Chapter 2 - Chiara

The doorbell chimes loudly, and I jump a little, lost in the book I was reading.

“Chiara, won’t you get the door? I think that”s the pizza,” my roommate shouts from the shower.

“Alright,” I shout back, putting my book down and skipping toward the door.

I pull it open and greet the guy standing there, holding the pizza as he eyes me up and down with a grin on his face. “Hey, delivery for Lisa?”

“Yep, that’s us.” I take the boxes from his hand and ignore the way he is blatantly checking me out. “Thanks a mil,” I grin, and then slam the door closed, rolling my eyes.

“You don’t have to wait for me,” Lisa says, rushing through to her room with a towel wrapped around her body, wet hair dripping all over the floor.

Both of us are a bit hungover. I”m not usually a big drinker, but this past week has been crazy. Every night there”s been a party happening somewhere—we just graduated, and it”s been a nonstop celebration.

I leave Lisa’s pizza—the one with pineapple all over it—on the kitchen counter, and carry my own—pineapple free—back to the sofa where I was reading.

My head hurts a little, and I am so hungry I feel like I could eat four pizzas myself. The smell of the cheesy bacon and mushroom delight is causing my stomach to growl in excitement.

Just as I sit down, Lisa rushes into the kitchen, yanking the pizza box lid open and pulling out a slice, biting into it excitedly. I guess she is as hungry as I am. I chuckle.

With a mouthful of pizza, she picks up her box and flops down onto the sofa next to me.

“Did you also get the invite for Devon’s party tonight?” she asks, swallowing, and taking another bite.

“I did, but I can’t face another tequila shot. In fact, I am not sure I can ever drink tequila ever again,” I complain.

She chuckles. “I know, me too, but I might go anyway. I reckon after this pizza I”m going to feel a lot better.”

I shake my head. “Well, you”re on your own tonight. I”m staying right here, under this fluffy blanket, with my book and numerous mugs of hot chocolate.”

“No, I need you. You can’t abandon me now.” Lisa pouts out her bottom lip.

“That worked on me last night, but not tonight. I won’t fall for your tactics twice.”

She rolls her eyes and picks up her phone. “Fine, I guess I can see if Sally is going.”

Lisa and I have been roommates since we were freshmen—we got on well from the first moment we met. We both studied cosmetology as our primary degree, but with me more interested in the business side of things I did a number of business economics courses to supplement what I was learning.

Lisa enjoys the more creative side of it all. Technically, we are very different people, but somehow that just makes us closer as friends.

We graduated a few weeks ago, but the lease on the apartment we share isn’t up until the end of Summer, so we still have some time together.

My time at university has been the best of my life. It was the only way I could get away from home, and my mafia family, and the lifestyle that comes with all of that.

I love my dad to the end of the world and back, but I needed to head out into the world and start my own life.

“You know, now we”re done with college, you and I are going to have to start being all responsible and do things like get make a business plan and getting life insurance and all of that like real adults,” Lisa complains. “You should really take advantage of these last few weeks of freedom we have together.”

“That”s the argument you used to get me to party with you on Tuesday. You really need to accept you aren’t going to win with me tonight,” I laugh.

“I had to try. Besides, it really is true.”

My phone rings loudly from somewhere beneath the sofa cushion, and I start digging around to find it.

I glance at the screen, then swipe to answer the call.

“Daddy,” I say, happily.

“Sweetheart, how are you doing over there?” His deep, gruff voice makes me smile.

My dad is a very calm man with a strong sense of business and has been my rock and mentor for as long as I can remember. My mom passed away when I was three. I don’t really remember anything about her, and even though my father remarried, I never actually got on with his new wife of her son, Stefano, my older stepbrother.

“It’s going great. We just got pizza, and I”m having a quiet night in.”

“Listen, sweetheart, I am sorry to drop this on you, but there is a bit of a family emergency and I need you to come home. I”ve already arranged the jet, the pilot will be at the airport tomorrow afternoon to fetch you.”

“Really? What”s going on? Are you alright? Did something happen?” I sit up, feeling worried.

“Yes, I”m fine. Just make sure you are at the airport. One-thirty. I”m really looking forward to seeing you, sweetheart.”

I end the call, feeling confused. The last thing I want to do now is go home, right when I”m about to get things started with my own life, my own business, away from all the mafia influences. But I can never say no to my father, and whatever”s going on, I know he wouldn’t call me like that unless it was really urgent. I guess it”s something he needs to talk to me about in person.

The private jet lands, and instantly, I have a knot in my stomach. Home.

My father’s driver is waiting for me out on the tarmac, and climbing into the back seat of the car, I feel my shoulders tensing. I”m going to make this trip as short as possible. Once we”ve dealt with whatever this is, I”ll be on the first flight out of here.

The driver pulls up outside the entrance of my father’s mansion. He opens the door for me as my father steps out of the front door and walks over to the car. I hop out and immediately rush over to him to wrap my arms around him.

“I missed you,” he says, pulling me into a tight hug.

He leads me into the house while the driver carries my bags inside. “So, what”s going on?” I ask, feeling as though I might explode with anxiety since he hasn’t told me what this emergency is yet.

“First, you need to rush upstairs and get ready. The guests will be arriving in the next hour. We have a party tonight.”

My heart sinks. He isn’t going to tell me yet, and the last thing I feel like is another party. But I smile, and dutifully do as I am told.

