"I asked my brother if he can introduce us," Eva said as we continued our conversation the next day.

"And?" I asked, curiosity visible in my eyes.

"He looked at me as if I've lost all my marbles, laughed, then he said to stop joking around"

"So what's the plan B?"

"I don't know yet but we have to get creative"

"Eva, I don't think I want to get creative maybe we just... give it a rest, it's ridiculous anyway"

"Hell no. We can't give up. We're doing this. Do you have a better idea?"

My only idea is to do nothing.

"No"

"Then it's settled. We will ask Vincenti brothers for help"

"But what exactly should be my request? Hey, help me find a dude who will marry me for cash, and I will gladly pay you and him but wait there's a catch! My husband just like me might be murdered by my relative"

"Exactly. It's unusual. But they know people Eli, a lot of people who would take your money and do what they ask, what you need. You will be rich and you will be able to pay them good money for this so there's nothing to be afraid of, okay?"

I covered my face with my hands. There was actually a lot to be afraid of. How the hell do I ask a scary mafia boss to find me a husband? How the hell do I even look at him or talk to him let alone make a request that sounds so... crazy.

"Stop it," Eva said firmly.

"Stop what?" I asked

"Stop worrying. We will figure it out Eli, I promise"

"Okay," I said quietly and I hugged my friend searching for a source of comfort. I was scared but if I wouldn't be scared of Vincentis I would be scared of my uncle or my cousin. I was in a situation when every day I had nightmares of being murdered so what do I really have to lose? Eva was right, I should at least try.

♦️♦️

Rafael Vincenti was the owner of many businesses. One of them was a nightclub called "Himeros".

It was not a typical nightclub, far from it actually.

First of all, it had unique accommodation. The building once belonged to the museum. It was a large mansion with white columns and spacious rooms perfectly designed for banquets and parties, the walls were decorated with arched windows and classical paintings. It had separate rooms where people could dance, drink and talk. Whatever suits the customer.

The building had two floors. Only VIP members were allowed on the top floor. The bottom floor was an all-access area although to even enter the club you had to pay a significant amount of money. The VIP membership was priceless in the sense that you had to receive an invitation to join. The basement was even more "exclusive" it was a space where a handful of employees and VIP members could get access.

On the second floor, there was a large, private room with a floor made of black and white marble stone.

Two handsome men sat in the center of that room in complete silence they were playing chess. The club was built in such a way that the sound did not penetrate the floors, walls, and windows. It was to ensure there was a space for intimate conversations without unnecessary noise. Soundproofing was important for many reasons.

One of the room's occupants was wearing a white face mask fashioned similarly to the one that main character of "Phantom of the Opera" musical. Today there was a masquerade party downstairs and brothers were fitting the vibe of mysterious, and dangerous individuals perfectly.

"Fedorov is doing a lot of bold moves lately," Lorenzo said, his gaze didn't leave the chessboard. His brother, Raphael sat on the opposite side of him. It was a tradition that at least once a month the two brothers would arrange a game during which Lorenzo suffered a miserable defeat. It is worth noting here that he was not a bad player, on the contrary. It's just that his eldest brother was better. Rafael was a brilliant strategist. "Dimitri and Mikhail are trying to increase their influence at the expense of our interests" the younger sibling continued.

"There's no need to worry. Sooner or later, they will lose control of the situation," Rafael replied.

At one point three men entered the room, two were leading or otherwise - dragging some unfortunate man through the neatly polished floor. The man was trembling, his face was pale and his breathing was fast and shallow.

As soon as he was released, he threw himself towards Rafael's chair. Rafael did not move an inch even though his men pointed their guns at the man who dared to approach him so boldly. One false move and he will lose his life.

"I'm begging you, I really will pay everything back, have mercy please," he cried and started kissing Raphael's shoes.

You could tell that Raphael was bored and not impressed by men's actions because he was sitting with his elbow on the desk and a hand resting on his cheek. His cold, dark eyes had no compassion or understanding, they were unreadable. Because of the mask, it was impossible to sense his mood. No one felt his displeasure, which made him unpredictable and even more terrifying.

The man before him was on the verge of dying for some it's a good excuse to lose dignity, for Rafael it was distasteful.

"Antonio, come here," Rafael finally said lazily breaking absolute silence, "Yes, sir?"

"Bend towards me, I want to see your face up close," he said, making a finger gesture suggesting that his employee should come closer.

A loud crack echoed through the empty, spacious hall. Antonio was slapped hard by his boss, he felt the metallic taste of blood in his mouth "For the future, please remember not to introduce me to anyone who cannot behave. He licked my shoes like a dog and now they are all dirty "

"I'm so sorry sir. I'm going to ask someone to clean them," Antonio said, holding his cheek stinging.

"You will clean them. Use your tie. Now"

"Yes sir"

Rafael hated the lack of manners and dirt. He had big expectations from his employees because he expected a lot from himself. People like Antonio who were allowed to work closely with him should be able to understand what he wants without him saying a word. He demanded perfection.

"Leave," he said, seeing Antonio's pathetic attempts to get rid of the stains, "Call Melissa. I forgive you one last time, Antonio"

"Yes, I understand. Thank you"

Next, on the list of people to deal with was boot-licking trash. He was on the floor quivering with fear, Rafael sighted at this pitiful sight.

"Jacob, you steal from me, betray me and disrespect me and now you beg for forgiveness, now that you got caught you feel sorry?"

"Sir I wronged you do not forgive me, punish me, just don't kill me. I have children. I beg you"

"You think too highly of yourself. Do you believe I want your ripped guts dirtying my floor with blood? The crime you committed against my family means you lost our friendship and it's worse than death, you will lose everything you've worked for all your life"

Jacob's eyes widened as he realized the extent of consequences that stand behind Rafael's judgment.

"Marco, why is this man still here? Get him out" Lorenzo ordered as his brother finished his sentencing.

"Yes sir"

A thin blonde girl in a skimpy outfit of a French maid and a black Venetian mask knelt and started cleaning Rafael's shoes, while the gentlemen returned to the game, she looked as if she was even glad that she was here on one side, on the other, she looked at the man with fear.

"Melissa, would you like to go to my place after work, sweetheart?" said Lorenzo and looked at women's ass with desire in his eyes, she looked down, blushing.

"You're not taking her anywhere. Stop fucking my employees" Rafael said in a cold voice.

"Are you still dissatisfied with me hanging out with Catia?"

"I don't need staff turnover because my younger brother can't keep it in his pants"

"How are you stricter than dad? Poor Remi and Milo"

"If I see you acting in disorderly fashion you will move back home"

„You know what you need?"

„Hm?"

"A woman to order around"

"Don't be sexist Lorenzo, it doesn't matter to me what gender are people I order around. I have annoying little brothers to tell what to do already that's enough I have my limits you know"

"There's no limits to your obsession with controlling everything"

"Be careful little brother you don't want to hurt my feelings accidentally, right?"

"Oh, God no"

"Checkmate"

Lorenzo looked at the chessboard with surprise.

He lost another game.

♦️♦️♦️

Dear Readers,

I hope you like this chapter. Rafael is our male lead I hope I was able to show that he's a scary person 😂

I'm super nervous to post this so please leave a vote or a comment if you'd like to read more of my story. Thank you for reading ♥️