Sold To The Mafia Don

I didn't think there would ever be a day I would be relieved to see Donna Carmela walk in with all her charisma. I guess this was the day. I had no idea she was coming. I wondered why she did not join us on the jet when we came yesterday. 

I looked up at Jace. 

If he was surprised to see her, he did not show it. 

I noticed the respect Jace's uncles and cousin's had for her as the matriarch of the family. 

Jace's aunty, Giuletta did not seem happy to see her. In fact I was beginning to believe she did not like any female that wasn't her or her equally mean daughter. 

"Hello to you too Giuletta." Donna Carmela said sarcastically as she sat down.

"So nice of you to grace us with your presence." Giuletta replied in the same tone. 

My eyes darted between them. There was an unspoken tension that could be cut with a knife between them.

I sat there and wondered why they were like that but there was no one I could ask. 

"I see you're still dressing like you have something to prove."

I held in a breath. That was a very direct shade from Donna Carmela. 

"And you're still dressing like you don't have to try." Guiletta responded promptly. "Some of us don't have the luxury of being feared because they married a man of power."

"Never disrespect the Donna." Pietro said sternly to Guiletta. 

It was probably a known rule as Guiletta shut up after that. 

It felt like a clash of different powers in a room and I felt suffocated by it. 

"Back to you, Mira" Ricardo turned to me again.

Oh dear god, why me? I thought as I let out a controlled breath. If there was anything I had learned from watching movies with such setting, it was that your face was not allowed to give anything away. 

"Whose daughter are you?" He asked me.

Oh this was an easy one. I almost sighed in relief.

"My father was Ammerigo Valente." I answered with a small smile. 

The room oddly went silent. I saw Jace and his mother exchange gazes. 

"Valente?" Giuletta said.

"Yes." I nodded. 

"Was-"

"Brunch is over." Jace interrupted whoever was speaking. "Dario, meet me in the library." He said and walked off. 

My eyes followed him until he was out of the room. Dario soon followed him. 

One by one, they all left the dining room and just as I was about to leave too. Donna pulled me back.

I stumbled and managed to find my feet without falling.

"I hope you see how they are?" She questioned sternly.

I nodded as I felt her grip on my arm tighten.

"If you want to survive here, Mirabel, don't just smile. Learn who not to trust. That was your lesson today." 

She walked away after. And I just stood there feeling the confusion and frustration ravage my being. 

I managed to walk to the room, feeling myself worry about the complicated situation I had gotten myself into. It felt suffocating. 

I thought dressing up and looking good would help me get confident and it did for a while but the intimidating people in the room, made all that confidence slowly deflate. 

~

When Don Romano came into the room after hours of being away, I was in pajamas, reading a random book. 

I didn't move when the door opened. I did not take my eyes away from the book either. There was no exact word to describe how I was feeling. I just knew that I was not okay no matter how much I tried to pretend. 

"You handled yourself. Barely. Next time, don't wait for my mother to save you." He said out of nowhere.

His words pissed me off so badly, I threw my book straight at his head. It missed him and hit his shoulder instead before dropping to the ground.

"Maybe I would have been better prepared if you had fucking told me why you were bringing me to Rome or been kind enough to tell me what they're like! You let me out in the wild and expect me to know how to handle myself?!"

"You will stop raising your voice right now!" He growled at me,

"And you would stop acting like a child. You are a thirty plus man." I retorted, unafraid of the fact that he was fuming as he stared at me. 

"Mirabel Romano."

"Valente." I corrected him, standing up on the bed.

"Romano."

"Valente."

"You're my wife!"

"I will never regard you as my husband." I said through gritted teeth.

"That's funny because I really do not care what you regard me as. Whether you like it or not, you are mine and no matter how much you try to piss me off, I'm not letting you leave this marriage."

I screamed so loud, pulling at my hair.

"Just let me go!!!!" I yelled so hard, I thought I would lose my voice.

He approached me and stepped on the bed with his shoes on, holding by my throat.

"Stop throwing a fucking tantrum and get with the program." He gritted out.

I was losing my breath as I tried to loosen his grip on my neck.

"Let me go." I said, fighting to breathe.

He dropped me like a rag doll back on the bed while I kicked and screamed. The he stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

I was sick and tired of all this. 

In my frustration, I impulsively picked up my phone and called the only person I could think of that would possibly be able to give me a bit of comfort.