Chapter 8 I Chose To Marry Her

"What!" Donna Fiona spoke for the first time. Don Matteo turned to her smugly, "For years Alessio refused to get married, just one threat to his position and he found a wife in less than a week." She gasped, "Matteo, how could you do that to our son? Were you really going to remove Alessio as the leader and put that awful boy in his place?" Don Matteo shrugged, " I'm willing to do whatever I can do to make sure the business moves forward." "Father, stop this. You've made your point. My wife is right here and this is disrespectful." Alessio said. Don Matteo finally turned his gaze to me. His eyes raked over me with something between mild curiosity and disdain. He lifted a single finger. "Come here, girl." My spine went rigid. I took an instinctive step forward, but before I could reach him, Alessio's hand shot out. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me into him. "You will respect her," he growled. His voice was so deep—like an actual animal. Don Matteo’s eyes widened slightly, as if he hadn’t expected such defiance He swallowed then nodded., "Girl, what is your name? Where are you from?" I glanced at Alessio before answering, the aura around him was dark and dangerous. I knew it would be safer to choose my words wisely. "Who are your parents? How did you meet my son?" Donna Fiona asked. How did I meet your son, ma'am? Well, let's see— his men abducted me and then he forced me to marry him. Alessio cleared his throat, "How we met is not important." "Um, well I don't know my parents. I grew up in an orphanage." Don Matteo jumped to his feet, "An orphan! A nobody! Alessio, you married a girl with no family history or pedigree. No, I do not agree to this marriage!" My heart thumped hard against my ribcage, Don Matteo was against our marriage. This was good for me, Alessio would have to let me go since his father didn't agree. Alessio let go of my hand, stuck his palms in his pockets, "And why should I care about your approval? I chose to marry her. " His voice was eerily calm. "You asked me to get married but you didn't say who?" Don Matteo's face went red, "Y-You, do you have any idea the implication behind this? You could have chosen any of the daughters of our allies but you chose to marry a nobody." He ran his hand through his hair. "Oh, our enemies must be having a field day over this." Alessio remained nonchalant, " Becca is my wife, Father. Better get use to it." Don Matteo shook his head, "No, I won't. I do not approve of this. Fiona, let's go." He stormed out of the house. I watched him go, my chest tightening. No. Take me with you! My only chance at freedom was walking out the door. Donna Fiona hesitated, then turned back to us. Her expression softened. She took Alessio’s hand and patted it gently. For the first time since I met Alessio, his expression softened and he looked like a young boy instead of the dangerous man that he was. Just a son looking at his mother. "Don't worry yourself, Mio bambino." She murmured, "I'll speak to your father." She turned to me. "I'm sorry we didn't have enough time to get to know each other. You seem like a lovely girl. I'll organise something for the two of us soon." She let go of Alessio's hand and smiled, "Take care of yourself and your wife, Mio bambino." Then she left. Alessio headed up the stairs, I followed and grabbed his arm, pulling him backwards. "When were you going to tell me that you married me so you could keep your position as the Mafia lord?" Alessio stared at me, amused, "I don't see why I had to tell you that?" "It shows that you were more desperate to marry me than I was to marry you. You forced me into this marriage not because of the loan but because of your position." I argued. Alessio shrugged, "Maybe that was the reason, maybe it wasn't. I guess we'll never know." He brushed my hand away and walked away. "Get something to eat," He called over his shoulder. "I'll be back in thirty minutes to introduce you to the staff and to my men." I gritted my teeth but didn't argue. I went to the kitchen and saw that Alina and Helena were talking and laughing. They stopped when I entered. Alina hurried to my side. "So how was it?" She asked, bouncing on her heels while Helena watched with an unimpressed expression. "It was terrible, his father hates me and thinks I'm unworthy of his son. He vowed never to approve of our marriage." Alina frowned, "If it was that bad why are you smiling so widely?" I blinked. I hadn’t even realized I was grinning. "Oh, was I smiling?" I forced my face to neutral. "I was just… thinking about a movie where the same thing happened to the female lead." "Come eat," Helena said. She set a tray with food on kitchen counter. Alina gave her an aghast look. "Helena, you can't tell the Madam of the house to eat in the kitchen. That's so disrespectful." She picked up the tray. "I'll put this in the dining room," I grabbed her arm, "There's no need, I would rather eat here." "No way, you can't eat here." Alina protested. Helena huffed, "If the girl says she wants to eat here, let her." "Are you sure?" Alina asked me. I nodded and she reluctantly set the tray down. I ate while they lingered awkwardly. "You don’t have to act differently around me," I said between bites. "Go ahead and talk. I don’t mind." Helena left. Alina stayed. When I finished eating, she grabbed my dishes before I could protest. I left the kitchen and went upstairs to find Alessio. She searched all the room until she found his study. Bruno and another man were there with him. They bowed slightly when she entered. Alessio had his back turned against her so he didn't know when she entered. "How much did he steal?" "Seven hundred grand Boss," The other man answered Alessio exhaled sharply. "That bastard. I gave him a source of livelihood, and this is how he repays me?" His tone was so casual. So unbothered. "Get the holding cell ready," he ordered. "We’re having some fun tonight." A shiver ran down my spine. "Yes, Boss." Alessio turned—and our eyes met. The corner of his lips lifted slightly. "This isn’t how I expected to welcome you to my world, Becca." His voice was soft. Deceptively calm. "But it’ll have to do." My stomach twisted. "What are you talking about?" He stepped toward me, eyes gleaming with something dark. "You’ll need to learn how to survive in my world, Becca. And that starts now."