CHAPTER THREE

>ISOLDE'S POV

>>THE MORETTI MANOR

“What did you say?” I asked him with a voice that was barely audible.

It was just above a whisper.

I did not want to believe what my ears had just heard.

I did not want the words that Leonardo just said to be true.

It felt like they didn’t belong in my world.

I felt my stomach twist at the thought.

My breath caught in my throat.

My legs which was beginning to feel like jelly wobbled beneath me.

Vincenzo De Luca.

The name alone made my skin crawl.

He is everything that my father had warned me about.

He is a ruthless, cold-blooded man.

And he would do anything to get anything whatever he wanted.

And now, I was supposed to marry him?

"You heard me Isolde," Leonardo told me as he stood.

He was calm as always.

"You will marry Vincenzo De Luca," he repeated the words.

Suddenly dry and mirthless laughter began to bubble up from my throat.

"You must be joking," I said while forcing myself to be amused by him.

Of course he couldn't mean that.

He was probably trying to make me laugh so I could forget my grief.

"I wish I were," he whispered softly.

But this time, there was a coldness in his eyes that I had never seen before.

He was serious.

My eyes widened as I realized that Leonardo meant every single word he had said.

I was about to to be doomed.

"But I can't marry Vincenzo!" I snapped.

My heart was pounding loudly and helplessly against my ribcage.

"Vincenzo is our enemy and the heir to the De Luca family," I reminded my brother.

He nodded uninterestedly.

"He is the same one that we have been fighting against for years."

"And never won against," he pointed out.

I scoffed in disbelief.

I noticed that Leonardo didn’t exactly seem phased by my shock.

"Exactly, Isolde," he said. "And that is why this marriage is necessary."

He was so derisive that I had to give him a scornful expression.

"You must be drunk," I sighed as the words quietly slipped out.

"I am not drunk! And this family needs his influence and his resources!"

My eyes widened.

"You!" I snapped at him.

The tears began to burn at the back of my eyes but I continued.

"It is you who need all of those things Leonardo!"

He slammed his palms hard onto the table before getting to his feet.

"We, Isolde, We!" He emphasized each word, wide eyed.

"You!" I screamed.

"Every single one of us need it because without it we are finished."

"We can not do—"

"This family, the empire... it is all going to fall apart without this marital alliance," he crudely interuppted me.

"You are making no sense!" I yelled at him.

I was trembling badly and my heart was threatening to beat its way out of my small frame.

He shook his head and sighed.

"The marriage proposal should have reached him right about now. Get ready."

I shook my head defiantly.

"I am going to my room."

He raised a brow at me.

"And I am going to pretend that this never occurred," I announced as I spun on my feet and headed for the door.

"You can as well join father in the cemetery after that," he said through gritted teeth.

I saw red at his words.

They triggered something in my brain that made me want to go all out.

My body trembling excessively with anger as I whirled around.

I was having an adrenaline rush.

“W- what?” I stammered in fury as my pulse quickened. “You can’t be serious.”

Leonardo’s expression did not change.

“I am serious Isolde. This marriage is the only way to secure our position."

There was silence.

"You are going to marry him and that is final.”

Now he was not making it an option.

It was a do or die affair.

I swallowed.

“Leonardo,” I began.

My voice trembled as I spoke.

“I don't want this. You can not force me into this. I don’t want to marry him.”

He made to speak but I didn't let him.

"There must be other ways to protect father's empire Leo."

He shook his head.

“Don’t be naïve, Isolde,” Leonardo snapped coldly. “There isn't."

I found it hard to believe him.

"This is not about what you do or do not want. It is about the family's survival."

"But we can—"

"If you really want to protect father's empire, you will do as you are told.”

I shook my head.

My brain was trying to comprehend the gravity of what he was asking.

Meanwhile, the hot tears ran down my cheeks in painful cascades.

My heart constricted with something that was piercingly familiar.

It was pain.

