INHERITANCE

Denise blinked at the priest, trying to process what he said. Her lips trembled as she glanced around the room.

There were two other men in the room aside from Dona Pante and Dominic.

Along the red carpet on both sides were Dona Pante and his two older sons. Christopher Pante, the first son, had the signature Pante blue eyes, but his hair was dark and short. He stared rather plainly at Dominic and his bride-to-be. But there was a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

Wales Pante, the second son, stood beside his brother. He had sky-blue eyes and shaggy blonde hair. A wide grin sat on his face.

“Mahn, Dominic, your bride's either dumb or she really doesn't like you,” He taunted.

Dominic glared at the trembling woman in his arms. “Will you give him an answer? Or shall I force it out of you?”

“Do you take Dominic Dona Pante as your wedded husband?” The priest repeated, begging the girl with his eyes to give him a response. He wanted to get out of the mansion as soon as possible.

“Say I DO!” Dominic roared when she remained silent.

The poor girl burst into tears, placing a hand over her mouth to cover her sobs. Bethany watched her daughter cry and began sobbing as well.

“Oh would you look at that, it's a crying festival!” Wales said gleefully.

The men burst into laughter. Dominic took another sip from his flask and offered the flask to the crying girl. She shook her head, crying and that made his brothers laugh even more.

Dona Pante groaned and gestured to the priest to hurry up.

“B-But the bride hasn't consented-”

“She's here isn't she?” Dona Pante snapped. “Of course, she wants to marry my son. She's just overwhelmed with joy.”

Dominic and his brothers snickered at those words. The bride definitely looked overwhelmed with something.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife!” the priest declared much to Denise's horror.

She had just been married off without her consent. Her sobs morphed into full-blown wails as the men hollered and cheered, clapping their hands gleefully.

Bethany falls to the ground, weeping for her poor daughter. She had turned her life upside down in a matter of hours.

“I'm sorry,” She cried, looking at Denise. “I'm sorry, Dee. I am so sorry this happened.”

Dona Pante chuckled at the sight. Wasn't it heartwarming? Mother and daughter shedding tears of joy.

“Quit being so dramatic Bethany. It's not like you won't see her anymore. You'll both be living here, in my grand house. Isn't that lovely?”

It wasn't lovely, Denise thought as she cried. Nothing about this was lovely. But what could she do? Who could she report to anyway? The Pantes owned everything.

Dominic watched the girl cry inconsolably and hated the searing pain in his chest. He tried to take another sip of his vodka only to realize the flask was empty. With a shrug, he walked down the podium, and out of the wedding hall.

He had done his duty.

He had done his part. He didn't need to babysit an unwilling bride. He had maids for that.

“Dominic, wait up!” Wales called behind him.

He stopped to see his brothers approach him, mocking grins on their faces. He knew what those looks meant.

“Fuck off!” He spat and they burst into laughter.

“Come on,” Christopher taunted. “She's not bad to look at.”

“She has a huge ass,” Wales cackled. “That's a huge plus, trust me. Nice to have some soft supple flesh to grab on.”

Dominic wanted to say there was no way Denise would allow him to grab onto anything without wailing like a banshee but he was sure his brothers would say the same thing his father said.

Give her a slap or two and she would obey.

He didn't particularly like Denise but that did not mean he wanted to hit her. Neither did it mean that he wanted her crying ass close to him. No matter how huge it was.

“I'm going to drink,” He grumbled instead.

“Great, let's do that. To your marriage!” Christopher cheered, clapping his hand on his brother's back and steering him towards the family bar.

Back in the wedding hall, Dona Pante ignored the crying women and approached the priest instead.

“Thank you for your service,” He grinned, fishing a wad of cash from his coat and tossed it at the priest. The priest caught the money, bowed, and scurried out of the hall, his robe billowing behind him.

Dona Pante scoffed and shook his head. That was a bad priest. Men of God should not accept bribes, no? He gestured at one of the guards and tipped his head at the door.

“Go teach the priest a lesson will you? Seems like he's forgotten the Ten Commandments,” He ordered, chuckling when the guard rushed after him.

When he turned around, he saw Bethany on her knees, hugging her daughter, trying to console her.

“Cut that out,” He ordered using his orator's voice. He towered above the women, folding his arms as he glared down at them. “You're a Pante now. And ‘PANTES’ are not weaklings, do you understand me?”

Denise sniffed, staring at the cruel man with red-rimmed eyes. Her mother held her tighter as they listened to Dona Pante speak.

“Here are the rules, you must follow,” Dona Pante said. “If you fail to follow any of them, you will hate the very day you were born, my dear. I know how to make a woman wish for death.”

The way he said that made both women shudder in fear.

“One,” he held up a finger. “You will worship my son. He is your Lord. You will dote on his every word and do as he says. If he says bend over, you fucking bend over. Got it?!”

Denise winced at his words. That sounded brutal. What if she didn't want to? It sounded more like she was a slave than a wife.

“You are not to do household chores. You are a wife of the Pantes. You look pretty, you go to events and you say sweet things about us for the camera? Got it?”

Denise merely stared at him.

“I said,” Dona Pante gritted. “GOT IT?”

“Y-Yes sir,” Denise mumbled.

“Good. Isolde and Nina will get you settled and ready for Dominic,” The older man chuckled. “Lucky son of mine.”

Denise watched him walk out of the wedding hall, wondering who Isolde and Nina were and just what he meant by getting her ready for Dominic.

No.

It couldn't be.

The sound of heels clicking against the floor caught her attention. Two women, beautiful blondes walked into the hallway.

“Well, well, if it isn't the newest addition to the Pante house,” One of the blondes with fierce green eyes jeered.

“Come on Isolde, be nice,” The other blonde replied, a sweet smile on her face. “Look at that adorable face, she is perfect for Dominic, no?”

“After tonight, she won't be as adorable,” Isolde said snarkily, a wide grin on her face. “Hello darling, we are your sisters-in-law.”

Nina reached for Denise, yanking her out of the claws of her mother. “And we're here to help you get settled, honey.”

“Mom?” Denise called looking back at Bethany who sighed.

“Go with them, honey. I'll… I'll see you soon.”

“Great,” Isolde clapped her hands, rather excited that she had a new doll to work on other than her daughter. She was married to Christopher.

Nina was married to Wales. And while her figure did not show it, she had two sons for him. Sons were important to the Pantes and Nina walked around confidently knowing that.

Denise got dragged around the entire castle. Nina and Isolde gave her a tour of the entire place. All brothers had their quarters in the mansion.

By the time they reached the spa room in Dominic's quarters, She was tired. She allowed the maid in the spa room to wash her up in the tub, soaping her according to Isolde’s instructions.

Then she was dressed in a flimsy pink robe that did nothing to cover her body. Her boobs looked like they would spill out and the silk material barely covered her ass. The maid then led her to Dominic's bedroom.

To her relief, Dominic was on the king-sized bed, sound asleep. His light snores filled the entire room.

There was bedding on the floor right beside the bed he slept on. She moved towards it, confused.

Suddenly the snoring stopped and Dominic stared at her with drowsy blue eyes. His eyes ran down her body and for a minute, she saw them darken.

“That's where you'll be sleeping,” He gestured to the bedding on the floor. “I don't need a wretch sleeping next to me.”

“W-What?” Denise was flabbergasted.

Dominic ignored her and turned away from her tempting body. “It's all for the fucking inheritance. Once I get it. I'm ditching you.”