MADELINE

Engagement. Like a lot of women, I've always imagined getting engaged to someone I loved. I wanted to feel like a princess who was swept off her feet by her handsome prince. A fairytale that I've read about countless times before is what I truly craved. I guess I was foolish to believe in such a dream.

It was two weeks before my marriage. It was a marriage I didn't want, but I should've known my father was going to throw me to the beast. He's always craved power and pleasing his capo, but he never cared about losing me in the process.

My father was the underboss to the second most powerful Italian Mafia of the three. The Silicilano's had the biggest and most ruthless, second to them was Riccardo's father, the Mariani's. The last of the three was no one other than the Bianchi's, who had just gained a new capo. The previous capo didn't have a son, but he did have a daughter. I was positive that the daughter had to undergo everything I am currently going through. She had to marry someone who her father had seen worthy of the throne without choice. Just like me, her fairytale was pulled right beneath her feet.

I could still remember the day my father told me I was to wed the son of his boss. It should've been so obvious to me based on the way Riccardo began to act around me. He would stare at me during the 'family' events. He would touch me for far longer than I ever wanted him to. On that night when the news was first broken to me, my heart shattered. Riccardo wore a smirk on his face while his brother rolled his eyes in envy. It was only then, that I hated the life I lived.

Ever since that day, I had been forced to accompany Riccardo at every event. He always wore a smug look on his face as if I were some trophy he won. Every time he touched me, I could've sworn I threw up in my mouth. I hated him. Not just because he robbed me of my very beautiful fantasy, but because he was a monster who deserved nothing but to rot in hell.

"You must get dressed, Mrs. Mariani," one of the maids said quietly once she had stepped into my room. My room was supposed to be a beautiful thing until it turned into my prison. I wasn't allowed to leave unless Riccardo was with me. I wasn't even allowed to sleep until he bid me goodbye.

"Do not call me that ever again," I growled out. She flinched back, leaving my shoulders to sag and my frown to deepen. Letting out a sigh, I pointed towards the door. "Please leave me be."

She sat the dress down on my bed before quickly walking out of my prison. A click from the door had signaled that the maid had locked it as she left. With clenched fists, I got up from my bed. Every minute I spent in this room, the more insane it drove me.

When I picked up the dress, a note fell to the floor. I narrowed my eyes pointedly before picking it up.

'Look nice tonight, my love. Many of our enemies will be at this ball tonight.

-Your Husband'

"Kiss my ass," I muttered under my breath.

I gripped the piece of paper and ripped it into many little pieces. He was purposefully taunting me, and it was obvious. If only he knew his taunts only kindled my hatred to burn like a fire. There was nothing to extinguish it except for his blood and maybe even my father's blood.

My door opened again to reveal a woman I began to befriend. She only did my hair and makeup, but she would spend the hours telling me all about the juicy gossip that none of the men would ever tell their wives. It was a load of crap, but it was tradition. Just like it was tradition to take the bride's virginity and leave the bloody sheets up for viewing. It was also a tradition to leave wives out of the business and to only take care of matters that they saw as strictly a woman's responsibility.

As a child, I never wanted to marry into the mafia. It had taken watching my mother get cheated on over and over again before I finally realized why I never wanted to be with anyone like my father. It took the death of the capo's wife to see that these men don't know how to treat women. They see them as objects, trophies. Well, I always knew I was more than that. I would've ended up being more than that. Sadly, my father threw away my options and gave me no such choice.

I knew my mother wanted to save me, I could see it in her eye. She had no choice. Just like a lot of mafia wives, they had to be quiet and sit like an obedient, shy puppy.

"That is a beautiful dress," My hairdresser, Emily, praised. I hadn't really paid the dress much attention, but now that I did, I had to agree. It was a black maxi dress with a high slit to showcase a bit of leg. I really liked it, but the mere thought of Riccardo picking it out for me was enough to make me hate it.

"So, I'm thinking about leaving your hair down and maybe giving you some big bouncy curls. Then, for your makeup, we will leave it natural. What do you think?" Emily asked me. I shot her a tight-lipped smile as I nodded my head.

"Come sit down. I have to tell you all about the Siciliano's," Emily squealed.

