Temptation of Caspian Bianchi

Caspian Bianchi

~•~

"Please, boss..." he cried. "It was a mistake on my part."

I scoffed, looking at his form that was tied up and hanging upside down, tears and blood streaming down his head like a little bitch. It was a miracle he could still talk at this point. "A mistake?"

He tried to nod but the position he was in made it impossible. "Yes, sir. I promise it will never happen anymore."

Of course, it was not going to happen again. I wanted to end his life already but I wanted his death to be slow and torturous so every other man would learn from his mistake. He has to pay the price of trying to double-cross me. Did he think he could sell information about me and go Scott free? He had to be fucking delusional.

I took a drag of my cigarette, blowing the smoke right on his face. He coughed when it hit his nose and I stepped back so I wouldn't have more of his irritating blood on me.

"When did you strike a deal with them?" Then again, before I ended his life, I needed to know.

"About two months ago." He cried.

I hummed. "How much did they offer you?"

"Half a million, boss."

"I'm not your fucking boss, little bitch." His loyalty to me ended the day he struck a deal with my rivals. Why did he think he could easily come back and work for me?

"Boss, I–" his words were cut short when a bullet suddenly pierced the middle of his head.

I rolled my eyes as I turned around and as expected, Antonio was standing by the door with a gun in his hand. My first mistake was teaching that little brat how to use guns. I arched an eyebrow at him and he chuckled. "Come on, that bastard has been in here for a few days."

"I was going to give him a few more."

"He's a waste of time. You have more important things to do."

Sticking the butt of my cigarette into the latest corpse, I walked toward Antonio. When he saw me coming, he took several steps back. "More important things like what?"

He laughed nervously. "Let's go to your office first." Then, he ran out of the basement, heading straight for my office.

"Feed him to the dogs." I turned around to order my men before joining my little brother in my office.

My office was always locked, but Antonio had a key so when I entered, he was already in there waiting for me. I turned to the left to see him sitting on my chair. Opposite my table was a mirror that covered the entirety of the wall. Antonio said I had a kink for mirrors because of how much I put them all over the house but over the years, I'd learned to ignore him because all teenagers were blabbermouths.

"Have you started studying for your exams, you little shit?" I asked as I took a seat opposite him, not bothering to chase him away from mine. He was in his last year of high school and he wasn't entirely interested in it. He was more interested in shooting guns and killing people.

Antonio also wasn't looking forward to college, but I was going to force him anyway. Before he would properly be a part of the mafia, he was going to have a degree to his name.

He sighed. "Fuck that."

"I am going to kick you out if you don't pass."

"I'm your only brother, you won't do that to me."

"You're not my only sibling."

"Whatever. I'll just start my gang if you do."

"I'll wipe them out."

Antonio pouted. "You're no fun."

Sometimes, he acted like a baby, and other times, he acted like he was the toughest man in history. I loved him regardless. He and my sister were the only family I had. Our parents were long gone and we had to look out for ourselves.

"What's the important thing I have to take care of?"

"Oh, yes. I think the bastard I just killed gave off our location. I saw a few men lingering around."

"Did you kill them?"

"Not yet."

"Find one of the snipers to do that."

I had no plans of moving again. There was no way I was going to give up this house. I had spent three years decorating it to my taste and the vineyard that surrounded it was not anything I was going to give up. Aside from the usual dealings of the mafia, the vineyard was an independent business that thrived just as well. It was such a huge compound that one would have trouble walking around without getting tired.

"That was the least important matter. I have more important news for you."

"Spit it out already, Antonio." He liked beating around the bush as though to increase the tension and curiosity. It merely irritated me.

Antonio opened his mouth to speak but before he could say anything, the door to my office was pushed open. I gritted my teeth, turned around, and glared at the person who just entered without knocking.

Pedro didn't pay attention to the look I was giving him. "She is getting married."

"Damn it, Pedro," Antonio whined. "I was going to be the one to break it to him."

I immediately knew what they were talking about. "Getting married?"

"Well, not exactly getting married."

"Then, what the fuck is she doing? Stop testing my fucking patience."

The two men shared a look as my brother answered me. "She is having an engagement party right now, so I'm guessing marriage isn't far off."

"Marriage?" I scoffed. "With that bastard?"

"Are you going to stop it?"

I pondered on Pedro's question. It would be better for me to let her live her life the way she wanted. She had moved on, probably forgotten about me. I didn't want to go back into her life and ruin it again. I knew that if I saw her, I wouldn't be able to hold myself back, but I guess I had to give her my congratulatory gift, didn't I?

