Arranged Mafia Marriage

“I am so sorry.” I move closer to her. “Truly, I wish I could do something to make it better.”

“You come from a Mafia family; you know how it is.” She firms her lips. “From a very young age, you are taught that your self-worth is tied to that of the man you marry. And even though there was never a formal arrangement in place, I always knew that I would marry him. Our families, too, expected it, and then … this happens.”

“Maybe it happened for a reason?” Cassandra comes forward to sit on Theresa’s other side. “Maybe he wasn’t right for you?”

“How do you know that?” Theresa fumes.

“Maybe it’s because I thought that I was in love, but later realized that I was fooling myself.” Cassandra says in a low voice. “Sometimes we want something to be true so much that our feelings deceive us into creating a reality that doesn’t really exist.”

Theresa’s cheeks flush. “Just because your experience turned out to be far from perfect, doesn’t mean the same holds true for me,” she snaps.

That’s when my phone rings again. I scowl at the name that appears on the screen.

Alphahole calling.

There is only one alphahole I know. And how the hell did he get access to this phone and have his contact details keyed in already?

“Aren’t you going to answer it?” Cassandra asks.

“No.” I decline the call, switch off the phone for good measure and then drop it on the sofa next to me.

“Hmm…” Cass scowls at me. “Not sure Christian would be happy to hear you say that.”

“To hell with Christian.” I sniff.

“Was that him?” Theresa scowls. “Is that who you hung up on?”

“Maybe…” I raise a shoulder. “Not that it matters.”

She wipes away the moisture on her cheek. “So, are you and he really going to stay separate until your wedding?”

At least, my love life seems to have intercepted what could have been an altercation between the two of them.

“It would seem that way,” I reply. “I mean, we are only following tradition, aren’t we, by staying apart?”

“You would be the only one who would be doing so.” She leans forward in her seat, “Aren’t you tempted to, at least, test drive him before the wedding?”

“What?” I frown. “No, of course not. If anything, I am happy Nonna is helping to reinforce this particular convention.”

“I don’t know of a single couple who hasn’t broken this custom,” Theresa drawls.

“So you and Xander…?”

Her features crumple, but then she straightens her spine.

“No, we didn’t. And not for lack of trying. I mean, I should have known then that he was having second thoughts, but you know, I thought he was only being a gentleman.”

“The Sovranos being gentlemanly?” I scoff. “Now I have heard everything.”

“Not all of the brothers are so … rough,” Cass protests.

“If you are thinking of Adrian,” I peer into her features. “Well, of course, you are thinking of Adrian; I have to warn you not to be taken in by a polite facade.”

“But he is the most silent of all of them.” Cass frowns. “I mean, surely, he can’t be worse than your Christian.”

“Not my Christian.” I huff. “And that’s exactly what I mean. The quieter they are, the more lethal their sting is. Still waters and all that.”

“Hmm…” She strokes her chin. “I’ll keep that in mind. Not that I intend to get to know him better or anything.”

“Of course not!” I cough into my hand.

Theresa’s gaze bounces between us. “So, the two of you are involved with the Sovrano brothers?”

“No.” I scowl.

“Hey,” Cass protests, “don’t drag me into this.” She jerks her chin in my direction. “I’m not the one getting married in a few days.”

And I won’t be either, if I have my way. “True that,” I mumble. I raise my hand to push the hair away from my face, and Theresa’s gaze widens. “Wow!” She stares at my fingers. “That’s some ring.”

“Yeah…” I lower my hand to my lap.

“And that was a very romantic moment the two of you shared earlier when he put the ring on your finger,” Cassandra points out.

“He was just making a point,” I protest.

“If you mean he was staking his claim, then you are absolutely right.” Theresa peers into my face. “How does it feel to be at the receiving end of all that intense obsession?”NôvelDrama.Org: text © owner.

I scowl. “He isn’t obsessed with me.”

“He couldn’t take his gaze off of you the entire time we were on the plane,” Cassandra offers.

“Right?” Theresa turns to her. “And the way he kept his arm around her while he was trying to get Nonna and his brothers to back down. OMG, that was even more romantic than the kiss.”

“Oh, please.” I jump up to my feet and begin to pace. “The alphahole has everybody fooled.”

“But not you?” Cass retorts.

“No, not me!” I turn on her. “All of this is some elaborate ruse to keep me under his control.”

“That’s the Sovranos for you,” Theresa interjects. “The brothers are alpha, over-the-top, possessive Mafia men, which is why all of us used to swoon over them in school.”

“You went to school with them?” I ask.

“Until they left for LA, and they were older than me, but I do recollect them swaggering in and out of class and generally commanding the teachers around.”

“That would be them, all right.” I huff. “Good thing I wasn’t subjected to them.”

“You went to a different school, I take it?” Cass interjects.

“And then went to the UK to study medicine.”

“Paid for by Michael,” Theresa points out.

I deflate a little. “Something I will never live down, especially since it seems like everyone knows it. So, my family owes them. Doesn’t mean I need to agree to their every whim and fancy.”

“Christian saved your life,” Cass points out.

“He did?” Theresa’s eyes bug out. “How did he do that?”

“I helped Karma try to escape from Michael, not that it worked out,” I blow out a breath, “but when Michael found out, he was livid.”

“Of course, he was,” Theresa nods, “you tried to turn his wife against him.”

“The way he was treating her…” I purse my lips. “It’s not for me to judge, but she wasn’t happy in the early part of their courtship, and she asked me for help. I did what any woman would do when she finds another of her gender in peril. I helped her.”

“And then Christian stepped in to save you from Michael.”

“Now I wish he hadn’t.”

“You don’t mean it,” Theresa says in a hushed voice. “You don’t want to be at the receiving end of a Sovrano’s rage.”

“They are human, like us.” I snort. “And Christian has his failings, like all of us. Let him get angry; see if I care.”

The hair on the nape of my neck rises. Goose bumps pop on my skin. I jerk my head in the direction of the doorway.

“Ugh,” I wrap my arms around my waist, “what are you doing here?”