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“It’s a good match. He will treat you well.” His rough hand rubs the top of mine. My mother will have a heart attack when she finds out. This is the one thing she didn’t want for me. My father is trying to marry me off.
“Coy wants to marry me.” It’s a statement, not a question. I think all my intelligence went out the window as I was faced with marriage. A marriage I don’t want. “I have no intention of getting married.” My voice is hardly audible as I speak to my father. Never once has he pushed me in this direction; it’s confusing.
“You are the rightful heir now, Aly. It’s time people respect you for it. You can’t hide your whole life. I’ve allowed you to live as free of the lifestyle as possible. It was the one wish your mother made, and it killed me to do it. But I can no longer keep that promise.”
His statements swirl inside my head. “Just because I’m the heir doesn’t mean I need to be married.”
“My decision is final. You will be married a week from Saturday.” He starts to stand up, ending the conversation.
“I won’t,” I rebuke, stronger, finding my backbone. “This isn’t the old days where arranged marriages happen. I have a future, and I won’t let you block it.” My anger is stirring as I think of everything I will lose.
“You will!” my father yells, his voice bouncing off the walls, hitting me right in the gut. He’s never raised his voice before, so it startles me. “Otherwise, the insignificant business you play around with will be gone. You’re lucky I haven’t stopped this before. I should have forced you to go to school, away from here, but I’m a selfish man. The time has come. You chose your spot when you didn’t leave for college, and again when you chose your profession. You are a true Mancini.” There is no room for argument, and I hear a hint of pride as he talks to me.
“No.” I cross my arms over my chest as I hold my ground.
Father slaps the table beside him, his voice rising to a level I’ve never heard before. “You are. You will take your rightful place. End of discussion.” He looms over me, looking every bit the dangerous gangster he is. This is what everyone else sees when they look at him. It’s scary. He’s acting like I’m one of his subordinates, not his daughter. I know better than to argue. If I refuse, I’ll lose my business and every other freedom I have grown accustomed to.
“I would hate for your mother to have to experience grief like my wife currently is,” he warns, and I have no doubt he just threatened my life. It chills me to the core the way he seethes at me and the way his beady eyes glare at me. This is the head of the Mancini family everyone is frightened of.
SincethenightIwas told I would be married off, much like a cow is sold in an auction, I have been held prisoner in my father’s house.
It’s not that Coy is a terrible person. One day, we could probably grow to love each other. He’s easy on the eyes, and I would be taken care of for the rest of my life. But I don’t want that.
I don’t like the confinement marriage signifies to me. I don’t want to be someone’s property. I don’t want to answer to someone about my whereabouts, who I talk to, or anything else. I don’t want someone to think they have control over my business.
Coy may seem kind and reasonable, but he is every part an alpha mafia man. There are roles, and I don’t see him bending to my wants.
Picking up my brush, I comb through my hair gently as I watch myself in the mirror. Tomorrow, I will become a wife. Tomorrow, the life I’ve come to cherish ends.
“I always knew you were weak.” Luca’s voice comes from behind me, but I can’t see his reflection in the mirror.
Spinning around, I search to find him by my open window. He has a lazy grin on his face, and his eyes sparkle. They are bright and vibrant, a shade I’ve never seen on him before.
“How did you get in here?” I ask, realizing I’m wearing a sheer nightgown. It hangs to my feet, but my body is not hidden from him.
Standing, I try not to worry about being on display for him.
“You’re about to be married to the wrong man, and you’re worried how I got in here?” He clicks his tongue, walking toward me. I watch his eyes search my confused face before they lower. My nipples strain, becoming puckered as his eyes continue down my body in their perusal. That lazy grin grows larger. “You truly are a caged bird. You didn’t even fight it. I’m disappointed in you.”
“All I have to do is scream, and I will have ten men rush in here holding guns.”
“Then I would have to kill each and every one for seeing my bride in the state she’s in. Their deaths would be placed onto your shoulders.”
“Yourbride? You’re the enemy.” I stammer, staring up at him, my heart pounding frantically. “I’m to marry Coy.”
“Making you become a wife to the wrong man,” he says coolly.
“I’m not marrying anyone,” I say in one breath, but my words sound defeated. I’m walking down the aisle tomorrow, and there is nothing he or I can do about it.
“I thought you were marrying Coy.” His brow rises, challenging me while keeping his relaxed state.
I’m becoming flustered with the way he’s intently staring at me. My chest rises and falls rapidly, and I wish I had a plan.
He picks up my housecoat and tosses it to me. “Put this on. You need to walk to the back door.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” I grit out through my teeth.
“Don’t play with me. I will kill you right here. Trust me, dear old daddy would rather there be a sinful vow than have to bury another child. He will see this soon enough.”
