Page 157 of Breaking Rosalind
“Silly pet,” he murmurs, his lips grazing the shell of my ear and igniting my skin with unwanted tingles. “You’re the most beautiful, deadly, and cunning woman I’ve ever met. I’m obsessed.”
“Stop that,” I hiss through clenched teeth.
Miranda chooses this moment to stop singing and ask, “So, when’s the wedding?”
My jaw drops, and I gaze into her wide, blue eyes, which radiate nothing but innocence and hope.What kind of nonsense has Cesare put into my little girl’s head?
“What makes you think I’m getting married?” I ask, my chest tightening.
She turns off the music, sets down the microphone, and places the tablet on her lap. “Cesare already told me about how much he pined for you when you were dating Leroi.”
“Leroi?” I say through clenched teeth, remembering Miranda telling me on the phone that she’d gone to visit his apartment.
“That’s right.” Cesare pats my thigh with a smirk. “Now that Rosalind has finally given me a chance, I’m never letting her go.”
Angry heat flushes through my veins, and it takes every effort not to tear that hand off my leg and snap his fingers. The only thing keeping me from lashing out is the thought of Cesare withdrawing his help.
The excitement of this supposed romance makes Miranda fall back in her seat and clap. “How did you propose?”
“He didn’t,” I blurt before Cesare can spew more bullshit.
His gaze turns to meet mine with the barest flicker of annoyance. Faking a relationship in exchange for Miranda’s schooling is one thing, but he forgets that I’m also supplying priceless information to help him destroy the Moirai. He doesn’t get to trap me into marriage.
“That’s because I was waiting for the perfect moment,” Cesare says, sounding sickeningly earnest. “When a man finds the perfect woman, he has to court her right.”
My heart drops as the full extent of his plan slaps me in the face. The only thing Cesare loves about me is my pain, and my suffering has become his addiction. He’s using my relationship with my daughter to secure an endless supply.
Sure enough, Miranda clasps her cheeks, her gaze bouncing between Cesare and me. Her eyes glisten, as though Cesare is about to make her dreams come true.
My stomach churns at the thought of him doing something idiotic, like getting on one knee. To make sure he doesn’t make any grand declarations, I reach down to the hand on my lap and dig my nails into his skin.
“Miranda,” he says, his voice rough with emotion. “Since you’re Rosalind’s only family, I want to ask for your blessing to make her my wife.”
SIXTY-ONE
CESARE
Miranda’s excited squeal warms my heart, and the tears of joy gathering in her eyes are worth the pain of Rosalind’s sharp nails. Her talons dig into my hand hard enough to draw blood, but it’s already too late.
“Cesare!” Miranda launches at me and wraps her arms around my neck. “Of course, you have my blessing.”
Chuckling, I pat her on the back, my chest filling with warmth. Taking advantage of Rosalind’s desperation to protect Miranda is a dick move, but I never claimed to be a saint. Hell, I intend to use every tool at my disposal to keep Rosalind from ever leaving, and that includes her daughter.
Rosalind peels Miranda off my chest, settles her into her seat, and buckles her seat belt. Miranda is too ecstatic at hearing my intention or she’s used to Rosalind’s overprotectiveness to protest.
“Are you going to propose now?” Miranda asks, her eyes shining with excitement.
“No,” Rosalind says, her voice tight.
Miranda clasps her hands. “Say, yes, Rosa. I want Cesare to be my older brother.”
I turn back to Rosalind, my lips lifting into a smirk. “Do you want me to propose in the hotel or at a candlelit dinner?”
Rosalind’s features harden into the tight mask I’ve come to loathe. It’s the one that hides her emotions. “We’ve barely been acquainted for a week.”
“It’s been two, pet,” I say with a wink, “And we’re more than acquaintances.”
“Besides, Cesare has loved you from afar since you started dating Leroi,” Miranda adds with a nod. “That counts for something.”