NO ONE'S POV
She gazed at the well-built figure slouching against the doorframe, as if he owned the whole place, the trademark Moretti smirk plastered on his face. He was Dante Moretti, the man that had been consuming her thoughts, haunted her thoughts, the name that made people shiver in fear and fall to their knees, bowing in respect and dread.
She had her heart thumping inside of her chest, and she feared it was so loud and racing that he could hear it. He was just the same as she remembered him at the party before, infuriating, irresistible, and very beautiful.
He has the kind of broad shoulders with which a tall man is blessed with powerful vieny arms, hard chest. His hair is black like ravens. Some strands of it come into his forehead, thus giving him always an imposing figure, pale, sharp jaw, high cheekbones. The lips are thick and mostly set in one line that says he hardly ever smiles, though he did at times that could break or frighten.
A faint scar slices across his right eyebrow, giving him an edge that otherwise marks his appearance flawless - reminding all of the violently charged world he commands. With danger, elegance and dominance to the nth in him, it would prove impossible not to look at him.
But it was his eyes that froze her in her tracks, filled her with desire and fear, those cold and calculating, sharp and piercing stare that seemed to probe through her soul, reaching the defiance deep inside, making her shiver.
D. Moretti was icy authority and deadly charm. The man was respect, dominance, and power in the very presence that screamed from him. He stood tall towering over her. He was a giant over whom she felt small, defenseless. He did not go alone; big muscular bodyguards came with him. However, Liliana knew that he didn't need any. He could do all his protection by himself.
She was not stupid to remember that she was at his mercy then. The whole company had departed, leaving her behind unguarded and weak.
Dante was coming towards her. He had long strides carrying power and status. He stood in front of her looming over her helpless frozen form.
Liliana hated the way he had made her feel like a feeble prey, weak in the flesh of his presence, this hopeless feeling clawing at her, but she stands straight and firm in place and this makes Dante's smirk grow a little wide.
Dante loved defiance on her part and in every part of her personality that said she was still pure. The way she did that without a care; fearlessness burning from her belly, urging him to kill it, corrupt her, own her.
Her long, wavy chocolate locks framed her doll-like features to perfection. Her olive skin was soft, smooth, and untainted; he longed to reach out and run his finger down it to really feel if it was as soft as it seemed. Those kaleidoscopic hazel eyes so wide, so bright; he almost rolled them back in satisfaction. Her lips were smooth, plump, and juicy. He wanted to taste her, dominate her. Her long eyelashes as it fell down on her soft and rosy cheeks when she blinked.
God, why is she so enchanting.
Every second Dante stared at her, the urge, the desire, the need to capture her, taint her, own her, increased.
Dante took the seat infront of her while his bodyguards stood behind him.
"Surprised to see me, Amore Mio," his smooth, deep voice dripped with arrogance and amusement and sent shivers down her spine.
His husky voice pulled her out of her daydreams. Liliana swallowed, collecting herself. She couldn't let him know how much an effect he had on her, not now, not ever.
"Surprised? Hardly," Liliana replied in a voice that was steady despite the hurricane of emotions that she felt inside, "I should have known you couldn't resist showing up uninvited. You never did have much respect for boundaries."
He laughed at her remark. The laughter sounded around her, soft as velvet, with a rough edge that made one think of something far deeper, darker, "Boundaries are for people who don't know what they want. And I've always been clear about what I want."
He moved forward a bit closer, the eyes never straying away from hers; cunning, intense. Liliana wouldn't back off from such a powerful look, though the air was cackling with tension between them.
"I have a proposition for you, Amore Mio," Dante said, his voice deep in the air that cut right through the tension.
Dante leaned back in his chair, his eyes still on hers, a slow, calculated smile spreading across his face. The tension was suffocating, and yet Liliana could hardly afford to look away. It was exhilarating yet terrifying to feel him demanding her attention, as his presence enveloped her completely.
"A proposal?" Liliana raised an eyebrow, masking her nerves with a hint of defiance, crossing her arms over her chest. She refused to let him see how his closeness made her insides churn. "Since when do you ask instead of take?"
Dante smiled lowly, causing her to shiver. "You do not understand me, Amore Mio. This is not some bargain. I already know you will accept. And I am merely polite- laying out the terms that are to come." He paused, his hard eyes scanning every reaction from him. "This is an offer you can't refuse."
She narrowed her eyes, the familiar spark of fire igniting within her, but said nothing. She wasn't foolish. Dante Moretti hadn't come here to talk small talk. Whatever he was going to say next was going to tie her up in knots she might never escape.
"I've done my research," he said, his voice casual, though it carried a threat underneath. "Your company, Russo Enterprises, is struggling. Deals are falling through, debts piling up higher than you can pay. You've hung in there admirably, but we both know it won't last. Sooner or later, you'll lose everything and go bankrupt."
Liliana froze. He was right-too right. Every sleepless night spent trying to figure out how to salvage her father's legacy, every rejected investor, every failed attempt to staunch the bleeding.
"I'm giving you an answer." Dante's voice cut through her thoughts, his eyes still searing into her. "I'll pay off your debts. Pay off every dollar. Keep Russo Enterprises afloat. In return— " He paused, the smirk curling back onto his lips, predatory and knowing. "You will become mine."
