The Devil Himself

arranged marriage

I woke up to Mama making breakfast. In my opinion, it's the best way to be woken up. I practically moaned at the smell of freshly made french toast and coffee. Letting my nose lead the way I tiredly made my way into the kitchen.

"Morning Amore," Mama said. I just responded with a kiss on her cheek.

My Mama was the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. She had beautiful silver gray hair going all the way down her back. Bright hazel eyes and full lips. She had very few wrinkles, the more prominent ones on her forehead and around her eyes and lips. My mother was a very expressive woman. Her eyes crinkled when she smile and she was always happy. The famiglia was the most important thing to her.

Papa, Michael, and Monte came in not too long after me and all greeted Mama with a kiss on her cheek.

After breakfast and small talk, Papa looked at me and looked away shamefully. He walked from the table and put his plate in the sink for Mama to wash, and I followed after him.

"Papa are you okay? You seem upset about something and you didn't talk much at breakfast," I asked concern lacing my face.

He began to shake his head and stopped. He suddenly said, "We need to talk in my office. Alone."

Going in Papas office was never good. Papa is a "business man", if you can even call him that. Papa does a lot of work with drug lords and gangs around Italy. Him calling me in his office one of meant two things: I was in trouble, or he was in trouble.

We walked to his office in a very awkward and tense silence. When we walking in he closed the door and pour two glasses of whiskey. This is bad. He never lets me drink, due to the fact I'm only 19 years old.

"Amore mio, I'm so sorry." Before he could tell me what he wanted to, he began sobbing. He was hiccuping, and seemed so distraught. My father never cried. He believed crying was for weak people, crying in this house was always judged. It broke my heart to see him so distraught I went to hug him when he immediately shrugged me off.

"I am not worthy of your love, my beautiful daughter," My father was always loving of me, due to me being the only girl. There's nothing that could change that about us. I was his little girl and he was my Papa. I loved my Mama, but there's nothing like a relationship between a father and daughter. I'm a princess who can do no wrong and he's my knight in shining armor, always there to pick me up with I'm down. Just when I thought my day couldn't get any worse he said the most unexpected words I've ever heard. "We're in a lot of debt with very powerful people. The drug lords in this city are not paying for their own, and this is why I'm here to talk to you. Your Papa did something he can never take back and will always regret. I have used you as a way to pay for our debt. You are going to have an arranged marriage with Lorenzo Mortelli."

My world stopped. My vision went blurry with tears, I fought so hard to keep them in until I was a sobbing wreck. Then I realized what was happening. I was having a panic attack. I tried to get my breathing under control but I couldn't. The one man who I never thought would hurt me, hurt me more than words could explain. I was beyond hurt. The one thing I've been looking forward to my whole life was ripped from my reach in seconds. I would never get to marry a person I truly loved. I had to marry a monster.

Lorenzo Mortelli was a playboy with too much time on his hands. He was head of the Italian Mafia. He was mean, ruthless, and merciless. He has payed off every government employee in the country. All of his dealings and murders go under the radar. His hands have been more bloodied than clean. He was the complete opposite of me.

Michael and Monte came storming into the office hearing my sobs. Once they saw the look on my Papas face, they froze.

"You told her, didn't you?" Monte asked

I was seeing red at this point. How dare Papa do this to me! How dare my two loving brothers know about this and not tell me?! I began throwing all of Papas papers on his desk all over the room. I knocked every picture off the wall in his office. I couldn't control myself. Once I finally got my anger handled I looked at my brothers. It was like I did not know them, they were liars.

"You knew?" I yelled hoping they would say no. But I knew they did. Mama came running into the office and saw the room and the state I was in and said, "Dio Mio, what happened Roberto." Mama never called Papa by his name, she was mad. Papa explained the situation and that's when it felt real. My mother was crying too, and it hurt to see. The room started spinning and all I could hear was yelling, but it sounded distant. I blacked out.

I woke up hours later. It took me all of three seconds to remember the events of this morning and I sobbed until my throat hurt. Mama stayed with me the whole time. She whispered loving things into my ears and constantly apologized for what Papa did. I began to drift off to sleep. I had no dreams, only nightmares. But there was only one nightmare I continued to have. I was running through the woods. I wasn't just running for nothing, I was running from someone. I heard heavy footsteps behind me. I felt someone tug and pull on my hair, next thing you know there's a gun in my face and a silhouette of a man standing over me, faceless. I woke up screaming and sobbing. My panic attacks kept returning and I couldn't breathe. After my last panic attack that seemed to last forever, I finally drifted off to a deep sleep with no nightmares.

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Lorenzo POV

I woke up around 6 am and my day started. I showered and went to training. I was head of the Mafia in Italy, and damn it felt good. Father passed the thrown to me when he grew tired of the Mafia. He spends his time with my Mother in their house on the family's property, silly man. Who would give up this life for a woman? Women are nothing but toys to be played with and forgotten. I've never had a woman in my life for longer than a week. These were all women in the same business as me. Although I would bring these women home, the were not allowed in my room.

Around 7:30 Father called and it seemed urgent after the tenth call, so I stopped punching the bag in-front of me and answered the phone, angry.

"Father what is the meaning of this? You yourself know training isn't over until 9:30," The was a silence, and I heard him sigh. "Son I made a deal with Roberto Romano before the thrown was passed on. You and I both know than man is in deep water. He gave me an offer I couldn't refuse. He gave up his daughter, you are to marry her, her name is Ellie." I could practically hear the worry in his voice.

"Father how DARE YOU?!" Why the fuck are you just telling me this now? How long has this deal been in place?" There was a silence that only added fuel to my fire, "Father I swear I will ruin everything you hold dear." I was livid. The next words he said, made it even worse. "Two years."

"Father you had TWO YEARS TO TELL ME." I practically growled. Instead of responding, he hung up.

At that, I swung my fist so hard into the bag, it came off the chain and practically flew across the room. I left training and went to my office. My staff did not bother speaking or looking at me. I think they all knew if they were to do so, I would blow their heads off of their bodies without blinking. I did my research on Ellie Romano. She was everything a man could want. She was sexy and alluring. I would never love her. I could never love a woman. She was not far behind me age wise, me being 21 years old. She was still living at home with her father and mother. She had two brother who I knew very well. Monte and Michael, these two were my second and third hand men and I trusted them with my life. They must have kept her a secret, wanting to keep her out of our world of misery. Once I realized that I made a mission. I was going to ruin her and enjoy it. I called my men into my office and told them of the situation. It's a 2 hour drive from Genoa to Milan. I told them to pack every weapon they could possibly fit in the cars, this could get messy. I will retrieve my principessa tonight. And I couldn't wait.

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AUTHORS NOTE
OKAY FIRST CHAPTER?! GASP. how could Papa do this. ugh stupid man. and ew lorenzo, you think like a hormonal teenage boy.