“Don’t touch me.” I hiss frostily, and a slow smile spreads across his face.
“You’re upset at the situation, and rightfully so, I would be too if my father betrayed me the way Hugo did you. Hugo has always looked out for his best interests before anyone..even his own family.” I narrow my eyes and shake my head in response.
“And what, you’re some sort of saint, are you? You’re both as disgusting as each other. I don’t know what you think you’ll gain from keeping me here, but I will never marry you.”
Jian chuckles, “Cariño, you will. You’ll marry me and become Mrs. Lorenzi. Family may not mean anything to your father, but to me, it’s everything. You’ll live like a queen, and no one will dare hurt you.” I shrink away under his intent gaze.
“Why me?” My voice quivers as I fight to keep my tears back. “You can have any woman you want, why me?!”
Jian stares at me and brushes a tear away with the back of his fingers, and I slap his hand away. “I’ve always wanted you, Ezra. Ever since I got into a partnership with your father, I’ve had my eye on you, but you weren’t ready for me then, and your father wanted to keep you out of this world away from me.” I blink as he continues to explain. “But you were always supposed to be mine, Ezra. I’ve been infatuated with you ever since I first laid my eyes on you.” My stomach lurches at the mere thought of this vile man touching me.
“I will never be yours,” I utter, not even bothering to mask my disdain. “You can force me into marrying you—hell, you can kill me right here and now for all I care, but I will never be yours because I belong to someone else, and as long as I’m breathing, I will continue being his and his alone.” Jian’s eyes flash, and a vein by his temple starts to pulse and throb the harder he clenches his jaw.
“Oh, you mean that hitman of yours that you married and are now divorcing?” He snarls, rubbing his jaw while he leers at me. “You should have let him die that day he got shot because now he’ll suffer an even graver and much more painful death,” I feel the color drain from my face at his words.
“It was you.” I utter, staring at him wide-eyed. “You’re the one that tried to have us killed.”
“Not you, my little dove, just him.” He admits contemplatively. “He had what was mine. You were supposed to be brought here to me, but then I didn’t hear back from my men, and you had both disappeared…until recently.”
I scowl, “So this whole time, I wasn’t even the target? It was Damien that you were trying to kill?” Jian smiles and draws his bottom lip between his teeth.
“That’s right, baby girl.”
“Oh my God…” I whimper.
“So, you can see how much trouble I have gone into to get you here, and I have no interest in letting you go anywhere,” Jian says and lifts my head so that I could look at him. “I suggest you get comfortable, baby.”
“Go to hell.”