Page 3 of Bound to Him

“Viola!” my father called from the other room.

Shit, this can’t be good. My head remained still while my eyes lifted to my sister’s face.

She pulled a deep breath in before hopping up and stepping into his office. I knew already, whatever he had to say, wouldn’t be good news. Not when his voice had that edge to it. Although, this time he sounded less angry, more business-like. I tried to eavesdrop, but it was too difficult from where I sat. Slowly, I stood up from the armchair I was reading in and positioned myself just outside the office door, my book held against my chest.

“Now,mi amoré, just listen.” Enzo Romano, our father and don of the Romano family, sounded eerily caring, unusual for him. “This is what families like ours do! You know that it would have been Olivia’s responsibility, but she ruined that opportunity for herself.”

My eyes closed, regret causing a hot flash throughout my body.

“But why him, Papà?” Viola sounded distraught. “He’s a known playboy! How could you do this to me?”

“The Moretti’s are a very prestigious family, and they have a lot of pull in this city. You know that living this kind of life will be tough, but it’s a part of your responsibility to keep this family protected.”

“What about Tony?” Viola’s voice piqued, and I could almost hear her arms waving through the air in frustration.

“Your brother can’t always be there to protect you. You need a strong husband, and we need this connection with the Moretti’s.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s safer to be on their side than against them. Especially with the Rossis breathing down our necks the last few years.”

He actually sounded quite reasonable there. If I knew anything about the Moretti’s, they were brutal and could cause a lot of pain and sadness if you fucked with them. Even though their don died two years ago, his son was already running the show long before that anyway and took the throne without so much as a mourning period.

“Urg!” The windows rattled from her frustrated shrieks.

I gasped and pulled back as Viola stormed out of the office, digging her fingers into her dark, nearly black hair. Glancing back at Papà, I saw him wipe his brow, then dismiss the whole interaction when his phone started to ring.

“Christian! Good to hear from you.”

I sighed, following my sister to her room. She flopped onto her bed, face down.

“Huxley Moretti is adiavolo!” she wailed into her pillow.

“You’ve never met him… you can’t be so sure?” I sat down and rubbed her back gently. She whipped around to face me.

“I’ve heard enough about him to be sure! Just ask Tony! He hates him.”

“I know… but maybe Huxley will fall head over heels for you! Maybe he’ll turn out to be really sweet behind closed doors?”

“Are you fucking kidding me, Olivia?”

“What?”

“You literally ran away to avoid marrying him!”

I sighed, turning to look out her bedroom window. It revealed oursecret garden, framing the hanging wisterias and bushes of wildflowers that hugged a lone bench. There was a high wall surrounding it and both our rooms opened up to this courtyard garden meant only for us. The house was built on a slope, so the front was double volume at the lobby, but back here we were level with the garden.

With our father’s business happening at the front of the house and numerous uncles, cousins, and other made men walking around in their dark suits with their cigarettes hanging from their lips, thinking they were concealing their guns from us successfully, it was important to have a space of our own. Especially since we weren’t allowed to leave the compound, like, ever.

“I know… and you know what happened after that,” I said solemnly, looking down at my fidgeting fingers.

Viola covered her head with the pillow, a faint mumble coming from her lips. “I know…”

I lay down beside her and tickled her ribs, causing her to jolt and roll away from me, holding the pillow between us for protection. Her lips were still pouted. I shrugged a shoulder and attempted to comfort her.

“Look sis, it’s a really shitty situation. But it’s the situation you’re in. Lord knows, we’ve never had a normal childhood or anything, and I know that things would be different if only Mamà was here. But she’s not… and there’s nothing we can do about that. So, all there is left to do is to accept it and then live on your own terms once you’re married and out of this house. It’s literally your ticket out of here, a blessing in disguise!”

I didn’t agree with the words coming out of my own mouth. I hated the whole concept of arranged marriages, and I hated Huxley Moretti. I’d never met him before, but his existence was enough. I was supposed to be the one to marry him two years ago when I was 21, and that drove me to do things I’d later regret with all my soul. A shiver crept up my spine as the unwelcome image of Steven’s blood on the wall entered my mind. I couldn’t have Viola making the same mistakes.

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