American Dynasty

T W O

The stunning Alicia Vikander as Stella Biancardi :)

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Stella tried to breathe as best as she could in her dress. At least her wide-brimmed hat was shading her face from the sun.

Her mother and other socialites chatted idly about the latest scandals and fashions as they snacked on small sandwiches and macaroons, but Stella did not feel like joining in on the conversation. She instead tried to focus on not passing out from asphyxiation.

"Have you heard about Johnny Torrio?" One of the women asked in a hushed voice. "The leader of that gang in Chicago? Rumour has it he's retired."

"Who's taken his place as boss?" Stella's mother Marcella said with a twinge of interest.

"A young upstart named Al Capone. I doubt they'll survive very long," the woman answered, delicately dabbing at the corners of her mouth with her napkin.

Stella rolled her eyes, careful not to be caught by any of the woman. All anyone could talk about was gangs. What was so special about these gangs? They were full of criminals who murdered, racketeered, stole, ran brothels and worst of all acted like it was something great.

Yet people still loved them. High society girls cozied up to handsome young gangsters in hopes of snagging them into the golden handcuffs of marriage. Even her father rubbed shoulders with some high-profile Italian mob bosses.

"So Stella, I have been meaning to ask you something."

The sound of her name brought Stella out of her thoughts. Her mother's friend Luciana was looking at her expectantly.

"Yes?" Stella said slowly, not failing to notice that Marcella was beaming proudly.

"I am hosting a party in honour of Dante's twentieth birthday tomorrow night and I would love for you to attend. You remember Dante, don't you? You used to play together as children. You were...quite the pair," Luciana said, smiling at Stella coyly as if to say now is where you accept my invitation.

Stella glanced at Marcella who was motioning for her to answer. "Um...I would love to attend. Thank you so much for the invitation, Luciana," she said hesitantly, but it was good enough for Luciana.

"Wonderful! I will be sure to tell Dante that you will be at his celebration."

Stella raised an eyebrow but said nothing. This was no doubt another one of her mother's ploys to find her a husband. The fact that her daughter had nearly reached the age of twenty and had not yet even thought about settling down with a wealthy heir or businessman bothered her mother to no end.

She attracted the attention of countless suitors, but she was never interested in any of them. With each suitor that was sent away from the Biancardi estate in rejection Marcella grew more and more impatient with her fiery daughter.

"I'm sure Dante will be please that Stella will be attending. I've heard that he's become such a handsome young man since we last saw him," Marcella said, smiling knowingly at Luciana.

If Marcella's intentions had not been obvious to Stella before, they were now. Stella's lips worked themselves into a tense line as she tried to concentrate on anything else other than the conversation at hand. She stared at the sprawling garden of her parent's property, a seemingly endless field of lush green grass dotted with perfectly trimmed trees and topiaries.

To complain about what she had would sound spoilt of her, she knew that much. But she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like if she wasn't a Biancardi. She sighed quietly and smoothed down her dress as Marcella chatted with her friends, failing to notice her daughter's forlorn expression.