ALESSANDRO’S POV
“Fuck!” I smacked my hand on the table and ignored the documents, I was readinf through. The anger rising in me was indescribable. All I wanted to do right now was to empty my gun in his head. I wanted to kill him. End him.
I didn’t want to be disrespected in my whole life.
But I let him live all because of the contract.
His appearance in my life was a mistake and every time my eyes fall on him, It always makes me recall that one time I was seated in my father’s office, swirling the whiskey in my glass, only half- listening as he droned on about obligations and alliances. It was nothing new. I had known for years that I was meant to marry Sabrina Deveraux. It was a deal struck between our families before I even
understood what marriage meant, a strategic arrangement to strengthen our power.
I had never cared much for Sabrina. She was beautiful, sure, and carried herself with the kind of cold grace that made her the perfect business partner. A match my father approved of. A match I had
accepted.
But when my father finally stopped talking and met my gaze, there was something different in his expression. A pause, a hesitation, before he said the words that made my grip tighten around the glass.
“Sabrina is dead.”
For a moment, I said nothing. I barely even breathed. The words didn’t make sense at first, like my mind refused to process them.
Dead.
Sabrina was dead.
I set the glass down slowly. “How?” My voice came out flat, detached, but my pulse had started to
thrum in my ears.
My father exhaled, rubbing his temple. “She was shot. It doesn’t matter now. What matters is that the contract must be upheld.”
A strange feeling crawled up my spine. “What are you saying?”
My father’s gaze hardened, and I suddenly knew, felt–what he was about to say before he even spoke the words.
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Chapter 91
“You will marry Nikolai in her place.”
The silence that followed was suffocating. I stared at him, waiting for him to take it back, to tell me this was some kind of sick joke.
He didn’t.
My chest tightened as anger sparked beneath my skin. “You want me to marry her brother?” I said, my voice colder now, sharper.
“The contract was made with the Deveraux family. It must be honored.”
I laughed, but there was no humor in it. “You’re out of your mind if you think I’m going to-
“You will,” he cut in, his voice leaving no room for argument. “This is not up for debate, Alessandro.”
I clenched my jaw, shoving back the urge to slam my fist against the desk. This wasn’t just about a marriage anymore. This was a punishment, a leash tightening around my throat.
Sabrina was dead and now he wanted me to marry the brother.
I stood abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor. My father watched me with the same unyielding state he always had, the one that told me resistance was useless.
I forced a breath through my nose. “I need some air.”
I turned and walked out before he could say another word, because if I stayed any longer, I wasn’t
sure what I would do.
He was more concerned about the business than his own son. He wanted to maintain his position in the business world and that’s why he trained me to be a cold hearted mafia without any mercy.
I was well known as merciless mafia but now I felt like I was deteriorating, I still couldn’t believe it
that I let Nikolai to reply to me like that.
From the moment the knock sounded at my door, I knew he was hesitating. I could almost hear it in
the way his knuckles met the wood, firm, but not quite steady. He wasn’t nervous, not in the obvious sense, but he knew what awaited him. Knew that no matter how he tried to fight it, he was already
bound.
“Enter,” I said, keeping my tone neutral. Controlled.
The door opened, and Nikolai, stepped inside. His expression was carefully blank, his shoulders squared as if bracing for a fight. He was already trying to posture, already preparing for resistance. It was almost amusing.
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Chapter 9
I let him wait..
Flipping through the document in front of me, I didn’t acknowledge him right away. Silence was a powerful thing, one that made people uncomfortable, made them fidget, second guess. But Nikolal held firm. He didn’t squirm under the weight of it, and that earned him a sliver of respect.
“You wanted to see me,” he finally said, his voice flat. Controlled.
I lifted my gaze, finally meeting his eyes. He looked so much like her. So much like the twin sister who should have been sitting in that chair instead of him. But she was dead. And the contract didn’t die with her.
“Sit,” instructed, gesturing to the chair opposite me.
For a moment, I thought he might refuse. The defiance was there, simmering beneath the surface. But he must have realized the futility of it because he sat, posture stiff, jaw tight.
I slid the contract across the desk toward him. “Read.”
He didn’t reach for it immediately, just eyed it like it might burn him. “I’m guessing this is the part where you tell me what I can and can’t do?”
I held back a smirk. Predictable. “This is the contract your father signed. You’ll follow its terms.”
His hands curled into fists. “I never agreed to this contract.”
“You didn’t have to.” I leaned back, watching his reaction closely. “Your father did. And since you’re here, you will abide by it,”
His fingers twitched, and for the first time, there was something raw in his expression. “But he signed it all because of my twin sister.”
I didn’t hesitate. “And you replaced her.”
That struck a nerve. His jaw clenched so tightly I thought he might snap. He reached for the contract then, flipping through the pages. I could see the moment the weight of it settled over him. The curfews. The restrictions. The obligations.
He swallowed hard, struggling to keep his voice steady. “You expect me to follow all of this?”
“I don’t expect,” I replied smoothly. “I demand.”
His eyes flicked up to meet mine, burning with frustration. “So that’s it? I’m just supposed to follow your rules like some obedient little prisoner?”
“That’s exactly what you’ll do.”
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Chapter 9
A tense silence stretched between us. His breath was a little heavier now, the reality of his situation
sinking in.
“You’re heartless.”
1 tilted my head slightly, considering him. “And you’re naïve if you thought this was anything but at
Transaction.”
For a moment, I thought he might lunge across the desk and hit me. Instead, he exhaled sharply. shaking his head. “Fine. I’ll follow your damn rules. But don’t expect me to make it easy for you.”
A ghost of a smirk tugged at my lips. “I never expected you to.”
He pushed back from the chair and turned for the door.
“You’re dismissed,” I said coldly.
The door slammed behind him.
I sat back, fingers steepled together.
This was going to be interesting.
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