Chapter 6
Giovanni drove me around the city for a while, and by the time we returned to the Rossi estate, dusk had fallen. “Get some rest,” he said softly. “I’ll have the lawyers send the official marriage contract tomorrow.”
I watched his Rolls–Royce disappear into the night before turning to go inside. Just as I reached the porch, a hand shot out from the shadows and seized my arm.
“Alessia, you can’t marry him.”
It was Lorenzo.
I wrenched my arm free. “Lorenzo, our engagement is over. It’s not appropriate for you to touch me.”
He took a step closer, cornering me against the stone balustrade. “Giovanni was shot years ago. The doctors said his body won’t hold out for more than a few years. Are you marrying him just to be a widow?”
Slap! The sound of my hand striking his face echoed in the quiet evening. I was seething, “How dare you. Even as the heir, you have no right to say such things! Giovanni is my fiancé. Once that contract is signed tomorrow, I will be the Don’s wife. Whether he lives or dies, he is my husband, and I will be by his side.”
“I am not like you–faithless and fickle.”
“I suggest you remember your place, Lorenzo. Your fiancée is Chiara. I don’t want her to get the wrong idea, since she seems so sensitive about you having feelings for other women. I’d rather not invite trouble, nor do I wish for my own fiancé to misunderstand.”
“Guards,” I called out, my voice sharp, “show him out.” I turned and walked toward the house without looking back.
Lorenzo rushed to block my path. “Alessia, you’re in love with me! You’re only marrying Giovanni to spite me, aren’t you?”
“Do you think I betrayed you? But Alessia, we could still be together, if you would just forget about the title.”
“Is the position of the heir’s wife that important to you? Important enough to cause this public disaster? You know that once that contract is signed tomorrow, there’s no turning back.”
I looked at him coldly. “The only thing I regret is ever agreeing to be your fiancée. Thankfully, it’s not too late to correct that mistake.”
As I walked away, he yelled at my back, “Alessia, I’ll marry you! I’ll make Chiara my mistress! Just don’t marry Giovanni!”
I didn’t slow my pace, walking straight into the house without giving him a second glance.
The next morning, Maria burst into my room, her voice buzzing with excitement. “Miss, you will not believe the news! I heard Mr. Lorenzo went to his father last night. He knelt in the study all night, begging him to stop your marriage to the Don. He said he wants to marry you as his wife and make Chiara his mistress.”
“His father was furious! He lectured him right there about a man’s word being his bond and the importance of keeping a promise.”
“Now Mr. Lorenzo is on house arrest at the family estate, forced to copy the family rules. He’s not allowed out until he’s ‘learned
his lesson“.”
The news that the heir had been confined by his father for trying to reverse his decision spread through Italian high society like wildfire. Everyone knew it meant he regretted his choice, but it was far too late.
No matter how much he protested, Giovanni’s lawyers delivered the official marriage contract that afternoon.
Giovanni held the highest rank in the Mafia and had remained a bachelor for years. He was known for his absolute authority; not even the family elders dared to interfere in his personal affairs. His proposal meant he had personally chosen a daughter of the Rossi family to be his wife.
Chapter 5
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Suddenly, our home was flooded with well–wishers. It took my parents days to receive all the guests who came to offer their congratulations.
The city’s socialites all came to see me, but I never expected Chiara to be among them.
She wasn’t wearing her signature leather jacket. Instead, she had on a conservative black dress, her hair pinned up neatly, as if she were trying to play the part of a proper lady. But none of it could hide her haggard face or the dark circles under her red- rimmed eyes.
She looked at me, her voice choked with tears. “Are you happy now, Alessia? Lorenzo is under house arrest because of you, and you get to be the Don’s wife, a station above me. You must be so proud. Are you waiting to laugh at me?”
I looked at her, baffled. “Miss Chiara, you’re mistaken. You were never a factor in my decisions. Our lives were never meant to intersect. Why would I laugh at you?”
“Besides, this marriage was Don Giovanni’s decision. This has nothing to do with you.”
“Your wedding date with Lorenzo has been set. You should focus on preparing for it instead of seeking me out to cause trouble.”
I paused, letting my gaze turn to ice. “And by the rules, I will be your Madre. The next time we meet, Chiara, you will show the appropriate respect.”
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