Page 46 of Veil of Obsession

Eli sighs, running a hand through his dark hair. “Because they want us to merge Folonari Conglomerate with Hoffman Enterprises.”

I let out a sharp laugh, shaking my head. “You’re fucking joking.”

Eli doesn’t blink. He’s not joking. My smirk fades, the tension in my jaw locking tight.

“They think they can leash me like some obedient little husband?” I scoff, rolling my shoulders. “Not happening.”

He doesn’t say anything, just watches me with that same measured patience that makes me want to put my fist througha wall. I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees, challenging.

“They expect me to marry one their spoiled little rich girls? Play the part of the devoted husband while they pull the strings?” I shake my head, scoffing. “No fucking way. I’d rather burn their entire legacy to the ground.”

Eli sighs, rubbing a hand down his face. “Lucio?—”

I cut him off, my voice low, edged with something sharp. “If they think they can use me as some bargaining chip, they can shove their offer up their entitled fucking asses.”

I clench my fists, my breath steady but heated. “Tell me, do they think marriage will civilize me? Make me a proper fucking gentleman?” I grind my molars together. “If that’s their angle, they’re even dumber than I thought.”

Eli watches me. Lets me rage, lets me simmer. Then, finally, he exhales.

“Not you.” He leans forward, voice cold. “They don’t want you for their daughter. They think you’re diseased.”

I don’t react. Not right away. I watch him, letting the words settle, letting the weight of them press against my ribs like something sharp, something I should feel.

I don’t.

I stretch out in the chair, running my tongue over my teeth and tapping my fingers lazily against the armrest. “Diseased, huh?”

My brother leans back, rubbing a hand over his face like he’s trying to keep his temper in check. Like he’s done with my shit.

“They don’t want you near their daughters,” he mutters. “Not after the shitstorm you’ve stirred up. You’re a liability.”

Dragging my thumb along my jaw, I ask, “So, what? They think my dick’s going to corrupt their bloodline?”

Eli exhales sharply through his nose. “They think you’re reckless. Untamable. A fucking disaster waiting to happen.” Hiseyes pin me in place. “And they’re not wrong. Apart from the fact you are a fucking disaster already, you’re not waiting to happen.”

I chuckle, unbothered. Because I don’t give a fuck what my brother thinks, let alone what the Hoffmans think. But there’s something else here. Something Eli hasn’t said yet.

“So, if they’re not offering me up as a groom, who’s the unlucky bastard?”

He doesn’t answer right away. And that’s when I know.

I let out a short laugh, shaking my head. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

He exhales, slow and measured. “It’s Matteo.”

Matteo. Cold. Unflinching. A goddamn machine in human skin.

There’s no way the Hoffmans know what they’re getting into. They thinkI’mthe problem? They think I’m the one too dangerous for their polished, high-society bloodline? They have no fucking clue.

I let out a sigh, stretching my legs out in front of me while rubbing a hand over my jaw. “And which one of their daughters does he get shackled to?”

Eli’s jaw tightens. “The youngest. Vivian.”

Vivian Hoffman. Polished. Perfect. The golden child.

I chuckle again, but this time it lacks any humor. “Matteo’s going to love that.”

Eli’s lips press into a thin line. “He doesn’t care.”