Page 38 of Broken Princess

He narrows his eyes, as if I'm being an inconvenient and stubborn child. To be fair, he is used to being able to boss everyone else in his life around. It just isn't going to work with me, future father-in-law or not.

Oddly enough, I actually do care more about what he thinks than I did before, if only because it isn't just a matter of securing an alliance for the family anymore.

With Amelia, it's… different.

Everything is.

I don't need her father to like me, but getting him to accept our relationship is important for very different reasons.

"Very well," he says, his voice laced with barely restrained anger. "Your days of playing with my daughters like cat toys you can just bat around as you see fit are finished. Amelia isn't going to be your secret fling anymore."

“Are you really one to talk?" I challenge, even though that certainly isn't going to win me any points.

I really don’t give a shit. Hypocrisy is by far my biggest pet peeve. Makes me want to put something—in this case, someone—through a wall.

"Perhaps not," he concedes. "But that's all the more reason to keep you at bay, isn't it? It takes a wolf to know a wolf."

I blow air through my nostrils. "What, and you want to act like you suddenly care about your daughters as anything more than tools to prop up your empire?"

Rage darkens his gaze, and for a second, I think it's going to come to blows. I hope it does. "Watch yourself, Lorenzo. Your father's name can only protect you so far."

I give a bitter laugh. "Forget my father. You want to go right here and now? Let's do it."

I get the feeling he's actually considering it when the door opens further down the hall and Amelia steps out of her room. I'm at once relieved to see her, and pissed off that she didn't tell me what was going on.

Then again, that is assuming he would have let her, and given the way he's acting right now, that seems kind of doubtful.

"Lorenzo?" she calls, looking nervously between us. "What's going on?"

"Go back to your room, Amelia," her father says.

"What, afraid to let her make her own decisions?" I challenge. "Because you know she'll come with me?"

He continues to glare as Amelia just stands there looking confused. She finally takes a step closer, but her father puts himself between us, stopping her from moving forward.

"Lorenzo, you shouldn't be here," she says.

"Why? Because you don't want me to be, or because he doesn't?" I ask, jerking my head toward her father.

She hesitates, but the answer is clear enough. "You just shouldn't."

I narrow my eyes, looking back at Miceli, since it's clear he's the one pulling the strings.

"She's an adult. She can go with whoever she wants," I growl.

He gives a dry laugh. "That's cute. If we lived in the outside world, you might be right, but as you know perfectly well, we don't. So let's talk in terms of reality, shall we?"

"Fine," I say. "You want reality? Here's reality. I don't give a shit about Kayleigh, or the fucking wedding."

I'm not even fully aware of what I'm going to say until the words leave my mouth, but I don't care to take them back. Not even when I see the look of shock on Amelia's face.

Especially not then.

"What are you saying?" her father asks. "And before you answer, I suggest you consider your words very, very carefully."

"I have," I say, holding his gaze. "I've done little else these past few days. And I've made my choice. I love Amelia. I'm going to marry her whether you agree or not."

Amelia stares at me, her eyes as wide and filled with shock as a doe in headlights. Her lips part slightly like she's going to say something, but all that comes out is a faint gasp.

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