Chapter 82: Getting Freedom Or Getting Fucked?

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That sounded more terrifying than anything else. The scary part wasn’t staying with Lorenzo...it was the possibility that a part of me actually might want to.

I stepped back. "N...no."

His eyebrows went up. "No?"

"I need conditions."

"I expected that."

"I want a written contract."

His mouth curved into a smile. "A contract?"

"Yes."

"You don’t trust me."

I shot him a flat look. "You tore up our last agreement."

"That was different."

"How so?"

"I changed my mind."

"Exactly."

His eyes sparkled with amusement. "So now you want paperwork."

"I want something you can’t rip apart the moment you feel emotional."

"I wasn’t emotional."

"You kissed me and destroyed my divorce papers, you freak!"

"That wasn’t an emotional decision."

"What was it?"

"A marital one."

I stared at him. "That’s even worse."

He chuckled. I turned to Nikolai. "Do you hear this guy?"

Nikolai looked distinctly uncomfortable and confused. "Uhh..."

"Smart."

Lorenzo shook his head. "Fine."

I turned back. "Fine?"

"We’ll have a contract prepared."

I blinked. "You agree?"

"Yes."

"Written?"

"Yes."

"Signed?"

"Of course."

"Witnessed?"

His eyebrow arched. "You’re quite thorough."

"I’ve learned my lesson."

"You have."

I squinted at him. "And you have to swear."

"Swear what?"

"That you won’t go back on your jackshit word."

Lorenzo’s smile turned almost fond. "You want me to swear?"

"Yes."

"Very well."

He stepped closer. "I swear that if you win, I’ll give you the divorce you want and release you from our marriage."

My heart raced. "And if you win?"

"I’ll expect you to honor your side."

I swallowed, fully aware of what I was agreeing to. There’d be no running if I lost...no escape plans. It would mean choosing him entirely, giving up the freedom I’d always craved, the future I had envisioned.

It meant facing truths I wasn’t ready to confront, including the prospect of losing my virginity and having children with him one day.

That last thought terrified me more than I wanted to admit. I’d never even considered becoming a parent; I hadn’t even learned to take care of myself fully. Imagining carrying another’s child felt like stepping into an endless future that loomed large before me.

But the flip side of this gamble was freedom. Real freedom. For once, the choice would be mine...not Richard’s, not Lydia’s, not Lorenzo’s. Mine.

I knew i couldn’t stand a chance against a literal mafia don.

But this was my last chance! I didn’t have anything to lose and I knew deep down that I would have to submit and present my omega to him to mark and bond with to be mates for eternity whether challenge included or not.

Plus...it give a good excuse to beat his ass.

What? He pisses me off sometimes, so I wanna fight him.

Call me childish or weird, I don’t fucking give a shit.

I looked at him and let out a mischievous smile myself. "Deal."

Lorenzo’s smile returned. "Good."

I pointed a finger at him. "But if I win, don’t suddenly find some loophole."

"I won’t."

"And don’t claim the contract doesn’t count because of your status as Don."

"Whatever you say is law, my love."

I narrowed my eyes at him. He was enjoying this way too much.

Then he leaned in closer as his voice dropped. "I look forward to seeing your pretty face after you lose, tesoro mio."

I scoffed and corrected. "If I lose, Dracula....If."

I stepped closer as well, refusing to be intimidated. "You should prep yourself to be a single man, when I win."

His eyes glinted with amusement. "A very optimistic Omega you are."

"A realistic one."

"You’re so cute when you’re confident."

I pointed at him again. "And if I win, I’m out."

His smile stayed. "We’ll see."

I loathed those words. Every time Lorenzo said "we’ll see," my life became messier.

He turned to Nikolai. "Teach him well."

Nikolai straightened. "Yes, Don."

Lorenzo strolled away, completely relaxed, leaving me standing there, heart racing, feeling a sinking sensation settle in my stomach.

Nikolai watched him vanish through the archway before he turned to me. I met his gaze.

"Well," I said.

He sighed. "You have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into."

"You are absolutely correct, sensei!"

Nikolai sighed and face palmed, "This is going to be a very long couple of weeks."

I touched my face. I was. Because beneath all the fear, all the uncertainty, and every dreadful possibility, there was a spark I hadn’t felt in age...hope.

For once, the future wasn’t something someone else dictated. I had chosen this risk.

And if that meant learning to fight a mafia Don to earn my freedom and prove to myself I wasn’t weak, then so be it. I would learn.

Even if I had to punch my way out of this marriage.

[Lorenzo Castelli]

The estate was quiet by midnight. Most of the lights had been turned off, leaving only the dim lamps along the hallways and the soft golden glow spilling under closed doors.

Outside, the gardens were shrouded in darkness beneath the night sky, the trees swaying gently in the cool breeze.

Lorenzo sat alone in his study, a glass of whiskey cradled in his hand as he scanned the documents spread out across his desk.

There was always work to be done, even when the house was quiet.

Even when the outside world fell silent.

The Castelli family never truly rested. Shipments to authorize, men to replace, territories to oversee, accounts to check, meetings to schedule, and enemies to keep an eye on.

But tonight, his thoughts kept drifting upstairs.

To Alex.

His Omega was likely asleep by now, probably curled under the blankets with that ridiculous stack of horror novels scattered around him.

Lorenzo could picture him clearly, even without seeing him.

Messy dark hair, soft breathing, rosy lips and that stubborn little frown he wore even in sleep when he was uncomfortable.

Lorenzo chuckled to himself. Alex had been reckless today...stubborn, provocative, completely unaware of when he was strolling into another of Lorenzo’s traps.

Somehow, that was precisely what Lorenzo adored about him. He fell for Alex because of those contradictions.

The sharp tongue masking a wounded heart, the bravado concealing insecurity.

The defiance that survived years of being told he was worthless. Alex had every reason to fear the world Lorenzo came from, yet he stood in front of him and argued, treating Lorenzo as just an annoying guy rather than the Don of one of the country’s most dangerous families.

It was reckless. Stupid, but brave and utterly Alex.

Fuck...the things he would do to Alex when he inevitably won.

He could just picture it, Alex beneath him...his cheeks flushed, soft skin littered with Lorenzo’s love bites, cum spattered all over his face...his lips, his tight... wet hole, his erect pink nipples.

"P...please... Alpha." Alex would have no choice but to stutter, despite his stubbornness. "More...I n...need more, please."

Lorenzo took another sip of whiskey to drown his thoughts and clear the sheer gutter that was his mind.

Just as he was about to return to the documents, a knock echoed at the door.

"Come in."

The door swung open.

Timothy stepped inside, one of Lorenzo’s most trusted men, and his serious expression told Lorenzo that this visit wasn’t routine.

"What did you discover?"

Timothy closed the door behind him. "The attacker finally broke and talked after we cut off his toes like you asked us to, boss."

"About time." Lorenzo’s grip tightened around the glass. "And?"

"He gave us a name."

The air in the room seemed to drop a few degrees. Lorenzo leaned back in his chair, maintaining a calm demeanor.

"Whose name?"

"The person who ordered the attack on your Omega, Master."

For a moment, silence enveloped them.

Then Lorenzo’s smile slowly returned...not the warm one Alex knew, but a smile that belonged to a man who had just received the name he’d been waiting for.

"Then tell me," He lifted his whiskey glass, his eyes dark and cold. "Who dares to go after my beloved?"