Chapter 2 — Terms of Engagement
Dominic
The crackle of the fire in the marble-lined hearth filled Antonio’s office, a quiet but steady rhythm that seemed to set the tempo of the room. Antonio sat across from me, his silver hair catching the firelight like forged steel. His hands rested on the polished mahogany desk with unnerving stillness, radiating control. The faint scent of cigar smoke hung in the air, mixing with the scent of aged leather and oiled wood—a blend that was as much a part of him as his cold, calculating presence.
“So, it’s settled,” he said, his voice low but heavy with the authority of a gavel’s strike. “You’ll marry her.”
The words landed like a blow, as unyielding as the man himself. Not a suggestion. Not an invitation to discuss. A command.
I leaned back in the leather chair, forcing my shoulders to remain relaxed even as something sharp and restless clawed beneath the surface. “And if I refuse?” I asked, keeping my tone deliberately flat, though the words tasted bitter.
Antonio smiled—a faint, humorless curve of his lips that never reached his piercing eyes. “You won’t,” he replied. The words were soft, almost dismissive, but they carried the weight of steel beneath their surface.
His office was a shrine to power. The walls were lined with somber portraits of our ancestors, their painted eyes watching as if to enforce his will. The firelight danced over Antonio’s face, deepening the grooves etched by decades of machinations. This was his domain, his empire, and I, his heir, was just another tool to be wielded in the service of it.
“Tell me,” I said, my fingers brushing the carved armrest of the chair. “How does this help the family? Marrying a lawyer’s daughter doesn’t exactly scream power move.”
His gaze sharpened, icy and precise. “Lynette Delhencia is far more than her father’s daughter. He controls access to networks we’ve been trying to infiltrate for years—the courts, the policymakers, the decision-makers who shape this city. This marriage is a gateway. You’d do well to stop looking at her as an individual and start seeing the opportunity she represents.”
I clenched my jaw, but the tension only spread. “Sounds like you’re the one who should be marrying her.”
Antonio’s smile tightened, his fingers tapping the desk once, the sound deliberate and sharp. “Watch your tone, Dominic.”
The room felt colder, the fire’s warmth dimming under the weight of his words. I held his gaze, though the force of it pressed against me like a blade against my throat. He thrived on obedience, wielding control with quiet menace.
“This isn’t about what you want,” Antonio continued, his voice calm but unyielding. “It’s about what’s required of you. You’ve been at my side long enough to know that.”
Required. The word dug into me, barbed and unrelenting. It wasn’t the first time he’d demanded something that twisted against my will. And it wouldn’t be the last.
“And what happens when she hates me?” I asked, my tone edged with defiance.
His hand waved off the thought, dismissive. “She’ll adjust. They always do.”
The casual cruelty of his words turned my stomach. Lynette was just another piece on his chessboard, another pawn to manipulate. And now, so was I.
“If I do this,” I said, my voice tightening despite my best efforts, “what happens when the Koslovs see this as a vulnerability? If they use her against us?”
Antonio leaned forward slightly, his expression sharpening further. “Then you’ll ensure that doesn’t happen. You’re no child, Dominic. You know how to protect what’s ours. This marriage is a shield, not a weakness.”
His words hung in the air, carrying a warning that needed no elaboration. The Koslovs would look for blood—theirs or ours. Building this alliance was one more line of defense in a war that never truly ended.
“Do you understand?” Antonio asked, his voice softening just enough to make the question maddening.
My breath came slow and deliberate as I fought the urge to lash out. The weight of his authority pressed down, unrelenting. Finally, I nodded, the movement stiff and deliberate. “Yes.”
The word tasted like ash, bitter and unpalatable.
Antonio leaned back, satisfied, his expression easing into a mask of practiced composure. For a moment, the firelight cast shadows across his face, making him look older, almost weary. But as quickly as it appeared, the vulnerability vanished, replaced by the man who’d built his empire on calculated sacrifices.
“Good,” he said. “The engagement dinner is tomorrow. You’ll behave accordingly.”
I stood, the chair groaning slightly as I pushed it back, and turned without another word. His gaze followed me to the door, lingering like a blade trailing just behind my neck. Only when the door clicked shut did I release the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.
---
The city lights blurred as I drove through the labyrinth of streets, the skyline looming ahead like a monument to ambition and corruption. My fingers tapped against the steering wheel, the motion the only outward sign of the turmoil beneath the surface.
Lynette’s face rose in my mind—hazel eyes flecked with gold, her sharp tone cutting through the din of The Velvet Ember. She had been fire wrapped in steel, her defiance as striking as her presence. And now, she was my fiancée.
The irony wasn’t lost on me.
What would she think when she found out? More importantly, what would she do? If her fire at the nightclub was any indication, she wouldn’t take this lying down. A part of me, the part I tried to bury under the weight of duty, almost admired her for it. The other part—the rational, measured part—knew it would only make this harder.
The neon lights painted the car’s interior in streaks of red and blue, a kaleidoscope of color that felt both alive and suffocating. The Koslovs would see this marriage as a weakness if we weren’t careful. And Lynette, with all her fire, would be a tempting target.
---
The D’Angelo estate loomed ahead, its stone archways and manicured gardens a facade of elegance barely concealing the tension that simmered beneath. As I pulled into the driveway, Matteo was already waiting, leaning against one of the stone pillars with his arms crossed and a grin tugging at his lips.
“Big brother,” he greeted, his tone dripping with mockery. “Heard the good news. Congratulations are in order.”
I shot him a warning glance as I stepped out of the car, but Matteo, as always, didn’t take the hint.
“Come on, Dom,” he said, falling into step beside me. “Aren’t you the least bit curious about your bride-to-be? Word is, she’s got a sharp tongue and the kind of stubborn streak that could make even you flinch.”
I paused at the base of the stairs, gripping the banister tightly before turning to face him. “What do you know about her?”
Matteo’s grin widened, his eyes gleaming with amusement. “Just the whispers. Smart, beautiful, and not afraid to bite back. Sounds like she might actually make you work for once.”
The corner of my mouth twitched, though I refused to let it turn into a smile. “Perfect.”
Matteo clapped me on the shoulder, laughing as he headed back toward the garage. “Good luck, brother. You’ll need it.”
---
The heavy curtains of my bedroom blocked out the fading evening light, casting the room in shadow. I tossed my jacket over the back of a chair and sank onto the edge of the bed, the silence pressing in like a physical force.
My hand moved to the signet ring on my finger, the gold cool against my skin. The engraved crest—a dagger and eagle entwined—caught the dim light, its weight a reminder of the legacy I couldn’t escape.
Lynette’s face came to me again. The sharpness of her gaze, the fire in her voice. She was unlike anyone else I’d encountered, and that would make everything both more complicated and more dangerous.
My grip tightened on the ring. This wasn’t just about her. It was about the family, the Koslovs, and the constant, suffocating pull of duty.
And yet, as I stared at the darkened room around me, the faint echo of her defiance stayed with me, refusing to be ignored.
