While dealing with business, he had a couple of fashion boutiques deliver several evening gowns. He expected to keep Adele busy, trying to choose a dress for their engagement party. Most women loved to shop, or at least that had been his experience of women. When he returned home, he found Adele on the sofa.

  All the clothes had been set up on rails for her to look through, but from what he could see, she hadn’t looked. When he asked her what she wanted, she told him to choose. He chose a dark red number, and she tried it on.

  Now, as he stood at the hotel where he’d made the arrangements for this dinner party, with guests arriving and Adele on his arm, he realized what it was that had changed. There was no fire. Adele had accepted the dress, tried it on without fighting him. He loved the dress as it had molded to every curve just as he knew it would. She wore it now.

  He sent hairdressers and makeup artists to get her ready. Enzo had also arranged for a whole new wardrobe. Again, she hadn’t fought him.

  His wife had to uphold a certain image, and even though he had no problem with Adele, he knew after tonight the vultures would circle. Announcing his upcoming wedding had created a bit of stir within his circle. Many of the capos wanted to come and meet the woman he was taking as his bride.

  He’d also lied to Adele. Her father and his family were due to arrive any minute. Enzo had called Hank and advised that he not attend, to which Hank had stated that if he didn’t attend, it would raise suspicion. There was already a lot of suspicion about her identity. People were curious about why he’d chosen a nobody, a civilian.

  Adele kept smiling, shaking hands, accepting congratulations, but he sensed her tension. Where was the snarky woman who refused to marry him? Had she given up already? He didn’t like that. Enzo didn’t want to break her.

  Looking toward the door, he caught sight of Hank and his wife entering the building. He couldn’t help but tense up and as he did, he glanced down to see Adele looking at him with a frown. Her gaze moved to the door, and he felt her tense. Her head spun toward him so fast, he thought she might get whiplash.

  “You said he wasn’t supposed to be here,” Adele said.

  “He had no choice but to come and offer his congratulations.” He gripped the back of her neck, pulling her in close so that he could whisper the words against her ear, giving them some semblance of privacy. It was all an illusion. They had no privacy. He sensed everyone circling, ready to pounce.

  And you agreed to allow them to see her.

  None of them could even be prepared for Adele, but he didn’t understand why she was being so passive.

  “Can you stop them?” Adele asked.

  “No.” He took hold of her hand, but she tried to pull away from him. Adele was no match for his strength and he was able to keep hold of her. “Stop.”

  She squeezed his hand tightly.

  Hank had come straight toward him. He held out his hand and gave it a squeeze. “Pleasure to see you, Enzo, and your fiancée.” Hank turned to his wife, who took his hand, and then as both went to greet Adele, they were met with a harsh stare.

  It was the first fire he’d seen.

  “Don’t,” Adele said, looking straight at Hank.

  Enzo saw Hank’s wife, Isabella, looking a little confused.

  “I don’t appreciate being put in this position,” Adele said. This time when she pulled away, Enzo let her. He had a feeling he had already pushed her these past forty-eight hours.

  “Do you know her?” Isabella asked.

  Hank shoved his hands into his pockets. “She’s not happy?”

  Enzo kept a smile on his face. “What do you think?” He saw the realization on Isabella’s face, and this was his time to step away and go find his fiancée. He wasn’t interested in any more family drama.

  Several people tried to stop him, to which he declined. No one pushed him to linger, and he figured it had to do with his reputation, that they allowed him to go. Leaving the main hall, he couldn’t find Adele. He checked the bathrooms, and ended up moving from room to room, until he caught her in one of the conference rooms. He stepped inside and found her rubbing at her chest, eyes closed, and he noticed her taking several deep breaths.

  “Adele?”

  “Just … give me a minute.”

  “What’s going on?”

  She opened her eyes and then turned toward him. One of her hands kept opening and closing.

  “You’re having a panic attack.” He closed the distance between them, placed a hand on her back, and another on her chest.

