Wife (Betrothed 1)

“I have nothing to say to him.”

“But maybe he has something to say to you.”

22

Hades

My assistant spoke to me over the intercom. “I know you’re busy, sir. But Maria Romano is here to see you. She says it’s important.”

I stared at the phone as I sat behind my desk, considering the request. Gustavo had been gone for a month, and she probably needed help with the hotel. I was doing my part behind the scenes, making sure people stayed in line and didn’t take advantage of Sofia.

She was such an easy target. “I’ll see her.”

Maria stepped inside, dressed in a Chanel blazer with a gold bracelet on her arm. Her wedding ring was still on her left hand. With her hair pinned back eloquently and gold earrings hanging from her lobes, she was a classy woman with timeless looks.

Sofia had inherited everything from her.

I rose to my feet and greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. “How are you, Maria?”

“I’ve been better, of course.” She smoothed out her skirt then sat down, crossing her long legs and showing off her prominent heels that she had no problem pulling off. Her hands came into her lap, and she stared at me, sighing as she smiled. “And you?”

“I’m well.” My life was the same bullshit every day. I processed blood money, kept it safe from the wrong people, and continued my drug operation in plain sight. Maddox and I were still at war with each other, taking shots but always missing. Various women graced my bed, but of course, they never meant a thing to me.

Not that Sofia did either.

“How can I help you?” I’d enjoyed working with Gustavo, so I extended the same respect to his widow. She was vulnerable without him, owning a business she couldn’t control much longer.

“This might sound a bit startling…but I’ve noticed the way you look at my daughter.”

I went rigid in my chair because I hadn’t anticipated a statement like that. I could read people well, predict what would happen next. But she dropped that bomb on me without warning.

“I’ve noticed it for years. Sofia is a jewel. She’s so beautiful and so damn smart. I just wish she would keep that attitude in check.”

I had no idea where this was going.

“Anyway, with Gustavo gone, I fear for our safety and our livelihood. I’m too old to take another husband, and Sofia needs to start her family in the next few years anyway. So…I’m looking for potential suitors.”

“Does she know this?”

“Not yet. I wanted to compile a list of men before I approached her about it.”

She was asking me to marry her daughter. Sofia obviously had never told her about our relationship, not even after we broke up. “Have you asked anyone else?”

“No. You’re my first pick. So…is that something you’re interested in?”

Over the last few years, I’d tried to convince myself that my fortune was untrue. It was just a coincidence. It didn’t mean anything. But now the opportunity to marry Sofia had fallen into my lap, and if I said yes, it would become reality.

Goose bumps burst across my arms.

Maria shifted her gaze back and forth to gauge my thoughts.

If I married Sofia, she would never love me. I would be in the same situation as before…infatuated with a woman who didn’t give a damn about me. It would be a stupid idea to go down that road again, to settle for less than what I deserved. I had too much self-respect to go through that bullshit…especially when I knew it would never be real.

But if I said no…she would marry someone else.

Someone else would fuck her every night.

Someone else would be a father to her children.

Someone else would get to enjoy her every day until they died.

This woman would never love me…but at least I got to love her.

It was better than nothing. “Yes…I’m interested.”

She smiled. “Perfect. I have a few more men on the list—”

“No.” I didn’t mean to be rude and cut her off, but I wasn’t bringing anyone else into the mix. If another man were given the opportunity, he would fight until she was his. It would turn into a bloody war. “I’m marrying her.”

Maria’s smile slowly faded away. “I guess I was right about you. You’ve always wanted my daughter.”

“Yes.”

“I have a couple conditions, Hades.”

“Alright.” I would agree to whatever she wanted.

“I know you’re a rich man who doesn’t need money, but I’ll give you half of the hotel as a thank-you for protecting my daughter. If it ends in divorce, it’s still yours. But I ask that you never leave her, that you promise to stay committed to her and do whatever it takes to stay together. That you make sure she never leaves.”

That was an easy promise to make. “Alright.”

“I love my daughter very much. I want to know that you’ll take care of her…that you’ll never hurt her. My first husband beat me on a regular basis. I never want her to experience the same thing.”