Dante: A Dark Mafia Romance Novel

𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐥 | 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑

𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄

I didn't want to be found a bride, the thought of having someone else pick the woman I'd be forced to spend the rest of my life with filled me with a greater sense of dread than anything else I could think of. I supposed there was no other way but to look at the silver lining of my situation. I had in some ways been granted a gift, admittedly there is something exciting about being allowed to choose the woman I'd have to marry. She would be beautiful, that was a given and hand-picked by me based on all things absolutely superficial. I may even go as a far as to test for sexual compatibility ie. Does she have a gag reflex?

However, as I sat and looked at the pictures and seemingly endless biographies of all the women found by my mother, whom despite having expressed her opposition to the situation due to it being 'against the sanctity of marriage' still managed to compile this extensive list of eligible young women for me to consider, I suddenly found myself ready to blow a hole through my head once again.

All seemed appropriate enough for a quick fuck...maybe two, but none even remotely interesting enough to tolerate for a lifetime.

Mia, Antonio's now four month pregnant wife approached me, taking a seat at the table glancing over each of the biographies with a curious expression.

"So, I take it these are the contenders then?" she asked whilst rubbing her hand softly on her stomach.

"Hardly." I muttered, raking a hand through my hair.

"They're all very beautiful." she said, looking at the pictures with closer inspection.

"They're fine, for a night or two..." I said whilst taking a sip straight from the bottle of whiskey, fuck the glass.

A hard smack came from around the back of my head causing the liquid to spill out of my mouth. The women in my life had become far too accustomed to smacking me around the head whenever they saw fit.

"Don't you speak like that around my daughter and I." I rolled my eyes at her, I was sure that the kid was still incapable of hearing let alone understanding what I'd meant.

"You know, you are one of the only women I know who'd be brave enough to smack one of the most dangerous men in the world around the head like that." I said whilst grabbing a towel from the kitchen.

She smiled an innocent smile whilst rubbing circles around the swell of her stomach. "Fortunately, not all of those women are carrying your niece, are they now?" she winked.

"How lucky you are." I said whilst glaring at her.

She waved a disregarding hand at me. "Please, you don't scare me Dante Cosatti. You may be the big bad wolf out there in your world, but you're just a big softie to me." She lifted a shoulder gently and smiled.

I hated how right she was. Mia had come to be one of my favourite people since she'd met, fell in love and married my brother. Her innocent routine be damned though, she could surely do some damage when she wanted to. It took balls to be the wife of a Cosatti and she had them in spades, despite the angelic facade.

An angry looking Dominic came into the kitchen, changing the atmosphere of the room almost instantly. It was a rare sight to see my brother as mad as the expression on his face showed, so I knew that something had to be very wrong.

"What is it?" I asked, standing from my seat.

"We've got a problem." His jaw was tense and his posture was rigid. He looked about ready to do some damage.

I nodded. "Meet me in the study in five minutes."

He nodded, and left just as quickly as he came in.

"I'll call a car to come and collect you to take you home." Mia nodded and continued rubbing circles on her bump, muttering to it softly.

♡❀˖⁺. ༶ ⋆˙ please don't forget to vote and comment if you love it. Engaging with me through comments will help me craft the story in the direction you'd all like to see it!