Page 8 of Bound to Him

“You’re relieved?” I spat out, incredulous.

“Yes! Now at least I know both of my daughters will marry into strong, wealthy families that can protect them and my future grandchildren from all our enemies.”

My mouth hung open and my eyes swam in tears. But I refused to let my father see me as weak, so I sucked the tears back in, straightened my back, and walked out the door. I couldn’t talk to him right now. Not when I felt on the verge of ripping curtains off rails and smashing valuable vases into the marble tiles. I quickly stomped to my room, slammed the door, then dropped to the carpet, and cried my heart out.

Not again…

5

Huxley

Looking into the mirror, I ran my tongue over my teeth and lifted my chin. Today I would meet my future wife. I ran my fingers through my light brown hair, letting the longer strands flop to the side, then trailed a finger along my freshly shaved jaw.Lookin’ fresh, Moretti!

I was dressed in a black shirt and black suit, no tie. Usually, when I partied, I wore more colorful Hawaiian type, short sleeve, buttoned shirts with my black slacks, but today felt more business-like, so I stuck with my black shirt. Still short sleeved and unbuttoned at the top, but as formal as I planned to get. It seemed a little morbid, wearing black as if I were going to my own funeral, but appropriate.

“Welp, it’s the funeral of your freedom anyway.” I shrugged to myself and grabbed my cologne. Lastly, I stopped at my dresser and loaded up with jewelry. Golden rings on my fingers, golden chain around my neck, and brass knuckles in my breast pocket—always, just in case.

Tucking my gun into the back of my pants, I jogged down the stairs and into the entrance hall where Antonio and Mia stood waiting, looking regal. Antonio was as usual, in his charcoal suit and dark brown hair slicked back, jaw muscle jumping while he looked at his watch. Mia on the other hand, was hardly ever usual. Today she wore a white dress with large red flowers across the material and matching red heels. Even at her young age of 22, she was considered the queen of the house since she married Antonio, two years ago.

At first, I didn’t agree with her calling any shots around here, since she was so new and not to mention—a woman. I was no misogynist, but around here, business was dangerous; it often involved bloody hands and black eyes. Wives in our families were almost exclusively trophies, meant to produce heirs and look beautiful.

However, when we were unfairly attacked by the Corsetti family during my father’s wake, Mia stepped the fuck up. Not only during the attack, but afterward as well, when we made simultaneous hits across all of the Corsetti businesses. She had no problem taking a guy out when she had to, and for that, she gained my respect. Besides, on an everyday basis, she showed her worth in other aspects of the business—such as the bookkeeping and bringing on new clients.

When I reached the bottom of the stairs, and Antonio made no move to leave, I realized we were waiting on Fiona. I turned back and looked to the top of the stairs where she began her descent. As always, Fiona wore pink. Her dark brown hair—a trait she shared with our brother—was long and styled flawlessly with little traces of pink throughout. Her minidress was a bright magenta, and her heels had pink straps tied up her calves.

I let out a low whistle. “Ma che bell’... You’re looking kickass, sis.”

She smiled proudly, lifting her chin when she reached the bottom of the stairs. “Thank you, brother. That’s what I was going for.”

Mia smiled widely, chatting to Fiona about her hair as we left the house. One by one, we piled into the limo, and Vinnie hopped in to drive us to the Romano house.

“Why the fuck do I even have to come with?” Fiona asked, crossing her leg over the other impatiently.

“Firstly, watch your mouth, okay?” Antonio’s eyes narrowed. “And secondly, because we need to present a united family front. With Pops gone, we need to show that our family is still as strong as ever.”

“To the Romanos, though? Don’t they already know that since they’re so keen to join our families together?” Fiona’s eyes rolled.

“Yes.” Antonio ended it there, done playing father.

Mia looked between her husband and sister-in-law before deciding to step in and soothe Fiona’s irritation. “You won’t need to do much talking. This is mainly for Hux and Viola to meet officially.”

She winked, and Fiona gave her a small smile, surprising me—genuine friendly smiles were a rare occasion for our prickly sister—before she turned to look out the window again.

“Hux, how you feeling ’bout it?” Vinnie asked from the driver's seat.

I thought it over for a second before answering. “I guess I just hope my future wife is bearable.”

Everyone except Fiona chuckled. She shook her head, still staring out the window, and murmured, “I doubt any Romano is bearable.”

When we arrived at the Romanos, my eyes swiveled, taking in every detail I could. Even if I was to marry into this fucking shitshow of a family, I still didn’t trust them one bit.

The property was beautiful, I’d give them that. All along the driveway were tall trees that framed the entrance to the mansion, and right in front of the doorway, the road circled around a memorial statue of some sort. There were a few guys standing around looking shady as they puffed on their cigarettes and spoke in low tones to each other. I made direct eye contact with all who dared to look, recognizing a handful of them from previous meetings.

Inside, we were led to the formal lounge while Vinnie parked the car and undoubtedly smoked a few cigs with those shady guys outside. It wasn’t only me that had to get along with this family now. Antonio needed to keep face and uphold his word to Enzo, and Vinnie needed to play nice with the other crewmen.

The house was grand with marble floors and a single circular staircase that made for a very dramatic entry hall. I entered with Fiona on my arm, after Antonio and Mia, who were welcomed very warmly by Enzo. With his arms wide open, and a smile plastered on his face, I saw right through him. He was only ever friendly when it benefited him.

“Huxley, I am glad to have you here.”

---