Larissa Maynard

~•~

I held my breath as Alesia zipped up my dress. It was way tighter than it needed to be but I had to go down in two minutes so there was no time to change it. Even if there was, my future mother-in-law wouldn't want me to change the dress. She had picked it herself and she also paid for it, as an engagement gift.

I was certain she knew it was a size too small because she was unnecessarily obsessed with my size. As though I wasn't thin enough, she wanted me to lose more weight. I'd be damned before putting my wedding dress in her hands.

Finally exhaling when it was all done, I turned around to smile at Alesia. "Thank you."

Her eyes ran across my body as though looking for something out of place. I was putting on a red strapless dress with a white beaded necklace and matching earrings. My hair was in a complicated updo that had been done by the hair stylist and my makeup was done perfectly by a professional. I was more than ready to face the millions of guests already in the hall.

She returned the smile when she didn't have anything else to complain about. "You need a smile to complete the look."

Most people said I had a resting bitch face and it was true. If I was walking alone on the road, I never looked approachable and I couldn't help it.

I forced out a chuckle. I was not into the idea of throwing an engagement party, but my parents thought otherwise. I was certain my wedding ceremony would be just as huge and I didn't want that. I wanted a small wedding with family and close friends, nothing more.

My parents were making a big deal out of this. It was just a marriage for fuck's sake.

"Try to pretend you're happy to be here." She smiled sarcastically before she left the room.

My smile dropped immediately after she left. I didn't like Alesia that much. She never did anything bad to me but she always made it seem like her brother was doing me a favor by getting married to me. If anything, it was the opposite. Getting married to Alexander would do his business a lot of good but I never thought about rubbing it in his face.

As she left, the door opened again and my brother poked his head through. A real smile finally spread across my face.

"I always knew you'd get married before me, but I didn't expect it anymore after..." he trailed off, not daring to mention his name.

I didn't even want to think about him. It had been five years since I last saw him but I could remember the details of his face vividly. I hated the fact that my thoughts still strayed to him sometimes, but I had moved on from him. I am a fully grown adult now. I had a boyfriend, now a fiancé, and a soon-to-be husband. I was doing just fine without him.

"It's his loss anyway." Luke walked toward me. "He missed out big time."

He did. He really did.

"Shall we?"

I nodded and put my hand through my brother's own as he led me out the door. I didn't get to see my brother a lot as he was always away on business trips. He was only thirty but he was already a workaholic just like my father.

Since they were making a big deal about our engagement, it was supposed to be my father bringing me down to meet my fiancé as though we were already the bride and groom, but I strongly opposed it. If anyone was going to bring me down to meet anyone, it was going to be my brother. He was literally my best friend.

I didn't have many friends and I had even fewer friends who genuinely gave a shit about me. I'd learned the hard way that we were all alone in this world, especially when we were involved in the business world, but my brother was always there for me.

I took a deep breath as we descended the stairs that led us to the hall where the guests were already waiting. Alexander was waiting at the foot of the stairs where Luke handed me to him.

Alex placed a kiss on my cheek before putting his hand around my waist. I clung onto his arm as we stepped into the hall, bringing all the focus to us.

"And here, we have our future bride and groom," the MC announced and some kind of stage light shone on us. It made me uncomfortable but I tried to ignore it, putting on my best smile for show. "We are gathered here to celebrate the union of Alexander Theodore and Larissa Maynard." The man laughed after that sentence like anything was funny. "My bad, that sounded like it was their wedding."

The crowd laughed – I still didn't get what was so funny – as they all looked at us.

Noticing I was uncomfortable with all the stares, Alexander leaned in. "Are you okay?"

I realized my smile had dropped and I quickly put it back in place. "I'm fine." If I said I wasn't, he was not going to do anything about it anyway. There was no point in telling him the truth.

I zoned out on the MC as he went on about irrelevant things. I was only brought back to reality when we had to make a toast. Alexander and I went on the makeshift stage and after Alex gave some kind of opening speech, I smiled accordingly, staying beside him because apparently, that was my role.

Since I was not going to be saying anything, I had no reason to go up there with him but the planners of this party had different ideas from mine. They said it'd show our strength as a couple as though we could fight off enemies by opening our mouths to give a few speeches.

Fuck, I was so done with this party and it hadn't even properly started.

