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Destroy us from the inside out?

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I said.

“I understand your concerns, but please read the rest of the contract. My youngest son would be your husband only in name. He’d be no more than your property, and he’d take your last name. You could do with him whatever you wanted.”

My eyebrows lifted up.

Okay, now that was a whole new level of crazy.

I knew Giovanni was a complicated man, but to ask me to marry his son and take him basically as my slave? Who the fuck did that to their family?

But then again, many of those I knew had given their daughters away in marriage to crime bosses in exchange for something.

Some had been willing, some had not.

It wasn’t completely unheard of.

“You’ll like him. There has to be a photo of him somewhere among these papers,” Giovanni said. “He’s young and handsome. And he’s also a virgin.”

My eyebrows rose even more.

“If you prefer him to be more experienced, I can have him trained for you. To your particular tastes.” The corners of his lips quirked up, and he gave me a knowing look.

I’d gone to a sex club once and now everyone knew exactly what I’d done there.

Awesome.

Not.

And fuck. I didn’t even want to think what this would all mean.

“No,” I said. “There’s no need for that.”

“Ah, I knew you’d want to break him in yourself.” He grinned.

I forced my lips into a smile I didn’t feel. This was so damn ridiculous. I didn’t need a husband or a slave, or whatever the fuck Giovanni was offering.

“We’ll see what happens. I need to take a good look at the contract first,” I said.

“Yes, of course.” Giovanni pushed the rest of the papers toward me. “Here. Take all of it and take a good look, then let me know what you think. You’d only need to keep my son for ten years. After that, you’re free to divorce and get rid of him, because I’m sure you’ll want someone younger by then. We can revisit our deal too.”

I just stared at him.

“I’ll let you know what I decided in a few days.” I got to my feet.

“Excellent,” Giovanni said. “I’m looking forward to your call.”

I wanted to say that maybe he shouldn’t, but this was an opportunity of a lifetime.

Me marrying Giovanni’s son was a small sacrifice. One that didn’t make much sense to me, but if it was the only way for Giovanni to agree, then I didn’t have much choice.

But first, I needed to make sure there weren’t any hidden traps in the contract. The whole thing with my potential husband might be all about distraction so I wouldn’t see what was right in front of me.

But I wasn’t going to make such mistake.

I held the file and the contract in my embrace as I made my way to my car.

Rafael waited for me, opening the car door. His brown hair was messy, just like always, and his hazel eyes narrowed at me with curiosity.