Chapter 15- To Intimidate
Lucia I frore. No. Not here. Not now,
“Mr. Sullivan,” Danie’s voice was perfectly pleasant, which made it infinitely more terrifying. “I believe you were just leaving.”
Mark stood his ground. “Actually, I was having a private conversation with ny-
“Choose your next word very carefully.” Dante’s smile didn’t reach his eyes
Time seemed to freeze as Dante’s voice cut through the air like a blade,
Mark stiffened beside me, his posture shifting into something defensive. I don’t need to explain myself to you,” he said. But there was an edge to it—the kind of edge that comes from knowing you’re poking a bear and doing it anyway.
Dante stepped closer, his dark eyes locking onto Mark’s waha predatory intensity. “Oh, but I think you do,” he said smoothly. “You see, when you meet with “mny flancée” without my knowledge, à becomes very much my business“.
Mark’s lips curled into a smirk, but I could see the tension is jaw. “Your fianceer” he repeated, his gaze flicking to me briefly, “Is that what this is.
A title! A contract?
Lopened my mouth to respond, bur Dante was Inter. “Careful, Sullivan,” he warned his voice dropping mo that deadly velvet toe be reserved for moments when he wanted to insull fear. “You’re treading on very thin ice.”
Mark took a deliberate step forward, closing the distance between them. “You don’t scare me, Romano. You can throw around your money and your threats all you want, but it doesn’t change the Exrt that Lucia deserves better than this… charade.”
Dante’s jaw tightened, his fists curling at his sides. “And I suppose you think “you’re better!” he said, his voce dripping with disdain. “A man who abandoned her when things get complicated? A man who now hides behind a painting, hoping to rewrite history?”
Mark’s face darkened. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t I” Dante took another step closer, the space between them almost nonexistent now. “You’re an artist, Sullivan. A man who creates illusions and calls them truths. But I deal in reality. In power. And the reality is, you’re nothing more than a ghost from her past.”
“A ghost who still knows her better than you ever will,” Mark shot back, his voice ring. “I loved her before you ever even knew her name. And deep down, you know that scares the bell out of you.”
“Enough” My voice rang out, cuting through the tension like a whip. Both men turned to look at me, their gares burning with anger and something far more complicated. “This isn’t a pissing contest. I’m not some prize for you two to fight over.”
Dante’s expression softened just a fraction as he looked at me, but the worm in his eyes remained. “Lucia, I came here 10–
“To what” Timerrupted, crossing my arms over my chest. To stake your claim? To intimidate him? Because if that’s what you think I need, then
you don’t know me at
trying to help you.” he said quietly. “To remind you that you don’t have to settle
Mark’s gaze softened as well, and he took a step toward me. “I’m just try
for this. For “him.“”
Before I could respond. Dame levout a slurp langh. “Soule?” be repeated, his voice laced with incredulity. “You think she’s “setting“? Tell me, Sullivan what exactly are you offering her Lowe Freedom A life where she has to sacrifice everything she’s worked for just to be with you!
“At least with me, she’d have a choice!” Mark shot back, his voice cracking slightly. “She wouldn’t be stuck in some loveless arrangement, paraded around like a trophy to further your empire.”
Dante’s composure cracked then, les rage spilling over. “You think you know anything about what we have?” he snarled, his voice low and dangerous. “You don’t see the nights we’ve spent together. The bailes we’ve fought, side by side. You don’t know the fire that hums between us, the way she looks at me when she’s not hiding behind her pride.”
“And you think that justifies controlling her! Watching her every move! Threatening anyone who gets too close! Mark’s voice was shaking now, but his resolve hadn’t faltered. “That’s not love, Romano. That’s possession.
“And you think love is enough” Dante countered his tone scantung. “You think you can protect her with your naive idealium! This isn’t your world. Sullivan. It’s “mine” And in my world love without power is nothing more than a weakness.”
“Stop it Both of your” I shouted, stepping between them again. My heart was pounding and my hands were shaking, but I refused to let either of them see how much this was affecting me. “This isn’t about love or power or who can shout the loudest. This is about a painting that needs to come down. That’s all.”
Mark’s gaze softened again, and he exhaled slowly. “If it’s what you want,” he said quietly, “I’ll take it down. But don’t thank for a second that I’m giving up on you, Lucia. Not now. Not ever.”
Dante let out a low growl, but I placed a hand on his chest, stopping him before he could say anything else. “Thank you.” I said to Mark, my voice steady despite the chaos in my chest. “But this has to be the end of a. You need to let me go..
Mark studied my face for a long moment, his expression a mix of pain and resignation. “I can’t,” he said simply. Then he turned and walked away. leaving me alone with Dance and the weight of everything unsud
For a moment, neither of us spoke. The silence between us was heavy, charged with unspoken emotions and unresolved tension.
“Get in the car,” Dune said finally, his voce cold and clipped:
Chapter 15 To Intimidate
“No.“I turned to face him fully, meeting his gaze head on. “Not until you tell me why you think it’s okay to follow me, to spy on me, to treat me
“Like what?” he interrupted, hastane rising. “Like someone I care about! Someone I would do anything to protect?”
“Like someone you want to control,” I shot back. “I told you, Dante, I came here to convince Mark to take the pointing down. That’s it. But you you had to make it about power. About proving something.”
His eyes flashed with anger. “And what exactly did you expect me to do, Lucia? Sit back and let him insert himself into our lives? Let him undermine everything we’ve built
“What we’ve build let out a biner laugh. “You mean this contract? This arrangement? Don’t fool yourself, Dante. This isn’t a partnership. It’s a prison.”
His jaw tightened, and for a moment, I thought he might lash out. But instead, he took a step closer, his voice dropping on a low growl. “If this is a prison, then why do you keep defending me? Why do you keep choosing me over him?”
1 opened my mouth to respond, but no words came out. Because the this was, I didn’t know the answer. Or maybe I did, and I just couldn’t admit
not to him, and certainly not to myself.
“That’s what I thought,” he said softly, his tone both victorious and hitter “Now get in the car. We’re done here
This time, I didn’t argue. Because no matter how much I wanted to fight him to push back against the walls he kept building around me, I couldn’t deny the truth.
I’d chosen him. And I hated myself for it
“Take me home, Dante.” I pressed my hands against his chest, feeling his heart race beneath talian wood. “Before we both do something we’ll regret
He studied my face for a long moment, something unreadable in his dark eyes. Then he stepped back offering his arm with lethal grace. “As you with, cars. But this conversation isn’t over.
It never is with you
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