Page 63 of Mafia King's Forbidden Vows

His skin is pallid under the pale glow of the overhead light. He turns his neck towards me, glancing with an expression I can’t quite decipher. His sunken cheeks look even more hollow as he lifts himself into a sitting position.

His entire body seems to be feeble, but his eyes are as sharp and piercing as those of mother hawks.

“You’re Elio,” he says finally, his voice croaky but firm.

“Yes, Sir.” I step closer, keeping my shoulders relaxed.

His sharp eyes do a quick sweep over my tailored suit and polished shoes. “You own the Donatelli Empire.”

A soft chuckle momentarily hitches my response, but I nod slightly instead.

“Hmm.” He shifts in the bed, his gaze steady and unflinching. “Let me tell you something, young man. My daughter is my world. If you hurt her, I don’t care how much money you have, I’ll make your life miserable.”

The corners of my mouth twitch. “Understood, Sir.”

“I mean it,” he says, the tone of his voice gaining strength despite his physical frailty. “She deserves someone who will treat her right, not someone looking to show off his checkbook…”

“Your daughter means a lot to me,” I cut in with a steady tone, “I’ll take good care of her. You have my word. As a matter of fact, I came to give you this.”

My fingers reach for the silver envelope I had tucked into my breast pocket earlier this morning.

His slightly trembling fingers reach for it. “What’s this?”

“It’s a cordial invitation to our wedding, Sir. The date has just been set.”

He raises his eyes to me, turning the envelope in his hands as if he’s contemplating whether to open it or not.

“Congratulations. I’m happy for you both. I hope my daughter is happy, too.”

The lines on his face crease deeper as he takes the card out, running his eyes through it.

“Aria is more than happy, and it’s going to stay that way. Please help me keep the news just between us. She doesn’t know this is out yet, and I plan to surprise her.”

He tucks the envelope away in the side table’s drawer just as Aria enters the room, her heels distinctly clicking against the linoleum floor.

She walks in like a goddess, her dark hair left to tumble over her shoulders, down to her back, her eyes lined heavily, and her lips painted in blazing red. Seeing her like this awakens a deep sense of pride in me, knowing that I am the only man who has ever tasted this woman. And I’ll be damned if I let anyone change that fact.

Now, I cannot believe she went to work looking like this. Who did she dress to impress?

She freezes when she sees me, her dark eyes widening in surprise before narrowing into a glare.

“Hey, honey.” Whatever she wants to say automatically gets shoved down her throat as she turns her attention to her father.

She curls herself up in his open arms, closing her eyes as if to savor the smell of antiseptic and the combination of drugs that fills the air.

“I’m so glad you’re finally leaving this place. It’s like you’ve been in here forever.” A bright smile crosses his face. “I’ll get the nurses so they can get you prepared to leave, okay?”

He bobs his head in a nod as she rises, a wide smile lightening up both their faces.

“You’re coming with me,” she whispers, hooking her arm onto mine and leading me out of her father’s room.

We’re only a few steps away from his room when she yanks her arm away from mine, swirling to meet my gaze.

“Elio,” she says sharply. “What in God’s name are you doing here?”

I raise a brow, gesturing toward her father’s room. “Paying my soon-to-be father-in-law a visit.”

She storms toward me, grabbing my arm. “A visit? Without telling me?” Her voice is low and calm, but the anger in it is unmistakable.

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