Page 9

Red cleared his throat from the driver’s seat. “I’m Red, by the way.” He smiled, blatantly ignoring what I said prior to the wedding. I knew he wouldn’t be able to treat her like shit. It was inevitable, to be honest.

“Hey, Red,” she replied angelically, and it was the first time I’d seen a genuine smile from her.

I loved how she was nice to someone who could hack up someone with his eyes shut, but then again, she hadn’t seen that side of him yet. I shot him a look in the mirror that I hoped reminded him of our previous conversation, before he quickly focused his attention back on the road ahead.

“You don’t need to speak to him.” I twirled the ring on my finger, a strange feeling.

“Oh, so I’ll just be a wife who stays silent then and does everything her husband wants, is that it? You say jump, and I say how high?”Wow.She was on fire.

“Yes, that’s what I expect from my wife.”

“What you want and what you get are two completely different things, Ricci. I’m afraid you’re going to be severely disappointed with the wife you’ve gotten,” she said with no emotion. There was no life behind her eyes. It was as though the second her father revealed the news, she’d died inside.

“It’s an easy fix.” I heard Red clearing his throat as I spoke as if to tell me to just shut up. He might have been right, but it was incredibly hard not to keep going, to keep pushing her to her breaking point that early on.

I relaxed back in my seat, unable to look at anything else other than her. Even her side profile was breathtaking. I had never seen a woman as painfully beautiful as her. I tried my best to work her out, trying to see how many layers she had. How hard I’d have to work. I even tried to think of ways to get her close to her father again, so that way when I ripped him from her, she’d be devastated.

“You can quit looking at me,” she snapped.

“Don’t flatter yourself. I was merely planning ways to kill you, that’s all,” I teased, seeing if she would let her guard down just a little.

“Do it. Kill me right here, because death would be a whole lot better than being married to you.” She whipped the gun from my waistband, unlocking it without thinking. She held it to her temple with a smile. “Or better yet, I could do it myself. What do you think?” She was a menace. All it took was one slip of her finger, and she’d have been a goner.

“Anastacia, give me the gun. Now,” I demanded, holding out my hand to give her the chance. I couldn’t snatch it from her. I couldn’t risk the aftermath.

“Why? Scared I’ll ruin your pretty leather interior?” She laughed, and I could have sworn I physically felt sick as my stomach dropped.

Red slowly pulled over, wanting to minimise the risk.

“Anastacia. Now,” I demanded once more, pissed that she didn’t listen.

She huffed with an eye roll before locking the gun with ease and placing it in my palm. “You’re no fun, are you?” She scoffed.

“Fun? Fucking, fun?! You just held a gun to your head. I’d hardly call that the best time of my life.” I threw the locked gun on the passenger seat as Red finally let out the breath he’d been holding. “Do that again and I swear I’ll?—”

“You swear, you’ll what? You’re all talk and no action.” She turned her back to me as if she hadn’t just acted like a psychopath.

I hadn’t quite worked out if this was going to be enjoyable or a nightmare, but I’d find out soon enough. The car came to a halt as Red quickly jumped out to open Anastacia’s door.

“It looks like your father is waiting for you, Mrs. Ricci.” He smiled the biggest damn smile I’d ever seen as he spoke.

“Don’t call me that. It makes me feel like his asset, and I’m not. You can call me Ana, though.”

Wait a damn minute. She said only a selected few called her Ana, and how the hell was Red one of them?! She met him two damn minutes ago. Alright, it was longer than that, but what difference did it make?

“Okay, Ana, your father is waiting for you.”

“I think I’d rather walk in with the asshole in the backseat than speak to my father.” She graced us with a genuine laugh.

“I can make it happen,” he assured her, clocking my gaze over her shoulder. “Out you get, Boss,” he teased, and I swear I could have killed the bastard.

“I feel honoured,” I joked without breaking a smile.

“Good for you,” she replied in jest.

She didn’t take my hand nor my arm, but she walked beside me, making sure she didn’t touch me as we reached the entrance.

“Anastacia.” Victor called as she walked past him, giving him no respect whatsoever.