Page 9 of The Marriage Contract

“Nervous?” He drops his hand under the table, probably because it’s the only way he can stop the tapping. “I see why you brought me back here now. You didn’t want to disrespect me in front of my men. How courteous of you.”

“Whereas you are content with disrespecting the Morettis in front of the entire city.”

He narrows his analyzing eyes. “Am I missing something?”

“Have you ever heard of Paths of Promise Foundation?”

He swallows. “That’s your pet project, isn’t it? Your charity? It’s a great thing, Dario. Helping underprivileged youth to find a way out of the ghettos and the crack houses, helping them get away from the abuse they’re suffering. Of course, I’ve heard of it. It’s one hell of a thing.”

I lean forward, leaning my elbows on the table and glaring at him. Anger pumps through me, reminding me of who I am. I’m not the man having flirtatious banter with a young actress. I’m this—the man who makes people cringe away and inspires fear. It’s all I’ll ever be.

“Do I look like a fucking idiot to you?”

“Whoa, Dario?—”

“You’ve been blackmailing one of my accountants,” I say flatly. “For three weeks, you’ve been laundering money through the foundation. You’ve already laundered almost ten thousand dollars. Did you seriously think I wouldn’t find out about this? Did you seriously think I wouldn’t notice a sudden influx of donations from a shell company belonging to you? Or maybe you just counted on me not giving a damn about the foundation.”

Vincenzo keeps his expression neutral, but I can see the cogs turning as he tries to figure out if he can lie.

“The company belongs toyou, specifically,” I growl. “Remember that before you try to tell me you had no idea. You made a mistake. If you wanted plausible deniability, you should’ve had your consigliere establish the company.”

Finally, he sighs. “It was nothing personal. The charity’s office is in the ideal location. We saw a chance, and we took it. We would’ve done the same, even if it didn’t belong to you.”

“But itdoesbelong to me. Many men in my position would see this as a declaration of war.”

He swallows again. “Do you?”

“I see you as a man punching way above his pay grade. I see you as a man who will get himself and his Family in trouble.”

“Careful,” Vincenzo says.

I laugh in his face. Telling me to be careful after he put one of the only bright spots in this city at risk. “Am I supposed to take that seriously?”

“I can’t sit here and allow you to disrespect my Family,” he grumbles.

“You disrespected it the second you tried some petty bullshit like this. You’re going to pay the Morettis thirty grand, stop the laundering, and give another ten grand to the accountant you’ve been tormenting.”

“None of that sounded like a request.”

“No, it did not,” I say firmly. “Do I need to repeat myself?”

After a pause, he says, “I thought engaged life might’ve softened you up a little.”

I try to hide my shock, but I shouldn’t be surprised. Everybody knows everything in this city. “Word travels fast.”

“Nobody knows much about your little lady, but clearly, she hasn’t tamed the big bad wolf that is Dario Moretti.”

“It’d be in your best interests to never speak about her again,” I grit, anger clear in my voice when I should be able to hold it back. My hands tremble as I imagine punching him so hard histeeth go flying from his mouth. I’m usually able to keep my cool during business meetings, but today, that’s not the case.

“You really are in love, then?”

“Did I fucking stutter?” I slam my fist on the table. “If you make one more comment about her, you’re going to have a serious problem. I’ve laid out my terms. Accept them …”

“Or?” he says.

“There’s no ‘or.’ I’ve given you far more courtesy than many men in my position would already.”

He sighs. “I agree to your terms on one condition.”

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