Chapter 31
Mila's breath caught, her heart skipping a beat as Archer's confession hung in the air. Her eyes remained locked with his, a surge of emotions sweeping through her. The room seemed to fade away, leaving only the two of them and the truth that had been laid bare.
Archer's vulnerability echoed in the space between them, his declaration hung in the air like a heavy cloud. As the weight of his words settled over them, Mila's heart raced, her mind struggling to process the depth of what had just transpired.
At the head of the table, Giovanni's face darkened like the sky before a storm. Mila shivered in fright seeing the anger on her father's face. The urge to rise and run to Archer to shield him from the storm grew inside her. But before she could do anything, Silvia grabbed her hand.
"This..." the old woman said, her eyes sparkling. "This is wonderful."
Everyone turned toward Silvia. Everyone except Archer and Giovanni. Giovanni's face contorted, his features etched with anger that blazed like lightning against a darkened sky. Mila's heart constricted with fear, her gaze darting between her father and Archer as if caught in a crossfire of emotions. Archer and Giovanni stood locked in a silent battle of wills, their emotions a violent sea that threatened to engulf them both. Mila's heart pounded in her chest, the rapid rhythm echoing the uncertainty that loomed over them.
"Archer," Giovanni's voice was a low rumble that cut through the charged atmosphere. His tone was laced with anger and disbelief. "What the fuck did you just say?"
Archer's jaw tightened, his resolve apparent even in the face of Giovanni's wrath, "I want to marry Mila...not Drew."
The room seemed to hold its breath once more, the tension escalating as the two men engaged in a silent battle of words and wills. Mila's heart ached for both of them, torn between her feelings for Archer and her love for her father.
Giovanni's anger radiated like a storm cloud, his features dark and unforgiving.
"You think it's that easy?" He snickered. "You think you're doing to stand before me and speak out of your ass and I'll give into it?"
Archer's gaze remained unyielding, his own anger simmering beneath the surface, "I won't marry Drew."
Giovanni's voice grew louder, the anger in his words a reflection of his own inner turmoil. "You have a duty, Archer!" He shouted, making Mila jump in her seat. "To your family, to this business."
Archer's voice, though measured, held a fierce determination. "I don't want this. You can't force me to marry someone I don't care for."
Mila's head spun in disbelief. She was speechless as she watched Giovanni's eyes glaze over with murder.
"And this is what happens," Arianne spoke up, slowly clapping her hands. "I was expecting this."
Giovanni's sharp gaze turned toward his sister.
"Don't tell me none of you saw this coming," Arianne laughed cruelly. "She wasn't raised here. What would she know about loyalty to family? She snatched Drew's future from beneath her feet."
"Arianne!" Silvia snapped, hushing her daughter.
Mila's eyes watered as she listed to her aunt. She began to tremble as she felt everyone's eyes turn toward her.
"She's just like her mother," Arianne said. "No sense of loyalty."
"Leave Mila out of this," Archer warned.
"Don't you dare speak her name," Giovanni said through his teeth. "I told you from the beginning she was off limits. How dare you?"
"You can't make him do something he doesn't want to do, Giovanni," Mona spoke up. "He wants Mila, not Drew."
