The Proposal

The Proposal

Aria's POV

The champagne glass shattered against the wall inches from my head.
"You think you can humiliate me?" Carlo Torrino screamed, his face twisted with rage. "Me?"
I backed away from Vincent's cousin, my heart hammering. We'd been in this meeting room for exactly ten minutes, and he'd already thrown three things at me.
"Carlo, control yourself," Vincent said quietly from his seat at the head of the table. "We're here to make a deal, not terrorize the girl."
"She looked at me wrong," Carlo growled, his dark eyes wild. "Nobody looks at a Torrino like that."
I hadn't looked at him any particular way. I'd just refused to sit next to him when Vincent suggested we "get acquainted."
"Maybe we should try this again," Marco said carefully, his hand resting on his hidden weapon.
We were in neutral ground - a hotel conference room downtown. Vincent had requested this meeting three hours after Sophia's dramatic arrival at the mausoleum. Apparently, my mysterious relative had urged him to try negotiations before more violence.
"Yes, let's start over," Vincent agreed, fixing his tie. "Aria, I'd like you to meet my nephew Carlo. He's twenty-six, well-educated, and my chosen son."
Carlo smiled, and I stifled a shudder. It was like watching a shark try to be friendly.
"Hello, beautiful," he said, his voice dripping with fake charm. "I've heard so much about you."
"Have you?" I answered neutrally.
"Oh yes. Vincent's told me everything. Your mother, your bloodline, your... value to our company."
The way he said 'value' made my skin crawl.
"And what exactly is this meeting about?" Luca asked, his brown eyes never leaving Carlo.
"Marriage," Vincent announced, like he was talking the weather. "A official alliance between the Torrino and Castellano bloodlines. Carlo will marry Aria, joining our families permanently."
The room went dead silent.
"Absolutely not," all four of my men said at once.
Vincent ignored them. "Think about it rationally, Aria. This fixes everyone's problems. You get security and status. I get a legal heir with Castellano blood. The Commission gets peace."
"And what do I get?" Carlo asked, leering at me. "Besides the obvious pleasures."
Dmitri stood up so fast his chair fell over. "Watch your mouth."
"Or what?" Carlo laughed. "You'll fight me? I've killed guys twice your size."
"Boys, please," Vincent said gently. "Let's keep this civilized."
But I was watching Carlo's face, and there was nothing polite about him. His eyes were dead, like a doll's eyes. And the way he kept looking at me made me feel like prey.
"Tell me about your last girlfriend, Carlo," I said suddenly.
Everyone turned to stare at me.
"What?" Carlo asked, taken off guard.
"Your last relationship. How did it end?"
His smile faltered. "That's not relevant."
"I disagree. If we're talking about marriage, I should know what kind of husband you'd be."
"The best kind," he said, but sweat was beading on his brows.
"Like you were with Maria Santos?" Kai asked quietly.
Carlo went pale. "How do you-"
"Maria Santos disappeared six months ago," Kai continued in that calm voice. "Right after she broke up with you. Funny coincidence."
"You can't prove anything," Carlo snapped.
"I don't need to prove anything," I said, standing up. "I just need to know what kind of monster Vincent wants me to marry."
"Aria," Vincent warned. "You're being emotional."
"I'm being smart. Carlo is a monster, and everyone in this room knows it."
"Hey!" Carlo jumped to his feet. "Nobody talks to me like that!"
He lunged toward me, but Marco was faster. His fist struck with Carlo's jaw with a sound like breaking wood. Carlo crashed into the wall and slid to the floor.
"Touch her, and I'll kill you," Marco said conversationally.
Carlo staggered to his feet, blood running from his nose. "You'll pay for that, Romano."
"Enough," Vincent said sharply. "Carlo, sit down. Marco, control yourself."
"Actually, I think we're done here," I said, going toward the door. "The answer is no, Vincent. I'm not marrying your crazy nephew."
"You haven't heard my full offer yet."
"I don't need to. The answer will still be no."
Vincent's face hardened. "I'm trying to be fair, Aria. But my patience has limits."
"So does mine. And watching your nephew threaten and intimidate me for ten minutes has hit mine."
"You think you have choices here?" Vincent stood up, his mask of politeness finally slipping. "You think your little blood ritual protects you?"
"Actually, yes, I do."
"Then you're more naive than your mother."
The insult hit home, but I kept my voice steady. "My mother was smart enough to run from you. I should have listened to her example sooner."
Vincent's eyes went cold. "Your mother ran, and she died alone and afraid. Is that really what you want?"
"Better than living with a monster."
"Fine." Vincent fixed his jacket. "I tried to do this the easy way. Carlo, we're leaving."
Carlo wiped blood from his face, his eyes promising fury. "This isn't over, princess. I always get what I want."
"Not this time," Dmitri said happily.
After they left, the room felt cleaner somehow. I slumped into a chair, exhausted.
"You did the right thing," Luca said softly.
"Did I? Because now we're definitely going to war."
"We were always going to war," Marco answered. "At least now we know exactly what we're fighting against."
Kai checked his phone and frowned. "We have a problem. Sophia Castellano just called a press meeting. She's stating her claim to the Castellano inheritance."
"What does that mean?" I asked.
"It means she's challenging your right to the family wealth. Publicly."
My phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number. But I recognized the writing style instantly - it was from my father.
Aria - Vincent has your great-grandfather. Real one this time. Bring the Castellano papers to Pier 19 at midnight, or Antonio dies. Come alone. This is not a trick. - Dad
I showed the others the message.
"It's obviously a trap," Marco said.
"Of course it's a trick. But what if it's also true?"
Before anyone could answer, the meeting room door exploded inward. Armed men in black masks poured through, guns raised.
"Aria Castellano," their boss called out. "You're coming with us."
But what shocked me wasn't the guns pointing at us. It was the voice behind the mask.
The leader pulled off their helmet, showing a face I thought I'd never see again.
"Hello, sweetheart," my mother said, very much living and pointing a gun at my heart. "I think it's time we had that talk."