Page 51 of Dark Mafia Vows

“You—”

“You’re just the jobless son of a politician. The whole arrangement was to give you ties to a reputable business because you don’t have the brains or guts to make it in politics.”

“How dare you?” His face turns an angry shade of red, his fists clenched.

“If anyone should be mad, it’s me! I wasted my time with you,” I say, my voice rising. “Your influence did nothing for my family. You were a burden I couldn’t wait to get rid of. And sex with you—” I laugh bitterly. “It’s the worst thing I’ve ever experienced.”

His eyes blaze with fury, but I ignore the pain searing in my wrist as his grip tightens.

“You think he’s better than me? You think he actually wants you?” he snarls.

“Dario respects me,” I retort, standing my ground despite the way my heart is currently racing. “Something you never did. You wanted to use me to satisfy your ambitions, not mine.”

“Respect? That’s rich,” he scoffs, his voice dripping with disdain. “You’re just a trophy for him, a prize to show off. You’re still the same girl I knew, the one who desperately craves affection from anyone who gives her any.”

“Crave attention?” I scoff. “I was pretending with you, Rinaldo. Everything from the beginning to the end of it was a lie.”

Then, lowering my voice into a whisper, I say in fake concern, “Maybe you should look inward and really ask yourself what’s so miserable about you that despite all your money and status, no woman wants to be with you.”

I rip my arm from his grip and try to push past him, but he grabs my hair and slams me against the wall. My back stings from the impact.

“Get away from me,” I spit through gritted teeth, my voice trembling with a mixture of anger and fear. I try to shove him off, but his hold only tightens. “You can’t control me anymore!”

His eyes darken, a cruel smirk tugging at his lips. “Maybe I should remind you what happens when you run your mouth around me,” he growls, raising his hand to strike me.

I brace myself, my eyes squeezed shut and heart pounding, waiting for the inevitable blow.

But the impact never comes. Instead, I hear a sickening crack followed by Rinaldo’s pained groan. I open my eyes just in time to see Dario, his face twisted with fury, holding Rinaldo by the neck and pinning him to the wall. Rinaldo’s nose is bleeding profusely, and his eyes are wide with shock and fear.

Dario slams his fist into Rinaldo’s face again, the sickening crunch of bone echoing in the night air. Rinaldo lets out a guttural groan, clutching his face in agony, his hand now visibly broken.

“Dario, stop,” I cry, my voice shaking as my heart races, fear mixing with relief. If he keeps going, this will turn into a disaster.

Dario exhales harshly, then shoves Rinaldo’s crumpled body to the ground. The air between us crackles with tension, and I watch as Rinaldo tries to get back on his feet, only to stumble and fall back to the floor, his face twisted in pain.

Dario stands over him, his voice low and lethal. “The next time I see you near my wife—if you so much as lay a finger on her—I will kill you.”

His words hang heavy in the air, a promise laced with a deadly finality.

Without another glance at Rinaldo, Dario grabs my hand and pulls me away. My heart pounds in my chest as we leave, the night air doing little to calm the storm raging inside me.

My heels click against the tiled floor as Dario leads me down the hallway toward the elevator. His hand grips mine tightly, his breaths heavy with restrained anger, but instead of feeling trapped or disgusted like I did when Rinaldo held me, I feel something entirely different—protected, special, safe…and...so fucking turned on.

The elevator doors slide open, and as we step inside, the tension clings to us. I can still feel the anger radiating off Dario’s body like a live wire, the air around him charged with intensity.

The doors close with a soft ping, sealing us in the small space, and I tilt my head to look at him.

I should thank him for saving me. If he hadn’t stepped in, I can’t bear to think what Rinaldo would have done. But Dario still hasn’t looked at me, his jaw clenched, eyes fixed on the elevator doors.

Earlier tonight, I wanted to escape his presence, wanted to get far away from the weight of his gaze. Now, all I want is for him to see me, to feel how grateful I am for what he did.

Gently, I slide my hand up to his face, turning him toward me. His skin is warm beneath my touch, and for a brief moment, his eyes meet mine, blazing with something raw and unspoken. But before I can utter a single word, a low growl rumbles from his chest, and in one swift motion, he captures my lips in a fierce, possessive kiss.

The force of it knocks the breath out of me, but I don’t care. All the fear, all the tension from the night, melts away under the heat of his kiss.

I kiss him back.

22

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