Chapter 8 #2
Tanaka smirks at me. “Marry my daughter.”
There’s no way a father can be this cruel.
Looking at Yuki, I notice her hands are fisted so tight at her sides, her knuckles are white.
Then I glance at Christiano. He shrugs, silently telling me this is my choice to make.
Growing up in the Cosa Nostra, I always knew an arranged marriage might be in my future. It worked for Uncle Angelo and Uncle Damiano, so I’m not against it.
But I can see it’s the last thing Yuki wants.
Turning my angry gaze back to Tanaka, I say, “Yuki will never agree to this.” Not after I beat her to within an inch of her life.
“She doesn’t have a choice.”
Slowly, I let out a breath while fighting not to lose my shit with this man. My eyes flick to Yuki again, and addressing her, I ask, “How do you feel about all of this?”
She cringes backward, and it has Tanaka angrily barking at her in Japanese.
Her head lifts, and when her eyes meet mine, there’s so much fear I can feel it vibrate between us. Her lips part, but no words come out, which has Tanaka shouting again.
I’m just about to tell him to shut the fuck up when Yuki says, “I would be honored to marry you, Mr. Vitale. It’s the least I can do to help restore peace between the Yakuza and the Cosa Nostra.”
I let out a heavy breath, and when I shake my head, Tanaka barks out an order in Japanese that has panic washing over Yuki’s features while she takes a few steps backward.
Kano comes up behind her, and I’m struck absolutely speechless when the man yanks down the zipper of Yuki’s dress before ripping the fabric from her body until it pools by her feet.
“As you can see, she has lost weight and has a perfect body,” Tanaka says. “Any man would be lucky to have her. I have a few lined up, so you'd better make your decision now, Mr. Vitale. This offer is only valid for today.”
Tension rolls through the room like a tidal wave, and when Christiano darts to his feet, I shoot forward while shrugging my jacket off. Yuki gasps in shock at the humiliation she’s forced to endure, her body trembling badly as I wrap my jacket around her.
The instant I have her covered, I turn toward Tanaka, ready to kill him.
“Augusto,” Christiano says with authority that has me stopping in my tracks. “Are you willing to marry the woman?”
My head swivels back to Yuki, and as I take in the state she’s in, I can’t bring myself to say no.
I don’t know anything about her except that she’s suffered a lot because of me. First, I almost killed her, and today she’s been horribly humiliated.
“Augusto?” Christiano says to bring my attention back to the volatile situation.
“Yuki’s innocence is intact. She’s currently being trained to be the perfect wife,” Tanaka says, his tone matter-of-fact as if we’re discussing the sale of a car or house. “If we arrange the marriage for a month from now, I can guarantee she will be ready to serve all your needs.”
Jesus fucking Christ.
A second away from losing my shit, I turn around and stalk out of the suite so I don’t give in to my thirst for revenge and kill the head of the Yakuza with my bare hands.
“Augusto!” Adriano calls as he follows me. Being the eldest out of the five heads of the Cosa Nostra, he’s like an older brother to us all.
When I come to a stop at the end of the hallway, I turn around to see Rosie with Adriano. Noticing how pale she is, I move forward and wrap my arms around her.
“That’s…” She can’t get the words out and shakes her head as she returns my hug.
If any of us knew this was how the meeting was going to turn out, we would’ve left Rosie at home.
“I’m sorry you had to see that,” I tell her as I rub my hand up and down her back.
“The poor woman,” Rosie whimpers. She’s such a caring person, her heart must be breaking for Yuki.
“You have to make a decision,” Adriano says, his features tense. “As fucked up as it is. Let’s just get this over with so we can get Rosie out of here.”
He’s right.
Letting go of Rosie, I nudge her toward Adriano. “Stay out here with her. I don’t want her in the suite.”
As I walk back to the suite, I take deep breaths while my mind races for a solution to this shit show.
If I decline Tanaka’s offer, there’s a good chance the meeting will end in bloodshed. If I accept, it means Yuki will be forced to marry me, which is probably the last thing she wants.
When I enter the suite, all eyes turn to me. Except for Yuki’s as she stands with her head bowed while clinging to my jacket to keep it wrapped around her body.
If I decline, Yuki will be forced to marry another man.
As I stare at the woman I beat until she was covered in bruises, I can’t bring myself to say no.
If I marry her, it will give me the chance to repent for the unforgivable sin I’ve committed against her.
For the first time since our paths crossed, I take a good look at Yuki Tanaka. Her black hair has been cut into a cute style with face-framing layers. Her skin is pale, and her features are petite and feminine.
I could swear she was taller the last time I saw her.
I walk closer to her, and when I’m a couple of steps away from her, she cringes back, her eyes darting up to meet mine.
Tanaka snaps angrily at her, and she quickly lowers her head.
“Stop fucking snapping at her,” I growl at Tanaka. Turning my attention back to Yuki, I order, “Look at me.”
When she lifts her eyes to mine again, she swallows hard, and I notice the trembling in her body growing.
The longer I stare into her brown irises that are drowning in fear, the more I feel pity for this woman.
She’s beautiful, and I know she’s strong. It wouldn’t be a chore on my part to marry her, and it would give me a chance to make things right with Yuki.
“Augusto,” Christiano says, his tone tense. “What is your decision?”