Hearing him call me his son makes me start to see red. But I have to push down the anger that is rising throughout my body.
I swirl my drink in my glass. “I hear that you wanted to discuss the shipment that you have coming in the next week?”
He takes a sip of his drink. “Yes, I know that we agreed upon waiting until after you marry my daughter to start our partnership, but I have a big shipment that I need to move quickly and discreetly, and your docks are just that.”
My hand grips my glass tightly and my handshakes. My vision starts to black out at how he speaks about his own flesh and blood. I have to push it down. I can’t risk what I am planning. I made a promise to myself that once we are married, her parents will never be a part of our lives.
“Yes, we did agree on that. But what does that offer to me by letting you use my docks earlier than what we decided on?” I’m curious to see what kind of response he comes up with.
He shifts in his seat. “My son, Joseph, is to be my successor however that boy is nowhere near ready to run this family and enterprise. I will not handover what I have built for him to fucking ruin it.” I raise my eyebrow at him. “Enzo, you and I are a lot alike in many ways. We like things run a certain way and we demand respect.” There is no comparison as we are the furthestfrom being anything a like. “I know this partnership is going to benefit us both in many ways and I want to have this legacy that I have built after my father to be ran the way it’s supposed to be. That is why I will have you take over this family since the Costa’s and the Ricci’s will be family very soon.”
I listen to every single word he says and chuckle to myself because I plan to dissolve his family. Once Isabella says, “I do”, the contract between Ciro Costa and I will be invalid. I will own every one of his businesses and send him on his merry fucking way.
I lean forward, pick up my drink and raise it to him. “To family.” I force out a smile.
He mimics me. “To family, son.”
Everything is slowly starting to fall into place.
The day that I have been dreading has finally arrived. Today, I will marry Ian Di Marco. I mean don’t get me wrong, he is attractive with dark hair and green eyes, though they still make me uneasy. Though my mind keeps drifting to the man I met at my birthday half-engagement party at the bar. His voice was deep and sent shivers down my spine. The way he looked at me with his deep chocolate eyes, was as if he could see into my soul and see me for me. His smile made my heart skip a beat. The way his suit fit his muscular body made me wonder what it would feel like to have my fingers explore his body. To explore the tattoos, I saw poking from the collar of his dress shirt and the ones I saw on his hands. Which is crazy when I really think about it. Lusting after a man after meeting them one time? Who does that? Me apparently.
I’m stand in front of the mirror, and stare back at myself in my wedding dress after finally getting all the alterations done. The pearls at the top of the dress and how they are all throughout the dress weave throughout with the inter-knit design. The front dips low, just enough to give off sexy but not overly sexual. The cap sleeves have the same design and make me feel a littlemore comfortable since my arms are not on total display. The lace lining matches the scalloped cathedral veil. At my waist, the design stops midway as the rest of the dress flares out into a tulle ballgown.
As my mother requested, I had the hairdresser curl my dark brown hair, so it cascades over my shoulders. My makeup is natural with a hint of glam around my eyes. My enormous engagement ring weighs down my hand and sparkle just a brightly as the diamond earrings my sister gifted me.
I drag my hands over the dress in front of the mirror when I hear the door to the church’s bridal suite open. I watch my sister enter the room behind me through the mirror. Her black bridesmaid’s dress fits her perfectly and needed no alterations. The neckline stops right at her collar bone with the draped sleeves similar to mine. It cinches at her waist, falling into an A-Line frame with a slit on the right side showing off her golden-tone legs. Her hair is in a low ponytail, curled with a few lightly curled pieces in the front.
I picked black as this wedding is like a funeral and the look on my mother’s face when I chose black, was everything.
Lucia comes up next to me in the mirror and slides her hand into mine. We interlock our hands together and give each other a squeeze. “You don’t have to go through with this, Bella. Dad does not care about anyone but himself. This is barbic what he is doing!” We both are standing there, staring off into the abyss on what is to come from today and eventually this will be my sister when our father finds it necessary for her to be married off to some other crime family. “Please don’t do this. Stand up for yourself and tell everyone to fuck off.”
She is not wrong in the slightest. Being married off just to make the two families benefit from it is sick. No one thinks how this will affect the people being forced. All we are to our fathers is moving chess pieces.
“Lucia, you know what will happen if I decide to not go through with it.” I tell her all while trying to keep myself from not having a panic attack.
Her eyes meet mine in the mirror and she does not have to say a word because she knows I’m right. If I say no, she would be next regardless her age.
“I love you, Isabella.” She tells me as she squeezes my hand.
I just smile and say, “I love you, too.”
We both turn as the doorknob turns alerting us that someone else is coming into the suite. They swing the door open, and I close my eyes for a minute as I see it’s my mother and father entering the room with our older brother Joesph behind them.
My father is to speak first making Lucia and I squeeze our hands tighter. Our little sign that we are each other anchors.
“It’s time to get this show on the road, Isabella. We can’t have you hiding in here forever pouting like the spoiled brat that you are. I have no idea what Ian Di Marco will make of you and how you carry your damn self. After today you’re his problem.” My father rambles off adjusting his tie before he leaves the room.
My mother of course wastes no time picking apart my appearance. “Isabella, sweetheart, I think you could have lost ten more pounds, and that dress would have looked a tiny bit better on your body. Hopefully, Ian can look past that. That boy is striking. I’m sure he has women just throwing themselves at his feet.” She turns to leave but before she does, she calls out to my sister. “Lucia, darling, that dress was made for you. Your father will have his hands full tonight trying to find you a husband.”
Once they both have left, I let out a breath that I did not realize I was holding for less than a minute that they were in here.
Lucia is about to speak but Joseph beats her to it. “Izzy don’t let our sad excuse of parents get to you. There is still time for this wedding to not happen.” He leans in and kisses me on the cheek.“Just say the word and I will kill this asshole and get you out of here.” His face hardens at the last part. I know that my brother would do anything for me and I for him.
I smile holding back the tears that beg to escape. I love my siblings more than anything in this world.
They leave the suite, and I take one last look in the mirror before I go to walk down the aisle to my new prison.
The music starts to play as my sister is first to walk down the aisle. I get a glimpse of all the guests that are attending this wedding. Nearly everyone is a damn stranger to me. They all are either other mafia families, politicians, associates or whatever. Yes, some of our family is here but not many.
