Species- Luka

THE FIANCÉ

"Wait, you have a fiancé?"

"Well...," Amanda said, taking a good sip of wine.

"I don't understand," Anna said seriously.

"My father, for years, has been supporting two families. One official, and the other consists of my mom and me. He never cared about me my whole life. Occasionally, he would show up in our lives, bring gifts, and then leave," Amanda sighed.

"My mom never left him. At first, I thought she loved him. After a recent conversation with her, I'm not so sure anymore. I'd say she's more afraid of him. He's very wealthy and powerful."

Amanda paused, looking into her glass.

"Everything was fine until two years ago. When I say fine, I mean he didn't care about me, and I was fine with that. Then Ian, my half-brother, died. He was a passionate motorcycle enthusiast, and that's what cost him his life...," Amanda sighed.

"He was my father's prince, his heir. He was intelligent, handsome, and was supposed to become the head of my father's empire. My father prepared him for that his whole life. He was only 35 when he died. I wasn't close to him. We met once, so I never had any feelings for him. When I was a child, I was jealous of him, but I got over it with time. It finally dawned on me that I was always just a mistake to my father and that I'd never have his love. Sometimes I would be content with the crumbs of affection he showed towards Ian. Today, I want nothing to do with him."

"How is this connected to your fiancé?" Anna asked seriously.

Amanda chuckled sarcastically.

"My father is an old fart. He's over 20 years older than my mom and apparently is no longer capable of producing a male heir, let alone raising one. He decided to hand the empire over to Erik, his right-hand man. Erik is young, unscrupulous, and intelligent. He's a carbon copy of my father. Unlike Ian, who was born rich, Erik had to fight for his status. His ambitions make him extremely dangerous. He's my fiancé. At least that's what my father decided. I never agreed. He'll inherit everything if he gives me a child. He's so selfish that he wants to have an heir of his blood on the throne one day."

"Amanda, who is your father?" Anna asked seriously. "Who are you so afraid of?"

Amanda lowered her gaze, looking at her nails, then lifted it and looked at Anna with a serious look.

"My father is Aleksander Sazonov."

Anna gasped. "I've heard of him," she said softly.

"Everyone has."

"Gabriel will protect you, damn it, Luka will protect you," she pounded her fist on the table.

Tears welled up in Amanda's eyes.

"Anna, he's a mafia boss, I can't bring his wrath down on this city."

"And what do you plan to do about it?"

"He gave me a deadline until my 30th birthday, which is in 6 months, and then I'll have to move on."

"No!" Anna took her hand. "We'll figure something out together. I'll talk to..."

"Don't! If you tell Gabriel, he'll tell Luka. I can't allow anything to happen to him. You don't understand, my father is capable of killing him," Amanda choked through tears.

"I can't allow that because I, he's..." She struggled to find the words.

"You care about him."

She nodded.

"Too much. That's why I have to keep him away from me."

"But you're united."

"We're an illusion and desire," Amanda looked away. "We're one bite on the butt and one on the neck."