Condemned to an unhappy marriage by her father Emerald Davidson finds herself in quite the shitty situation, only to find help from someone who's no better. She trades one deal for another, but is oblivious to what that other deal is exactly until i...
A/N: This is the first chapter where I've explored writing from Daniel's point of view, so bear with me here! I'm no man - I hope that much is clear - but I definitely gave showing his point of view my best try!
If we begin with certainties, we shall end in doubts; but if we begin doubts, and are patient in them, we shall end in certainties.
- Francis Bacon
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Daniel Riva's POV
"Out of all your plans, this must be the worst one yet."
Seth was screaming in my ear, trying to make himself audible over the music from our position on the balcony, right above the DJ booth. We were in the two-level basement of the Grand Paradiso, one of the hotels I owned as CEO, in the club stationed there.
When I had first made plans for the hotel to be build I had never planned for it to grow this big, but business had been booming within no time. The Grand Paradiso was the first in what had gradually become a national Hotel chain, offering the most exclusive suites and the most luxurious facilities in the country. With it's fifteen floors this location wasn't even the largest one anymore, but it was still my favorite. It had been the first step towards going legal, after all.
Not that we didn't do illegal anymore. Riva the business company and Riva the famiglia were still two wildly different concepts, but the company had made a lot of things a lot easier for the family. Even as a Dom you had to move with the time - my father had understood that. You were a lot less likely to be accused of being a crime lord when you were already the CEO of one of the most successful enterprises in the country.
That, and the hotels and clubs were a perfect cover for money laundering.
"Shut up." I shot at my friend, taking him in disapprovingly. He was my oldest acquaintance and my consigliere, but he was also still an employee. I didn't approve disrespectful behavior from my employees, period. "Do you have any better idea's? We can't keep taking blows from Chante, and we don't have any inside men any more since he found out about Jared and delivered him to us in pieces."
The memory of the blood soaked carton box still hung freshly in my mind, and I had to suppress shiver before I could push it away. Jared had been a loyal guy - he deserved better.
"I agree." Seth gestured something towards the manager of the club before turning around to get somewhere quieter to talk. "But a woman? And not just a woman, the mad fucker's son's fiancee?"
The warning in my eyes did little to stop his rambling.
"We might as well hire a fucking dog. You don't know shit about her loyalty. For all you know she might be doing this for them. Women are fiddle creatures, Daniel. They're vicious, they're untrustworthy, and they're easily bought."
