CHAPTER 32

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VINCENT IVAN SALVATORE POV

What a sight to behold she is. The very thought of her being mine forever sends a shiver down my spine. She is my most precious possession, and tonight, in that red dress I gifted her, she looks nothing short of ethereal. This is our first real date, and I have been aching to gaze into her eyes, to lose myself in their depths. But my beauty, my goddess, avoids my eyes. She's still furious with me, and she has every right to be. I abandoned her, left her in the care of a stranger for months without a word, without an explanation.

 I abandoned her, left her in the care of a stranger for months without a word, without an explanation

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My heart pounds as I finally break the silence, the weight of my confession heavy on my tongue. "I am a mafia king," I say, my voice trembling with the gravity of the revelation.

Her eyes widen in horror, the color draining from her face. The shock, the fear, the betrayal—all these emotions flicker across her features. My heart aches, knowing I am the cause of her pain.

The tension between us is palpable, a storm of emotions threatening to consume us both.

She met my gaze, her eyes blank. She is more than just a possession; she is a force of nature, and I am drawn to her like a moth to a flame.

"I am Vincent Ivan Salvatore," I declared, watching her reaction intently. She didn't say a word, her eyes never leaving mine, unblinking and filled with a storm of emotions.

"I know this is a lot to process, Eva, but take your time," I continued gently. "You have your entire life to understand what I said and to accept your fate." Her hands trembled as she reached for the glass of water, her fingers barely steady enough to grasp it. She gulped it down, her eyes never wavering from mine.

"I have accepted my fate already, Iv—Vincent." Hearing my first name spoken with such resignation made my chest tighten, a pang of unexpected sorrow twisting in my heart. Never had I thought that my own name would one day become a symbol of her anguish.

"Ivan, Eva," I corrected softly. "Always call me Ivan. It makes me feel like home." I forced a smile, hoping to ease the tension between us.

She nodded slowly, her expression softening just a fraction. Her silent agreement made me smile, a small flicker of hope sparking within me. It was a tiny step, but in that moment, it felt monumental.


My little submissive doll, how satisfying it is that she's already accepting her fate. It saves me the trouble of teaching her lessons in my own way.

"Eva, the reason I called you here tonight is..." I stood up from my chair, my heart pounding as I walked toward her. I bent down on one knee, feeling her eyes on me, filled with anticipation.

"This," I said, revealing a red velvet box and opening it with a flourish.

"Will you, Haven Angelica Castillon, marry me?" I whispered her real name. A tear slipped down her cheek, glistening in the soft light. I knew they were happy tears—after all, she had always wanted to be with me, no matter the cost.

"Y-yes," she whispered, her voice trembling. She extended her soft, delicate hand towards me, and I slipped the ring onto her finger, feeling the warmth of her skin.

"I love you, you are mine," I murmured, pulling her close. I captured her lips in a hard, passionate kiss, sealing our fate together. Her acceptance, her surrender, made my heart race with possessive joy. She was mine, now and forever.

STEFANO'S POV

"Where are you right now, Mike?"

"Mike?"

"You there, helloooo?" The voice snapped me back to reality. I blinked, shaking off the scene in front of me, and walked away to talk to Gabe.

"Yes, I am," I replied, though my mind was still preoccupied with thoughts of Eva. I couldn't help but wonder why that delicate soul was trapped between monsters like us.

"We will be coming over tomorrow." These words from Gabe captured my full attention, pulling me away from my reverie.


"What do you mean?" I asked, confused. This wasn't part of our plan.

"Well... well... well. Surprise! The Salvatore bitch is getting engaged tomorrow. Heard he loves his fiancée a lot." Gabe's words made me uncomfortable for the first time. His intentions for Eva disgusted me and, surprisingly, angered me too.

"Let's not bring her into this, Gabe. She's just a young girl and—"

"Shut the fuck up, Mike. She is that bastard's lovely little slut. I will make sure he lives through the same pain that we did for years. Don't tell me you wanna fuck h—"

"Shut the fuck up, Gabe. After we deal with the Salvatores, I'm going to bury you alive if you ever say such a disgusting thing to me again." He had made such jokes about other girls, teased me plenty, but this time something just didn't sit well when he spoke about her.

Seventeen. About to turn eighteen in two months. We don't call girls her age children, yet she was just like one to me. The innocence, the helplessness—every time I looked into her eyes, they were always filled with a silent plea. As if she was begging me to take her away from all of this.

If Haven had been alive, I would have been the best brother to her. Not like this asshole Hayden.

I've seen the marks on Eva, and though it's not uncommon to raise hands on women in mafia families, I know this was never the case in our family.

Izrael tortures women too, but I've never seen him or my other brothers hurting someone innocent.

But this time, the case is different. The girl has made a psychopath say yes to marriage. My brothers wouldn't think twice this time. The only thoughts they would entertain would be to hurt Vincent Ivan Salvatore as much as possible, by taking away everything he holds dear—including Eva.

"Mike."

"Mike."

"I'll talk to you later." I disconnected the call. I need to calm down. What am I even thinking? How can I drift off so soon? My mission is to bring his whole clan to ruin, not worry about my enemy's woman. The woman who would bear his future heirs. Vicious's kids.

I wonder if Ivan is truly the son of his father. It was so fucking easy to fool his father, while on the other hand, this bastard is running extensive background checks on me. But if he is Vicious, he doesn't know that this time he is dealing with the Sinisters.

It's time for tomorrow, but wait—what the fuck? Engagement? Tomorrow? Damn it. I ran back to my original position, where I was previously keeping a close eye on both of them.

My eyes narrowed. Even from afar, I could see her trembling figure, and I could only hope it was due to the cold wind hitting her body.

Vincent and Eva, they were back to having their dinner again sitting on their respective seats. My eyes were drawn to the ring that now adorned her finger. Such a pedophile bastard, she is almost half his age. The rage I felt for this man and Hayden was next level. What kind of brother is he? Fucking mutt.

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