Chapter 14 - The RingClara allowed Dante to slide the heavy, cold diamond onto her left ring finger.
It felt like a permanent shackle, binding her to the king of the underworld.
That evening, the grand dining room was transformed into a viper's nest.
Ten men in expensive suits sat around the mahogany table, radiating power and cruelty.
Dante sat at the head of the table, holding Clara’s hand firmly on the white linen tablecloth.
“So, Dante,” a scarred older boss sneered, his eyes dropping to Clara’s chest.
“You survived a siege and immediately found time to get engaged to a commoner?”
Dante’s grip on Clara’s hand tightened painfully, but his face remained completely blank.
“Clara is not a commoner, Sal,” Dante replied smoothly.
“She is the woman who saved my son's life, and she is my future wife.”
“Anyone who disrespects her will answer to my blade.”
The room fell into a tense, suffocating silence.
Clara kept her chin high, refusing to let these monsters see her terror.
“She is very beautiful,” another boss murmured, sipping his dark red wine.
“But the traitor, your old underboss Marcus, is still breathing.”
“It makes you look weak, Dante.”
Dante stood up slowly, the sheer menace in his posture silencing the entire room instantly.
“Marcus will be dead before the sun rises on Sunday,” Dante swore.
“And if any of you attempt to shelter him, you will join him in hell.”
He pulled Clara’s chair back, dismissing the council with a flick of his wrist.
May you like
“Dinner is over.”
He guided Clara out of the room, leaving the most powerful men in the city sitting in stunned silence.
