Page 25 of Deadly Don's Baby Contract

"Stay out of this," Marco roars.

"Don't yell at her," I roar back at him. I slam my fist onto the table. "She doesn't want to be with you, and I won't stand by and let you force her."

Marco points a finger in my face. "You're going to Italy to cool off. Maybe some time with our distant cousins will teach you what family loyalty is. Until you leave, you are forbidden to even look in Aria's direction. You will eat, sleep, breathe, and I don't give a fuck what else in your room, and you're not to come out."

"You're not my fucking father, Marco. You can't ground me." I step up to his desk, getting more into his face. "You can't send me away. We may be brothers, but if you try to do this, it will be the end of any relationship we have."

Marco steps around the table, and in his shoes, he's slightly taller than I am. He always wears thick-soled shoes to make him taller. He always has to be the man. He's nothing but an insignificant...

"Prick. You're a fucking prick. I am the head of this family. What I say goes."

"Throw your temper tantrum somewhere else. Aria can pick who she wants to be with and marry that person. You can't just have whatever you want like a giant child."

I point to where Aria is standing in the corner, playing on her phone. She clearly doesn't want to get involved.

"I can and I will because I am Don. Not you, little brother. You forget your fucking place."

"Apparently, my place is cleaning up after you and all the whores you fuck," I snap at him. "What STI are you going to give to Aria first, Marco? What are you going to pass down to your so-called heirs?"

Marco grabs my suit jacket and lifts me slightly. "I should fucking shoot you."

"You're too much of a pussy to shoot me," I growl, pushing him away.

He swings, hitting me in the jaw. I see stars, but my arm is already swinging, and it connects to his stomach. We come to blows, throwing punches at each other, trying to get the upper hand.

I push him away, and out of the corner of my eyes, I see that Aria has left. "Aria?"

Marco takes the chance to punch me in the middle. I double over, out of breath. "Know your fucking place." He spits on the ground in front of me, blood. I must have busted open his lips.

I stand up and look around the room. "Aria?"

"Aria?" Marco yells. "Get back here."

I glare at him and walk out of the room, looking down the hallway. "Aria?"

I walk down the hallway and look over the railing downstairs. Then I go upstairs to her room. I knock on the door and open it.

"Stay away from her," Marco says as he marches over. He slams the doors open and steps inside. "Aria?"

When she doesn't answer, I turn and walk with purpose to the front door, which is slightly ajar. I go outside and look around. There's no sign of her.

I take out my phone and dial her number. She cuts the call.

Marco comes outside and looks around. "Where is she?"

"She's taken off because of your stupid contract." I walk toward my car.

"Where do you think you're going?" he yells.

"To bring her back to safety, she's in danger, you moron," I yell. I get into the Maserati and drop the keys from under the visor. The engine roars into life, and I pull off, leaving Marco in my dust.

I try dialing Aria again, but the call goes straight to voicemail. "Shit!" She's turned off her phone. The tracking system on her phone won't work now. Even as frustrated as I am right now, I admire her smarts.

Finding her won't be easy, but it's not impossible. I've had to hunt more skilled prey than her in my time. Only for the first time in my life am I not sure if I want to find her. Finding her means returning her to Marco and fulfilling the terms of his "contract".

I've always been fiercely loyal to my brother, the whole family, in fact. I've paid a high price for it, but it's always been worth it to know that they're safe and protected. For the first time in my regimented life, I begin to wonder if he would do the same for me.

He must know or at least suspect that there's something between Aria and me, and yet, he insists on pushing this marriage contract. It doesn't matter which one of us she marries. The only conclusion I can come to is that this isn't about the family or honor for him - it's about winning. He wants to win no matter what the cost to any of us. Even if it robs me of the woman I love and her of the life she deserves. He would rather be in a loveless marriage as a winner than concede defeat and be with the woman he's meant to marry.

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