Chapter 368

Aria The expression on his face made me anxious and worried. This was not a friendly visit.

“I didn’t know you had company.” Vince looked through me, eyeing Angelo. I nudged Angelo’s shoulder, forcing him to step forward so I could introduce him.

“Uh, this is-

“I know who this is.” Vince snarled in a tone I had yet to hear from his mouth.

“Angelo Marino,” Angelo stuck out his hand, showing off his good manners. “I’m looking forward to working…and living with you.”

Vince scrunched his nose at the word ‘living’ and placed his hand behind his back, rejecting Angelo’s gesture. “Aria, can we talk.” He ignored his presence. “In private?”

“Sure.” I turned to Angelo. “Do you mind giving us a minute?”

“Not at all!” He spoke, giving Vince one last smile.

As impatient as he looked, Vince tapped his feet on the floor, waiting for Angelo to exit the hall. With his hands through his hair, he let out a frustrated sigh.

“I hadn’t expected to do this again, but you just won’t let me live in peace.”

What?

“W-what have I done this time?” I thought about my wrongdoings. I behaved as he asked me to, didn’t cause any trouble, and hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary.

“Are you familiar with Corco’s Bakery?”

“Yes, I am,” I remembered the shop I had visited on collectors’ day. How could I forget?

“Did you use my name to scare them into paying you?” Vince’s soft tone did not match the angry expression on his face.

I didn’t use his name to scare them into paying. They had already paid before that.

“Not really, I just-

“Did you or did you not?” Vince lost his patience this time, glaring at me as if I was the most disgusting human being on the planet.

This was what Angelo had warned me about, and maybe he was onto something after all.

While I wanted Vince to like and respect me, I could not allow him to walk over me.

“I didn’t,” I clarified-but he still wasn’t buying it.

“Are you sure?” Vince doubted me. “I asked you if there was something I should know, and you told me there wasn’t.” He brought back the previous conversation we had shared in the car.

“Just tell me the truth.”

Truth?

Did he want the truth?

“Well, I might’ve told the owner that I would send you the next time-but seeing your butthurt reaction…. I’m not that sure anymore.” The words left my mouth so quickly. In my mind, it sounded way nicer.

Towards others, Vince was a kind person, but that same kindness had also become his weakness.

He would rather be a bootlicker who would rather defend a group of people he didn’t know if that meant he didn’t have to protect his fiancée.

Not a good quality.

The so-called “gentleman’ act in the car was a lie. I could finally see his true colors and they were not looking that bright.

“My butthurt reaction?” Vince pointed to himself, utterly confused. “You’re using my name to fear others, but you think I’m the one overreacting?”

“Maybe a little.” I shrugged, not backing down.

“I didn’t want to hurt you, and I didn’t know you would get this upset-for that, I’m sorry.”

“But?”

“But if you plan on leading the Morales and the Garcias, you need to grow thicker skin, and you need to man up.” I gave him a piece of mind.

It wasn’t as if I had cut off an innocent man’s head. All of this wasn’t necessary.

“And by man up, you mean scaring people?” Vince shook his head, looking disgusted.

What was wrong with that?

“In this business, being feared is a good thing.” I reminded him, giving him the same lessons I had once received. It worked out perfectly fine for our family. People respected us, families wanted to be like us.

“You sound like my father.” Vince disagreed with my words.

This was one of the main reasons why the Garcias weren’t getting anywhere. Fabio Garcia might’ve been a demon, but he was powerful and at one point, before he’d allegedly completely lost his mind, feared and respected.

“Well, maybe you need to be more like Fabio!” Those words weren’t meant to leave my mouth, as I knew how sensitive of a subject it was.

I had said something horrible, and I didn’t know how to take it back.

With an awful pit in my stornach, I looked at Vince’s dark, cold eyes, which showed no emotion.

Mentioning his father had triggered something.

Even if I wanted to apologize, I had no idea where to start because he had already clarified that he didn’t want to get compared to that man.