Liliana blinked; her heart missed a beat, thinking wildly as it tried to absorb his words. "What?" she managed to squeak finally, barely above a whisper.
He leaned forward a little so that his breath was ice that drifted over her skin and caused her to shiver.
"You will marry me, Liliana. For one year. During which I will be your husband and you, my obedient wife." His voice had turned dark, dripping with a lethal edge. "And in return, I will save your company from going down the drain. After you pay off the loan completely, you are free to walk away. Simple."
Liliana felt as if her blood had frozen. Marrying him? Dante Moretti? The devil himself-the man who cast a shadow that nobody could step outside. Her pulse raced-an angst-filled mix of anger and panic and something that Liliana refused to own-was beginning to feel exciting, forbidden.
She met his eyes, setting her jaw. "You want me to sign away my life for a year? To be your… your pawn, your plaything, your possession, you little plaything?"
Dante's eyes danced with an unreadable smile. "Oh no, Amore Mio. Not a pawn. A queen. But don't mistake my intentions. You will be mine. In every sense of the word."
Her heart pounded against her chest as the implications of his words sent her world spinning. "What makes you think I'd ever agree to something so twisted?" she demanded, though her voice wavered a little.
Dante straightened up, a dark, merry laugh breaking free from his lips. "Because you have no other choice. You can't save your company on your own. And I'm the only one who can help you." He paused, letting the smile slip from his lips as his eyes went darker, more possessive. "And because, deep down, Liliana, you already know you belong to me. You've known since the first moment our paths crossed."
She swallowed hard, forcing herself not to hear what he said. What she felt about him; his power, his supremacy-that terrified her. Yet she felt simultaneously, as though half her hunger was also a wanting for it.
Liliana raised her chin rebelliously and inhaled a breath. "And if I deny?"
Dante's eyes closed into sharp slits. He allowed the smile to vanish altogether. "Then everything you've worked for, everything your family has built, will crumble. I'll make sure Russo Enterprises is buried under its debts and you will have no one to blame but yourself." There was a pause and now his words seemed to take full effect before he opened up again, his tone gentler, almost coaxing: "But it doesn't have to end that way. I can save you, Liliana. All you have to do is say yes."
She looked through to the end of time; the room was silent around her. Her head had a mile an hour run, and thoughts contradicted each other inside of her. Though, the weight of his proposal hung over her like an anvil. Could she? Do it? Marry him? Not even for one year? Give herself to somebody like Dante Moretti and all he was?
Her hands trembled a little as she let them drop to her sides. She felt trapped, cornered in a dangerous game where the stakes were her life, her family, and her future.
And Dante was the only one holding all the cards.
Liliana gazed into his cold, calculating eyes, knowing that her decision would seal her fate. With a deep, resigned breath, she spoke.
"What are the terms?"
With his lips slowly curling into a slow, triumphant smile, Dante pulled out of his jacket pocket a crisply folded paper.
"The contract is simple. One year of marriage. In public, we'll play the part of the devoted couple. Behind closed doors…." His eyes darkened, sending a shiver through her. "You will be mine in every way. Once the year is over, and you've repaid the loan, you're free to leave. No strings attached."
Liliana hesitated, her heart pounding. "And if I can't repay you?"
Dante's smile broadened as he let his eyes glint with a dangerous amusement. "Then, Amore Mio, you'll be mine. Forever."
Liliana's heart skipped a beat as she weighed the pros and cons. Marrying him, or indeed, being tied to him any way was abhorrent. But his proposition. it was impossible to ignore, too tempting. Her business, her future, her legacy. he was correct. Without him, she was going to lose everything.
"I'll consider it," she said, softly enough that it could just have been a sigh considered an audible word.
He grinned, like a predator, locking his eyes onto his prize. "Take all the time you need. But remember, Amore Mio, the clock is ticking. And I'm a very impatient man."
He rose to his feet, looming over her as tall as he could be. His presence was stifling, intoxicating, overpowering, and Liliana hated the way her body responded to him, how he made her feel so small and weak. He reached up to touch her cheek, yet beneath the tenderness she felt dominance, possessiveness, and menace.
Dante's touch was curiously gentle, the rough, calloused hand caressing her smooth, soft skin. She asked if it felt as soft as it looked; the delicate, shining skin made Dante wild, and the burning urge inside him made him want to mark her, brand her, so that she was his own and his alone, so that everyone in the world could see that she was his.
"I'll be waiting, Amore Mio," he breathed, then turned and walked away, his bodyguards following, leaving Liliana alone with her thoughts, and this impossible decision which she must make.
Within the very moment he went away, Liliana lifted her cheek to touch there where he had touched a moment ago, already needing and wanting him to caress her again.
She had finally landed herself in a really tight spot, having to make one of the toughest decisions of her life-one that would be her rise or fall.
She looks down at the paper of the contract on her glass desk. She reads each word into her hazel eyes and then moves on to the corner of the page, where doting lies in wait; the place that would either seal her fate forever or the place from which she would make her break.
She should not take Dante's offer. She should refuse his help and be the demise of Ruso Company. Her father's effort was to make her life better. He created for her a worse relation to her family by making her wife and plaything till she paid his debt.
What will Liliana choose?