The bride of the Darkcorvus

*Marcella POV*

"Another shot!" I demand, slamming the shot cup back to the counter. The bartender pours more liquor; I pick it up close to my mouth and gulp it all down my throat. My throat burns as a punishment for my greediness.

"Hello Damsel!" I made an annoying sound and turned to look at the owner of the deep, husky voice. His face screams perfection: brooding shoulders that would be so sexy to wrap arms around, arms covered with beautiful tattoos, and a few piercings on both sides of his ear, nose, and tongue, I guess. I drool for some minutes but slap myself back to reality. I should be worried about my life right now, not drooling over a stranger; I've just a few hours as a single lady.

"Do you mind having a drink with me?" I roll my eyes at his polite approach. I know what dudes like him want. I flap my chocolate hair rudely, my brown eyes checking him out.

"Go over that dancefloor; you will find the pawn you are looking for; they are all tailored to your taste." I watch the strange man from the corner of my eyes; his face forms a deep frown, but he quickly replaces it with a sweet smile.

"You got good acting skills," I score him in my mind. I snap my fingers in the air, thereby calling the bartender.

"Give this gentleman six cups of short; I will pay; at least let me pay him for his entrainment." My words hold a hint of sarcasm; the strange man chuckles, and I arch my brows at him.

"I hope you don't mind sharing it with me, or are you a newbie in alcohol?" I feel my body boil at that statement; it lessens my ego as a person. "Two more shots, please," I order foolishly. I have reached my limit, but I hate when someone dares me; it hurts my ego.

He drank the six shorts repeatedly and was able to finish it within a minute. I am tempted by his performance and also decide to prove to him that I'm up to the task; it turns out to be my greatest mistake. As soon as I'm done taking the two shots, making it a total of ten shots I have taken for the night, my mind becomes foggy. I could barely stand properly or hold my sight; my eyes were spinning heavily.

"Are you okay?" I feel the strange's breath fanned my ear; he is too close, too fucking close; he is calling out my hormones at this state. I badly wanted to push him away; he was looking like a sweet temptation right now.

"Where are you heading? I can take you there." His question reminds me of home, a home that used to be my haven but now is like a haunted house to me.

"Please, don't take me home." I cry out like a baby, tugging the shirt of the strange man. "Take me to somewhere safe, somewhere away from the world." I plead, hands clutching onto the button of his vintage shirt; his cologne calls me further until I find myself sniffing him like a pig.

"Alright, mia cara (my dear), I will get you to my haven." My face tilted up only to make contact with his dark grin, which made me go weak on my knees.

He leads me towards the upper floor of the club; we trot further until we get to a particular door; he swipes the key card across it; it makes a ding sound, and it opens. We both walk inside; I was wobbling heavily, but he holds me, his warm hands providing the support that I need.

He gently placed me on the bed like a gentleman and went down in front of me. I gasped, highly waiting for a proposal or something, but his next action made a gush of embarrassment wash past my face. Of course, he simply wants to help me take off my heels. What was I thinking? Was I expecting a ring? Pathetic!

He softly lifted my slender legs one after the other and took off my heels. His moves were so posh that heat built up in my face. I have never seen any man treat me this way.

I feel like Cinderella, who is in the arms of her prince charming; although I'm a princess in truth, I know I can never have a prince charming.

His hands accidentally brushed past my thigh, and it caused a spark, my blood running wild. I don't know why, but all of a sudden, I badly crave a man's touch, my core throbbing with need.

"Do you need me to prepare a bath for you?" His voice was so sweet and tempting, and his gray eyes bore into mine; I could read 'lust' he craves me, just how much I crave him.

"Damn this, fuck the pretense, fuck being a virgin!" I curse inwardly, swiftly attacking the handsome stranger with my mouth. He didn't hold back as well; our bodies heated up more as the kiss turned intense, and before we could figure out what was happening, our clothes were already flying out to the ground of the room while we pushed ourselves further into the bed.

"Hmm!" I moan out, wrapping my legs around his waist, exploring deeper into his alluring and delicious lips.

"God! MIA(Mine)!" He groans out in his sweet Italian accent, making me more aroused.

"I want every inch of you!" He breathes out, our breath hitching into each other's ears. This just seems like we have been lovers for years, who reunited; the chemistry was one I never thought existed; it felt like I understood what he wanted, and he, in return, understood me. I can't believe the great Marcella Hunt is in the arms of a man, making out! I bet the world I came from will die from shock if they ever see this.

My thoughts were cut short by a harsh penetration. "Argh!" I scream out like a banshee when I feel my hymen tear most brutally. I have taken a huge risk and here is what happens next......

*Autorino POV*

I have cars, houses, companies, diamonds, gold, uncountable money currency, and power; but what I know I don't have is a heart; in fact, I'm not born with one.

