---- Chapter 14 After the wedding concluded, Eve and Samuel headed to their honeymoon suite. Without anyone else around them, Eve suddenly felt a bit apprehensive as she found herself and him alone in the room. In fact, it marked only their second meeting today. The last one was when Samuel had taken her to the hospital after Lucas and Alina had humiliated and hurt her. Eve chose a seat deliberately distant from Samuel. She discreetly observed Samuel. Though she didn't interact with him a lot, he had always treated her with remarkably gentle care. But as Eve had said earlier, Samuel was known for his fierce and cruel nature. The warm lighting softened Samuel's stern features. He loosened his bow tie and noticed Eve's tense posture. A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "Are you afraid of me?" His voice was deep, resonating clearly in the quiet room. Eve's fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her dress. ---- "No. It's just... 'm not quite used to this." She paused and then lifted her gaze to meet his. "Why did you help me?" "Because you are my wife. The Vittorine and Costa families are now intertwined and share both fortune and misfortune. Your honor will also be mine." Samuel stood up and walked to the liquor cabinet. He poured two glasses of whiskey and mentioned the past absent- mindedly. "Three years ago, the Costa family seized goods worth two hundred million from me and caused tensions between our families. Originally, | intended to ask your family to pay the price." He handed Eve a glass and added some mint. "But since your father married you to me, I've decided to let it go. | won't hold it against the Costa family." Eve took the glass. Her fingertips accidentally brushed against his hand. She took back her hand quickly. Samuel looked at her meaningfully and sat beside her. She said, "So, our marriage is just... a business arrangement?" Samuel took a sip of his drink. "Not only that." He put down his glass and suddenly leaned forward. "When you burned that manor that night, | was there." ---- Eve's pupils contracted instantly as he was too close. "The flames illuminated your face." Samuel's voice carried a dangerous tenderness. "And you were breathtakingly beautiful." The atmosphere in the room seemed to freeze. Eve felt a flush of heat and had to avert her gaze. "You were following me?" "| didn't know you then. | was looking for leverage against the Costa family." Samuel chuckled. He shrugged, and his intense gaze was fixed on Eve's face. "But | stumbled upon something far more interesting." Outside the window, lightning flashed, followed by a torrential downpour. A bolt of lightning illuminated half of Samuel's face and cast shadows in his deep-set eyes. He appeared like a shadowy figure in the dark. Eve instinctively swallowed hard. She remembered the rumors about Samuel. He had once broken an opponent's finger when they were negotiating. He had personally killed his uncle during the family feud. Now, he sat next to her and exuded an oppressive aura that was almost suffocating. ---- "It is not too late if you change your mind," Samuel suddenly said. His gaze fell on the wedding ring around her finger. "| can give you money and send you anywhere you wish. Life on the edge in a mafia family is perilous, and I'd rather not have you, a delicate, beautiful woman, suffer." Eve abruptly raised her head, and her eyes were filled with determination. "| don't need charity. Since I've married you, I'll face every storm together with you." "Indeed." Samuel chuckled softly. "| appreciate your tenacity." He stood up and looked down at her. "But remember that we each have our own goals in our marriage. You pursue your revenge, and | reclaim what's mine. Don't overstep." His final sentence carried a warning. Eve met his gaze, and she didn't flinch. "The same goes for you.