Chapter 7 Know Your Place

Sophia's POV

Luca’s hand lingered on my lips, his gaze dark for a long moment.

Just as he tilted his head, intending to kiss me, I sharply turned away. "Don't touch me. You're dirty."

He paused, but didn't get angry. "Dirty? Then why didn't you pull away at the engagement party?"

"That was for the family's image." I stood up, taking a step back to create distance, a warning to him and a reminder to myself.

"Luca, this is a business marriage, pure and simple. We get what we need and leave each other alone after the wedding. It works for both of us."

He stared at me for a long time, the playfulness draining from his eyes. He shrugged. "Such a mood killer."

Luca didn't press the issue and quickly left the room.

The news that I had moved into Luca's estate quickly spread.

Mrs. Victoria, Luca’s mother, invited me to a family lunch under the guise of a get-together.

Midway through, she abruptly went on the offensive, tapping her plate with a silver fork. "Sophia, how are things between you and Luca?"

I swallowed the last bite of potato and answered calmly, "Everything's fine. Other than often not seeing each other, it's quite good."

Mrs. Victoria frowned. "Sophia, you'd better know your place. Stop trying to compete with others. Luca has plenty of women. You should have been prepared for that before marrying into this family."

Her gaze settled on my ample chest. "A woman should learn to leverage her assets. Luca isn't ordinary, but he is still a man. Be smarter. Do I really need to tell you this?"

My hand, holding the cutlery, paused. I looked up at her. "Ma'am, are you suggesting I should tolerate my husband openly flirting with other women?"

Mrs. Victoria's face darkened, and her tone turned hostile. "Luca is the Vittorio heir. It's normal for him to have women around. Which man of power doesn't? You should be grateful. Marrying into our family is your great fortune."

"Fortune?" I gave a small laugh. "If this is fortune, I should introduce a few close female friends to Mr. Luca's father as well. After all, by your logic, it's normal for a man to have many women, isn't it?"

The dining table fell silent instantly.

Mrs. Victoria's face turned beet red. She slammed her hand down on the table. "Sophia! How dare you speak to me like that! Where are your manners?"

"I'm just being honest." I wiped my mouth with a nearby silk napkin. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. If you can tolerate your son's promiscuity, surely you can understand someone introducing women to your husband, right?"

Everyone else at the table kept their heads down, trying to disappear, yet their attention was fixed on us.

Mrs. Victoria was trembling with fury. She turned to Luca.

Her pride and joy was slowly cutting his steak, entirely detached, as if the argument had nothing to do with him.

Her anger flared even hotter, her voice nearly breaking.

"Luca, is this your wife? She is utterly unruly! You must punish her severely when you get back!"

Luca finally looked up, his reaction as calm as still water, completely ignoring the surrounding stares.

"Mother, I think Sophia is right."

Now it was Mrs. Victoria's turn to be stunned. She clearly hadn't expected him to defend me, and her jewelry rattled with her shock.

"Luca! Did you forget what she just said? She wanted to introduce women to your father!"

"She was only joking," Luca casually sipped his wine and looked at Mrs. Victoria. "Besides, you were the one who spoke first."

"You!" Publicly undermined by her own son, Mrs. Victoria was speechless with rage. She shot me a venomous glare.

She stood up abruptly, tossing her napkin down. "I can't eat another bite!"

With that, she stormed out of the dining room.

The other relatives exchanged uneasy glances, but no one dared to comment.

Soon, only Luca and I were left, along with a few terrified servants.

I looked at Luca, filled with confusion. Why did he suddenly defend me? Was it just because I called out his mother's hypocrisy?

Luca seemed to read my mind. "What's wrong? Surprised I helped you?"

"I certainly was," I admitted. "And I don't think you needed to offend your mother for me. She looked very angry."

"Not really offended. Besides, you are my woman now. If you're humiliated, I lose face too."

His words were intensely possessive, making my heart skip a beat. I instinctively shot back, "Who is your woman?"

He chuckled softly, letting the subject drop, and moved on. "However, she did say one thing that made sense."

"What?"

He smiled, pulling my chair closer with one hand. He took a strand of my hair and twirled it between his fingers, playing idly.

"I'm a normal man too. You should learn to leverage your assets."

"Sophia, your lips are the softest I've ever felt."

Before I could react, he grabbed the back of my head and kissed me forcefully.

Unlike the aggressive assault at the engagement party, this kiss was lingering and passionate.

My mind went blank until he patted my cheek. "Baby, put your tongue out."

I looked at my swollen lips in the mirror, lost in thought.

I barely remembered how the kiss ended.

But the after-effects were strikingly clear. Even as I was drifting off to sleep, I would involuntarily recall it.

I covered my face, ashamed of my lack of self-control, having been thrown off balance so quickly. At the same time, I couldn't help but acknowledge Luca's mastery of kissing.

Since the lunch, Mrs. Victoria's hostility toward me had only sharpened.

She even made a show of coming to the estate to impose various rules on me, forcing me to learn flower arrangement and cooking—all under the guise of "things a Vittorio daughter-in-law must learn," but really just finding ways to harass me.

I adapted to her methods, trying to avoid direct confrontation.

However, the servants at the estate also sensed Mrs. Victoria's animosity and began to subtly exclude and target me.

The gardener even intentionally aimed the hose at me while watering the plants, soaking me completely.