DON'S POV"I can look after myself, Don!' Accalia shouted."No, I'm done listening to it!" I growled.I lunged for her and wrapped an arm around her forcefully, grabbing her forcefully around the middle and lifting her effortlessly in the air."Don?! Don put me down, now!!" She shouted in frustration. I carried her out of the house. I stormed away from the house without another word, and she struggled against my hold in vain, yelling at me to put her down. Eventually I finally let go and she collapsed to the ground. She looked up at me in disgust."Enter the car!" I commanded. "Now!""Why? To throw me in the dumpster?" She asked sarcastically."Yes!" I snapped. "Forget about your stupid, selfish ass, and get into the goddamn car! Now!"She stared at me defiantly. “I won’t!” I growled impatiently and stomped towards her. Her lips trembled and I stopped abruptly and grabbed her roughly by the upper arm, pushing her towards the car. “Get in the fucking car, you ungrateful brat!”She s
DON'S POV"Uh.. Bentley, this is my husband."I cleared my throat and stretched out my hand for an handshake, "I've heard quite a lot about you Ms. Bentley, I'm Don Donato, a pleasure to meet your acquaintance."Bentley's smile died from her face and colors drained from her face, as her gaze met mine, she felt like she had seen a ghost.“It’s you...” She whispered, unable to process the scene in front of her.I glanced over to catch her reaction and watched as a deep frown settled on her face. I frowned back at her in response, feeling uneasy.“I’m sorry… Did you not realize?”"Excuse me..." She whispered softly and retreated quickly back into the kitchen.I narrowed my eyes as her retreating form."She has a lot to learn doesn't she?" I commented dryly."Don, can you give me a minute alone with her, please?" Accalia pleaded and I nodded. "Thank you."I backed away from her silently as she left and walked towards the kitchen, I glanced around the bar and taking in each and every det
DON'S POVMy eyes wandered around the interior of my SUV and searched for anything familiar as I tried to clear my mind and collect myself.When I was able to focus on something other than my chaotic thoughts I turned to glance at the man slumped across the seats and saw that he had fallen asleep. His breathing was steady and deep, and if I wasn't staring at his sleeping figure then I wouldn't have known he was asleep. He was dressed casually, just jeans and a white shirt. His brown hair fell freely over his face and covered his left eye, obscuring the scarring on his face.My face turned into a scowl as the memories crashed down on me like a tsunami. I knew why I hadn’t recognized him at first sight. It was because he looked so much younger than when I last saw him. He had been thirty seven when I last saw him - almost eight years ago, after all. But that had barely been the case then, at least, not compared to now. At that time, he didn’t look old enough to go bald yet, though.
ACCALIA'S POVI ran after Bentley and grabbed her hand immediately we stepped into the kitchen."What's wrong Bentley?" I asked worriedly. She had been acting strangely lately, and now that I was thinking about it, I realized that she hadn't spoken much in days, or seen me at all really, but I ignored that in favor of asking her what was wrong. I saw her gaze flick towards me for a moment before her face blanked once more.She shook her head frantically, "It's nothing, don't worry I'm fine."She gave me a strained smile, but there was clearly something off. Something was bothering her, and I needed her to relax. So I sighed heavily, dropping her hand, and walked over to her side, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her close to me."Tell me now if something's bothering you." I whispered softly. I kissed her temple tenderly.Bentley hesitated for a moment before nodding slightly in response. "I don't want to lie..." She trailed off quietly."Then just tell me." I encouraged
ACCALIA'S POV"You will not marry him. I forbid you." She repeated loudly, a crazed expression on her face."You can't... you can't force me!" I choked out hoarsely.She stared down at me angrily, "You will not marry him!" "It's a contract marriage." I whispered, closing my eyes."What?" She asked in surprise."It's a three month contract marriage. We will go our separate ways after three months." I answered."So you're telling me that you would only be married to Don Donato for just three months?""Yes.""Why? I mean, why did he offer you such a contract?" Her voice became calmer."Because he pities my current situation." I replied, unsure of myself, I had never really asked myself why Don had offered to be my contract husband and paid my debts."I see," Bentley said thoughtfully. "So this agreement means that he is willing to keep you as his wife until the debt is finally paid off?""Yeah."She frowned, There was a silence between us. The tension was thick enough to slice through
ACCALIA'S POVLuca glanced at her, "This is not a movie, Miss Bentley."She winked, "Call me Bentley, and lighten up a bit, will ya? You're like a walking iceberg."I could not stop myself from giggling at the banter unfolding before me. Bentley was determined to crack Luca's icy facade.Luca, however, was determined to maintain his composure, "I'm here to ensure the young miss's safety, not for amusement."Bentley nudged me, "Well, Lia, seems like your bodyguard needs a crash course in humor."I smiled and nodded in agreement, "Maybe he's just saving his laughs for special occasions."Luca's eyes flickered towards me for a moment, his cold exterior showing a hint of amusement.Bentley crossed her arms, "Alright, IceMan, challenge accepted. Let's see if we can get a smile out of you by the end of the day."Luca merely nodded and remained unresponsive to Bentley's playful challenge.Bentley has a mischievous glint in her eyes so she turned to Luca and asked him, "So, Luca, what's it li
BENTLEY'S POV“Let's go to a cafe, I'm craving a drink or something.” Accalia suggested as she stared at Luca and I. “What about you guys?”I chuckled and replied, "Sure, I could use a caffeine fix. How about you, Luca? Any preferences?"Luca remained silent for a moment before he finally said, "I don't have any preferences."I raised an eyebrow, surprise glimmered in my eyes. "Not even for coffee or tea? Come on, everyone has a preference.""I consume what is necessary." Luca said and shrugged nonchalantly.I smirked and said sarcastically, "Alright, Mr. Mysterious. We'll find something that fits your needs.”As we walked towards the cafe, I continued my banter with Luca, I was attempting to crack his stoic exterior with jokes and playful comments. I was surprised that Luca responded with occasional subtle smirks and very rare, short-lived chuckles.We settled into a corner table at the cafe and we ordered drinks, soon our drinks came and casually, we sipped our drinks, I couldn't re
BENTLEY'S POVIt took a couple of minutes for us to reach the park but after Luca parked my car in the nearest free parking lot, Luca got out first, quickly opened both our doors and waited for both of us to follow.After we entered the park, we headed toward the playground. We sat on one of the swings and I swung myself back and forth slowly as I allowed my mind to drift back to fantasizing about Luca. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted him.It was odd to consider this. In fact, I hadn't ever considered wanting someone so much before. I let out a sigh, knowing I needed to stop and concentrate on the here and now. I closed my eyes, focusing on my breathing, slowly inhaling and exhaling.Suddenly, Accalia reached forward and placed hee palm across mine, stopping me from swinging. I glanced at her and noticed that she seemed somewhat amused and I grinned.She turned to Luca and said, "I would really love some ice cream right now.""Okay young miss." Luca said and I quickly