Chapter 26 I Just Don't Want To Please Him

“Ouch!” Antonio’s grip on my chin was so tight, I thought it might shatter. The pain brought tears to my eyes as I clawed at him, leaving scratches on the back of his hand. He seemed immune to the pain, his anger making his oppression even stronger. I was barely able to breathe.

“I’ll talk, I’ll talk! Just let me go,” I cried out to him.

Antonio finally released his grip, and intense fear left my body weak. I leaned on the wheelchair’s armrest, letting my tears flow freely for a moment before slowly regaining my composure.

I raised a hand to wipe my face, smearing tears and snot on my sleeve. “You say I deceived you, but haven’t you also deceived me?”

“I deceived you?” he questioned.

“Isn’t it obvious? I’ve come to realize you loosened Dante’s oversight, allowing me to escape the apartment,” I glared at Matteo, who was hiding by the garden door alongside Dante. “I'm just a toy in your hands, only able to escape when you loosen your grip.”

Antonio gave me an appreciative look. “Smart girl, you guessed right.” He toyed with a strand of my hair, as if manipulating me as well. “I monitor everything you do; it’s my way of protecting you. And as your employer, you should assure me of your loyalty.”

“Don’t dress up your vile hobbies with nobility—it’s just your nasty possessiveness acting up.”

“Why did you come to Philadelphia?”

I tried to turn my head away, refusing to answer, but Antonio forcefully turned it back. “I don’t necessarily need an answer, but the less you want to say, the more I want to know.”

“You monitor everything, don’t you? Then why don’t you know why I’m here?”

“I’ve given you chances, Sienna, but you keep missing them.” Antonio sneered, showing me his weapon—a sharp dagger that easily snipped off a strand of my hair. “Don’t try to deceive me, or I’ll use this to crush Vince’s eyes, cut out his tongue, and slice off his flesh piece by piece.”

I trembled with rage. “Despicable bastard, demon!” It infuriated me even more that I was compromising with Antonio again because of my despicable father.

“Are you going to talk?”

“My dad came to Philadelphia, he stole my money, I was afraid he’d gamble it away here.”

Antonio squinted at me, clearly not believing me.

“I’m telling the truth, there’s no deception, you can check my dad’s whereabouts!”

“Is that so? Then why didn’t you say so in the beginning instead of lying to me? What are you hiding, Sienna?”

Antonio’s gaze was piercing, as if he could see through all my pretenses. My whole body trembled; I dared not expose my other social connections to him, fearing I might bring disaster upon them.

But I didn’t know what consequences continued secrecy could bring; I was scared.

“A relative’s engagement party.” I swallowed hard, deciding to reveal part of the truth. “I came for a relative’s engagement, but my dad also came to Philadelphia, and I’m worried he might gamble and cause more trouble.”

I slumped back into the wheelchair, staring blankly at the sea of flowers in front of me, suddenly feeling helpless. “I hate him; he causes trouble for me every day. And I hate myself for not being able to cut ties with him, knowing he’s a despicable gambler. I don’t know what to do, $80 million is just too much.”

My bank account didn’t even have $100,000, and even after selling the house and car, I couldn’t raise a million.

One $80 million had crushed my dignity and my life, but as long as my father continued gambling, it was only a matter of time before he lost another $80 million.

My foot had swollen again, and Antonio carried me back to the room, requesting ice from the hotel.

As the ice approached, I shuddered with cold, my ankle firmly in his grip. “Still planning to run?”

I wanted to run, but I couldn’t say it in front of Antonio.

I sniffled, my voice hoarse. “I won’t run anymore.”

Antonio chuckled coldly. “Little liar.”

I pursed my lips, staying silent until he pressed the ice against my leg, causing cold sweat to break out instantly. “Please, be gentle.”

My plea seemed to please Antonio; he loosened his grip and turned to pull a clean towel from the bathroom cabinet. He wrapped the ice securely in the towel before continuing to apply it to my foot.

“Now that I’ve confessed, can I leave?” I watched my ankle, now carefully wrapped, and cautiously eyed Antonio.

I didn’t know what I had done to displease Antonio further, his face darkening as he growled menacingly at me, "Remember, you are entirely mine, not just in bed, but every part of your body. I don't want you getting hurt over anything else! If you disobey, I will lock you up like a dog, or I'll destroy you!"

I knew he wasn't just threatening; he was serious. I believed Antonio would do it; there was nothing too cruel for the mafia to shy away from.

I dared not speak of leaving again, frustrated and resentful that he hadn’t kept his word to let me go after my confession. Antonio was a liar, a scum!

After taking a phone call, he left, leaving Matteo and Dante to continue guarding me.

"Do you want some ice cream?" Matteo asked awkwardly.

"It’s what Boss ordered," Matteo said with a hurt expression, looking more like a child than a fierce mobster.

"I don’t want any." I wasn’t in the mood for ice cream.

"Miss Corsetti doesn’t want it, can I have it?" Matteo happily ran off to tell Dante.

That evening, Antonio unusually wanted to have dinner with me. But I was still angry, and he playfully pinched my cheek. "Still angry."

I angrily swatted his hand away. "You’re going to swell my face!"

"I don’t pinch you face." Antonio’s hand moved over my clothes to my breast. "Can I pinch here?"

My face flushed instantly, and I crossed my arms over my chest, scolding him, "Pervert!"

Antonio laughed heartily. He was teasing me again, and my reaction had pleased him. He suddenly swept me up in his arms and carried me into the bathroom amid my protests.

"What are you doing?" I was placed on the vanity, clinging to the edge to avoid falling off.

"If you won’t eat, then it must be time for a bath," Antonio said as he began filling the bathtub. "You don’t want to go to bed without showering, do you?"

Of course, I didn’t; sleeping without a shower would be uncomfortable, but Antonio’s actions scared me. He couldn’t mean to wash me himself!

"I can wash myself."

"You think you can wash yourself?" Antonio waited to see my blunder. "Go ahead, if you can get down by yourself."

I stared blankly at the floor below; it wasn’t too high if my foot hadn’t been injured. Jumping down would normally be no problem.

But with my injured foot, jumping would only worsen it.

Damn, Antonio was indeed making fun of me! But I didn’t want him to win, my stubbornness kicking in. So what if it hurts more!

I closed my eyes, pushed off with my hands, and jumped from the vanity.

The second I jumped, Antonio’s roar of anger exploded in my ears.