Antonio

"Son, judging by the look on your face, it seems the deal went smoothly," Father remarked as I stepped into his office.

A smile spread across my face as I took my seat. "You know how your son handles business. Franseze is out. He doesn't value his life, so I helped him solve his problems," I replied, casually crossing my legs.

Father shifted his focus from his paperwork to me. "He had been given enough chances. Suits him well. Now that you're back home, what are your plans?" I was certain he was referring to me and Camila. My smile grew wider as I recalled the events that had transpired between us in Italy, and last night. I only asked her to strip while I fuck the whore in front of her. So she could see the pleasure she couldn't give me willingly. It had also ignited the need in her but I didn't allow her to have her way. She watched everything before her eyes. I had her under my control now. There was nothing to worry about.

"If you're referring to Camila, then rest assured, I have her under my control. She's a spitfire, but she can't misbehave with me," I stated confidently.

"She takes after her father. That man is stubborn. I heard his company is doing better than ever now. How easy it was for him to trade his daughter in return for that success." Father and I burst out laughing at the same time.

"He's a fool. It's just a matter of time before his happiness gets short-lived. Business doesn't work that way." Poor Camila. She sacrificed her freedom to save her family. What a good Samaritan. Even if we hadn't met that way, I was going to make her mine regardless. She might have forgotten our encounter at the coffee shop, but I hadn't. I knew I had to make her mine, and I did. She was going to serve me until I grew tired of her.

A knock on the door interrupted our conversation. Rain entered, looking serious. "Mr. Salvatore, I have news," he said, placing a tablet phone on the desk. Father and I leaned in to check.

"Mia? What is she doing in Italy?" I asked, my brows furrowing. I had just left Italy barely up to a day. And now there was a picture of Mia in a club in Italy. Not just any club, a fraudulent one. I knew the owner, and he was a fraud.

"What should I do, sir?" Rain asked, glancing between my father and me.

"I will take care of it," I said, dismissing him.

"This is why I didn't want you to give her too much freedom. Now what is she doing in a fraudulent club?" I hissed.

"You know how stubborn Mia is. She'd probably say she went there for her business," Father defended her. Mia had always been his favorite, and he couldn't see her faults, no matter what she did. Even with the number of bodyguards Father had assigned to her, she always managed to get into trouble. I didn't trust her in that club. The owner and I had once had an issue, although I couldn't take down his business since he was also powerful in the mafia world.

I retrieved my phone. "Are you going to call her?" Father asked, raising an eyebrow. I couldn't recall the last time we had spoken to each other on the phone.

"No. I'm calling Stefano. He'll take care of her," I said, dialing Stefano's number.

"What's up, buddy? Don't tell me you're missing me already," his excited voice came from the other end.

"Cut the crap. I want you to go to the Red Hat Club. Mia is there. I don't care how you handle it. Get her out of there. If she misbehaves, you know what to do," I said, hanging up before I could hear his response.

"Why did you say, 'if she misbehaves, he knows what to do'?" Father inquired.

"Calm down, Father. Your precious daughter is in safe hands. Stefano will handle her well," I assured him as I stood up.

"I'll be on my way," I announced, heading for the door.

**

It was past nine when I entered the house. The familiar silence enveloped me. The maid appeared from the kitchen, sensing my arrival. "Welcome, Sir Antonio," she greeted with a bow of her head. I nodded in response. "Where is Camila?" I asked.

"Um..."

"You don't know how to talk properly now, right?" I hissed.

"She's not at home." It took me a moment to process her words. "She's not at home?" I repeated. Where the hell had she gone at this hour?

"Yes, sir. She left an hour after you left. Since then, she hasn't come back." I clenched my jaw. Great. Just because I wasn't at home, she decided to do as she pleased.

"You can go," I dismissed the maid and pulled out my phone.

I dialed Camila's number and waited for her to pick up, but silence was all I got. I called again. Still no answer. "That woman is testing my patience," I muttered under my breath before dialing Rain's number.

"Find out Camila's location for me right now," I instructed before hanging up. That woman was certainly stubborn. I had originally planned to take a shower before dealing with Camila's matters, but as soon as I received her location, anger surged within me, and I headed for the door. Today, that woman would experience her own medicine once again.

**

My eyes scanned the dimly lit bar until they landed on a familiar figure—Camila. However, she wasn't alone; a man sat beside her, his hand resting on her shoulder. So, despite all the warnings in Italy, after witnessing me kill someone in front of her, she still had the audacity to spend time with another man. I strode briskly toward them. "Care to tell me what you're doing here?" I demanded. Her eyes widened in surprise upon seeing me, and fear seemed to flicker in them. She shot a quick glance at her companion, whose eyes were also wide with surprise.

"Ant...onio," she stammered.

"Who is he?" I asked, gesturing toward the man. She didn't respond. It was only when she got off her stool that I noticed she was drunk. Anger surged within me, and I grabbed the guy by his collar.

"You foolish man, why did you get a woman drunk? To take advantage of her, right?" I snarled, tightening my grip around his neck.

"I'm... not," he choked out.

"Antonio—" Camila intervened, trying to hold my arm, but I jerked it away, shooting her a withering glare. "Shut the hell up! I'll deal with you later. Let me finish with him first," I hissed, returning my attention to the guy. I knew his type—they came to bars to prey on vulnerable women, luring them into their beds. He couldn't do that to Camila, not until I teach him a lesson.

"Stop it, Antonio! He's my friend!" My hand abruptly halted, and I slowly released my grip on the guy's neck, turning my head to face Camila. She was panting. "Just stop it! You can't waltz in here and hurt my friend. Derek, I'm sorry," she apologized, pushing forward and grabbing the guy by the arm. Her actions only stoked my anger further.

I yanked her back and began leading us out of the bar. It doesn't matter if he was her friend; he had no right to touch her. "Let go of me," Camila protested, attempting to free herself from my hold. She could barely keep up with her steps, and she had even chosen to wear heels just to meet this foolish man she called a friend.

I unlocked the car door and harshly guided Camila into the front seat before circling to the driver's side. As soon as I entered the car, I turned to face her, firmly gripping her cheeks. She winced in response, and I hissed, "How dare you come to a bar so late at night with another man?"

Even in her drunken state, I could see the fire in her eyes, how they burned into mine. "He isn't another man. He's my childhood friend, Derek. You don't have the right to mess with my friend," she retorted. The way she said it made me chuckle.

"I have the right to handle anything related to you and the people around you, especially if you disrespect me," I shot back.

Something changed in her eyes, a glimmer of fear. It made my lips curl into a smile. Even in her inebriated state, she should understand who was in control. "Do you understand?"

I tightened my grip on her cheeks, but this time, she didn't wince. Instead, she simply stared at me. There was something about her gaze that always unsettled me, something that made me hesitate whenever I wanted to inflict more pain on her.

I didn't know how it happened, but Camila left me speechless when she closed the remaining distance between us. I felt her warm lips on mine, and it awakened something primal within me. I responded immediately, my tight grip on her cheeks shifting to cup her face.

However, before I could deepen the kiss, Camila pulled away abruptly, covering her mouth with her palms. As her action registered in my mind, I shook my head, attempting to say, "No! Don't you dare—" but my words were cut off when a warm substance splattered onto my face. She had thrown up on me.