2

 Gabriela 

“ I will not sleep with you,” I said as my hands found my luggage situated inside of the car where both of us were seated. After our scene last night, my fate has been sealed with him. 

When I crashed my lips into him, I accepted the fact that I am being sold to him as his bride and my family was more than happy to sell me off to him. Who wouldn’t? Just by this beast's name, we’ve been saved from our competitors' anger and we can live our life protected because of his influence. 

Giovanni Dela Vin gave us an opportunity to live a better life, to maintain our standing in this fucked up society, and to not live in shame because the Santoro’s, as of this moment, is under his jurisdiction. And it all takes my freedom to have this kind of life. My freedom was taken for my family to have theirs. 

Cruel, isn’t it? I used to think that the definition of family is the one who stayed right by your sight through your hardest time but mine wasn’t. In our hardest time, they chose to push me away to let go of the burden. 

And I was that burden. 

“ No one talked about sleeping, Santoro.” Giovanni scoffed, tilting his head in my direction so he could glance at me. “ I just wanted you to occupy one room in my house.” 

The way how those lies came out of his filthy mouth almost makes me chuckle out of disgust. Who would believe him when, in fact, the world knows how filthy he is when it comes to his women? He has a long list of women down on their knees begging for his attention, but I promised myself that I would never be one of them. 

I might not get the happiness in this marriage, but I will surely get the happiness of knowing that he can’t make me submit to his power. No one will and no one can. 

“ No, no. You can’t look at me like that.” His own words make me stop thinking. “ I’m a beast in this cruel world, Santoro, but definitely, I am not a man who forces women for pleasure. Your family’s enemy won’t believe that Santoro is now under my jurisdiction if my supposed wife wasn’t in my own house to do her duty as my woman.” 

His words have a point. I just failed to realize what he truly meant by that. 

Without any words to answer him, I looked outside of the car and saw our house. It was Santoro's mansion. My family didn’t even bother to see me once this asshole pulled my luggage out of the house. They didn’t care that they were sending me off to the lair of the beasts. All they care about is their freedom. 

I felt him behind me, rolling down the car’s window. “Do you see how cruel the world is, Santoro?” 

“ You’re a beast,” I said, knowing that he just wants to point out how my family doesn’t care about me after selling me off to him. 

He merely chuckles, tapping his fingers into the steering wheel. “If you say so. Now, stop whining, and let’s get you inside my house. I have some important meetings to attend to and I want you beside me all the time.” 

That made me look at him, shocked. “ Y-You’re not telling me….Are you going to bring me to all of your meetings?!” 

“ Uh-uh. Rule number one, never raise your voice towards me, Santoro. I don’t want that to be a habit of yours, especially once we have our kids–” 

“ Kids!?” I shouted once again, more scandalized by his words. I never felt so deaf until now, wishing that I was wrong with the words that I heard from him, but instead, he just laughed. 

He chewed on his lips, making me gulp. “ I married you so I can have an heir, Santoro. Whether you want it or not, you’ll conceive my child.” 

“ And here I thought you’re not into forcing women.” I rolled my eyes and scoffed, completely avoiding his eyes because I cannot look into him when this is our topic. 

I’ve only been married or sold off to him for a day and yet, he is so advanced in talking about children. 

Giovanni darkly chuckles. I can feel the vibration caused by it. “ You’ll be the one begging for it, Santoro. I’ll make sure of it.” 

The challenge in his voice makes me think of the craziest thought that I have had for the last years of my existence. I am a Santoro and I wasn’t born to be challenged like this. 

Not even the beasts of this world that I am living. And so, I turned around and faced him. 

“ Are you sure about that?” I asked, smiling sweetly and letting my fingertips trace the curve of his lips to further seduce him. Just when I was sure that he was under my spell, a cold smile twisted his lips. 

His enormous arms pulled my wrists towards him, making me stunned out of shock.  “Don’t try to seduce me, Santoro. You might end up screaming real hard,” he winked before pushing me back into the car seat and starting the car. 

There was no use denying it. What he said made me scared because for a moment, I forgot who he is. I forgot how much stronger he is other than me right now. 

“ You’re going to kill me?” I was like a scared kitten because of the sudden realization. Only in pain will make me scream so hard because of him. I move my body further away from him realizing that he can just do that. 

He smirked. The look in his eyes makes me afraid that he was really going to kill me right now. Dela Vin can do that. Like what he said last night, I am his property because my family sold me to him.  “ Do you think I can only make you scream hard when I kill you? Think harder.” 

I shuddered. Part of me knows what he’s talking about, but I haven’t done it. Not in my whole single life did I let anyone touch my body for their pleasure, because I believe I will just let my future husband see me in my purest form. 

“ You haven’t done it?” he faintly asked after a moment of silence from me. All I can do is to avert my eyes from him because this is one hell of an embarrassing ride. If I only knew that I would be sold to this beast, I should’ve done it before, but I didn’t. 

My body knows pleasure. I just didn’t let it consume me. The moment that my father told me that I will make a great sacrifice for our family to save its legacy, I didn’t think about marriage. And certainly, I didn’t think about conceiving a child. 

Giovanni Dela Vin was now my husband and my body was for him to take. I am not just ready for it. 

That thought made me gulp. “Y-You have a meeting, right? Drive faster.” My voice wavers as I commanded him to divert the conversation. 

In my peripheral vision, I saw him stifling a grin before I felt the car speeding up. 

“ I could take what I want, but your body is yours to begin with. I guess I’ll just settle with your fake kisses to prove that you’re mine.”