Chapter 4

Chad,the butler walked up to the study and knocked on the door. “Did she really leave?”Dante’s voice sounded. “Yes,sir.”Chad sadly,replied. He could tell Dante had already liked this girl but too bad the girl was just like the rest. ********* When Renee left the Villa, she slowly walked down the street feeling uneasy. Did the butler really mean what he said? That the Moretti would really pay off her father’s debt and that she didn’t need to be married to Dante anymore? She should feel happy about that,right? She should feel free. She would not have to be married to that monster anymore. But Renee couldn’t shake off this unsettling feeling. How can she let them settle her family’s debt without her fulfilling her own end of the bargain? She was the one who had willing gone to the Moretti’s family. Would she really qualified to break the deal? And besides,Dante was too powerful. If he were to bear a grudge against her because of this,he would easily destroy her family. She couldn’t take chances because she knew the consequences would be grave. So with clenched fists,she walked back to the gates of the Villa. But getting to the gate,shd thought about the horrible face she had seen. What if he gets mad at her? She wasn’t confidence enough to face him tonight so she squatted in the corner and gradually fell asleep outside the gates on the cold ground. When Chad found her the next day,she had a high fever and was unconscious. He quickly brought her into the house. Dante didn’t expect her to come back, let alone spend the night outside the Villa which had made her fall sick. Was she an idiot? Renee slept for a whole day and didn’t wake up until late in the evening. She was dizzy when she woke up but the first thing she did was to check her clothes and fortunately,she found them intact. Just then,a deep voice sounded in the room. “I thought you left,why did you change your mind?” She looked towards where the sound came from and saw a man reading a magazine on the sofa,his slender fingers holding the corner of the pages. He lowered the magazine and Renee felt frightened by his terrible face again but she tried to hide her fear. “I…your family already agreed to help mine.It wouldn’t be fair for me to back out of the deal.I’ll fulfill my end of the bargain and marry you at any time that you wish.I’m…I’m sure that very soon,I’ll get used to your looks.” She clenched her fists and said these word by word,forcing herself to be calm but her trembling voice betrayed her. Dante’s brows lifted at her words.He stood up and strode towards the bed. Renee quickly retreated to the corner of the bed but then realized she had made another mistake when his footsteps halted. Gritting her teeth,she summoned every courage she had and moved closer to him. Renee sat on the bed and looked up at him. Dante found her even more intriguing. He leaned down and touched her cheek with his big hand. Are you scared of my touch?” Renee shivered. His cold fingers provided a distinctive contrast for her hot skin. How could she not be afraid? But then this man would be her husband and they would live together for years, so she had to get used to him. Taking a deep breath,she lifted up her head and replied.”No.” “You’re lying.”Dante let out,softly. And then he smiled. He smiled at her. His gently smile diluted the horror brought by the scar and he looked more approachable. Renee stared at his lips and she couldn’t help but think that if his face hadn’t been disfigured,he would have been very good-looking. Dante’s hand went lower and he cupped her breast through her clothes. Renee’s eyes dilated as she stared up at him in shock. “Are you still not repulsed by my touch?”He asked in a teasing tone as his hand gently fondled her breast. Renee was shocked by how her body suddenly responded to that. She should feel repulsed or humiliated but instead,she liked the way he touched her. “Dante,I know you’re trying to scare me and make me run away again.But let me inform you that I’m getting married to you.”She said,boldly. Dante stopped touching her,immediately. “What did you just call me?”He asked. “Dante.” She repeated,still pretending to be bold.”You’re my soon-to-be husband.Can’t I call you by your name?” Perhaps it was because he wasn’t used to anyone calling him by his name. He was used to people addressing him as Sir Dante or Mr Moretti. Hearing this girl call him by his name felt intimate and he liked it. “Sure,you can call me by my name or you can also call me,your husband.”With that,he pulled her up to her feet and hugged her. Hugging her body to his felt warmer than he expected. They were so close to each other.Their bodies were literally pressing against each other’s.He was far more taller than her. Renee slowly looked up to his face.The burnt face looked rough and frightening. She tried not to be terrified as she gazed into his eyes instead,his eyes were the most charming gray set she had even seen. While looking at them,she didn’t feel too scared anymore and then she found herself saying. “I just got into college and getting married now might make me fall behind in my studies.But give me a year to settle down.So when I turn 20,I’ll register my marriage with you and then I’ll call you husband.But now,we could think of it as that we’re engaged and…” Renee paused unable to complete that as she blushed. Never in her life did she think she would have a fiancé at 19. Dante had been attentively staring at her as she spoke,he suddenly started looking forward to the marriage she talked about when she turns twenty. He couldn’t wait. Seeing her blushing,he couldn’t help but tease her. “I suppose now that we’re engage,we can kiss, right so kiss me.” Renee’s eyes widened. Dante moved his face closer to hers. “You said you weren’t scared of me anymore.So why are you unwilling to kiss me?” Renee took a deep breath trying not to think of his face. She supposed that a lot of people had made fun of him because of his looks and he wanted someone who could accept him. For the first time,she felt she shouldn’t judge him by his looks no matter how hideous it looks. She wanted to get to know him as a person. She leaned up and quickly pressed her lips against his lightly and then she moved back. Dante laughed at her quick the kiss was. As he was about to pull her closer and kiss her deeply,a knock sounded on the door. The secretary had come to inform him that he needed to deal with some business issues. After Dante left,Renee placed her palms on her cheeks,shyly. The sudden turn her life had taken felt very overwhelming. ******** Getting into his study,the secretary handed over the personal information of Renee Gallo. Then Chad walked into the study and helped in removing the mask from his face.The mask was made so perfectly so resemble burnt skin and anyone who saw it thought that it was his real skin. But his face had only one scar. And it wasn’t as hideous as the the mask. In fact,even with that long line below his left eye,he was still very handsome. “Should I put away the mask, sir?Miss Gallo passed the test.I believe if she sees you like this,she wouldn’t be scared of you at all.” When Dante got this scar as a child,it had really messed with his self-esteem. And as he grew up and got into the dating world,he deeply feel in love with a woman.He had thought she loved him back in return. But one day he had overheard her conversation with one of her friends on the phone. He would never forget what she had said. “I can barely look at him sometimes.The scar of his face is appalling and if not for his family’s empire,I would have left him already.” This had come from a woman he had dearly loved. A woman who repeatedly told him that there was nothing wrong with him. He had broken up with her instantly and perhaps in his broken state,he had vowed to show people what hideous really meant so he had that mask made. And surely,that had made women run from him without a second thought. They couldn’t even stay because of his money. Renee was the first person to come back and even claim to get over her fear. He smirked. Would she truly accept him for who he is?