  “No, it’s … I don’t know what it is. I haven’t had one in a very long time.”

  He felt her heart racing and he saw the panic in her eyes.

  Enzo moved in behind her, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close. “I’ve got you,” he said. He didn’t know if his presence helped her to feel safe, but he held her.

  At first, her breathing seemed almost erratic, and then minutes passed, and she finally began to calm down.

  “You knew,” Adele said.

  “Yes.”

  “You should have told me.”

  “You’d have been pissed.”

  “That woman … she nearly killed my mother.”

  He tightened his grip around her and then Adele began to fight him. She let out a scream, and he had no choice but to spin her around, cup her face, and then capture her lips beneath his. The last time he’d done this, he’d gotten slapped.

  Letting go of her face, he caught her hands, placing them at the base of her back, stopping her from being able to fight him. With Adele in this vulnerable position, it pressed her tits and body against his, and he didn’t have a single problem feeling her next to his skin. In fact, his cock hardened. Why did he have to wait until his wedding night?

  She’s a virgin.

  Or is she?

  Breaking the kiss, he looked down at her closed eyes, and they slowly opened up.

  “Don’t scream,” he said.

  “I hate you.”

  “Good. Hate me, but don’t scream.”

  “I hate him. I hate her.”

  “That’s fine.”

  She shook her head. “No. It’s not fine to hate anyone.” She tried to pull away from him, and this made her growl as he wouldn’t allow her to go.

  “Tell me what you need?” Enzo asked.

  He never cared what anyone wanted before. Women simply had to do as they were told, but not Adele. With Adele he wanted more. He cared a hell of a lot more.

  “Talk to me.”

  “I need to go home.”

  “I’ll take you home later.”

  “To my house?” she asked.

  He sighed. “No. You know that is not an option.”

  “Then there’s nothing you can do for me. Let me go.”

  “I’ll let you compose yourself, but then you and I are going out there.”

  She shook her head. “This is not my life. This is not my place.”

  “This is your place!” He glared at her. “You’ve got two choices here. You can run and hide, and they can see you as weak and a coward. Or, you can hold your head high and know that you stand by my side. You can show them you’re not weak. That your mother raised a strong, independent woman. You, right now, are proof of how strong and amazing your mother was.” Enzo didn’t have a clue what he was saying, but he saw the shock in her eyes.

  He couldn’t allow Adele to fall. Enzo didn’t know why he gave a fuck so much. She was going to be his wife. He had won. She belonged to him, but he couldn’t allow this world to eat her up. She had to stay strong.

  “What’s it going to be? Are you going to make her proud? Or fucking fail?”

  Chapter Six

  Adele had felt hate before. There were times growing up where she had hated her father with a fiery passion. Her mother had always told her it was a wasted emotion. That the only person she was hurting was herself. To hate someone wasn’t a good feeling to have.

  Carla had never hated anyone, not even Hank. She had forgiven him and made peace with it all, but she would never forget.

  “How does that help? You’re still here and he’s still there.”

  “But I’m happy, Adele. Can’t you see that? I’ve got you? He doesn’t have me, and he doesn’t have you. I can’t hate him.”

  Adele had never understood what her mother was talking about, not until that moment. Nibbling her lip, she looked at Enzo, and she hated him. His words were cold and cruel, but she realized he was right. The past twenty-four hours, she’d given up. The dress she wore, though beautiful, wasn’t one she would choose.

  If she allowed Enzo to have his way, she’d lose everything her mother had fought for. She couldn’t allow that to happen.

  Squaring her shoulders, she turned on her heel and headed toward the door. She expected Enzo to stop her, but he didn’t. He allowed her to go, but when it came to them joining the party, Enzo placed a hand across her hip. Adele tried not to think about how good it felt having his hands on her body.

  I’m not attracted to Enzo.

  My body doesn’t want him.

