Chapter 3 - Ari

The dining room was mostly silent aside from the occasional whimper of fear from the blonde woman restrained by one of our guys. She could hardly stand it, but she had no choice.

With everyone pinned and exactly where I wanted them, I had the chance to check them all off. They were all accounted for, and the plan was going smoothly.

The alarm and confusion from the family made the room tense while they awaited my next move.

I couldn't help but chuckle at how afraid they looked.

But as Edoardo looked at me and tried to hide just how scared he was by the whole ordeal, his fear turned into irritation.

"What the hell is going on? What do you want?" he demanded, at least using his voice instead of a weapon. He was unarmed and completely at my mercy.

That sheen of sweat on his face told me he was preparing himself for the inevitable. He was bracing himself for death, but it wasn't going to be that easy. I wasn't there to murder anyone.

"You don't know who I am?" I questioned, feigning surprise. "That's funny. Normally, you'd know your opponent before targeting them."

Through his confusion, recognition came over him, and his eyes widened. "Levov…"

The name rolled off his tongue like something from folklore—a beast to be feared and revered.

That was exactly how I wanted him to see me. By the end of the evening, he would be a fool to not cower and flinch at the very sound of my name.

"Aristarkh Levov, to be precise," I hummed, relaxing my gun arm to put it down at my side. "Fortunately, I was able to find out your name. I made sure I knew all about you and your family before I decided to come here."

Fear lingered in his eyes as Edoardo looked back at me, seemingly trying to keep his wits about him. "How did you locate my home?"

"You'd be sick knowing just how far my reach goes in this city. Between the databases, surveillance, and the vast number of men we have on patrol at all times, you could never hide from me. If you got even a glance at how much information I have on each and every one of you, your dinner would make a reappearance."

Edoardo grimaced at me, surely bearing the weight of that reality. Even if he kept his business low-profile, I knew all about it. He wasn't an exception to our sheer power.

Gritting his teeth, he murmured, "This is about the recent hit, isn't it?"

"Correct," I affirmed, leaning closer to him smugly. "I have to hand it to you, De Luca, it was brave of you to go up against any Levov. Surely, you know about all the other families who have tried before, only to fail as miserably as the others. People call us dogs for a reason."

"Just don't hurt my family…please…"

Sighing at how soon he pulled out the family card, I pulled back and chuckled. "Don't worry, Edoardo. Nobody's going to die today so long as everyone cooperates. But you will learn how relentless we can be. It's my hope that by the end of this, you'll learn every reason you shouldn't cross a Levov. You'll walk away from this put back in your place, and you'll know exactly what I'm capable of."

"I know I haven't been the most honest man or the most devoted father, but don't take your anger out on my family," Edoardo began, voice shaking. "They had nothing to do with this. Nobody else here knows anything about the business. Not even my sons."

Rolling my eyes, I didn't want to hear it. I wasn't in the mood to be appealed to. "Please, old man, spare me. In fact, you should be delighted, Edoardo. We're not here to mourn anyone but to celebrate a wonderful day. There's to be a wedding right here."

As my grin lingered, Edoardo's expression slowly fell as more of that confusion plagued him. "A wedding?"

Nodding, I gestured toward the hallway, and before long, an officiant walked in carrying their book. Despite the overwhelming scene of guns and terrified family members, he kept a straight face and did as instructed, stepping forward.

"What's the meaning of this?" he demanded, looking between me and the officiant as if realizing I wasn't bluffing.

With a cold laugh, I lifted my arms from down at my sides and addressed the room. "In exchange for targeting my warehouse, stealing from me, and assuming you'd get away with it, I'm here to take the one thing you can offer me as payment. Although, that exchange is much cheaper than I'm sure you had been dreaming up in your mind, and I won't be taking no for an answer. To let you know just how seriously I take my job, and how you will never win against me, I'm going to marry her."

Pointing at the frightened young woman to my right with her light-brown hair pulled back into a low bun, and her green eyes set on me, I singled out the last bargaining chip he had.

Her eyes only widened like a deer in headlights, completely frozen in place.

While it was a drastic and life-altering decision, I felt pleased she was just as pretty in person as the photos I had been studying for weeks. If not, it would've been difficult to follow through.

"You can't be serious!" Edoardo barked back, suddenly angry as he pushed himself up to his feet. "She is my only daughter."

But the moment I cocked my pistol and aimed it right at him, the old man fell back in his chair, alarmed by the silent threat.

"Exactly," I snarled at him, hoping it would cause him as much anguish as possible to know he was losing out on a crucial business deal. "I don't know if you've realized this yet, but I'm not here to be nice. We're not negotiating or making terms. I'm going to marry your daughter right in front of you, taking away your chance at picking the highest bidder for her, and there's nothing you can do about it. You picked the wrong man to mess with, and I want you to know that."

He looked furious as he stared at me, but as I said, there was nothing he could do to stop me.

Looking over at Vivian De Luca, the one I had my sights set on, I gestured for her to approach. "Come here."

She was frozen in place, taking in nervous breaths as she glanced over at her dad as if silently hoping he'd step in and beg for forgiveness. She wanted someone to save her.

But of course, he didn't move a muscle.

When she finally approached, Vivian kept her eyes averted, unable to look at me as the officiant stepped forward and asked if we were ready. Her cheeks were flaming.

Keeping my chin up, aware that everything was going according to plan, I nodded, and the impromptu ceremony began.

Right in the dining room where De Luca was forced to watch every second of it, the officiant went over the usual lines, to which we repeated them back, even if Vivian needed some encouragement.

Wearing a smug smirk, aware of how torn up and defeated Edoardo seemed, I knew it had been an easy win. But a win nonetheless.

Word was going to spread through the city before long, and he'd have to bear the shame of being one-upped by a Levov, tormented and forced to watch the union of his precious daughter to one of his enemies in his own home.

While it wouldn't get our money or product back, knowing he had no choice but to submit to me made it all worth it. The sweetness of victory was more than enough to have me grinning.

Foregoing the kiss and skipping right to signing our names, it was a done deal, and I officially had my bride.

"Be glad, Edoardo," I said once it was all said and done. "Your previous attempt at forming an alliance may have failed, but at least now you have a child blessed with the Levov name. It's a shame you won't see a single benefit from it, though."

De Luca was practically shaking with fury in his seat, but it was already too late.

Satisfied by the job well done, I reached for Vivian's wrist to sweep her out of the house. "Come along, wife—"

But the moment I grabbed her, she winced with a nearly silent whimper and snatched her hand back.

My brows furrowed immediately at the reaction. She hurried to pull her sleeves down, but not before I caught sight of what looked like bruises tainting her skin.

A surprising anger filled me then, as I couldn't help but wonder what it was from. But given how she shied away as I took notice of it, it was clear she didn't want anyone to point it out.

Deciding it wasn't the time or place, I put a hand against her back instead and led her toward the hall. Glancing back, I gave Edoardo a sarcastic wave.

"It was a pleasure doing business with you, De Luca."

The old man said nothing as he slumped into his chair, running a hand down his face in defeat.

On a victory high, I left my brothers and men to take care of the room while we exited the house, but I couldn't take my mind off those bruises on Vivian's wrists.

Something about it made me wonder if I was inadvertently doing her a favor by getting her out of there.

Regardless, I had made my mark on the De Luca family as I planned, and I intended to enjoy that win for quite some time.