Page 6 of Vow to Corrupt You
My attention moves to her. She nods faintly, pressing her lips together. Her body trembles like a flame flickering in the darkness. Is she that frightened of me? Well, she should be. The things I will do to her... to her body. She wouldn’t even dare to imagine.
“Very well,” Piero states. He runs his hand through his slicked-back, dark hair before he reaches into the pocket of his neat, navy blazer for a fountain pen. “Please provide me withyour details, Miss Conti, such as full name, age, date and place of birth, parents’ names, and nationality, so I can finish filling out the contract.”
“Serena Conti, twenty-one years old, born on March twenty-first in Cefalù, Italy, to Lucio Conti and Antonella Alves, nationality, half-Italian, half-Brazilian.” She says it as though she is reciting her own death sentence. Her eyes now refuse to meet mine.
“Thank you,” Piero states, an air of courtesy in his tone. He casts a quick look at me, and I can see some sort of blankness in his hazel stare. I cock my head, which seems to make him clear his throat. “I’ve filled in Mr. Romano’s details beforehand.” His gaze drops to the contract as he reads, “Mr. Nikolaos Romano, age thirty-one, born on November first in Palermo, Italy, to a Greek mother, Eleftheria Katsaros, and an Italian father, Marco Romano. Is that correct, Mr. Romano?”
“Correct.”
Piero fixes his black tie as if it’s choking him. He’s been my family’s lawyer for at least two decades now and has handled many dark dealings for my father, and now for me. He’s never shown any remorse, not an ounce. The ridiculous sums I paid him, allowing him a lavish vacation in Santorini, high-end cars, and whores seemed to absolve any sense of guilt or remorse. But now—now, I see guilt on his suntanned face. He knows I will break that girl’s soul.
“Thank you. We may proceed.” He focuses on the file of documents in his hand again. “This Agreement is made effective immediately between Serena Conti, hereinafter referred to as the Bride, and Nikolaos Romano, hereinafter referred to as the Groom. The Bride acknowledges that she is now officially engaged to the Groom and agrees to marry him within one week from the Effective Date of this Agreement.”
“A week?” She gasps as if she heard the Reaper calling her name.
“Any issues, Miss Conti?” Piero redirects his attention to the bride in question.
She glances at me fleetingly for the first time since breaking eye contact. A flicker of fear fills her gaze, which drops to the ground in that same instant. “N-no. No issues.”
Good girl.
“Please sign the contract, Miss Conti.” Piero reaches the pen toward her. “Mr. Romano has already signed it prior to this meeting.”
Her eyes close for a fleeting moment as if she wants to slip away from the reality that surrounds her. Her shaky hands clasp together before she takes a step toward my lawyer. She grabs the fountain pen, and Piero hands her the contract. I watch her eyes move across it as she reads it until her gaze sticks on something. My signature. She scrutinizes my signature as if memorizing or analyzing it. It’s like she can see inside my soul by staring at my signature.Can she? What does she see?
“How do I know you won’t hurt my brother?” Her bold tone pulls me from my thoughts.Intriguing. The sudden change. The unexpected spark of daring—or even rebellion—in her attitude fascinates me. “How can I be sure you’ll keep the terms of the agreement?”
Smart question. I like her way of thinking.
The corner of my mouth lifts in a dark grin. “You’ll have to take my word for that.”
Her lips press together. She bends forward, leaning over the table. Her hand moves across the paper as she signs it. She presses the fountain pen so hard on the surface that I wonder how the paper isn’t tearing. She drops the pen onto the document with a sharp thud.
“Excuse me.” She straightens, her gaze fixed on the signed contract. “I need to use the ladies’ room.”
She rushes out of the living room, her eyes on the ground the entire time as if scared of meeting mine.
“Serena—” her stepmother shouts after her, instinctively taking a step forward to follow after her, but I lift my hand slightly, halting her in her tracks. “I’m sorry, Mr. Romano. She didn’t mean any disrespect. This is just… unexpected for her. She’ll come to terms with it.”
I fight the curl of a sardonic smile. “Yes, she will. I’ll make sure of that.”
