Marry the Mafia at Christmas

CHAPTER 4

ELARA

The bright light of the morning sun pulled me from the haze of sleep. I groaned, blocking the light with my hand and stifling a yawn as the memories of the night before rushed back to me.

I had to admit it—Dave did make me forget everything, even if just for a night. s*x with him made it impossible for my mind to wander. For once, I wasn’t thinking about Cedric, my family, or the chaos that had been in my life.

I squinted through the haze of sleep and turned to look at him, but his side of the bed was empty. My fingers brushed against the cool sheets, confirming he’d been gone for a while.

“i***t,” I muttered under my breath, cursing myself for not being the first to leave. Quickly, I grabbed the dress I had worn the night before, pulled it on, and scrambled out of bed.

One thing was certain: I didn’t regret what had happened. Not one bit.

*****************

Stepping out of the car, I walked toward the house, my heart pounding as I approached the door. The moment I entered the living room, I was met with the sight of Mum pacing, her face tight with anger, while Dad sat stone-faced on the couch, glaring at me with cold, judgmental eyes.

“I can explain—” I started, but before I could finish, Mum closed the distance between us in a flash and slapped me hard across the cheek.

The sting was so sharp, I was certain her handprint would be on my skin for hours.

“How dare you disgrace our family like that?” she screamed, her voice trembling with anger.

Dad slowly stood, his icy gaze never leaving me, as if trying to freeze me in place.

“I have a valid reason for going MIA last night,” I tried to defend myself.

Mum threw her hands in the air, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. “Do you also have a reason for going to the club? Shamelessly eye-f*****g a man and then following him into an elevator?” she spat.

I frowned at the precision of her words. “How did you—?”

“Do you have a valid reason for walking out the next morning with your hair all messy and a massive hickey on your neck?” she interrupted.

My hand instinctively shot up to my neck, realizing for the first time that a hickey was there—one that I hadn’t noticed. “How did you know about all of this?”

“I’m not the only one who knows, Elara,” she sneered, eyes blazing. “The whole world knows because it’s all over the internet!” She tugged at her hair in frustration, as if trying to pull the anger out of herself. “I raised you better than this!”

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” I argued. “It’s not my fault the paparazzi won’t mind their own damn business.”

Mum’s eyes darkened. “You didn’t do anything?” she growled. “You cheated on Cedric with another man, and you didn’t do anything wrong?”

I wasn’t going to take the blame for this. “He cheated on me first,” I shot back. “I walked in on him having s*x with—” I stopped mid-sentence, biting my lip hard as the words stuck in my throat.

“Catching him with another woman doesn’t justify you abandoning your engagement party or frolicking around with the nearest man like an animal on heat!” Dad barked, cutting me off as he stomped to Mum’s side.

“Catching him with another woman doesn’t justify?” I laughed bitterly, dumbfounded by his words. “Would it matter if I told you he was cheating on me with a man?” I couldn’t help it—I was done hiding it.

Mum’s eyes went wide with shock. “Shut up!” she hissed, but I wasn’t backing down.

I swallowed hard, the words tumbling out before I could stop them. “Would it matter if I told you that the man in question is my brother, Flynn?”

I barely registered the sharp slap across my cheek before it stung. Dad’s hand was still raised, his eyes burning with anger. “Stop talking nonsense with your mouth,” he growled. “I’m going to let you off the hook this time because your foolish actions will somehow work in our favor.”

Mum shot him a look of disbelief. “What is that supposed to mean?” she demanded.

“The man in the picture is Dave Wyston,” Dad said, his voice oddly calm as he explained. “Having him as a son-in-law would not only bring in the cash our business needs, but with his influence, we could expand far beyond what you’ve ever imagined.”

I blinked at him, stunned. I wanted to ask if he had completely lost his mind.

“Whatever it is that you have with him,” Dad rasped, “keep it going and bring him home as my son-in-law. Do whatever it takes.”

My stomach churned. I had never felt more like a pawn in their game of power and wealth. It was clear to me now: I had always been nothing more than a tool for them to generate more money and status. “What I had with Dave was just a one-night stand,” I said, my voice hard.

Dad’s eyes narrowed, his expression darkening. “You think I don’t know that?” He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a dangerous tone. “What I’m telling you is to make it more than that.”

“Dad…” I groaned, trying to make sense of the madness in front of me.

“Your sister, Emmeline, will continue the marriage arrangement with Cedric,” he continued. “That way, I’ll have two powerful people as my in-laws.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Dad, Emmeline is just nineteen!”

He waved my concern away with a dismissive gesture. “She’s past the legal age. I don’t see why that should matter.”

Anger boiled inside me. I turned to look at Mum, hoping for at least some semblance of reason from her. But she, too, was just as consumed with the pursuit of power and fame as Dad.

Neither of them saw the destruction they were causing.

“You two want to marry off your nineteen-year-old daughter to a twenty-eight-year-old man whose s****l preference is the same s*x, not just that, but your son?” I shot back, my voice trembling with anger.

Dad’s hand clenched at my words, and I knew what was coming. I braced myself for the slap, feeling the sting as his palm made contact with my cheek once again. “You will get Dave to marry your loose self,” he hissed, “and your sister will marry Cedric. The reason you didn’t show up last night was that you knew Emmeline and Cedric were in love, and you were in love with Dave. If I hear any other narrative on the internet, I’ll have the public believe you’ve lost your mind. I’ll have you locked up in a psychiatric hospital, and you’ll watch from there as your sister marries Cedric.”

“Is Cedric aware of this?”

Dad nodded. “He doesn’t have a problem with it.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw Emmeline—my little sister—hiding behind the wall, her face pale, tears glistening in her eyes. That sight brought everything into focus.

I couldn’t let this happen to her.

Despite everything they were threatening, I knew one thing for sure: I would never let them trap Emmeline into the same life I had been forced to live. She deserved so much more than a life controlled by these people, a life where her future was manipulated for their selfish gain.

I would make sure she got the future she deserved, no matter what it took.