Chapter 85: Talk about business
Silence.
In the middle of the loud noise, he watched as Marianne’s ex grew silent. His eyes widened in shock, his mouth hung open in confusion, but his nose noticeably flared up in anger.
Once he had recovered, he heard the arrogant man grumble. "Is this some kind of a joke?" Laughing scornfully, acting as if what he said was utterly hilarious.
Without warning, Brian grabbed his fiancée by the wrist and pulled her toward him, not at all concerned about his presence. Probably convinced that he was nothing but a paid actor.
"Marianne, stop this madness. You don’t have to hire some random man to pretend to be your fiancée just to make me jealous." The other man hissed at his fiancée, accusing her of putting up this performance.
Caught by surprise, she could only stare at her ex in surprise for a few seconds. But as soon as she realized what was happening, she started struggling against his hold.
"Let go of me, you asshole," Marianne exclaimed contemptibly, obviously furious with her assailant.
Having witnessed enough, he took the matter into his own hands to end the other man’s delusion. "Let go of my fiancée."
This time, he didn’t wait for the other man’s response as he held his wrist with one hand, twisting it to the side until the other man loosened his grip on Marianne. Meanwhile, his other hand swung toward his jaw.
Once his fist made contact, Brian finally released Marianne from his grip. Quickly, he shoved the man to the floor while catching Marianne in his arms before she lost her balance.
As soon as he had her secured in his embrace, he turned to Brian, who was nursing his injured jaw. "If you touch her again, a bruise in the face would be the least of your worries."
That was not an empty threat but a promise he intended to keep.
No one touched his woman. Not on his watch.
Brian stared at them for a few seconds before he scrambled to his feet and hightailed out of there. Perhaps, he had realized that he was no match for him. Or, maybe he thought Marianne was not worth dying for.
"Are you alright? Did it hurt?" Instantly, his fingers gently cradled her hand, inspecting every inch of her skin for injuries.
He could kill a man with his bare hands, but hurting a woman was a sacred crime. Especially when that woman was Marianne Morton.
Expelling a sigh of relief, except for a pinkish bruising on her wrist, it seemed she was not harmed.
"I’m okay." She disconcertingly replied, pulling away from his hold abruptly, as if her skin was scorched by his touch.
For a brief moment, she just stood there, studying him under a cautious scrutiny. Her eyes swirled with questions, but her face remained blank as if she didn’t want to give away her feelings.
Then, out of the blue, she spoke.
"Fiancee?" One word, but he knew she had a million questions going through that head of hers.
From her reaction, he gathered that her brother had not told her yet about the arrangement. It seemed she had no clue that she was soon going to be betrothed to him.
Now, that was interesting.
His father, Don Enrico, was under the impression that it was a done deal. But it appeared Oliver Morton was still having second thoughts.
"Anyway, I just said that to get my ex off my back." She seemed to assume that he was also acting. "But thanks for stepping in. Even I was almost convinced."
Marianne visibly relaxed as she thought that the whole scene was just nothing but a charade for her ex’s benefit. But how would she react if she learned that it was all real?
Should he enlighten her?
Debating whether to tell her that he was really her fiancé or just let her believe it was just an act.
"Well, I always come to the rescue when I see a damsel in distress." Eventually, he decided not to overwhelm her with that information.
In the meantime, he would just let her believe that this was nothing but a chance encounter.
"So, how do you intend to thank your savior?" He asked with a bright smile, allowing his dimple to show on both sides of his cheeks.
As far as women were concerned, they said that those were his best assets. Once he smiled, women had no way to resist his charm.
"Actually, I don’t exactly need you to save me. I could have handled him on my own." She smugly said, looking very confident in her ability to defend herself. "But admittedly, you made my life easier."
Honestly, he thought she would snub him and tell him to mind his own business. The Morton Princess was not exactly known to be a pushover.
On the contrary, she had a reputation for being fierce and vicious, just like the other members of the Morton family.
"What about a late dinner? Your treat. I know a nice place nearby." He openly suggested, wondering if she would accept the offer from a complete stranger. "By the way, I’m Damon Vicenzo." He reintroduced himself, just in case she missed it earlier.
But the smile that curved on her beautiful lips told him that she already knew his name.
"Of course, who doesn’t know you? Your reputation precedes you." She put her hand before her. "Marianne Morton." This time, she supplied her name.
As he had expected, she was more beautiful up close. Frankly, this was not the first time that he met her. But it had been years since the last time. They were still young.
At that time, he was not yet part of the Vicenzo family. On the other hand, he was an orphan who lived on the street.
It was a classic story. A beautiful, young princess took pity on a young stray who had nothing to eat for days. She gave him food and drinks and even a few coins to spare.
Then, one day, as if by some miracle, Don Enrico took a liking to him. In his search for his daughter, instead, he found a son. Don Enrico adopted him and treated him as if he were his flesh and blood.
From that day on, he had treated Don Enrico as his father and swore his life to him. At the same time, he also promised to look for the young girl and return the favor. But who knew that fate would cross their paths again with a proposed union?
"I hope what you heard speaks highly of me." But, unfortunately, he already knew how the world had perceived him. It was not precisely all good things.
As Don Enrico’s son, he had done many things. Unfortunately, not all were rainbows and sunshine. Still, he justified his actions as being for the good of the family, the Vicenzos’ name.
"Let’s just say that we might be built with the same cloth. So, who am I to judge?" She shrugged her shoulders as if she understood him.
Being part of a Mafia family, he guessed they were no different after all.
"So, what about dinner?" He reminded her as he gestured for her to follow him. "My car is just outside." He pointed at the exit, but for a second, he thought she would decline.
Surprisingly.
"Fine. My treat." Marianne graciously accepted his offer, allowing him to usher her to the limited edition sports car that his father had recently gifted him.
As he drove her a short distance from the club to the restaurant, he could not help but notice how incredibly attractive she was. Much more beautiful than the young girl from his past.
Suddenly, he noted that his dreams didn’t do her justice. He finally realized that the young girl who helped him had grown up to be a gorgeous woman.
"Out of curiosity, what have you heard about me?" It was a way to initiate conversation, but he also would like to know what she thought of him.
At the same time, he wished to know more about her. Not just what his investigators dug up about her or what he heard from the gossip columns.
To the Vicenzo and the Morton family, this marriage was just an arrangement. But to him, it was more than that.
"I’m sure it is nothing different from what everybody knows." Marianne remained vague, not wanting to give him any details.
For a split second, she stiffened in her seat, as if uncomfortable. But she still kept her composure as she inhaled deeply and straightened her shoulders.
After a while, as they waited for their order, she decided to break the awkward silence.
"Why don’t we talk about business?" She quickly diverted the topic. It seemed she was avoiding talking about personal matters.
Thinking about it, he paused for a second.
Then, an idea popped into his head.
"Why not?" He relaxed his stance and leaned forward toward the table, letting his elbows rest on the edge for support while he stared directly at her.
Business? "Hmm!" He knew exactly what they should talk about.
"Then, let’s talk about our marriage."
