Page 1 of All's Fair In Love & War

Chapter 1

Sins Of My Family

Felicity

I lay on a thin cot—that I damn sure wouldn’t call a bed, with my knees pulled to my chest in a ball of nerves as I twisted a piece of thread from the sheet between my fingers. Never in my life, and I meannever, did I imagine my kidnapping would end with an arranged marriage. Death? Sure. Beatings? Absolutely. Starvation, maybe even rape? I had braced myself for all of it, but marriage? Fuck. No.

This had to be a joke or some twisted prank that went way too far. Any second now, I was expecting Ashton Kutcher to pop out of the closet with a camera crew. Where the hell was he?

I, Felicity Veneto, was getting married to a man I didn’t love, one whom I truly despised, and there was nothing I could do about it except…

Give. Him. Hell.

Not by shrinking myself or staying quiet. That was never my style. I wasn’t meant to play house or smile through grittedteeth. He wanted me to fall in line and act as if this were a fairytale where I was lucky to be chosen. Nah. He’d regret ever agreeing to this deal. Let another bitch be his peace.

I was here to be aproblem.

He may have gotten my body in this deal, but my soul? My dignity? That still belonged to me, and I was going to make damn sure he knew it.

I’d just decided how I would handle things in the future when I heard a knock. Two things let me know it wasn’t Khalil standing on the other side. First, Khalil never knocked. He just barged inside without a care in the world, as if I couldn’t have found something to knock his block off. Second, it wasn’t loud or aggressive. Neither was Khalil, at least not outwardly, but we were at war, and he lived for the petty moments that got under my skin.

Before I could respond, the door opened halfway, and a woman in a black blouse and pencil skirt stepped inside. Her hair was pinned up neatly, not a single strand out of place. I could tell she was someone who took her job too seriously to ever be late.

“Miss Veneto?” she whispered my name in question, her tone careful, not quite warm, but not cold either. “I’m Doreen. Mr. Bulgari sent me to escort you to your new room.”

Room?

The word rattled around in my head, refusing to settle. I wasn’t even sure how to respond. I wasn’t a prisoner anymore, apparently, but I also wasn’t free, and now I was being given a room, as if I had been welcomed here instead of kidnapped. I was more like a bride-in-training whom he could groom and manage. The whole thing reeked of manipulation, hidden behind a fake show of generosity.

I stood slowly, watching her the entire time.

“I don’t want a damn room. I want to go home and forget your employer ever kidnapped me,” I said, my tone combative.

She nodded once, as if she expected my pushback. “I understand,” Doreen said. “But Mr. Bulgari was clear. He said it’s time you were treated like the woman of the house. You will be his wife after all.”

I didn’t move right away. My legs were fine, but my pride needed a second.

Eventually, I nodded. “Fine. Let me see what he has up his sleeve. Just know, if it’s some bullshit, everyone will regret it,” I warned, glaring at the woman, though I knew she was only doing her job.

“I understand, but you’ll be pleasantly pleased with your accommodations. Mr. Bulgari went above and beyond to ensure it is as luxurious as you deserve,” Doreen stepped aside, motioning for me to follow. “Right this way, ma’am.”

The hallway outside was quiet, the air thick with the scent of fresh flowers and polished wood. Everything in this place had been carefully curated, and now it felt as though I was being added to the collection.

As we walked, I noticed the way her heels clicked evenly against the floor, unbothered by the silence or by me trailing behind her. No one knew what I might be plotting or if I had something up my sleeve, and the worst part was, they didn’t seem to care. I could be dangerous. Iwasdangerous, and I hated how invisible that made me feel. Iwassomeone worth fearing.

Was this intended as a reward for compliance? A test to see if I’d play along now that I had something to lose?

Maybe. Probably.

But I still followed.

Not because I trusted him, and not because I had anything to lose.

I just needed to see where they thought I belonged, so I could figure out how to burn it all down.

A few minutes later, Doreen stopped in front of a door. When she opened it, I didn’t expect much, but what I walked into nearly stole the breath from my lungs.

It was luxury, ridiculously breathtaking luxury, and bigger than my entire first apartment. There were velvet drapes, a king-sized canopy bed wrapped in Egyptian cotton, gold accents carved into every surface, and a marble fireplace that flickered with a low, steady flame. A plush rug softened every footstep, and the air smelled faintly of lavender and sandalwood.

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