Chapter Two

"Good morning, Mrs Nevarro."

I screamed.

As loud as I could and for all to hear.

"Mrs Nevaro!!!!"

The first rays of dawn seeped through the heavy curtains, casting a dull light across the room.

And a lady was staring down at me.

Where was I? 

"Mrs Nevarro!!!" She tried again, and then it all came back to me.

Matteo Nevarro, the wedding, the wing. His love for my sister. It was like a never ending dream.

My prison.

I had barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Matteo's blue eyes staring at me with a cold and calculating gaze, the weight of his expectations pressing down on me.

And now this lady. 

She was tall and elegant, dressed in a sleek blue dress, her hair pulled back into a neat bun. A tray filled with breakfast - fresh fruit, pancakes, and a cold cup of juice - was at my bedside table.

"Good morning, Mrs Nevaro." She said, her voice polite but distant. "I'm glad you've stopped screaming. I'm Caterina, Mr Nevaro asked me to assist you with anything you might need during your stay."

Stay.

The word tasted bitter in my mouth. This wasn't no stay.

"Thank you." I murmured, unsure of what else to say.

Matteo had mentioned the servants would be here today. Now, they could gossip about me screaming my head off.

Caterina placed the tray on a little table she placed over my thighs before turning to me, her expression unreadable. "Mr Nevaro will see you in his office once you're done."

The thought of facing Matteo again made my stomach churn, but I nodded. "Okay."

He was supposed to give me the wifely duty arrangements today.

Part of me wanted to tear through the estate, find the nearest exit, and disappear forever. 

But my mother?

What would he do to her if I disappeared?

Caterina gave a small nod and then left the room, closing the door softly behind her. I stared at the tray of food, my appetite nonexistent. But I forced myself to take a few bites, knowing I needed to keep my strength up. 

If I was going to survive this, then I had to eat.

As I ate, my mind raced with thoughts of how I might satisfy Matteo sexually. He looked like a man with a lot of experience.

I was a lady with little experience from the one boyfriend I had two years ago. One of the driver's sons. 

Before Isabella ratted me out to our parents.

I finished my breakfast and quickly got dressed in clothes that had been laid out for me. A simple black dress that wasn't my style but would do.

Matteo's office was on the other side of the estate, so it took me a while to get there. Especially with all the corridors and hallways in this place.

It was a labyrinth. Made to intimidate, and remind anyone here how insignificant they were.

Matteo's office held a set of large double doors, flanked by two stern-looking men in suits. They nodded at me but said nothing as they opened the doors to reveal his office.

The room was as vast as any bedroom in this place, with walls lined with bookshelves and expensive artworks. A large mahogany desk took over the far end of the room.

"I thought you ran away, too." He said without turning around. "If you had, I would likely think it just runs in your family genetics."

I stepped closer to him, my heart pounding in my chest as the doors closed behind me. 

Had that being a joke?

"Did you sleep well?" He asked, his tone almost casual.

I hesitated, unsure of how to respond. “Not really.”

He nodded as if he expected nothing else. "Well, I think we should get started with what I called you here for. I am a busy...."

"Why didn’t you search for her?" I asked, my voice firmer than I expected. "You love her, yet you can't risk a few men to find her and bring her back."

He didn't answer right away. Instead, he walked over to his desk and picked up a small, ornate box, turning it over in his hands. "Because I have a replacement."

"A replacement you would never love. Never care for." I said, the words tumbling out before I could stop them. "You could have found her and made her see reasons."

Matteo's eyes flashed with something - anger, maybe frustration - but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. "I can't fault Isabella for her choice. She doesn't love me, and she never would."

The way Matteo said her name.... like a caress. There was something more there. As if the love he had for her wasn't just unrequited to him... it was dangerous.

"She never would?" I echoed, incredulous. "And so, you pick the one sister that wouldn't fight back"

"Yes." He said bluntly, setting the box on the desk. "You took her place, and in return, I will ensure that your mother remains....secure."

And alive.

I stared at him, the weight of his words sinking in. This wasn't about me or Isabella. This was about power, control, and his desire to maintain his position at all cost.

A girl had run away because she didn't want to marry him.

The all-powerful Don of the Nevaro mafia gang.

I was just a means to an end.

"And if I refuse to give you heirs?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Matteo smiled, a cold predatory expression that didn't reach his eyes. "You'll learn how to please me, Valentina. Or you'll learn just how much I hate disobedience."

A chill ran down my spine. He was right. I had no choice in this. 

My mother and Isabella had seen to that. 

“So, what happens now?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Now." Matteo said, his tone softening slightly. "You begin your new role. You will accompany me to events and host sometimes. You will learn what it means to be my wife with a bit of a modification." 

"What sort of modification?" Alarm bells rang in my mind.

He plucked out a piece of paper. "How to satisfy me. I assume a girl like you doesn't have any experience with that world, but you'll learn." The smirk on his lips widened. "I'll come to you when I'm ready, so don't bother coming to me."

His words were like a slap to my face, cutting off any hope that I wouldn't have sex with him. Though mother had made it clear I was to give him a child within two years of our marriage or the alliance is over. 

I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. “I understand.”

“Good.” Matteo said, his voice smooth again. “You’ll find that this life isn’t as difficult as you might think. There are rules, of course, but once you learn them, you’ll see that it can be... rewarding.”

Rewarding. The word felt hollow, a promise of something that I knew would never come. But I didn’t argue. There was no point.

“Do you have any other questions?” Matteo asked, his eyes searching mine.

I shook my head. “No. Not right now.”

“Very well,” he said, a slight smile curving his lips. “Caterina will continue to assist you. She’ll ensure you have everything you need.”

“Thank you,” I murmured, though I wasn’t sure what I was thanking him for. 

"Remember, Valentina." Matteo continued, his voice smooth as velvet. "Any attempt to behave like Isabella would show you a side of me you don't need to know."

His words hung in the air between us, a reminder of the delicate balance I walked.

“Understood.” I said, forcing the word out even as my mind screamed at me to run, to find a way out of this nightmare.

"Good. You may go now."

I was out of the room before he could change his mind and decide to start the marital process there.

Something had happened between Isabella and Matteo. Something he would never tell me or anyone else.

As I left the corridor of Matteo's office, the hairs on the back of my neck prickled. Someone was watching me.

Tracking my movements.

If I didn't find a way to get Isabella soon, I might find myself in a place much worse than the one she left.