The Arrangement

Chapter 1 - The Contract

1965

Leonardo looked at the contract before taking in a deep breath. He signed the contract before shoving it towards Frederick, "So we have a deal? Your first born daughter is to marry my first born son in order to tie our mafia's together."

Frederick looked up at Leonardo, "What if I'm not to have a daughter at all?"

"Then this contract will be passed down to the next generation and so on and so forth," he paused, "And we both understand what would happen if one of us was to break the contract, yes?"

"A war between our mafia's," Fredrick clicked the pen before signing the contract. He finished his signature and smirked at Leonardo, "Here's to having the strongest empire in the world."

Leonardo smirked back at him as they shook hands, "Here's to having the strongest empire in the world."

2021

- C H A R L I E -

"Dad, I am not doing this!" I screamed at him from across the living room.

"You don't have a choice Charlie!" He yelled back, "Your grandpa made this deal fifty fucking years ago and I will be damned if my daughter is the one to fuck it up!"

"Me?! How is this my fault?! I don't want to marry an old man because grandpa wanted to fuck up his daughter's life! I'm not his daughter!"

I was burning from anger. If he wasn't my dad, I would be slapping him across the face right now.

"Watch your language," he warned as he took in a deep breath. He hated when I swore, him and my mother taught me that it wasn't lady-like. He took in a deep breath as he tried to keep the small amount of composure he had left, "The contract is signed. You're to be wed in a week. Pack your stuff so we can go. Now."

I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes, "I am not marrying this man."

"Yes you are!" He yelled in a tone that I had never heard before.

So much for him keeping his composure.

"You're going to ruin my life!" I screamed back.

He took a step towards me and I was almost afraid that he was going to hit me. He had never hit me before, but I've never seen him this angry.

"Charlie," he took in deep breath, "I don't understand why you're acting like this is a punishment. You'll be the most powerful woman in the world after you marry Mister Luciano. You're bonding the most powerful mafias in the world."

"I don't want to be the most powerful woman in the world!" My voice cracked as a tear rolled down  my cheek, "I just want to be treated like a normal eighteen year old!"

I turned my heels and ran up the stairs into my room. I slammed the door behind me before sliding down the wall.

How could he do this to me? Both of them. Grandpa loves me, I don't get how he could agree to this. Dad protects me at all times, but now he's shipping me off to live with some random Italian. This isn't fair. I don't know how they could marry me off to some man. I don't know

anything about the man I'm supposed to marry, rather than that he's the capo of the Italian mafia, and to be honest I don't want to know anything about him. I'm supposed to be in love with the man I marry and I'm nothing but terrified.

I got up off the wall and threw myself into my bed. I cried into my pillow as my thoughts began to consume me, more than they already were.

I just didn't get it. The Italians and the Irish hate each other, and now all the sudden we're supposed to be allies? We used to kill Irish mafia members that fell in love with Italians, and now they're forcing me to do that. What if this is just a big trap?