My dark gray eyes bore into those of the old greedy man; if eyes could kill, I'm sure I would have dropped this man a long time ago.

"What do you want?" I demand coldly. I have gone through thick and thin. Pay a high price for what I am today, and I wouldn't allow any scumbag to destroy my hard work.

"I never knew the leader of the Darkcorvus could be this forgetful; I don't want to believe you traveled all the way from your territory, not knowing what you were coming for?" My knuckles tightened, teeth chattering, clearly displaying my anger.

"Mr Hunt, cut straight to the chase!" My voice erupts in the air, making an abrupt matching foot of my goons; they put up a stance of alert, pointing their weapons towards Hunt before redirecting them to Hunt's goons.

"Tornare indietro!" I order them firmly, and they revert immediately. Mr Hunt spares me a deadly glare. The air was tense, and the room fell silent for a split second before Mr Hunt cleared his throat to ease the atmosphere, but that didn't do much; my muscles were still tense, and I was exploding inside.

"You'll marry my daughter; after your wedding, I will destroy all the evidence." He proclaims and takes in a deep breath.

I swallow hard, waiting for my brain to simply download what I just heard. My head falls to the back, my body shaking with the sheer power of my laughter. "Ha-hahah!" It looks like I just heard the most stupid joke in the world.

"The Darkcorvus' and the Hunts'?" I clawed my unkempt beard, asking a rhetorical question.

"Yes; either you agree to this or you watch the Vipers burn you and your family to death!" He yells, storming his fist on the mahogany table. I press hard on the bridge of my nose; this crock surely wants to end me.

The Vipers aren't just any family to be messed with; not that I'm not confident in taking them down, but my family members won't be able to take the hit. If only my younger brother had not been so stupid to go and take the precious life of an important member of theirs, this wouldn't have happened, and the fact that this old devil was there made my fate more ill. If he gives them the evidence, a bloody battle will break out, and I'm the one likely to lose.

"Can I ask a question?" I intone after a long silence. "Do you hate your daughter this much? The last time I heard she is your only child and the apple of your eyes?" I tilt my head to the side, trying to read any meaning as to why he wants to give me his daughter when he knows the kind of being I am.

"Ha-hahah!" He let out a soft, short laugh. "I cherish her dearly; that's why I'm handing her over to you." He replies.

"Mind you! Any single scratch on her or even a teardrop from her precious eyes, I will kill you!" He added a stern warning, which made me give out a wry smile.

"Interesting!" I reclined on my seat, legs crossed in the most posh way. "I bet you are making the wrong choice, Mr Hunt---" He cut me off and responded, "Leave that to me."

"Fine, I agree, so when are you handing over the evidence to me?" I demand.

"Not in a rush, Boy." He smiles mockingly. The word 'boy' he used to address me made my blood boil to the perk. I pulled out my pistol in a swift motion; he did the same, and we both ended up pointing at each other's skull, glaring hard.

CLICK......CLAK___

We both turn our heads in unison in the direction of the annoying sound of heels. A beautiful, slender figure advancing closer to us, her steps filled with elegance, her well-proportioned face gave off beauty, her skin was flawless, and she had shining brown eyes that could burn a world down to crips.

My eyes blink to clear my vision so that I can fully study her petite figure. When it comes to beauty, she was well created like an angel; the physical rumors of hers did no justice at all.

"Oh, welcome, baby girl; come and look who we've got here." Mr Hunt's statement made me come back to my senses.

The lady was close to us; she and her father exchanged body greetings; our eyes made contact; it seemed she had cried, but why? "Who dares to make her cry?" My knuckles clenched-I didn't know why I thought of that-is it pity or something else? This is my enemy's pawn for sake; get your act right!

She shifts her gaze from me and faces her father, her expression holding distaste and irritation. I am angered by her action. I am holding myself, not slamming her against the wall, and gushing out all the breath from her. How dare she ignore my existence like that!?

"Marcella, greet your fiancé properly!" Her father reprimands. At least he has the brains to do that. The lady turns to me and waves a hand, "Hi." How rude! I clench my teeth barely, making a screeching sound. This damn girl is rude, a spoiled brat!

"Don't you have manners!" I roar out, not able to contain my rage; even Hunt flinches a bit away from us. I leveled my eyes at her, and she did the same, not budging.

"I reckon the date is fixed; please let me know when I'll go order the wedding rag." She speaks out, her statement directed to no one in particular. She attempted to walk past me, but I reflected quickly and dragged her back with a sheer force that would make any lady fall to their knees, but this girl was different; her strength was able to weigh my action. "Tsk!" A resounding slap hit my face; the force of it made me stagger backward, "Did this brat just hit me!?"

*Marcella POV*

FEW HOURS BACK_____

I am tossing and turning on a soft mattress. "Yeah!" I hum softly before my eyelids flap open. "Fuck!" I fly out of bed like someone who was bitten by a spider.

