C3 Completely in your hands

After the reception ended, he took her arm. After saying goodbye to her parents, he opened the car door to help her get in and sat down next to her. She wished to go back home to her parents, but she knew it wasn't possible. Before starting the car, he stared at her.

"I hope you behave accordingly. Being a Leone's wife comes with a lot of responsibility. Woe betide you if you ever embarrass me in any way. From now on, you belong to me, and I can do whatever I want with you."

"Like you, I am not satisfied with this marriage. I think we should get divorced after some time." She hoped he would accept her proposal, as she didn't believe he would want to be with her either.

"Hahaha, don't even dream about it, little woman. You got what you wanted, and now you will pay the price for deceiving me like that."

Nicole didn't respond; she preferred to stay silent. She felt so small next to him, believing that his deep blue eyes oozed malice and hatred towards her. She had to plan everything carefully to escape from this maniac soon.

Upon arriving at the mansion, they got out of the car. Bruno approached her and, unexpectedly, lifted her in his arms. Nicole felt terrified.

"Relax, this is what must be done by tradition when the bride enters her future home. We don't want years of bad luck in our marriage," he said, his smile twisted.

Entering the mansion, he roughly threw her onto the sofa. She let out a scream as she fell, and Bruno thought she might have hurt herself. He felt the urge to approach her, but then thought it wasn't that serious.

"Let me make things clear, Miss. You will have your own room, but you are prohibited from entering mine. You won't leave this house unless I authorize it. You will accompany me to public events and family dinners when necessary. We won't give people any more reason to gossip than we already have," he stated.

"Do I have any other choice? I am completely at your mercy, and you know my father made me give up everything before marrying you."

Bruno smiled maliciously, what Nicole didn't know was that he had convinced her father to accept Sondra's proposal to make her the sole heir, not because he agreed with that ambitious woman, but because it would leave Nicole completely at his mercy.

"You won't interfere in my life or my decisions. You will accept that I will dictate your life as I please. If you wanted to be by my side no matter the cost, well, that's how it will be."

He angrily stormed off to his room, leaving her alone in the living room. His presence irritated him. That spoiled and pampered girl had no idea who she had gotten involved with. Ruining her life wouldn't be so easy; it would come with a price and consequences.

The next morning, Nicole went downstairs to have breakfast. Fortunately, Bruno had already left. In the kitchen, she encountered one of the household staff.

"The master has ordered that if you want anything, you'll have to prepare it yourself. From now on, you'll take care of your own things," the staff member said, looking her up and down with disdain.

Nicole chose to ignore her, searching through the cabinets and refrigerator. She made herself a coffee and some toast with jam. After finishing, she went back to her room to get ready. She planned to visit her best friend, Sophie. She hadn't invited her to the wedding, knowing she would find out through the media, and she wanted to explain.

When she tried to leave, she was stopped by a guard at the door.

"The master has given strict orders not to let you leave under any circumstances. You are also not allowed to receive visitors except for your parents," the bodyguard said.

"Who the hell does your boss think he is? He's not my owner, and I will leave no matter what," Nicole retorted as she walked past him and headed towards the exit.

The bodyguard frowned, approached her, and lifted her over his shoulder. Given her build and height, she was easy to handle. He carried her back to her room and locked the door.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but the boss's orders are not to be questioned," he said.

Nicole thought to herself that she was definitely married to an orangutan. There would be time to return all of his attention later.

It was late, and she hadn't been able to talk to Sophie. She was sure her friend would be upset about not being invited to the wedding. The whole situation was embarrassing, and she never thought she would find herself in such a predicament. Her parents' perception of her had changed. She needed to talk to Sondra. She had tried before the wedding, but Sondra hadn't responded. Since then, she had come up with excuses to avoid being at her parents' house.

She just wanted to know why Sondra did it. She realized now that Sondra had hated her since they were young. She had even told Nicole that she was adopted, although their parents denied it. Nicole loved her sister and always justified her behavior. Noah and Emma treated them both equally and were very loving parents, although she believed they were hiding something, and she knew she would eventually find out.

She hoped to be able to distance herself from Bruno soon. That relationship, if it could even be called that, was not healthy. Both he and she had been victims of Sondra's schemes. She hoped to find evidence to prove her innocence and gain her freedom.

A month had already passed since the wedding. Nicole spent most of her time alone, with Bruno only occasionally coming home to sleep. She knew he only did it to maintain appearances, going straight to their bedroom. If he happened to see her, he treated her disdainfully.

That day, Nicole's parents arrived unexpectedly. Her mother commented on how much she had deteriorated. Bruno went downstairs to greet them, approached Nicole, and put his arm around her waist, showing affection and being very kind to her. Nicole decided to play along; she didn't want to worry her parents.

Bruno managed to hide his annoyance upon seeing Nicole's parents there. When he took her by the waist, he could sense her nervousness as he drew her closer. He could feel the warmth of her fragile body.

He showed her affection, not wanting her parents to realize what was happening. This was something between the two of them, and he wouldn't allow anyone to take her away from him, at least not until she paid for it.

Her father asked to speak with him in his office, and what he said next displeased Bruno. He asked for permission to return to university. She only had a few months left to complete her degree in bioclimatic architecture.

Her parents believed it wouldn't be fair for her to give up and throw away all the time she had invested. They thought she was the best student in her class.

Bruno reluctantly agreed, which ruined his plans of keeping her at home. As they left the office, he turned to look at her. For a moment, she seemed so defenseless. She was short, measuring at most 5'2", while he stood at 6'3". She appeared so fragile by his side, but he knew she wasn't. After the Williams left, he spoke with Nicole.

"Your father has asked me to allow you to continue with your studies. There are only four months left for you to finish university, and the month you have missed will be easy to recover."

"Oh, so now it turns out I need your permission to continue with my life. "He said while rolling his eyes in a sign of displeasure, that gesture annoyed Bruno.

"Do not make me regret it. Needless to say, I will keep a close eye on you at all times. Remember that you are a married woman and should behave accordingly."

"As you command, sir," Nicole replied, giving a military salute. Bruno merely grunted, trying to ignore it.

Bruno got up very early and looked for Nicole to inform her that he would take her to the university on the way to his office. However, he didn't find her in her room. He went down to the living room and saw her coming out of the gym.

He swallowed hard when he saw what she was wearing—tight leggings and a top that was more transparent than white. He couldn't stop staring at her. He approached her and could see how her perfect breasts rose and fell with her breathing. As he got closer, she became petrified.

Bruno slowly brought his lips close to hers, but when he thought he was about to kiss her, he quickly pulled away.

"Not even in your dreams think that I would touch you again. I just showed you that whenever I decide, you will be at my feet," he said.

"I have a question. Is stupidity something you're born with, or did you acquire it with age?" she retorted.

"Listen, spoiled little girl, don't provoke me, because if you do, you'll end up losing. You have no idea how wicked I can be," he smiled maliciously.

"Apologies, Your Majesty. If you excuse me, I'll go upstairs to get ready for university," she said, passing by him, trying to ignore him.

Bruno mentally scolded himself. He had almost kissed her. He needed to distance himself from there for a while. He couldn't fall into that woman's game.