Claimed by Her Mafia Man - Sam Crescent Page 0,6
they’re organizing a marriage or who should take me.”
“You’re nothing but a woman. They don’t need to ask for your permission. You’re the property of them. Nothing more. I’m a man. I know what they want.”
Rage filled her.
“Get angry,” he said. “It’s good.”
“What do you want?” she asked.
“Your father knows I’m not like other men. I’ve had my share of losses and I need an heir.” He locked his fingers together. “I know about your training. You’re strong. A fighter. I don’t want a submissive woman who’s terrified of me. I’ve been near them my whole life and as you can see, it never ends well for me.”
She didn’t know why he was telling her all of these things. “What do you want?”
“Your hand in marriage. That’s all I want. In return, I won’t stop your involvement with the business. You’ll be by my side in every single decision and when the time is right, we’ll have a child together.”
She looked away.
Once her father had made her watch one of his soldiers and a whore have sex. She had to keep her virginity intact but she also had to see what would be expected of her. It was one of the single most embarrassing moments of her life. That and getting her first menstrual cycle.
If she hadn’t been training and hurting, she really believed she’d be scarred for life. There was just a lot of crap to take in.
“And so you’re proposing a marriage even though I can own and run my family’s business on my own, without your help.”
“You clearly don’t understand what they’re going to do to you, do you?” Damon asked. “You’re a woman. You mean nothing to them. You’re a pawn to be sold off and that’s exactly what they will do to you.”
“And you think this is going to help your cause?” she asked. Damn it, she wanted to hit him.
How dare he!
Her father had taught her many things in life, and it wasn’t to be told how worthless she was.
“If you want me to color this up in rainbows and flowers, it’s not going to happen. You’ve got to understand, in our world, you’re nothing.”
“I don’t have to listen to this.”
“You’re right, you don’t, but you don’t think they’re already working out who’s going to tame you?”
“You really think you’re the answer to my prayers?”
“Sweetheart, I’m the only answer to your prayers.”
She shook her head, wanting to get up and leave. “I don’t care what you say. I refuse. You can’t make me listen.”
Damon reached out and grabbed her arm. “Let me be real here with you.”
“Get your hand off me.”
“Don’t cause a scene. You think the Family won’t know of a secret meeting if we fight?”
She gritted her teeth, wanting nothing more than to storm out. Lowering back into her seat, she waited.
“The men in our lives don’t accept a woman taking charge. Any person you marry will put you in your place. You think the men are not above beating you, breaking you?”
She glared at him. “I’m very much aware of what our men are capable of.” She’d seen firsthand what they all could do. The pain they caused.
“Then you know that if you marry the wrong man, your skills will be brought into control.”
“Do you really think I’ll be easily controlled?” She was insulted by the mere insinuation that she couldn’t take care of herself.
“If you can’t be controlled, then they’d kill you. A woman who is trouble is easily taken care of.”
She stared at him. “That would be a betrayal of the highest order.”
“Betrayal or not, are you that naïve to even think all the men in our lives play by the rules? Look at your father. He never remarried and he trained his daughter to take over from him. To a lot of men, he should have been stripped of his title.”
“What are you trying to tell me?” she asked. This conversation was too much. She wanted out of it.
“As my wife, I won’t allow any pain to come to you. I’ll expect you to be by my side and only in social settings in front of the Family will you even begin to look submissive, but you will be part of every single decision.”
“You expect me to believe you?”
“I don’t want a tame slave who will do as she’s told, Isabella. I want a woman who can give as good as she gets. No one else will offer you this.”
****
Later that night, Damon poured himself a large brandy.