“I’ll be paying off Joe Coreo’s debt.” Vince shrugged off my comment despite not losing his dark gaze.

“You can’t do that!” I panicked, trying to save his reputation. “D-dad will—”

“I can, and you will never threaten that family or anyone else in that neighborhood ever again. Not while using my name!” Vince stated, not showing any intention of hearing me out.

He turned his heel and walked off as I tried to find the words not to let him get away. Paying off one of our client’s debts with his own money would not only give the Garcias a bad name, but the Morales’ as well.

Dad might even kill me.

“I’m telling you right now-I’ll do anything to prevent that from happening!” I yelled out.

A chuckle escaped from Vince’s lips, before he turned his head to look into my eyes.

“And if you do that.” His gaze was intense. “I promise you-we will live a very dreadful marriage.”

“And what about it?” I didn’t like where his threat was going. “Don’t pretend like you weren’t planning on doing that in the first place!”

“Aria, let’s not go there.” Vince tilted his head, eyeing me in complete shock. “I’ve already told you before, and I don’t know how to get through that big head of yours-but you forced me to marry you.”

“I gave you a chance to cut off the engagement. You told me it would ruin our family’s reputation.

You told me you needed me.” I didn’t know how to keep my mouth shut.

“You know, I’m actually doing you a favor, and I do not have to marry you!” I used Angelo’s words, knowing damn well I still wanted him. Call it love or obsession-but I was willing to work through all his flaws.

“I’ll tell my dad—”

“Tell him what?” Vince snapped, stepping closer and closer. “That you’ll embarrass him by canceling the wedding?”

“That your loser fiancé is weak enough to pay off a family’s debt and that you’ve misjudged him and failed your family?” He stood right in front of me as I held my breath. “What will you tell him, tell me?”

“I-I His face, inches away from mine, made it hard to concentrate. I was used to getting my way, and back home, everyone used to bow down to me. Men were at my feet, and even if they had a lot to say- none dared say it to my face.

“I think it’s time for you to go.” Angelo saved me, pushing me aside, allowing him to stand face to face with Vince.

I should’ve known someone as nosy as Angelo wouldn’t have gone that far.

Once again, he had shown me that he was attentive and reliable.

Vince, who held a staredown with Angelo, didn’t move an inch and chuckled as if the man in front of him was below him.

A sane person would’ve seen that as a bad sign, but I saw that as a victory. He had a talent for intimidating others, and once I could finally get through to him, and he would know how to make good use of it—

he would be unstoppable. We would be unstoppable.

“I’m not doing this with Aria’s little dog.” Vince patted Angelo’s shoulder, making a fool out of him. “A Marino out of all people. You’re not even on my level. He whispered the last part, pushing his way through Angelo back to me.

My body froze as Vince’s dark brown eyes burned into mine. His finger reached my chin, gently lifting it to ensure I wouldn’t miss a thing.

“Quick summary, you will not use my name anymore. I will pay Joe Coreo the money he owes you, and you will not interfere.” Saying no wouldn’t be possible no matter how badly I wanted to.

“Yes.” I mouthed, losing my ability to speak. The way he spoke left me in a trance, weak and vulnerable.

“So you can listen. Vince moved his thumb across my cheek, the same way one would caress its obedient puppy. “Do you remember me telling you I still had the tiniest bit of respect left for you?”

“Y-yes.”

“Not anymore.” Vince broke my heart to the core. “This unbearable personality of yours don’t worry, I will fix it.” He released my chin.

Fit me? I should be the one fixing him.

“Have a nice day, Aria.” Vince’s mouth found its way to my ear, giving me shivers. He whispered his words, excluding Angelo, who had not moved a muscle, from our conversation.

“I’ll see you at the wedding you’ve forced me to be a part of.”

“We will smile, play pretend, and have a good time, and I can’t wait to see you in the dress your mom picked out for you because you’re not allowed to make your own decisions.”