the left is a four-poster bed, and to the right is a door leading to the en-suite bathroom and, from what I can see, a walk-in closet.

I look around and nod. "This will do."

"Of course, Your Royal Highness." Franco says, "Perhaps later I can give you a tour of the other parts of the house."

"I'm sure I can find my way around," I say, looking at him.

"I certainly hope you find your way to my bedroom," he says quietly with a cheeky grin.

I frown. "I am marrying your brother."

"You were supposed to marry me," he responds. "My brother merely took you from me."

"I am not a possession to be passed around," I say angrily. "Ten minutes here, and I already know which brother is the jerk."

"Well, at least I'm not pompous," he says. "What do you think this is? A castle where you're royalty."

"I am royalty if I marry the head of a family," I snap.

He clicks his tongue and shakes his head. "That's all you care about... status. I'm glad Marco took you off my hands."

"I'm glad too," I turn around as the servants come in, and I walk to the balcony. I look down and see guards patrolling the gardens. "What? Are you afraid I'm going to try to run away?"

"I wouldn't put it past you," he grumbles. "But they're actually there for your own protection."

I'm about to respond when I turn around and see Marco walking towards us. "As is he," he says. "Franco, that is. He's to be your personal bodyguard."

"I really don't think that's necessary," I say quietly. "Franco is obviously important to the family."

"As are you," Marco says with a grin. "Besides, I'm punishing him at the moment for losing a little wager with me."

I frown. I'm not someone's punishment. I bite my tongue, though and don't say anything as the servants bring my bags into the room.

"I'll leave you in Franco's capable hands. As soon as you're ready, we'll start planning the wedding." Marco takes my hand and brings it to his lips to kiss them. I nod and look at Franco.

"Do you have to stay with me in my room?"

"You can change in the bathroom," he says moodily. He crosses to the small table and chairs just by the balcony and sits down.

I choose to ignore him. Instead, I start to unpack my things into the walk-in closet. I don't know how long I will be in this room, but I might as well make it homely. I have several suitcases of clothes that I unpack, and then I move on to my bathroom essentials. After I'm done, I feel quite sweaty. I glance at Franco sitting on the balcony, scrolling through his phone.

"I'm going to shower," I declare. "Don't come into the bathroom."

"Would if I wanted to princess," he says without feeling.

I glare at him. "My name is Aria. Not princess."

"Whatever," he says, looking at me. "I won't disturb your precious shower. Hurry up, though, because it's lunchtime, and I'm sure my parents want to meet you."

I suddenly feel quite nervous. I jump in the shower and wash up, washing my hair as well. I style it while I dry my hair, and then I apply some light makeup. I change into smart pants and a cute blouse. All in all, it probably takes me half an hour to get ready. When I'm done, I find Franco exactly where I left him.

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