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“I refuse to marry you. You cannot make me.”
He flashes me a dark grin. “If anyone can make you, it’s me, and you know it.”
“It won’t be seen as legal under the eyes of the law.”
“It won’t be hard to get a marriage certificate. And it won’t be hard to force you down the aisle. We’ll be married, Aria. It will hurt Dante beyond anything else. And being married to you will give me extra power. Your father will have no choice but to work with me.”
“Is that what you want? To work with my father?”
He snorts. “Fuck no. I don’t give a damn about your father. But anyway I can gain power, I will take it. And being married to Aria Romano, the daughter of Elio Romano, and close friend to Dante Moretti, gives me more power than I’ve ever had before.It will cause chaos and destruction and I will laugh as everyone scrambles to find a solution.”
“The solution will be to kill you and make me a widow.”
“They can try. But the Mafia prides itself on honor. If we’re married, Dante will have to honor it.”
I cross my arms and feel my chest beating erratically. “I am not going to marry you.”
“Enough of this. It’s happening.” His eyes quickly rake over me before turning back to the road. “Now, let’s get you a wedding dress and a ring. I want to make this official.”
“Why do you care if I wear a wedding dress?”
“Because I’m going to ruin this day for you, Aria. Might as well let you wear a wedding dress for it. I’m a little dramatic like that.”
“You are evil,” I whisper.
“I know.”
It’s early morning by the time we reach the bridal boutique. The doors have just opened and Finn strides right on in, forcing me to walk beside him. I could cause a scene inside of here. I could scream and beg for help but I know Finn has a gun on him and I know he’s not afraid to use it. He could gun down everyone in this store and I would be partially responsible.
So, for everyone’s safety, I have no choice but to keep my mouth shut.
A woman walks over to us with a nametag that reads Amanda. “How can I help you today?”
Finn wraps his arm around my shoulders and pulls me in close. I try not to flinch. “We’re looking for a wedding dress for my lovely fiancée.”
“Well, I’m sure we can find her one. Though, it’s normally customary for the fiancé to not be here.”
“We’re not traditional.”
I force a smile on my face. “Yep. Not traditional at all.”
Amanda smiles without even noticing I’m in distress. She shows us to a rack of dresses to start looking at while she goes to pick out a few more from the back that apparently I’ll like.
“Do I really get to choose the dress I want?” I ask skeptically.
“Yes. I’m not that evil. I’ll let you wear a dress on our wedding day. And it will be of your choosing.”
“What’s the catch?”
“There is no catch.” The glint in his eyes says otherwise. I don’t believe him one bit.
But this might be my only chance to choose a dress I want and I’m not going to give up on that.
It takes all morning but I finally find the dress that looks perfect on me. It’s simple and classic. A little bit of lace on the bodice and sleeves but other than that, it’s satin white. It fits my body perfectly without any modifications.
Amanda, who helped me get into the dress, stands back in the small changing room. “You look beautiful. Your fiancé is going to love it.”
“I’m sure,” I say through gritted teeth.