Page 6 of The Merciless Don's Bride

I tighten my grip, just to make sure.

“You’re lucky I’m feeling generous tonight.”

I release him with a shove. He stumbles away without even looking back clutching his wrist, tail tucked firmly between his legs. I watch him go with a satisfied smile.

Once he’s gone, I smooth down my dress and saunter back toward the club entrance like nothing happened, rolling the tension out of my shoulders. Chloe spots me first, brow crinkling when she notices I’m alone.

“You okay?” she asks, her arms folded together.

I flash her a small smile, “Never better.”

“Did you kill him?” Maxine asks, only half joking.

“He left with nothing more than a bruised ego. Next time he’ll think twice before harassing a woman like that,” I inform them. I wrap an arm around Chloe’s shoulder. “Now, I don’t know about you guys, but I’m beat.”

Chloe yawns, “Yeah, we’ve had a long day. Let’s head back to the villa.”

“I thought you’d never ask,” Maxine sighs, reaching for her phone to order us a cab I’m guessing.

As we leave the club, the feeling I’ve been unable to shake comes back. Not the feeling that I’m being watched. I’m used to that by now. This one’s different. Ever since I landed in Ibiza, I haven’t been able to shake the feeling that something’s wrong. maybe it’s just nerves. This is my first vacation in a while. And I’ve always hated being in unfamiliar places. Ibiza’s fun but a part of me wants to be back home.

But I promised myself that I’d let loose and have fun here.

“You good?” Chloe asks.

Her head is against my shoulder and we’re both in the back of the cab while Maxine rides in front.

“Yeah, I’m fine, Chlo,” I lie, waving off whatever I’m feeling.

The villa is a quick ride up the cliffside. I don’t even know why I chose it. I hate heights but there’s also a part of me that love to seek some sort of danger, thrill. Adrenaline’s nice sometimes.

When we get back, we pour into the living room of the sprawling house, the large windows giving us a view of the city lights below, the ocean stretching out in the distance. It’s beautiful, peaceful. My dad owns the house

Chloe collapses onto the couch, kicking off her shoes.

“I’m going to crash,” she says, her voice muffled by the pillow she’s buried her face in.

“I’ll join you,” I mutter, ready to head up to my bedroom.

Before I can take a step though, Maxine leans against the doorframe, her eyes meeting mine.

“You okay, Cassie? You’re not thinking about that mysterious Italian stranger again, are you?” she asks.

The problem with being friends with people your whole life is that they become especially attuned to you and the slightest changes in your mood. They know me too well, it’s annoying.

“You mean the best sex I have ever had? I swear I can just give up on sex because no one has even come close. He literally ruined me and if I find that sexy tall glass of milk again, y’all won’t see me for months because I will ride that man through the summer,’ I say jokingly, and we all laugh. “But seriously it’s not that, it’s nothing, I’m fine,” I say, my voice sounds slightly thin.

Maxine narrows her eyes, not buying it.

I plaster on my best, ‘I’m fine, really’, smile.

“Maxy, we came to Ibiza to have fun, make reckless decision, sleep with questionable men. Your worrying is getting in the way of that. You need to chill, get laid, maybe?”

Chloe snorts from her spot on the couch but I thought she was already asleep.

Maxine rolls her eyes, “Fine. I’ll let loose if you promise to stop acting weird.

“I promise,” I hurriedly agree. “Now, are we going to bed or not? Long day tomorrow.”

---