  It was all lies, but one day, she hoped if she said it enough, she could convince herself it was true.

  They entered the party, and Enzo smiled and seemed to charm the men who continued to stop and speak to them.

  Adele stopped looking for her father and the woman that had beaten her mother up. When she had seen her, Adele had felt that rage inside her starting to build. She didn’t know if the woman even knew who she was. If she didn’t know exactly who she was, then Adele was more than happy to help her understand.

  Enzo gripped her hip tightly. He didn’t just squeeze, there seemed to be a gentle massage, as if he was making sure she was okay and handling everything.

  She was more than okay. It had only been a short blip for her, but in truth, she had felt like she lost everything. Her mother had taken her away from this life, and now glancing at the women, she saw that most of them put on a façade. Adele couldn’t help but wonder how many of the women hated it here. Most of them were younger, with older men.

  “Didn’t you want to be with him, Mommy?”

  “No, sweetheart. That world is not for me and I didn’t fall for your father because of who he was. I didn’t know who he was. There’s no way I’d ever be part of that world. I don’t want to be. Not now, not ever.”

  “Men can’t get enough of you,” Enzo said, placing his lips against her head. “I may have to murder a few of them to let them know who you belong to.”

  She rolled her eyes. “They don’t care who I am. They’re more interested in you.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong.”

  They moved through the main room and Adele caught sight of her father. He stood with that woman as well as two men.

  “Are they supposed to be my half-brothers?” Adele asked.

  Enzo glanced at her, then toward Hank. “Yes.”

  “Are they assholes?”

  “Yes.”

  “Doesn’t he have a daughter as well?”

  “He does, but she rarely attends these functions. She is … a spoiled brat.”

  “Right.” Adele tapped her fingers against the side of her dress. Was it wrong that she wanted to slap that woman and punch the men in the balls?

  She had never considered herself a violent person, but in the last few days, her world had changed. It wasn’t because of them, she knew that, but because of that man.

  “I’ve got to go to the bathroom,” Adele said, pulling out of Enzo’s hold.

  She didn’t wait for further instruction and instead made her way out of the main hall. It had been a long time since she last had a panic attack, and as she made her way to the bathroom, she rubbed at her chest since she still felt a tightening.

  Even though she wanted to honor her mother, there was still a little fear that she was going to mess this up, and that was the last thing she wanted to do.

  Entering the bathroom, there were a couple of women who shyly smiled toward her. She saw they were covering up a couple of bruises and she couldn’t help but enter the main stall, shaking her head. This was crazy.

  She sat on the toilet seat and placed her head in her hands.

  I can do this.

  I don’t know if I can do this.

  I want my mommy.

  That was a feeling she hadn’t felt in a very long time. Her mother had done everything in her power to help her be strong, to face the world, and be prepared for everything. Right now, she didn’t feel prepared.

  The women left the bathroom and it became eerily quiet.

  She finished on the toilet, and then stepped out, only to come to a halt as she stood in front of her father. It had been a long time since she faced him.

  Years of waiting for him, broken promises, lies, fake promises, the whole lot of everything. Staring at him now, Adele knew she hated him with a passion that should surprise her, only it didn’t.

  “Adele,” he said.

  “This is the ladies’ room.” She folded her arms across her chest, hating that it had come to this. Many years ago, Adele had vowed never to see him or talk to him again, and yet here he was, right in front of her after all of these years. “You shouldn’t be here.”

  “I know you had a panic attack, Adele. I needed to see you to make sure you’re okay.”

  She had brushed past him and was now washing her hands. “You need to see if I’m okay? Seriously, you were never there for all the other panic attacks in the past, why would it matter now?”

  “You must understand the reasons. I did it to protect you.”

  “No. You did it to protect yourself.” She turned toward him and her hands were still wet, and she held them in front of her. “That’s all you ever do. You should have left Mom alone, but instead you chased her. You lied to her.”

