Page 55 of Corrupted Heir (Mafia Kings: Corrupted 1)

“Is he?” Dominic or his father had taken a teenager and turned him into a lackey, a goon. That wasn’t my definition of “good”.

“I can see what you’re thinking, but you’re wrong. My brother and I were living on the streets when Dominic found me, starving and half-dead from fighting for scraps. He and his family took us in, gave us food—”

“And all you had to do was pledge your allegiance and do everything they asked of you,” I finished for him.

“No, ma’am.” He shook his head. “My brother’s a doctor in Syracuse these days. The Lucas paid for his schooling and everything. And me, I’m right where I want to be.”

I looked down at my feet encaged in satin stilettos. Nothing about the Lucas made sense. I turned the handle and left the apartment with Leandro following close on my heels.

He opened the back door to the black Escalade outside the building, but I shook my head and climbed into the passenger seat. I didn’t want to sit in the back seat like some rich businesswoman.

I could hear him chuckling under his breath as he got in next to me and started the car. He was still smiling as we pulled out of the lot.

“What are you smiling about?” I asked because it beat sitting in silence, stewing in my own thoughts.

“It’s nothing, ma’am,” he said.

“What?” I persisted, enjoying the distraction for the moment.

“It’s just that, in my opinion, you and Dominic may be better suited for one another than you think.”

My distraction fractured. Maria had said something similar, though what made any of these people think they knew me well enough to make that assessment was beyond me.

I turned to stare out the window as the city flew past me. This was it. I had no idea how far it was to the church, but I had a feeling I was moments away from sealing my fate. And just to be sure my misery was complete, Corinne’s face appeared behind my eyes and made my heart twist.

She was supposed to be here. She was supposed to hold my hand and tell me I’d get through this even if it felt like an insurmountable task. But Corinne wasn’t here, and I’d never felt more alone.

Too soon, Leandro pulled into the parking lot of a pretty chapel. It was at least a century old, made from stone, and its windows were all stained glass, each of them depicting a different religious scene. The grounds around it were lush green with pruned bushes near the church and a sparse forest of oaks and pines behind it. It was beautiful, peaceful looking, but despite the tranquil scene, every breath I took grew shakier. I felt cold despite the warmth of the bright morning sun through the car’s window.

Leandro got out of the car without a word and came around to open my door. He took my hand and helped me down while I held up the hem of my gown with my free hand, trying to keep it from tearing or dragging in the dirt as I stepped down.

I laughed a little hysterically. Why did I care if I walked up the aisle in a mud-splattered dress?

I could hear voices coming from inside the chapel, but Leandro guided me around to a door at the side. It led to a small room with a plush sofa and two wingback chairs. There was a table between them, and a bottle of wine sat on it with a single wineglass beside it.How nice.It seemed I was allowed to get drunk before I joined myself irrevocably to a veritable stranger, and while it was tempting, I refused to humiliate myself that way.

I stared at the bottle of wine, watching moisture bead up on the bottle and drip down like teardrops onto the wood, one after the other.

“If you’re all right, ma’am, someone will come for you when it’s time,” Leandro said from where he stood awkwardly in the doorway.

I nodded, not wanting him to leave but not wanting him to stay. I didn’t want to be alone, but it wasn’t Leandro I wanted with me.Corinne, my heart cried. It felt like I was drowning.

I turned away as the door closed, gasping for breath, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t draw in enough. I plopped down in the wingback chair, holding my head in my hands as I focused on one slow, deep inhale until my chest expanded and my lungs were full. I pursed my lips and pushed the air out. Then in, then out. I closed my eyes and imagined Corinne here with me, sitting next to me.

“You can do this, hon,”she’d tell me, and there wouldn’t be a flicker of doubt in her eyes.

I can do this,I tried to mimic her in my head.I can do this.

My breathing returned to something that resembled normal, and though my heart was beating fast, it didn’t feel like it was going to burst right out of my chest.

There was a quiet knock at the door that led further into the chapel, and it opened without a moment’s pause.

It was Maria. She smiled at me from the open doorway. She looked so beautiful in a pale blue sheath with a matching silk scarf wrapped around her long neck. Her hair had been swept up atop her head, but not pulled severely, and loose tendrils had been left free to frame her gently lined face.

She came toward me, and my insides began to tremble.

“It’s time,cara mia,” she said, laying a hand over mine and squeezing gently.

I opened my mouth but no words came out.

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