The cover drops my body due to my action. I facepalm myself, staring at my naked inflection in the mirror. I need no genius to tell me what I had done.

"Holy Chris!" I clench my teeth barely, gripping my chocolate-wavy hair. A conversational voice from the outside flowed into my ear; they were discussing a wedding plan; that's when my mind clicked about mine. "Jesus! Father ---" I scream out, running around the door to get my dress and shoes that were scattered everywhere in the room. "The bastard!" I curse at the fortunate person I met yesterday.

I rush out of the room all dressed up, heading to my father's residence. I don't know why he badly wants to get me married, not that he will gain anything from this marriage alliance, he already has wealth and connections. What else is his purpose for this marriage? I didn't agree with this, this marriage is like a threat to me, a threat to the secret I have been hiding for years. But how do I escape this fate?

__________&_____

I step down from the Bugatti and walk straight into my father's house. He requested for me to come here today to see my so-called fiance.

I walk with a confident swagger into the house, shoulders back and my hips swaying. As soon as I am near my father's 1970s furnished-style sitting room, I add more pressure to my foot due to the tense atmosphere.

"They said, 'The first impression matters.' I don't care who the fuck he is, but for him to have the guts to point his pistol at my father, he earns me as an enemy from today." I conclude inwardly.

The noise coming off my heels made their attention shift towards my direction, and they quickly slipped away from each other.

"Welcome, baby girl!" My father's face lit up quickly with a bright smile. "Come and take a look at who we've got here," he gestures towards the other man. I spare him a glance; his unkempt beard makes me want to puke. I don't think I can stand this one," I whisper to myself, unable to shield the feelings from my expression.

My gaze shifts back to my father. "Good morning, father," I spare him a hug.

"Marcella, greet your fiancé properly!" He reprimands me, knowing I am purposely ignoring the man. "Tsk!" I smack my teeth with my tongue, feeling so annoyed with my bone. "Hi!" I manage to say before turning away from him.

"Don't you have manners!" He roars out, his face glows red, his cheeks burning with rage; even my father flinches back. I was too scared at first but quickly recomposed myself. "He can't hurt me," I assure myself inwardly, leveling my gaze at his gaze, not budging.

I tear my orbs away after a while and say, "I reckon the date is fixed; please let me know when I'm going to order my wedding rag." I attempt to walk away after my statement, but a muscular, tattooed hand pulls me back with sheer force; if I hadn't held my ground tight, I would have landed barely on the floor.

I reflex swiftly with my left hand and give him a resounding slap that erupts in the silent atmosphere. The sound of several mouths grasping emits the atmosphere as well. The world looks like it is still for a moment.

The man's hand is still on his face, staring at me with unbelievable eyes. I, too, on the other hand, was breathing heavily, my hands shaking because of what I had done. I didn't mean to hit him; it was all a mistake.

"Please, Autorino, let this slide." Thanks to my father, who intervened, allowing me to catch a moment of fresh breath.

"You need to teach your brat of a daughter some manners!" He barks out, eyes fixed on me with a piercing stare; his eyes were blazing like a hungry wolf. He turns away to leave, and his goons follow suit.

"The wedding is still going to be held on Thursday, STILL!" My father shouts out to him. I use that opportunity to race out of the sitting room to my room; I don't have time for his sermon right now.

I rush into my room and close the door immediately. "Ah!" I scream out in fear due to a sudden movement, but it turns out to be my pet. "Ava, for fuck sake!" I kicked my cat with my foot; she licked my leg in return, and that brought a soothing feeling to my body.

I hunch down and pick her up; hunching back up, something drops from my pocket. A diamond panther bracelet-yeah, I saw it at the hotel and couldn't resist the feeling of taking it. I guess it belongs to the bastard I laid with yesterday.

I walk to my bed, place Ava on it, and I sit beside her as well. "Ava, what should I do? Should I run away?" I speak to her in a hushed tone; she just stares back at me with her bright brown eyes. That's what we both have in common. On some occasions in this type of conversation, she would make a sound to give a sign of approval or shake her head as a sign of disapproval, but today she is indicating no response, and it's pissing me. I abruptly stand up, smacking my teeth with my tongue and pulling on my hair hardly. "Bravo, it seems everyone and everything in my life is so fucked up. First, my dad decides to marry me off to a stranger. I left home to clear my head about the situation and ended up getting fucked, and now my bestie refuses to talk to me."

I turn back to my cat with blazing eyes. "Listen, I'm not going to sit here and allow---" The rest of my statement stuck in my throat when my eyes caught a ticket lying on my desk. "That's a ticket to the book fair I wanted to attend last week; the event was supposed to last for a month and it's just one week gone." That's when it hits me that there is a way out of all of this.

"Ava! Get ready for some adventure." I dance on my toe, cooking my escapade.