--

Time passed with Emily picking and prying at my hair and makeup. We spent hours laughing and talking about the world. One thing that really piqued my interest was the talk about the Siciliano's. She mentioned a son to the capo who was described as the most beautiful of men. Emily made it sound like he was dangerous but in a good way. She had only recently heard of him after a long conversation with one of the mafia wives where they mentioned he was looking for a wife.

"Who knows? You may see him tonight," Emily stated. I rolled my eyes as she was finishing the plucking of my eyebrows. "Okay, I'm finished."

The moment my eyes met my own in my reflection, I finally understood what people meant by lifeless. No makeup in the world could cover my exhaustion.

"Thank y-"

"Madeline," Riccardo's voice cut through my words. Emily shot me an apologetic look before gathering her things. I watched as she walked past Riccardo who was moving towards me. A frown took over my lips when she exited the room, leaving me all alone with the man I truly despised with everything in me.

"You aren't going to greet your husband with a kiss?" He smirked. Rolling my eyes, I tried to walk past him but he grabbed my wrist and harshly pulled me into his chest.

"I told you to kiss me," he seethed.

"Fuck you," I spat out. He pushed me into the wall with a sharp glare seeping from his eyes. I tried to push him away but he was far too big.

"Oh, I will. I will fuck you hard and I will never let you off my bed once I do. Now, kiss me so we can leave," he said. I didn't move a muscle, and my lip curled once he began to lean in towards me. Quickly, I turned away so his lips made contact with my cheek. I would never let my first kiss be stolen away from this sick bastard.

He backed away from me with realization hitting his features, and I quickly took advantage of the situation by moving away from him.

"We leave in five minutes," he said. I narrowed my eyes at him as I followed his every movement out of my room. Luckily, he left the door ajar, but that didn't bring any hope of being able to escape. Typically, when he left the door open, it only meant we were about to leave and there were men outside my door waiting for me.

Storming over to my closet, I grabbed the first pair of heels I could find. I easily slipped on the pair of shoes before walking out of the room. Just like I assumed, two men were perched outside of my door just waiting for me. One nodded to the other before they beckoned me to follow them. We walked down the stairs and trailed around the huge house until we were outdoors.

Riccardo grabbed my hand and helped me into the backseat of the all-black car. I didn't say a word to him the moment we were inside. I did what I always did when I was in a vehicle with him. I sat as far away from him as I possibly could.

The car ride was spent with my gaze looking out of the window. I could feel Riccardo looking at me but I didn't bother to pay him any attention. His words were replaying in my mind continuously. That was the first time he had ever said something so provocative. Of course, he had his share of touching me and complimenting me, but he never went as far as pushing me into a wall and professing his desires. It scared me to know what he was truly capable of.

In minutes, we pulled up to a huge building. It was exuberant with lights displayed all around the place. Beauty wasn't even a big enough word to describe it.

Riccardo got out of the car before walking over and assisting me out. He wrapped his arm around my waist as walked. My eyes beheld the huge waterfall in the center of the yard. A smile almost melted onto my features.

We walked inside the huge building. There was classical music playing out over the loud chatter of people. Men were dressed in suits and beautiful women were elegantly settled by their sides. Some couples looked madly in love while others simply refused to spare glances at each other.

"Riccardo, my son," Mr. Mariani called out. I watched him move closer to us before a smile grasped his lips. Mr. Mariani glanced over to me and it took a lot to not want to flick him off.

"Madeline. You make my son look very well with your beauty. I can't wait for your wedding," he let out. I smiled at him, but I made sure my every bit of sarcasm could be shown. When I looked over at Riccardo's mother, I could see the frowning in her eyes.

"Have fun... and Riccardo, I'm proud of you, son," Mr. Mariani declared. A smug look took over Riccardo's face. I had to resist rolling my eyes.

They walked away from us. Relief flooded my body the second they were gone. Sadly, that relief was short-lived because Riccardo was walking me towards someone else. My lips parted in surprise as I stared at the man we were walking towards.

He had black hair that was pulled back with only a strand of hair hanging down in front of his face. The man held a strong jawline that only added to the captivation of his almond eyes. His plump pink lips would've been my favorite part if it weren't for the small scar above his eyebrow. I wanted to trace his light stubble and kiss his nose that looked as though God himself handcrafted him to perfection. Not to mention the look in his eyes as if he were promising me fire. He was promising to burn me so good.

"Ángel," Riccardo smiled. For some reason, I couldn't look away from him. Ángel was a beautiful name. It was the kind of name you could imagine screaming at the top of your lungs as a man like him brings you to climax.

