Page 37 of The Don's Soulmate

I notice however, he doesn’t try to fight me. His bruises from the previous night still scar his face. Good. He’ll remember his lesson for a few more days.

"We’ll see about that," I hiss, the words laced with venom.

"Please, Ettore," Carlotta implores, her eyes meeting mine. Her voice, a gentle sound, makes me even angrier. What kind of a man could hurt something this sweet? This innocent? "Tell Ugo I didn't know you'd be here tonight. I don't want him to think I was trying to see you behind his back. Tell him there’s nothing between us.”

I hate to see her cower in front of him, trying to appease him when he should be on his knees, beggingherforgiveness. Her voice trembles as she pleads with me. I know she’s terrified, but I refuse to let it dictate our actions.

She needs to learn to show him his place.

"Carlotta, why should you have to prove anything to him?" I question her with authority, dismissive of her request. "You owe him nothing. Especially not after what he's done to you."

She looks at me with pleading eyes, but I stand firm in my refusal to comply with her wishes. As far as I'm concerned, Ugo has no right to dictate her life or her choices. I have my own agenda, which is to keep her away from this monster, and its success doesn't involve appeasing her abusive fiancé.

"Please, Ettore," she insists, her hand gripping my arm even tighter. "I just want this to end peacefully."

"Peacefully?" I scoff internally. “There's nothing peaceful about what's happening here tonight. "Listen to me, Carlotta." I take her face in my hands, forcing her to look into my eyes. Besides me, Ugo mutters curses at me, angry at how I dared touch his woman. I ignore him. "You need to choose for yourself. You deserve better than a man who puts his hands on you like that."

My words hang in the air between us, heavy with the weight of the decision she must make.

"Please, Ettore," she whispers, her green eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Just tell him.”

“I’ll do no such thing,” I bellow.

In one swift motion, Ugo lunges at me, his fists swinging like wrecking balls, aiming to destroy everything in their path. I sidestep his first punch, feeling the rush of air as it barely misses my face. The centuries of combat training have honed my instincts and reflexes to a razor-sharp edge.

"Is that all you've got?" I taunt him, letting my anger fuel me as I dance around his attacks. My mind races with memories of battles fought long ago, each one adding to my arsenal of skills. “Still haven’t learned your lesson, have you?”

Ugo roars in frustration and redoubles his efforts, his movements growing wilder and more desperate. It's clear he's outmatched, but his wounded pride refuses to accept defeat.

“I’ll deal with you first,” he throws a punch at my chin. I barely feel it. “And then, Carlotta will answer to me.”

"Watch yourself," I growl, my voice low and dangerous as I swing a punch at his stomach. He doubles over, gasping for air and Carlotta lets out a shriek, her breath coming in short, frightened gasps.

“Please stop this, Ettore. Please,” she begs. “He’ll punish me.”

“No one will punish you,” I tell her, keeping my eyes on the bastard in front of me. "Give up, Ugo," I warn him, dodging another one of his wild swings. "This won't end well for you."

"I’ll bloody kill you!" he threatens.

In this moment, I know that there's no turning back. Our conflict has reached a point of no return with those words.

"Then you leave me no choice." I grit my teeth, barging into him with a flurry of punches. As our bodies collide with brutal force, I know that we've crossed a line from which there can be no return. The smell of blood fills the air.

Not mine.

Ugo straightens with a roar, throwing a wild punch. I block it easily, catching his arm and twisting until he grunts in pain. A sharp kick to the back of his knee sends him crashing to the floor.

"Stop!" Carlotta cries. I pin Ugo in place with my boot on his chest, glaring down at his reddened face. He sputters in rage, struggling uselessly against my hold.

"Why should I stop?" I ask softly. "When he would see you chained and bleeding at his feet?" My boot presses deeper into his chest, eliciting a strangled gasp. "You deserve so much better than the likes of him."

Just then, the sound of heavy footsteps approaches, and I glance towards the entrance of the gallery to see my men rushing in, faces contorted with concern. They've heard the commotion and are ready to defend their boss – me.

"Kill him," I command, my voice cold and harsh as ice as I remove my boot. He sits up, sputtering for air.

Without hesitation, they surround Ugo and pull him to his feet, their intention to deliver a painful death clear in the way they clench their fists and narrow their eyes at him.

"Wait! Please!" Carlotta cries out, her voice trembling with fear and desperation. She steps forward, placing herself between Ugo and my men. "Ettore, don't do this. You have to spare his life."

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