A quick shower, a splash of make-up, and a pretty sparkling blue dress that feels a little too short for me. I pin my long, dark chocolate-colored hair up into a loose bun and check my reflection in the tall mirror on the outside of my closet door.

By the time I head back downstairs, the guests are already starting to fill the house.

There are faces I recognize and faces I don’t.

I wander around, greeting people and trying to find my father. When I spot him surrounded by a group of businessmen, I decide to wait until he isn’t so busy and head toward the bar to get some champagne.

“Little Chiara is all grown up.” The voice behind me instantly makes me cringe. I turn to face my stepbrother, my mouth pulled to the side.

“Stefano,” I say, as politely as I can manage.

His eyes trail up and down my body and I feel myself shudder inwardly.

“You are looking…different,” he says with a sly grin.

“And you look exactly the same,” I reply, turning my back on him.

He grabs my arm and spins me to face him again. “Don’t be rude, little girl. I am your older brother, after all, don’t you think it”s time you started showing me some respect?”

“Stepbrother. And I will show you respect when you deserve it.”

“Still a bitch, I see.” His grip tightens on my arm, and I yank it away from him.

“Still an arrogant asshole,” I snap back.

His eyes darken as he glares down at me.

I pick up my champagne from the bar and say, “I”m going to go and find Dad,” then spin away from him and march toward where my father is standing. I would rather be stuck in a conversation with a bunch of businessmen than my stepbrother any day.

We have never gotten along.

I think he”s an arrogant, self-centered, violent asshole. And if I had my way, I would never speak to him again. He”s bitter about everything, as though he hates his own life and wants to take it out on everyone around him. He just needs to stay away from me while I”m here, and everything will be fine.

“Look at you, all grown up,” one of my father’s associates says as I step into the circle of people. My dad grins, proudly.

“She graduated top three in her class,” he remarks.

I grin and join the conversation, not really enjoying any of it and wanting to try and sneak away as soon as I can manage, but my father keeps introducing me to new people and parading me around the party. I politely entertain everyone until finally, after hours of monotony, I decide I”ve had enough. I excuse myself from the conversation I am trapped in with one of my father’s associates and start trying to find him in the crowd. Unfortunately, I spot him standing right next to Stefano.

I am just going to sneak off instead. My dad will understand.

I turn to head back into the house so I can head upstairs to my bedroom and hide away for the rest of the party, but just as I”m about to escape, my father’s loud voice booms around the room.

“Can I have everyone’s attention?” he says, and the room falls silent as they all turn towards him. I freeze, biting my lip. I guess I”d better stay for this and then make my escape afterwards.

“I wanted to thank everyone for coming out tonight. It’s a big night, and a very important one.” He looks around, squinting into the crowd. “Chiara? Where are you, sweetheart?”

I raise my hand and grin as everyone turns towards me. I feel my cheeks flush.

“Come on, come stand next to your old man, here.”

I push through the crowd and take my place at his side, feeling awkwardly watched.

“Most of you have met my beautiful daughter, Chiara. Well, tonight, we are all here to celebrate something special—the union between my family and one of our long-standing allies. The Napoli family and Dubrov family will be joined in marriage; my beautiful daughter, Chiara, is going to be marrying Maxim Dubrov,” he announces, and the crowd cheers, and shouts congratulations.

I stare in numbed silence at the smiling faces around me.

On the inside, my head is spinning wildly, and my thoughts are screaming. My legs feel weak and shaky. My stomach is tight, and I feel like I want to puke.

On the outside, I smile politely, nod, and say thank you as people come up to me one by one to congratulate me on my engagement.

I have been taught never to make a scene. Never to react or show emotions in these types of situations. Always polite, obedient, and in control.

I can’t even look at my father. I can’t stand to make eye contact with him. Not now, not after he just dropped this on me.

This was the emergency.

This is why he had me come home in such a rush.

He wants me to marry some guy I have never met before in order to strengthen his business relationship with his family.

I continue to suffer through the crush of people, smiling and happy for me, all having no idea how I really feel about any of this.

When my head feels as though it is going to explode, I take my chance and duck away, rushing out of the crowded space and into the garden to stand beneath the pergola, surrounded by soft fairy lights and the peaceful night air.

I take a deep, slow breath. Then another one. I am fighting all kinds of emotions which are threatening to overwhelm me. What the fuck is going on? Did that really just happen?

Everything I planned for my life…

My chest tightens, and it becomes more difficult to pull air into my lungs. I begin to feel dizzy as panic surges through me.

I grip on tightly to the railing for balance.

“I guess congratulations are in order?” a deep, soothing voice comes from behind me.

I slowly turn towards the stranger, tall, lean, muscular and very good-looking.

For a brief moment, I am lost in how blue his eyes are. The panic falls away for a second.

He smiles at me. “You look as though this news is something you only just found out?”

He moves to stand next to me, leaning his back against the railing and looking me up and down.

“I did only just find out.” I bite my inner cheek, my brows knotting together, anger beginning to grow and replace the panic.

“I’m sorry to hear that, I can’t imagine it”s easy. Are you okay?”

I look into his eyes again, and his soothing tone eases me enough to be honest. And the truth is, that if I am being honest—I am furious about all of this.

“Actually, I’m not okay. I don’t understand why my father would just drop that on me like this. In front of everyone,” I snap angrily.