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Being born in the same year but having different mothers was no walk in the park for either of them. Many had delighted in constantly pitting them against each other, and while Cesare and Massimohadcome to blows numerous times growing up...

"What's your plan?" Massimo asked in a sober tone.

Adulthood had changed all of that, and they might as well be twins with how fiercely loyal they were to each other.

"There's nothing to plan. Everything's already set in stone. IfNonnacomes back unaccompanied, I never have to think about her again. But ifNonnathinks she's worthy, then I'll marry her."

"Just like that?" Massimo's frown was evident in his tone.

An image of their eldest brother's fieryfidanzatacame to mind, and Cesare almost winced. Sarica was like a sister to all of them now, but it was no secret how the girl was also hell-bent on finding a way to escape her arranged marriage to Giancarlo.

And then there was Massimo himself, who would have to break things off with Ynez, once it washisturn to marry forfamiglia.

For an arranged marriage to succeed, emotions must never be allowed to come into play, and since he had no heart to begin with—-

"Sì, fratello." Compared to his brothers' respective predicaments, his own situation was as simple as adding one and one together to come up with a rule-based marriage for two. "I'll marry her, just like that...because I intend to train her to think of me as her owner, and not her husband."

Chapter One

Penelope

A BLACK CAR COMES OUTof nowhere like a monster that's about to swallow me up, and my suspicions unfortunately prove true when I hear the old lady behind me speak.

"Get in, please."

Just like that, our roles have been reversed, and I realize all too late that everything about her was a sham.Weak and feeble, my butt.

It was all an act obviously, since the woman I almost mugged now looks more like someone's richbadassgranny with her witchy near-black eyes ablaze with cunning, and her shoulders set firmly back without the slightest hint of a droop.

More cars roll into view, and in a blink of an eye I find myself surrounded by an army of remarkably well-dressed...bodyguards. Or extras for the next Matrix sequel, but presently moonlighting as hitmen.

Either way, the sheer number of them is a not-so-subtle warning about the pointlessness of fighting back or running away, and since I didn't survive living off the streets this long by being stupid—-

I get in, she gets in, and my back immediately knocks against the door as her driver slams his foot on the gas, and the car blazes off like we're practicing for the nextFormula Onerace.

My heart leaps into my throat as we overtake three vehicles in the pastfiveseconds.What the heck?Why bother abducting me when her driver clearly means to kill us before the next stoplight?

My almost-victim-turned-captor raises a brow when she sees my white-knuckled grip on the roof handle. "You have no reason to worry,bambina—-"

I mentally beg to differ, with the traffic lights having just turned red, which her driver then interprets as an encouragement to 'go faster' instead of 'stop'.

"Francisco is a very good driver."

We barely escape crashing into a ten-freaking-wheeler truck from an intersecting lane, and all eighteen years of my life flash before my eyes.

"And anyway, it won't be long before we reach the airport—-"

I think I must've misheard her or something. Did she just say—-

"Sì,bambina.You did not hear incorrectly, and we are indeed heading to the airport."

It's bad enough that I've been abducted, but why does my abductor have to be clairvoyant as well...just like the witch I fear her to be?

"If it makes you feel more comfortable, we're not leaving the country. We just need to get out of New York, and the sooner, the better, too."

I know there's a good chance she won't care to answer, but I ask it anyway. "Why?"

"Because I'm not in charge here."