Aria Was Amazingly Beautiful

"Consider I didn't do anything to you," I growled. "The pain you feel right now is a fucking joke compared to the agony that awaits you if you find yourself next to Aria again. If you touch even a single hair of hers," my voice became even more deadly, trembling with the strength of the rage I felt, "one fucking hair, I will stick my knife in your ass, and I will fuck you with it slowly until you bleed. Use?" He nodded briefly.

"I want to hear."

"I won't touch her," he managed. It looked like he was about to throw up on my shoes.

I stood up and walked away, lips curling in disgust at the bastard in front of me.

"We're done," I said.

"I will see you off," Scuderi said in an ingratiating tone.

Romero, Cesare, Matteo and I followed him. We didn't shake hands goodbye. All these hypocritical signs of respect can wait until the wedding. Back at the hotel, we headed to the bar for another drink. Romero was the one who barely touched the glass, always true to his duty. I looked at him. I knew him since childhood. He was rather the same age as Matteo, they went to school together. He was a good Soldier and a man to be trusted.

Noticing my attention, he frowned.

"What's happened?"

"What do you think of Aria?" Cesare and Matteo fell silent abruptly.

Romero put down his glass and tensed.

"She will be your wife."

"I don't want to hear the obvious. I want to know what impression she made on you."

"She is modest and submissive. Obedient. I don't think she'll create any problems in those three years," he said, choosing his words carefully. She's already great. In three years, it will be practically unrealistic. I need someone to guard her. Someone who will not touch what is alien, what does not belong to him.

Romero's eyes widened, finally understanding my train of thought. Matteo and Cesare also looked surprised.

"Luke," he said softly. "If you choose me to protect Aria, I swear she will be safe. And I would never even dare to think of her in any inappropriate way."

Matteo chuckled. "Don't swear on it. I have a hunch that it will be too difficult not to think of Aria inappropriately." I stared at Romero with a hard look.

"You know, I trust you and you are one of my best Soldiers, but what I said to Rafaela was the absolute truth, that anyone who touches her…" My gaze swept over the men sitting next to me before, then I smirked and raised my hand to order another drink. They got my message.

***

Matteo waved his newspaper as he entered the penthouse. Putting my coffee cup down on the table, I raised my eyebrows. "Since when do you read newspapers?" I asked.

"Of course, we had to stay up to date with the political agenda, especially on the topic of elections, but that was what the internet was for." Did Matteo think that he looked more attractive with a newspaper in his hands? Like a fucking Brooklyn hipster? I wouldn't be surprised if he carried a newspaper with him just for show.

His meaningful smirk aroused my suspicions. "I noticed a most interesting article on the net when I was browsing the news while lying in bed, and I decided to get it in real form."

"What is the article?" Matteo walked over to the kitchen counter and placed the newspaper in front of me. My eyebrows went up in surprise when I saw the title and photo.

AND HERE IS THE ONE THAT GOT THE MOST WANTED BACHMAN OF NEW YORK.

Under the heading was my photo, and next to it was Aria's photo. For a moment, I froze, because I had not seen Aria for three years, since our engagement. There was no need for this, I just sent her gifts for Christmas, engagement anniversary, Valentine's Day and her birthday - just yesterday she turned eighteen.

Aria was amazingly beautiful. It was not a prepared photo, rather, the paparazzi filmed the girl without her knowledge, her gaze was detached when she looked into the camera. She was walking down the street in Chicago, holding some purchases, accompanied by Umberto and a second bodyguard.

She was dressed in a short grey winter coat, an oversized wool sweater, a battling short plaid skirt, and over-the-knee grey suede boots that accentuated her slender calves and legs. Long blonde hair spilt over her shoulders and, my God, her face... I wasn't sure if she was wearing makeup, but she was incredible.

"You're salivating," Matteo said as he sat down across from me.

I looked up at him.

"But he, too," Matteo pointed at the boy, who almost broke his neck, staring at Aria. I felt a great desire to find this guy and kill him, purely for my own pleasure. But I had a hunch that I would never stop killing if I decided to teach every dude who looked at my fiancée a lesson.

"I must admit I'm a little offended that they didn't consider me the most eligible bachelor. In terms of, just look." Matteo took a step back so I could enjoy the view. Fucking biker boots, leather jackets and ripped jeans.

"You don't have to worry about this anymore. If you believe this, I'm out of the game now," I said dryly.

"Do you happen to know how this news was leaked to the press?" I shook my head. My father did not tell me exactly when he was going to release the data. I skimmed through the article to see what else was written about Aria.

Luca Vitiello's many conquests will have to shed more than one litre of tears when they learn that the heir to a fortune valued at least $ 600 million can no longer be the subject of their desire.

"And they also crossed you out of the number of heirs," I said to my brother. He and I inherited my father's fortune together, and it was estimated at more than seven hundred million dollars, but what difference does it make to the press - a hundred more, a hundred less? For them, as usual, the main thing is to point to an indisputable minimum.

His future wife, Aria Scuderi, is, as expected, of Italian-American ancestry and is the eldest daughter of restaurant chain owner Rocco Scuderi. I almost burst out laughing. Rocco definitely got into some restaurant chains, but that was definitely not what he did.