LOGIN"Tigrotta." "Mariano. Please we can't do this." "And why is that?" "Your nephew. My fiancé. He is literally downstairs." "We both know exactly what he thinks of you." "It doesn't matter." He kissed her slowly and pulled back just enough to speak against her lips. "It matters to me. You are mine. You have always been mine." **************** Gabriella Hale has spent two years as the perfect obedient fiancée. She kept her head down, followed the rules.Then she caught him with his own friends. Laughing and taunting her about virginity. Then she made a decision. One night in Vegas was all she allowed herself. One night with a stranger who was older, commanding and treated her like she was worth slowing down for. She gave him everything and slipped out before sunrise telling herself it was over. A secret she would carry alone while she went back to stomaching a marriage she never wanted. She did not expect to walk into the Castillo family home and find him standing at the top of that staircase. Mariano Castillo. The new family patriarch. Her fiancé's uncle. The man she spent one unforgettable night with in Vegas. Now he is the most powerful man in the room and he is looking at her like she was never Davis's to begin with.
View MoreGabriella's POV
"You have no idea how irritated I am by her presence. She's just sexy visually. A fucking prude." Davis, my fiancee, groaned. I stood by the door, visibly frozen in place. The little basket of hand made snacks felt heavy. Was he talking about me? It couldn't be. "No way dude," Kevin, one of his close friends said. "To think we were tweaking on your behalf when the news about the marriage contract came out." "Yeah we thought you could easily get that pussy you had been planning on for over a year now." Tony chimed in. "Well it's no use. Thought she would be a baddie but she's just a nun with a hot body. Can't believe I have to spend the rest of my life with a prude." Davis sighed. "Thank God Maddy's still in the picture eh?" Kevin laughed. "Gabriella doesn't need to know." "Forget about Maddy and Gabby. We are in Vegas so let's get some strippers and have fun!!" Their boisterous laughter filled the room, each chuckle sending a sinking feeling down my stomach. I backed away from the door in disbelief and backed up against the wall on a corridor. What in the world did I just hear? My fiancee only thinks of me like I'm a sex toy he couldn't lay with? And Maddy? His supposed crazy ex-girlfriend that couldn't let him go. Was that all a lie? Was that the reason he was so excited when the marriage proposal came? I remember that day like it was yesterday. Two years ago on the morning after my twentieth birthday, the Castillo family showed up unannounced with a red faced Davis in tow. My father explained it simply — our families had a marriage contract and it was time to finalize everything. I had barely processed turning twenty and suddenly my entire future was being decided over refreshments in our sitting room. I tried to object but my father shut me down without a thought. Davis and I were sent to the garden afterward to talk like two strangers being told to get acquainted before a business merger. Especially, that was what we were. He shrugged off my anxiety about the whole thing like it was nothing and then grabbed my hand, stared into my eyes and promised he would always be by me. That he wouldn't let me go. I believed him. Two years of trying to build something real with a man who had apparently been plotting to sleep with me since before the ink was dry on that contract. Two years of his patience wearing thin every time I wasn't ready, every time I held that last piece of myself back. Now I knew why he was so eager that morning with his flushed cheeks and his pretty promises. I smiled then, my heart feeling relieved. But I didn't know it was all part of his plan. Operation fuck Gabriella Hale. "Fucking bastard," I cursed. To think I flew all the way here to apologize for not giving in to his numerous advances. My parents encouraged me to come but it was all for nothing. I left the club with fire in my veins. Walking past the room they were in that was now swarming with strippers entering didn't do anything to calm me down. … "What do you mean I should turn a blind eye." I screamed. "Are you even hearing yourself mom?! I've told you everything he's done and you STILL want me to marry him?” "Oh Gab you need to relax," My mother's nonchalant voice came. "He is a man and all men are sexual creatures. He has his needs. If you aren't giving it to him, he's going to get it somewhere else. "I can't believe this." I said in disbelief. "I am not going to get married to him. I'd rather die." "That is not a choice you get to make." My father's voice suddenly appeared. "Either you get married or look for the nearest building to jump from." "Dad—" "Enough Gabriella. I heard everything you told your mother. I didn't say anything because I believed you were just throwing a tantrum but don't think you can get yourself out of this engagement." He said in his stern no nonsense tone. "So this is my life now? To be forever bound to a sex crazed fool? Are you both serious?!!!" My hands were shaking from anger at this point. It wasn't fair. "No matter how he is, he will be your husband and that's final. Do as you will but never forget that." My mother said before she cut the call. I stood in the middle of the hotel room frozen to the bone. The severity of the situation now dawned on me. My family didn't care enough. This engagement was directly tied to the business and it seemed I was expendable. My stomach began to contract so I ran into the bathroom feeling the urge to throw up. After I was done, I went over to the sink, tossing water on my face and staring at myself in the mirror. My face shape was slightly chubby with caramel skin, a gene I got from my Latina side. The same side that was the reason for my curvy figure. The same figure that Davis was coveted. "Just because of my body huh? " The pain went down and rage took its place. I was stuck in this situation and I couldn't see any light at the end of the tunnel. The only thing I had in mind was revenge of some sorts. A way to get back at Davis at least to sate my anger for a while. My phone rang, and for a moment hope sprang up. Was it my parents? Had they changed their mind? I rushed to check my phone only for my heart to sink. It wasn't them. Just a message from my best friend telling me to enjoy Vegas to the fullest and go to a male strip club. A crazy fantasy we both have had for some years. "A strip club?” I mused the idea and the perfect form of revenge came to me. Davis wanted my virginity as a trophy but he was going to be so disappointed. I picked up my phone and went into the hotel's personal app. They have a clothing store and I took over twenty minutes scrolling through the options before I chose a dress and some snacks. About ten minutes later the dress and food were delivered and I took about half an hour to get ready. I looked absolutely amazing when I was done. The wine colored dress clung to every curve and the color complimented my skin in the best way possible. My nerves were all over the place. This was the first time I was attempting to go out without Davis or my friends. It hit me then how much space Davis had quietly taken up in my life, even while using me. With that understanding I steeled my nerves and went down to the hotel club. … The place was packed but not overwhelming. Dim lights, fog from the machines covering the floor, the scent of alcohol and other spices filling the air. