The Mafia's Arranged Bride

Gianna Every woman has a dream man whom she fantasizes about. That one man she never tells anyone about, not even her best friend. That one man she thinks about in her secret, forbidden moments. I have one such man too. The man of my dreams. Even though I have had my share of men, no one ever took his place. He was my forbidden secret. And right now, he was sitting right in front of me. Dressed in a sharp black suit and white shirt, his striking face impassive, dark eyes fixed upon me in a way that was almost making me sweat despite the air conditioning. Every time he was near, I lost my senses, my ability to breathe or to speak for the record. I know, to him I was just a girl he has known maybe all his life. But to me, he was that secret fantasy that, unlike other women, was now about to come true. The man I have always wanted, always dreamed about... Nicholas Baldocchi. "I hope you know why I asked you out tonight?" he asked, his voice so strong and heavy that it sent tingles down my spine. "Yes," I breathed, my face flaming up for no reason as I tried to meet his dark gaze. But I just couldn't. He was intimidating as hell. And it was not like I was the introverted, shy type of girl. I was sufficiently outgoing. But wherever Nico was concerned...I was a mess. "Do you agree to this arrangement?" he inquired. "To marry me once your studies are finished and you come back home from London?" "Yes," I answered, trying not to sound too eager. Frankly, this arrangement led to huge chaos at my home because my brother hates Nico. But I was thrilled. How many women were lucky enough to marry the man of their dreams? A very few. And I was one of them. All these years, I have kept my feelings at bay because my family, the strongest mafia family so far, and Nico's family, the next after us, were archrivals. Even the thought of being with him seemed impossible. But now things have changed. And I was going to marry the man of my dreams. "Well, then, before we go forward, I would like to make a few things clear with you," Nico said, taking a long sip of his bourbon. "Oh, okay," I nodded. "What is it?" He placed his glass down on the table and fixed his drunk dark eyes on me. For some reason, I didn't quite like that look on his face. It made me squirm in my seat, making my heart almost lurch to my mouth. "I understand that as my wife, you would have certain expectations from me," he said. "And I will try my best to fulfill all of that to my best possible ability but..." "But?" I prompted as Nico halted and sighed, looking uneasy. He rubbed his face and took a long sip of his drink again. "But there is one thing I can't give you..." he answered. "And I wanted to make that very clear before we go any further with this," "I...I don't understand," I mumbled, my heart beating furiously against my chest. "Give me what?" "Love," he answered, looking straight into my eyes. "I cannot love you, Gianna. I won't ever be able to love you. Because...I love someone else," I silently stared at him and slowly in my head, all the dreams and hopes that I had started to weave the moment I agreed to this arrangement, tethered down into tiny pieces. I had no idea what to say to him. All I could do was blankly stare back, letting the feeling of shattered hopes and rejection sink in. "But don't worry," Nico continued when I didn't speak. "We have nothing between us. She doesn't love me. She belongs to someone else. So be assured, I won't ever cheat on you. I respect you, Gianna. I know you are a lovely woman and an amazing, kind person. But this is all I could give you if you agree to this arrangement. I apologize and if you change your mind, I will take the blame upon myself. Because that's the right thing to do. I will completely understand and..." "I will marry you," I blurted out. I have no idea why I said that. I have no damn idea why I would agree to something like this, knowing the disastrous path it would lead me down. The words just lurched out of my mouth. I had no control. Nico looked surprised but eventually, he nodded. "Very well," he murmured. "In that case," I was frozen like a statue as he walked over to me and took my hand. Going down on his knees, he pulled out a small box from his pocket and pulled out a beautiful emerald and diamond ring and slipped it onto my finger. "This is a family heirloom. My gran's asked me to give it to you," he said. "I will get it fitted to your size soon." I still had no words as he leaned in and placed a small kiss on my cheek. "Welcome to the family and my...life," Nico murmured. I gazed back at him and as he refused to meet my gaze, not an ounce of happiness on his face, I knew very well... I was anything but welcomed... ___________________________ A/N: So guys, this was the Prologue for Nico and Gianna's story. I hope you enjoyed it. This is going to be another roller-coaster ride for sure. Updates will start in December because I will be working on The Mating Pact now, as I mentioned earlier, and will most probably go on a break in November. You can add the book to your libraries so you will be instantly notified as I start the updates. Also, I would humbly request you guys to join my f*******: group ie Red's Little Corner. Although I have every intention of posting the book here, with the way things are going on, I could shift as well. Of course, ninety percent the book will be posted here given I am under contract, but still. If you don't want to miss out just in case, do join my group because that's where I give updates about all my work, as well as do giveaways, like the one going on now. I am also planning on doing a special giveaway for you guys for so humbly supporting Leora with STDM merch. Info about that will be posted on the group as well. If you don't want to join the group, do drop a like and follow on my author's page ie Red Johnson. I am trying to grow my brand as a writer, so if you enjoyed my work, I would love it if you guys joined and supported me in the journey. TYSM! See you in December!!