ANGEL
Dinner was a slow, suffocating torture.
Vincenzo sat at the head of our pristine marble table like a dark king on his throne. Jillian was perched right next to him, wrapped in a skin-tight red dress.
I had always loathed how effortlessly, disgustingly attractive she was. Exotic face, tiny waist, round hips, and a womanly arrogance that made me feel like a pathetic little girl in comparison. Usually, seeing her so close to Vincenzo—touching him like she owned him—sent a wave of pure, bitter jealousy straight to my gut.
Not tonight. Tonight, my whole body was thrumming with dangerous adrenaline and cold panic.
My steak sat untouched. I couldn’t breathe. The air felt thick as tar in my lungs while the silence in the room drummed violently in my ears alongside the ticking grandfather clock.
My eyes were glued to my plate, desperate to avoid the one person sitting directly across from me.
Damien.
My fingers trembled under the table. He knew. He hadn’t just walked in on me—he had caught me with my shorts pulled down to my ankles, Daddy’s stolen boxers clutched in my fist, moaning Daddy’s name while I stroked myself to a wet, filthy orgasm.
Seeing Damien in that doorway had pushed me over the edge. He’d watched me cum. He’d seen the rush of wetness trailing down my thighs, watched my glistening fingers, and seen the way my toes curled into the sheets.
Damien had stood there watching me behave like a total whore. I’d done it on purpose at first—moaning Vincenzo’s name loud enough to make Damien back off, to make him stop looking at me with those terrifying, intensely lustful eyes.
How stupid I was. Now I was completely at his mercy. My entire fate rested on whether he chose to open his mouth.
I could already picture the cold, lethal disappointment in Daddy’s eyes if he found out what his good girl had been doing. Hot, angry tears stung my eyes, but I forced them back.
A stare burned into the side of my face like a lit match. I didn’t even have to look to know it was Damien.
When I slowly lifted my chin, his bright grey eyes were locked onto me. His face was a completely unreadable mask, but those eyes were devouring me. My skin prickled with goosebumps. He wasn’t even touching me, but I felt violated all over again. When his gaze dropped to my chest, my nipples instantly hardened beneath my thin shirt.
It’s just fear, I lied to myself, my throat tight. Just panic.
I gulped, but the food felt like ash in my throat. He knew I was breaking, and he was taking his sweet time enjoying every second of it.
"Angel," Daddy’s deep, raspy voice sliced through the heavy silence. "How are your college applications coming along?"
The sound of his voice alone made my thighs instantly clench together.
No. I can’t be aroused now. Not with Damien watching my every reaction like a hawk.
But Daddy was overwhelming. His black shirt sleeves were rolled up to reveal thick, muscled, tattooed forearms. The top two buttons were undone, giving me a glimpse of his dark chest hair—a chest I desperately wanted to bury my face into. His jaw was sharp enough to cut glass, shadowed by a dark stubble that made him look sexier than hell.
I licked my dry lips, realizing I was staring like a desperate fool.
"I... I picked nearby colleges," I stammered, clearing my tight throat. "I’m still waiting to hear back."
I had only applied local. I couldn’t leave him. I needed to be under his roof, close enough to breathe in his scent.
"Actually, sweetie, your father and I have already made that decision for you," Jillian interjected, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. Her manicured red nails slid over Daddy’s thick, tattooed hand, gripping him possessively.
She offered me a sharp, mocking smile. My stomach twisted into a knot.
"After a long discussion," Jillian continued, leaning into Vincenzo’s side, "we’ve decided it’s best to send you abroad for your degree. Europe."
The words hit like a fist straight to my heart. One second. Two seconds. Then the rage exploded.
My fork clattered off my plate, slamming onto the marble floor with a loud clang. I snapped my eyes from Jillian to Vincenzo.
"I’m not going anywhere," I said, my voice rising, sharp and hostile.
"Angel, don’t start," Vincenzo warned, his midnight-black eyes locking onto mine with firm authority.
"No! I am not going to Europe!" I slammed my hands onto the edge of the table, my chin tilting stubbornly. "You don’t get to just pack me up and ship me off like I’m baggage!"
Across the table, Damien casually lifted his glass, taking a slow sip of red wine. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, his grey eyes gleaming with silent amusement.
Was it him? Did he whisper in Vincenzo’s ear to get rid of me? I glared at Damien with pure venom.
"Watch your tone with me," Daddy said, his voice dropping into a low, dangerous growl. "Business is getting unpredictable. Enemies are moving. It isn’t safe for you here, and I cannot protect you twenty-four hours a day. Going abroad is the safest option."
"I don’t care about your enemies!" Tears of fury blurred my vision as I locked eyes with him. "You’re the most dangerous man in this city, Daddy! If I’m not safe with you, I’m not safe anywhere! If you want me out of this country, then you come with me. You know I don’t go anywhere without you!"
Jillian scoffed loudly, rolling her eyes as she clung to Vincenzo’s arm. "See, darling? This is what happens when you spoil a brat. She actually thinks she has a say in grown-up decisions—"
"Shut your fucking mouth, Jillian!" I snapped, my voice echoing violently off the high ceilings.
"Angel!" Vincenzo slammed his hand down on the table, making the glasses rattle. The dark aura radiating off him was terrifying, enough to make any grown man drop to his knees. "That is enough! You will respect her in my house!"
"Then tell her to stop acting like she owns you!" I cried out, my voice breaking as a tear finally slipped down my cheek. "You’re doing this because of her! She wants me gone!"
"I am doing this to keep you alive!" Vincenzo stood up, his massive frame looming over the table, towering over all of us. His black eyes were fierce, filled with a determination that shattered my heart into a thousand bloody pieces.
He stared down at me, his jaw set, delivering the final blow.
"You leave next week, Angel. I don’t care if I have to drag you onto that plane myself—you will go."