Larissa Maynard

~•~

My engagement party, which was supposed to be a happy evening for me, was one of the most torturous parties I'd ever been to. I had to put on a smile and pretend to like the numerous people in the room, most of whom I didn't know. I didn't know if it was an engagement party or an opportunity to meet new clients and investors.

Alexander was busy socializing with everyone while I stood beside him. After congratulating us on our engagement, everyone went straight to business. I didn't even see the point of the party anymore.

I was bored as hell, but I tried not to let it show in my face as I looked around until someone tapped me. I turned around and my eyes went wide, a bright smile spreading across my face when I saw my friend, Bridget. I almost kissed her in delight.

She smiled politely at Alexander. "Congratulations on your engagement."

"Thank you, Bridget."

"May I steal Larissa for a few minutes?"

My eyes shone with gratefulness at her words. While I didn't mind taking the opportunity to meet new people in the business world, it was my engagement party for fuck's sake. Although I wasn't the biggest fan of the party, they should have some decency.

"No problem." He said smoothly, kissing me on my cheek. He avoided kissing me on the lips because he didn't want to ruin my lipstick, according to him. "Come find me later, Rissa."

I smiled tightly as I walked away with Bridget. I hated the name, Rissa, and he knew it. Well, he should because of how much I'd said it but it didn't stop him. If anything, it propelled him to call me that often. It had become a habit of him and I didn't bother calling him out on it anymore:

Taking my mind off Alexander, I looked at Bridget. "You told me you weren't going to make it."

She laughed. "I am just coming from the airport."

I scanned her outfit, holding back a laugh. She was dressed formally in a blue suit jacket and matching pants.

She hit my shoulder lightly. "You are lucky I didn't have the time to change. I would have outshone you in your own party."

It didn't feel like my party anyway.

Bridget was a very beautiful woman with a slender figure. Her red hair called for attention and her beautiful brown eyes were captivating. She made people shiver with just one stare. We had been friends since I graduated college. She was also my closest friend.

"You saved me from killing myself." I sighed as we approached the buffet. "All they're doing is talking about business. It makes me feel like I'm not serious with the company seeing as I have no interest in their talks."

She laughed. "I feel you. It would hurt a woman's pride to have her husband focus more on business than on her."

"We are not married yet."

"You're going to get married anyway."

That was very true. I was going to get married soon, and knowing my in-laws, they would want to rush us into it. I had never really thought about getting married, but that was until Alexander proposed to me and I saw no reason to decline.

If I were to get married, I would as well marry him. I wouldn't say I loved him very much, but I liked him enough and that was okay. Bridget often reminded me that my thoughts were self-sabotaging, but as long as I wasn't hurting myself or Alexander, I was okay.

I was content with life. There was nothing particularly exciting about it, but it was okay.

Just as I took a plate, I thought better of it and shook my head. Bridget raised an eyebrow as she started filling up her plate with the variety of food available.

"If I eat anything, I'm certain this dress would come off immediately. I'll eat when I get home."

I hadn't eaten all day and I was hungry as hell, but a few more hours wouldn't hurt. I wasn't looking forward to embarrassing myself at this party. The headlines would change from 'the engagement party of Larissa and Alexander' to 'Wyatt Maynard's only daughter had her dress come off at her own engagement party. I wonder if the wedding would be just as entertaining'.

Bridget shook her head, shooting me a pitying look. "Why are you wearing such a tight dress anyway? Your breasts are literally spilling out."

"I suppose my mother-in-law doesn't mind if I flaunt my cleavage to every man within a mile radius."

She laughed as we found a table to settle at. "Your relationship with her will forever amuse me. You know for a marriage to work, you have to be on good terms with his mother, right?"

"I know, I know, but does she know that?" She was riddled with the idea that she was older so she had more experiences and was always right.

It was not my fault that his mother and I had clashing personalities. She loved the opposite of what I loved. We were bound to clash when it came to my wedding preparations. She also didn't like me very much, but she knew the benefits of her son getting married to me.

It also didn't help that Alexander was a huge mama's boy. Don't get me wrong, I was all for having a good relationship with your parents, but even if his mother made the most outrageous demands, he would try to see reason in them. He never dared to say no to her. She knew that and she used it to her advantage.

I eyed the food on Bridget's plate, stealing a shrimp when it got too much. One shrimp wouldn't hurt, would it?

Alexander and I were supposed to get married in six months. I already knew it was going to be the longest six months of my life.