  “I know. I loved her and I couldn’t be without her.”

  “You’re selfish. Like now. It’s all about you and what you want.”

  “I wanted to take care of you.”

  “I was fine,” Adele said. “I didn’t want to be part of this, part of any of this, but now I’m engaged to a man who has threatened people I care about. In order to get your way, you’ve made my life miserable.”

  “I’ll talk to Enzo and I’ll deal with all of this. We can talk. I can help. I just want to know that you’re going to be okay.”

  “No, you don’t get to do that. You don’t get to talk to Enzo. You don’t get to try to fix this. You asked Enzo to lie to me. Mom had already prepared me for your tricks, so it was never going to work on me.” She squared her shoulders. “But that’s okay, because I’m going to marry Enzo, and we will probably have a couple of kids, but my story will remain the same. I don’t have a father. He abandoned my mother, lied, cheated, and it was so easy for him to stop coming. I’ll be by Enzo’s side. You will never be part of my life, nor will you be part of any of my children’s lives.”

  She took another step toward him.

  “And you better tell your wife that if she tries anything with me, if she thinks I will bow down, step aside, or take it, then she’s going to meet with a real problem. I’m not my mother, and I’ve got a whole lot of hate for you and for her.”

  ****

  The Wedding Day

  Enzo saw Hank in the aisle.

  The past two weeks had been a whirlwind of activity. Adele was no longer placid. She refused to allow him to organize their wedding. She made demands, chose her wedding dress, and even the flowers, which all had to be roses—the darkest of red as they were her mother’s favorite. The wedding cake had to be lemon, with lemon frosting, and she wouldn’t allow him to make any changes.

  Enzo couldn’t believe the change in her. He watched as Adele took charge. He’d changed her life, and he wasn’t bluffing with her. If she had fought him, he’d have gone after those she cared about, because he didn’t have a caring bone in his body. He took what he wanted, and to pay for this debt, he was willing to do whatever was necessary.

  The church was full of fellow capos, associates, and their wives and families. Hank was front and center with his wife and family. Soldiers were outside of the church, as well as inside, prepared for any potential attack.

  Enzo never thought he’d enjoy his wedding day, but as the hours ticked by, knowing at the end of the day Adele would belong to him, he found it rather exciting.

  He stood, waiting.

  Adele didn’t keep him waiting long. Much to his surprise, she asked for Bishop to walk her down the aisle. He knew the bar owner didn’t like him, as he was concerned about Adele marrying him, but there was no stopping him.

  Enzo had taken Bishop to one side and warned him if he tried to interfere with Adele, then he’d close the bar and completely remove his business altogether. He would make his life a living hell. Bishop hadn’t put up a fight, and now Enzo would finally get what he wanted.

  The music changed and Enzo turned to watch as his woman stood at the end of the aisle. Within their circle, the gossip had spread about who she was and what it meant. Enzo was not forthcoming as he didn’t feel he needed to be. His decisions were his own.

  Bishop held Adele, who walked toward him, head held high, shoulders squared. The dress she had chosen was stunning. There were no straps or arms. It was molded to her tits, nipped in at the waist, and flared out across her hips. She looked like a princess.

  Her long, brown hair was curled, and small roses were woven into the strands. They were fake. She didn’t have any makeup on at all.

  Enzo watched her, unable to take his gaze away. For the past two weeks, he’d seen her in sweatpants and old, stained shirts. He watched her eating pizza, ice cream, and talking constantly about the wedding she didn’t want.

  Adele was going to belong to him.

  He went to Bishop. This was another punch to Hank, and he was aware that Adele knew what she was doing. Hank should be here, but he hadn’t claimed her as his daughter. The speculation was there.

  Bishop placed Adele’s hand within Enzo’s. Enzo sensed her shaking. She hated large crowds, which seemed strange to him considering she was used to dealing with them on a nightly basis. They stepped toward the priest, who cleared his throat.

 

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