Chapter 95 Get lost!
Morning light spilled across Monaco, bright but cold, the kind of cold that didn’t touch the skin, it touched the heart.
Dante stood in the elevator as it rose toward the top floor of Varon Motors. He didn’t feel the usual rush he felt in the building. He felt trapped.
The elevator doors opened, and an assistant rushed toward him.
“Mr. Varon, your father wants to see you right away.”
Dante clenched his jaw. Of course he did.
He walked into Jean-Paul’s office without knocking. The room smelled of money, power, and something darker, something Dante hated more each day.
Jean-Paul stood by the large glass window, hands behind his back, staring down at Monaco like the city belonged to him.
“Dante,” he said without turning. “We need to discuss the wedding.”
Dante rolled his eyes. “Of course we do.”
Jean-Paul faced him with a proud smile. “Everything is moving perfectly. Laurent and I spoke last night. Invitations are confirmed. Photographers booked. Security arranged. It will be the event of the year.”
Dante felt pressure building behind his ribs. “Dad.”
Jean-Paul lifted a finger. “Let me finish.”
Dante’s hands curled into fists.
“I want this wedding done quickly,” Jean-Paul said. “Clean. Grand. No drama. Once you are married to Isabelle, I will announce the transition. Varon Motors will finally be yours.”
Dante froze.
He knew his father was manipulative. He knew his father controlled everything.
But this?
“You’re handing over the company.” Dante said slowly, “only after I marry Isabelle?”
Jean-Paul smiled wider. “It’s simple, isn’t it? You marry well, the company thrives, the families merge, the power grows. It’s logical.”
Dante’s heart pounded. “Logical?” His voice rose. “You want to sell off my entire life for some business merger?”
Jean-Paul’s smile faded.
Dante stepped forward, breathing hard. “I am not a product. And my life is not a deal you can negotiate!”
Jean-Paul’s jaw tightened. “Watch your tone.”
“No,” Dante snapped. “Not today. I’m tired of pretending this is normal. I almost died, Dad. I lost months of my life. I lost everything. And all you care about is a wedding and a company merger?”
Jean-Paul didn’t move.
Dante stared at him, his voice shaking. “I don’t even love her.”
Jean-Paul’s expression hardened into something sharp and cold. “Love is for the poor. You don’t get to choose a woman based on emotions. You choose based on advantage.”
And that sentence. It hit Dante like a punch.
Because suddenly he saw it, his father’s entire life philosophy shoved down his throat.
His father didn’t want him to be happy.
He wanted him to be useful.
Dante breathed slowly. “I’m not marrying Isabelle.”
Jean-Paul blinked like he hadn’t heard him. “What did you say?”
“I said.”
“I heard you,” Jean-Paul interrupted sharply. “I just didn’t expect you to be foolish enough to say it.”
Dante clenched his teeth. “Call me foolish again and see what happens.”
They stared at each other, father and son, same height, same eyes, same fire but different souls.
Jean-Paul shook his head. “Dante, you’re behaving like a child. A marriage is not torture. Isabelle is educated, beautiful, wealthy. Most men would be grateful.”
“I’m not 'most men.’ And I don’t want her,” Dante said through his teeth. “I don’t want this future. I don’t want this life you’re forcing on me.”
Jean-Paul’s voice dropped low. “You will marry her. And you will do it with a smile.”
“Watch me,ruin everything,” Dante said.
He turned and walked toward the door.
Jean-Paul’s voice followed him soft, but poisoned:
“I know exactly how to cure your madness.”
Dante froze for half a second. Every muscle in his body tensed. But he didn’t turn around.
He walked out. He didn’t breathe until he reached the elevator.
Sienna sat on the sofa, holding a cup of tea she hadn’t sipped at all. Her leg bounced without her noticing. Her fingers twisted the hem of her shirt. She looked exhausted, but more than that she looked scared.
She didn’t even hear Luca come in.
When he touched her shoulder gently, she flinched so hard the cup nearly fell.
“Sienna,” Luca said softly, “it’s just me.”
She pressed a hand to her chest and nodded, forcing a smile.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yes.”
It was a lie. They both knew it.
She looked down at her hands. “I just want my license restored. I want my life back. I want to leave all this behind. Everything.” Her voice cracked softly. “I just want one thing to be normal again.”
Luca sat across from her, his expression full of worry. “You don’t look okay.”
She swallowed. “I’m fine. Really.”
He waited, giving her space to continue.
She didn’t.
He sighed. “Come with me.”
She blinked. “Where?”
“Grocery shopping,” he said simply. “You need fresh air. And I need food before my fridge starts crying.”
A small, tired laugh escaped her. “Okay.”
They left the villa together, did a little bit of shopping. Luca just wanted to get her out of the house, his housekeeper had done grocery shopping the previous day.
They walked out of the store carrying bags, the morning sun warming the pavement.
For the first time in days, Sienna felt a tiny bit lighter. Grocery shopping wasn’t exciting, but it was normal. And she missed feeling normal.
They reached the car, and Sienna leaned against it while Luca patted his pockets.
Then his eyes widened.
“Oh, fantastic,” he muttered. “I forgot the keys.”
Sienna chuckled faintly. “Seriously?”
“Don’t laugh. I’m fragile.” He pointed at her playfully. “Stay here. I’ll run back in.”
“Okay.”
He jogged back toward the entrance.
Sienna stood by the car, the shopping bags placed on the hood. A soft breeze brushed her hair across her face. She tucked it behind her ear and glanced around the parking lot.
It was quiet, calm, and normal.
She let out a long exhale and closed her eyes for a moment. Just one peaceful minute.
A loud engine approached.
She opened her eyes.
An old bus with faded blue paint, no company name rolled slowly toward the supermarket entrance.
Her brows furrowed.
It was parked not near the entrance. Not near anyone else.
But right beside her row.
The doors opened with a hiss.