Chapter 3 - The Golden Cage
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The penthouse suite of the Leone tower was a fortress of glass and dark mahogany.
Nadia stood in the center of the massive living room, still wearing her cheap cardigan over her street clothes. The legendary gown had been carefully removed and secured in a biometric vault.
Dante poured two glasses of amber liquid at his crystal bar.
“I cannot do this,” Nadia said, her voice trembling. “I am an assistant, Mr. Leone. I organize your calendar. I order the espresso. I am not a mafia bride.”
“Drink,” Dante said, handing her a glass.
She didn't take it. “If I walk down that aisle, Gemma’s father will have me killed.”
“If you refuse to walk down that aisle, my own capos will have you killed for disrespecting the bloodline,” Dante countered smoothly, setting the glass on the table. “You put on the dress, Nadia. You awakened the legend. Do you understand what that means to the old men who run this city? It means you are anointed by the ghosts of this family.”
“It’s just fabric!”
“It is power,” Dante corrected, stepping closer until she could smell his bergamot cologne. “My grip on the commission is slipping. Don Rizzo is trying to bleed my territory dry. If I marry Gemma, I surrender half my empire to her father. But if I marry the woman chosen by the matriarch’s silk, the traditionalists will rally behind me. You are the only weapon I have left to prevent a war.”
Nadia stared at him, realizing the terrifying magnitude of the trap she had stepped into.
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“I have no family,” she whispered. “I have no protection.”
“You have me,” Dante vowed, his dark eyes locking onto hers. “Play the part perfectly, and I swear on my life, no one will ever touch you.”