Ángel placed his hands into Riccardo's before giving it a firm shake. I could feel the tension between these two. I knew they were far from friends. When Ángel stood up from his seat, I visibly gulped. He towered over Riccardo as he stood way over six-feet tall.

"This is my gorgeous fiancé, Madeline. Madeline, this is Ángel Siciliano," Riccardo introduced. Siciliano. This was the man Emily told me about. She wasn't lying when she talked about how attractive he was.

It was almost sudden the way his eyes snapped to mine. My breath hitched in my throat as he looked at me.

"Nice to meet you, Madeline," he smirked before grasping my hand into his. Heat overtook my cheeks, I just knew that I was blushing. He pulled my hand up to his lips before delivering a soft peck.

"Likewise," I whispered.

"If you'll excuse us, my wife and I were just about to dance," Riccardo stated. He was jealous, I could feel it.

"I am not your wife," I said, allowing all of my hatred to spill into my words.

Riccardo plastered on a fake smile before grasping my arm harshly. His fingers were practically digging through my skin. He tucked my hand under his before walking me towards the dance floor.

I couldn't help but look over at him once more. I still couldn't believe that a man like him actually existed. I only knew them to exist in magazines after being heavily edited, but not him. He was real. It could've just been my imagination, but I could've sworn that he was staring at me as if he wanted to eat me.

"When we marry, I expect your sexual experience to be better than what it is now," he muttered into my ear before pulling me into his chest. He had his hand on my back as we danced.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You have classes. A friend of mine will be by your room tomorrow to teach you everything I like, and I expect you to learn," he ordered. Pulling my brows together, I tried to pull away from him but he smashed my body tighter against his hold.

"You mean, one of your fuck buddies?"

"Exactly," he chuckled. His hand trailed down my back and the movement made me absolutely sick.

I couldn't help myself from glancing over at Ángel. He was already looking at me. Biting down on my lip, I watched him bring his drink up to his lips. Emily was right. He was dangerous but dangerous in a sexy way. As he looked at me, I wondered why this attraction was binding me to this man I only barely knew.

When he broke our gaze to look at the older man at his side, I decided to tear my eyes away as well. If Riccardo caught me looking at the man he hated most, I was afraid of what he might do to me.

Suddenly, Riccardo's brother came into view. He tapped Riccardo on the shoulder, leaving me to easily slip from his grasp. I quickly moved by the crowds of people dancing and found my way over to the balcony. I've been wanting to get a taste of freedom for as long as I had been locked away as Riccardo's fiancé.

When I turned around, I found myself gazing at Ángel. Emily said he needed a wife. Whoever he was to marry, she was a lucky woman. He didn't seem to be a jerk like Riccardo.

He looked over at me. I should've broken my gaze and pretended as if I hadn't been creepily staring at him, but I couldn't.

My stomach erupted in a fit when he began to walk over to me. Awkwardly, I turned away from him.

It was only when I could feel him up against my backside that I almost crumbled.

"Where's your husband?" He asked in my ear.

I hated being referred to as his wife. I especially hated it when he was referred to as my husband. I quickly shook my head, my teeth instinctively biting down on my bottom lip. Sadly, he pushed away from me.

"R-Riccardo isn't my husband," I stated softly.

"No?" He questioned with a raised brow.

When his eyes trailed down to the ring on my finger, I knew what he must be thinking. I quickly moved my hand behind my back so it was away from his sight. I didn't know why, but there was this need to not disappoint him that stupidly resided in me."Yet. We aren't married yet."

"I see," he stated. Taking a step towards me, my breathing grew heavier when his hand trailed down my arm. "How did you two meet?"

I thought back to Riccardo's words by never telling anyone how he practically stole me from my life. "I'm not allowed to say."

"Madeline!" Riccardo exclaimed coming out of nowhere. He was going to hurt me especially if he knew who I was speaking to. He stormed over to me and gripped my arm. "Don't you ever run away from me again. I can't wait until I marry you and fuck the disobedience out of you!"

"Riccardo, you should be more kind to your fiancé. You know, while you have her and all," Ángel smiled.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, huh, Ángel?"

"It means exactly what I said, idiota."

I watched him walk away. For some reason, I could feel that it wasn't going to be the last time I would see him.

-

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