Chapter 3
Elara Pov..
My body frozen, as I fully took in the appearance of the man I had as my hostage. The moment his piercing eyes locked onto mine, I felt a cold shiver run down my spine. His gaze felt as if he could see straight through me, down to my very core.
Dante Romano, heir to the infamous Romano family’s sprawling underworld empire and the richest billionaire in the country. A man feared by many, respected by all, and known as the most ruthless force to ever rise to power,
His aura was so heavy and menacing that it made me feel impossibly small. Every instinct screamed that I was no longer the one in control, that f had just stepped into the lion’s den, and I was the one about to be devoured.
My grip on the pocket knife weakened, but a gasp skipped my mouth when he took a hold of my hand, which led to the blade pressing deeper into his neck. But his expression didn’t falter. If anything, his lips curled into a dark, almost amused smirk.
My eyes widened as a small trickle of blood began to stain his white collar. I could feel my body shaking. I think I have just dug my own grave. But it was clearly his mistake.Not mine.
“You’re trembling,” he said, “Not a good look for someone holding a weapon” his voice deep and smooth, like silk brushing against my skin. Goosebumps prickled my skin.
My heart pounded in my chest, and I struggled to speak past the lump in my throat, “S–Stay back,” I said with all the courage i had. I don’t want him to know how he was effecting me.
“Sweetheart, you’re the one who came to me?” He laughed, and before I knew it, his free hand moved fast, like a snake, grabbing my waist as the knife was about to slip from my trembling fingers, but I held it tight.
Every instinct urged me to pull away, but he didn’t budge. Instead, he lifted me up as if I weighed nothing and settled me onto his lap, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out.
He looked at me with a smirk. “Now, little one,” he said in a low voice “shall we try this again? What’s your name?”
“You think I’m going to tell you my name just because you asked nicely? Think again,” I snapped, struggling against his hold. The heat of his body seeped into mine, dizzying me.
He pulled me closer, my breath catching as I realised how little space separated our lips. “Let you go?” he mocked, his thumb brushing my waist. “You’re in no position to make demands, little one.”
Pain and exhaustion clawed at me, but I met his gaze with ice. “Look carefully,” I hissed, pressing the knife’s edge against his throat. “Your life’s still in my hands, and I won’t make your death easy.”
His eyes darkened, a flicker of something admiration crossing his face or maybe i saw wrong. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
The car made a turn, making me disbalance. I let out a shaky breath, but the tension only got worse. As my grip on the knife slipped, and before 1 could catch it, Dante’s hand shot out, grabbing my wrist. In one quick move, he pinned both my hands behind my back, twisting them just enough to make me wince. The knife hit the floor with a clatter.
“Careful, little one,” he said, his voice low and teasing. “Oh no..shit“. I muttered under my breath, my heart pounding as I realised how dreadful my situation had become.
He smirked before leaning in closer, his breath hot against my ear. “Seems like the luck is on my side today“, he whispered, his tone thick with
arrogance.
My blood boiled at his words.
Dante’s gaze then dropped to my forehead, where a wound from the previous chase bled freely, then to my leg, still throbbing and seeping through my jeans from an earlier wound. “You’re hurt,” he said, his voice softening with concern.
I blinked, thrown off. “I’ll survive,” I muttered, though the pain crunched at me relentlessly. Without a word, his fingers brushed my forehead, wiping the blood away with a gentleness that clashed with everything I knew about him.
1 flinched, bewildered by the tenderness. “W–what the fuck are you doing?” I whispered, barely audible,
“Keeping you alive,” he replied with a gruff but little softness. “For now.”
“Don’t think this means I owe you anything,” I whispered, feeling a little weakening in my body.
The car slowed, pulling into a private driveway flanked by iron gates, a sprawling estate “What the hell?” I shouted, but suddenly my vision blurred. darkness creeping in. I fought to stay conscious, clinging to my will.
Dante’s lips quirked, a faint smile. “We’ll see about that, tesoro.”
172
10:01 AM
Chapter 3
Everything faded to black.
Dante Romano
I’ve seen beauty before, but nothing like her. For a moment, staring into her fierce eyes, I almost forgot she’d held a knife to my throat.
Never in my life have I met a woman so daring, so stubborn. Women either throw themselves at me, desperate for my attention, or shrink back, trembling at my reputation. But she? She wasn’t like any of them.
She didn’t flinch, didn’t cower. She met my gaze with a fire that could light the walls I’d built around myself. It was infuriating and intoxicating at the same time.
She’d pressed a blade to my throat and ordered my man to drive. A fierce wildcat, bold and untamed, unlike anyone I’d ever known. Her eyes blazed, a beautiful, feral kitten staring me down.
My gaze traced the crimson trail seeping from the gash on her forehead, then down to her leg, blood soaking through her jeans from an earlier injury. The sight twisted something in my chest, an ache I couldn’t name. What the hell is wrong with me?
Blood was nothing new to me, I’d spilt plenty, yet here I was, staring at her, which unsettled me in a way I couldn’t explain. My fingers moved before I could stop them, brushing her forehead, wiping the blood away with a care I didn’t recognise myself.
As heir to the Romano throne, I needed a queen. Tradition demanded it. But women were distractions, liabilities. I’d kept them at arm’s length, brief encounters, no strings, no trust. It was safer that way.
But her? The moment she stumbled into my car, she was a wild, untamed force I couldn’t ignore.
My phone buzzed, jolting me from my thoughts. “Turn to my place,” I told Mark, who nodded with a quiet “Yes, boss”.
I unlocked the screen, and my father’s message stared back at me,an image that made my grip tighten. I glanced at the woman in my arms, her breathing soft, then back at the phone. A dark, manic laugh escaped m
- me.
Mark stiffened, the car’s atmosphere chilling.
So, the runaway bride lands in my lap, I thought, the irony sharpening my laugh. Fate is a twisted bastard.
“This will be fun,” I muttered, voice low and lethal.
Mark’s eyes flicked to the rearview mirror, unease flashing in them. He knew better than to speak.
Call Luca, tell him to get her file, I ordered, my gaze fixed on her.
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