– almost as much as the way his eyes nearly popped from his skull to look at my cleavage. I felt like I was on display, goods to be sold, and I blamed my father as anger flitted through me.
Angelica served us, but I couldn’t be bothered to eat the fancy steak. Only the best cuts for Antonio, of course, but I merely pushed it around on my plate. Dinner was a relatively silent affair as the two men ate with relish, completely ignoring the fact that I wasn’t eating.
My father clapped his hands together, causing me to jump, as he finished his meal. “Oh Emilia, my sweet daughter, I have some amazing news for you today.”
The way he announced it sent a chill down my spine. I didn’t answer, hoping he would continue. After a moment of me staring at him, he finally continued speaking.
“Antonio has requested your hand in marriage,” my father announced gleefully. “And I have happily accepted his offer.”
I dropped my fork, and it clattered against the fine china. My jaw practically hit the floor. “Excuse me?”
His smile dimmed, but he corrected it quickly. The look in his eyes was frightening, but I only returned his gaze. “You are now engaged to this find young man.”
“Don’t I get a say in this?” I stammered.
My father’s eyes narrowed; he looked as disappointed with me as when I told him I intended to go to college. And he looked angry. “Any woman alive would be happy to enter into this partnership. I don’t understand why you would disagree.”
“Because I don’t want to get married, for one thing.” There were a million other reasons I could list, but ultimately, the most important one was that I didn’t want to. “I’m planning on going away to graduate school next year and—”
My dad and Antonio both scoffed rather loudly, stopping me. “You will not be going to graduate school, Emilia,” my father said.
“Yes, I will, Dad,” I replied indignantly.
“You don’t need to continue your education, Emilia,” Antonio said from beside me, looking at my breasts before lifting his eyes to mine. “While I admire an educated woman, you won’t need to worry about having a career. Money will never be an issue for you as long as you’re my wife.”
“I don’t care about your money,” I spat, turning my eyes to Antonio and glaring at my father. “I have goals of my own that don’t involve being a kept woman. And why would I want to marry someone who doesn’t know me well enough to get that?”
My father stood up across the table, his face as red as the blood boiling inside my veins. I pushed my chair back and stood up as well, staring him in the eyes.
“Emilia, you will do as I say. Antonio has been very generous in our agreement and I know you will have a good, comfortable life with him.”
“I am not a bargaining chip, Dad,” I countered furiously. I’d only stood up to him a handful of times in my life, and this was certainly one of them. “You can’t just marry me to someone without my consent. I’m not for sale.”
“Emilia.” Antonio spoke calmly. He too stood up, towering over me. He was standing close to me, too close for my comfort. He reached out and ran a finger down my cheek, causing me to step away. He grinned at me, looking me over like I was a delicious cut of meat. “You don’t have a say in the matter, darling. You’re marrying me, and that is final. We’ve made a deal.”
“You can’t make me do anything,” I snarled.
“You wanna bet, sweetheart?” he growled, the grin becoming frightening, revealing exactly what my life would be like with this man: horrifying. “When Antonio Lombardo wants something, he gets it. And I want you. One way or another, you will be mine.”
“I’ll never be yours.”
Antonio turned to my father as if I was no longer in the room. “It’s been a lovely evening, Mr. Bianchi, but I have other matters to attend to. I do appreciate your cooperation and willingness to work with me.”
“My father doesn’t own me. He can’t give me away,” I stated, holding my head up high as a sense of dread filled me.
Antonio turned to me with a smile. “You’re so adorable when you’re angry, darling. I’m sure you’ll learn to step in line before too long.”
Antonio walked toward the door, and my father followed. I remained in the dining room, my