"Why do you want me to marry a man that I do not love?!" I demanded.

Leonardo hissed.

“I need to save the empire. I do not have the time for your useless feelings, Isolde,” he said to me in a hardened voice.

I shook my head in disbelief.

"You shouldn’t force me into a marriage like this. I have never even met him."

"You will," he said in a final tone. "And you will learn to live with it."

The door to the office opened the moment I moved my mouth to argue further.

Martins stepped into the room with a bottle of red wine in his hands.

"I got the—"

His voice trailed off as he glanced between Leonardo and I with confusion.

He must have sensed the tension.

"What is going on here?" He asked with concern written on his face.

"Leonardo is demanding that I marry Vincenzo De Luca," I informed him.

The words came tumbling out of my mouth in a rush before Leonardo could stop me.

Martins’ eyes widened in suprise.

"He says that it is the only way to save the family and the empire," I added.

I saw the anger flash in his expression.

"What?" he spat, turning to Leonardo. "You can't seriously expect her to marry him?"

"Tell him Matins!" I backed him up.

"You know what kind of man Vincenzo is. He is a dangerous entity. And you want to throw Isolde into that fire?"

Leonardo’s gaze hardened.

His lips thinned into a narrow line like his stupid patience was wearing thin.

"You don’t understand, Martins."

"Then make me!" Martins screamed at him with so much fury.

Some of it must have been fueled by the deep emotions that he kept locked away.

"This is the only way. Our family is on the brink of collapse," he emphasized.

"And so fucking what?!" Martins yelled as he came up to Leonardo.

He was trembling badly.

I could see that he was fighting the urge to slam that bottle against Leonardo's head.

I wondered if he should.

Then maybe all of this would be over.

"Look Martins," Leonardo said, stepping closer to him.

Martins stepped closer until they were only breaths away.

He had never been one to be intimidated by anyone including our late father.

"I am looking," he mouthed.

"The enemies are closing in on us from all sides and we are running out of options."

"You," martins corrected. "You are running out of options Leonardo."

Leonardo shook his head.

"This marriage will be able to give us the resources we need to survive."

Martins clenched his hands into fist.

"I don’t care! I won’t let you put her in harm's way."

The tension in the air grew thicker.

"She is our sister, Leonardo and you can’t give her to the enemy!"

I felt a pang in my chest as I listened to the argument between them.

It felt kind of good to see that Martins was upset on my behalf.

"Whatever you are planning Leo, leave Isolde the fuck out!" Martins warned him while pointing fingers.

"Enough!" Leonardo’s voice cut through the air, harsh and commanding.

Silence instantly reigned.

"This is marriage will take place and there’s nothing you can do to stop it."

"You basta—"

"Isolde will marry Vincenzo wether the both of you like it or not."

Martins looked like he was about to say more but I couldn’t listen anymore.

I turned and ran out of the office, slamming the door behind me.

As I ran, it felt like I was drowning in a sea of confusion and fear with no way out.

I went into my room and sank onto the bed as the floodgates opened.

I cried like a child, the sobs raking my body as I realized one thing.

Leonardo was right about one thing.

I had was no choice.

I felt claustrophobic as the walls seemingly began to close im around me.

I trembled with terror.

I still did not want to believe that this was really happening to me.

My mind began to race as I thought back to the night of my father's death.

There was something else—something more that my brother didn’t know.

It was a secret that I had discovered by accident that day.

I had found something bonechilling.

It was something dangerous.

And now, that hazardous knowledge was simply mine to carry.

I tried to steady my shaky breath as I ran my fingers through my silly hair.

I did not know what I was supposed to do with this information now.

If I told anyone what I knew...

If I mistakenly trusted the wrong person I could become a target.

They would use me and exploit me.

And who knew what else?

No, I could not risk it.

I had to keep it to myself.

I had to wait for the right moment.

I would hold onto this secret and wait till I could use it to my advantage.

And when that appointed time came, no one would be able to stop me.