In His Grasp: A Mafia Romance

Chapter 80: He's Not Done Playing

Isabella stood frozen, like a robot, unable to move. Her gaze was fixed on Emanuele, watching his lips move.

"I, Emanuele Lombardi, am willing to take Isabella Gould as my wife, to love and be loyal to her, in sickness and health, in poverty or disability, until death do us part..."

Oh, dear God, Emanuele was actually speaking! Isabella's breath seemed to stop as she was overwhelmed with shock. She silently admonished herself to breathe, reminding herself of the need to inhale. The priest turned to Isabella and asked, "Do you want to marry this man? To love him, be loyal to him, in sickness and health, in poverty or disability, until death do you part. Do you agree?" Isabella gazed silently at Emanuele, her eyes unblinking. She felt as though blinking would make the man in front of her vanish.

In truth, she should have hated this man. She should have disrupted this wedding and run away. But her high heels felt glued to the red carpet, and she couldn't move. It was as if she were under a spell, following the priest's lead to recite those sacred wedding vows.

She listened to Emanuele's words to the priest and watched as he took her hand.

At this moment, a deep anger replaced the grief within Isabella. She yearned to kill the man beside her. Excellent! Emanuele had made her endure hell for so long. He had caused her immense suffering, and then he revealed it was all a joke.

But it didn't matter; she couldn't forget the torment she'd experienced during this time. She couldn't forget her humble pleas or his cold cruelty. This time, it was her turn to drag him into her personal hell and make him suffer, repaying him for everything he'd done for her!

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. Groom, you may kiss your bride."

Emanuele stepped forward, took Isabella into his arms, and kissed her passionately. Emanuele was never one to do things halfway, and after that kiss, his tongue explored deep into Isabella's mouth, licking and sucking between her lips and teeth, as if he intended to swallow her whole.

Isabella's rational mind resisted contact with Emanuele, but her body was slowly drawn in by his seduction. Damn it! Isabella couldn't help but curse herself. How could she be so easily captivated by Emanuele?

Only moments ago, she had wanted to stab him to death with a knife, but now she was melting in his embrace, reveling in his kiss. It wasn't until Emanuele released her that her rationality began to return. As they glanced at the guests inside the church, Isabella realized the place was packed with people. The events of the day had left her disoriented. She didn't understand what had happened. She was supposed to marry Clark, but now, she was standing beside Emanuele?

She saw Clark sitting in the front row, looking at her with a nod. He didn't seem upset. What was going on?

Emanuele held Isabella's hand. As her attention shifted to Clark, a pang of jealousy welled up deep within Emanuele, spreading a sour taste in his mouth. He instinctively tightened his grip on Isabella's hand. Isabella felt the pain and glared at Emanuele. However, the man by her side seemed unaffected by her anger.

Soon, they were ushered to the registration area to sign the marriage documents, and the guests began to slowly depart.

Sophia and Leo, serving as the witnesses, stayed behind with Isabella and Emanuele. As the crowd dispersed, Isabella felt some of the tension in her body ease.

She looked at Sophia and asked, "Why did this happen? It's like I'm a pawn in a game."

Emanuele had insisted she marry Clark, but now the groom was him. What was going on here?

Under the weight of Isabella's angry gaze, Sophia lowered her head, leaving Isabella feeling deeply disappointed. "I'm sorry, Isabella. Emanuele's word is the law; I had no choice."

"Even when you knew all this would happen today? Can I really rely on you, Mother?" Isabella began to question the depth of her relationship with Sophia.

It seemed like her mother always pushed her away. Every time, she expected her mother to pull her back, but Sophia never did. She always let Isabella bend for her.

"I'm so sorry," Sophia said. "Emanuele will treat you well."

Soon, Leo led Sophia away.

Emanuele turned to Isabella. "The reception awaits."

Isabella, her face etched with anger, glared at him. "What's going on today? What game are you playing now?"

Although she had longed to marry Emanuele, she was now wary of him and his games. She was tired of playing along with him.

Emanuele smiled and reached out to embrace Isabella, but she resisted fiercely. "Don't touch me!"

However, Isabella was too weak in comparison to Emanuele. Her resistance only seemed to amuse him further. He felt no threat from her.

"Isabella, you're my wife now. No one else can touch you except me."

He looked quite pleased with himself, like a victorious general. Isabella couldn't help but wonder whether this marriage was just another game to him or if he genuinely cared for her.

She suspected the former. It seemed he still intended to treat it all as a game.

And indeed, the next moment, Emanuele provided her with an answer. "Don't think that I did this because I love you. It's just that I haven't had enough of you. How could I let someone else have you? If you really left for Canada with Clark, I wouldn't be able to see you anymore. My life would lose much of its enjoyment."

His tone was as cold as ever, and his words were like needles, pricking at Isabella's heart. She longed to scratch his face with her fingernails.

"And one more thing, no man will ever hear you moaning beneath him and crying for his damn cock!"

"You won't either!" Isabella countered, gritting her teeth.

"Is that so? I enjoy a challenge," Emanuele said, laughing heartily. He didn't take Isabella's words seriously.

"What until I'm asleep. Just remember to keep one eye open," Isabella warned.

Emanuele chuckled. "I look forward to it."

He seemed unfazed by her warning and led Isabella out of the church. In reality, all the things he had said were fabrications. He hadn't told Isabella that when he saw her in a wedding dress, standing with Clark in front of the priest, preparing to take their vows, he had been in great pain. At that moment, he felt like a mad dog, despising everyone and even considering drawing a gun and killing everyone there. Only when he was by Isabella's side could he keep his gentle side intact. But Isabella was about to leave him. These few days had felt like an eternity to him. Every time he was busy, he thought of Isabella.