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I quickly found a seat at a quiet spot after I got a drink. The place looked like a cubicle and it was on an elevated spot making me look down and the rest of the club. I got bored for a while not feeling the mood to dance when my eyes caught a man coming into the club. He was flanked by some other men who were either friends or bodyguards. Everything about him was sensually pleasing but the most striking features were his eyes. Two different colors. Grey and black. Like yin and yang. I was so engrossed in drooling at him, I didn't notice when he climbed the stairs and stood right in front of the booth.Gabriella's POV "Gabriella." Davis stepped directly toward me, his face tight. His voice was low, fast, and urgent. "You are making a massive scene in front of the board members. Please. Stop talking right now.""Why should I stop?" I asked him, staring back at him. "Because I am telling the absolute truth to their faces? Because I am saying out loud what every single person here is thinking in secret?"Davis reached out and grabbed my upper arm with his hand. His grip was incredibly tight, his fingers digging into my skin through the fabric of my black dress. "You are making a fatal mistake right now, Gabriella.""Let go of my arm immediately," I said, glaring at his fingers."Gabriella, listen to me—""I said let go of me, Davis."He slowly released his grip, dropping his hand back to his side. His face was bright red with embarrassment, and his jaw muscle was twitching violently. But he did not say another word to me in front of the guests.I turned my back on him, walked straight
Gabriella's POV We stepped out of our car and walked inside the front doors.The main foyer was completely packed with guests. People were standing around in tight clusters, talking to one another in low, hushed whispers. I recognized several of their faces from the grand family gathering that had occurred weeks ago. Others in the crowd were complete strangers to me. All of them looked exactly like they belonged to a wealthy corporate world that I did not understand at all.A uniformed servant appeared in front of us, offering refreshments from a silver tray. My mother took a glass of water. My father shook his head in refusal. Raphael stepped up right beside me, placing his hand firmly on my lower back."Stay very close to me," he whispered in my ear. "Do not wander off alone into the rooms.""I will not leave your side," I promised him.Suddenly, Davis appeared from the middle of the crowd. He was wearing a dark black suit, a white silk tie, and a very somber, sad expression on his
Gabriella's POV I nodded my head. "I know. I will be very careful around him."My mother stood up from the mattress. "There is something else you need to know. Something I need to tell you before tomorrow morning.""What is it?" I asked, looking up at her."The senior members of the Castillo family are holding a public memorial service for Mariano tomorrow," she explained. "It is a massive public event. Everyone connected to the family business is expected to attend."I felt my stomach drop with sudden nausea. "A memorial service? He is not even dead, Mom. The authorities have not even found an actual body in the river.""I know that," she said, her voice dropping. "But Davis's faction wants to move forward immediately. They want to show the public a sense of total unity. They want to present a strong financial front to the investors.""Whose specific idea was this?""It is Davis's branch of the family. They are the ones who are actively pushing for the service. They want to official
Gabriella's POVMy mother sat on the edge of my mattress with her hands tightly clasped together in her lap and her eyes fixed directly on my face. She looked exactly like she was bracing her entire body for a piece of terrible news. I did not blame her for that reaction at all. I had just told her that a man whom the entire city believed to be dead was actually breathing, and that her own daughter had been intentionally lying to everyone in the family for days."Tell me everything, Gabriella," she said. Her voice sounded steady, but I could see the visible tension tightening the muscles in her shoulders. "From the very beginning of the incident. Do not leave a single detail out of the story."I took a deep breath, expanded my lungs, and started talking to her. I told her about the high-speed car crash and the loud explosion that followed it. I described the exact moment Vincent had pulled Mariano's body out from the burning wreckage right before the fire consumed the entire vehicle.
Gabriella's POV"Are you kidding me?"Mariano stared at the screen in front of him. The words "GAME OVER" were flashing in bright red letters. His score was displayed underneath. It was embarrassingly low. Lower than my score. Lower than any score I had ever seen on a racing game.I covered my mout
Gabriella's POVMy mother's hand shot out and grabbed my wrist before I could take another step. Her grip was surprisingly strong for a woman her age. She pulled me back toward the window and I stumbled against the wall."Get back inside right now," she said. Her voice was low but sharp."Mom, I ne
Gabriella's POVThe call connected on the third ring. I was still standing in the middle of the dining room with my hand throbbing and my heart racing. The house was quiet behind me. My mother had gone to the kitchen to make tea. My father was still sitting at the table with his head in his hands.
Gabriella's POVMy father stood up from the table slowly, using the back of his chair to steady himself. He had not fully recovered his strength, but the look on his face was the same one I had seen when he punched Davis in the living room. Hard and determined and completely unafraid."Tell him to






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