The engagement

Chapter 2

Ariel

I stood in front of the wall mirror, my displeased expression staring right back at me while I accessed my short amber gold dress which had a spaghetti strap.

The engagement was something I didn't want to attend so I left my face bare. I told myself all the while that I didn't want to give a serious impression, but in my heart, I just wanted to spite my father.

He'd love me to look extra beautiful just so I could impress a man I didn't know how his face looked.

I stood squarely, the heel of my shoe giving me some discomfort. I should have gone with a pair of black pumps, but I didn't want to go overboard with my silent rebellion and no matter how angry I was with this stupid arrangement, upholding the family's reputation was still important.

A knock came on the door and without hearing her voice, I knew it would be her.

"You look beautiful, darling," She smiled wistfully, her eyes filled with sadness and dejection.

Staring at her meticulously, I observed that she had been crying for a while and that broke my heart. Though my father and I were closer, my mother's love and sacrifices would never be forgotten in a hurry.

"Do you think so? I didn't put on any makeup as Father would have liked," I chuckled nervously, my heart pounding in an unstable rhythm.

If it was possible to disappear right now, I would without hesitating even if I had to be without the two people I loved the most. But that miracle wasn't happening now, I had an engagement to attend.

My engagement, sadly.

"It's fine, baby. You are so pretty, I'm sure Dmitri would be smitten by your charming looks." She pinched my chin lightly.

I moistened my lips with tears springing up in my eyes. "Why did you allow Daddy to make that decision? I don't want to be married to that man. I don't even know him and his reputation reeks of sadism and malevolence. What if he kills me?"

She inclined her head, her shoulders rising and falling as she tried to hold back her emotions.

"It wasn't in my place, honey," She sniffed, "And you know how your father is when he makes a decision,"

I rolled my eyes, secretly disappointed at my father for treating me this way. We were buddies, how could he give me out so easily like I was a piece of bread?

Didn't I mean anything to him at all?

"But it doesn't make any sense!" I was almost yelling. "Is the Famiglia in trouble? Why do I have to be offered like a sacrificial lamb to a man who I don't even know?"

She shook her head, pressing her lips together and then she cupped my cheeks. "Look, honey, I can't give answers to your question because I'm as confused as you are. The only advice I have for you is to ensure that you don't offend Dmitri. Our family and the rest of the Famiglia depend on whatever you do. Treat him with respect and find a way to make him treat you well that's the only way to survive in that marriage," She spewed.

I clicked my tongue, bewildered. Marriage was supposed to be founded on love, but here I was trying to survive in a marriage.

Death was better than this.

A question rolled to the tip of my tongue but I was interrupted by a knock on the door. Without waiting for a response, my father matched in a dark green tux, his face hard and impassive.

I gazed at his eyes to assure myself that my father was really heartless and he didn't care about me anymore, but his eyes held the same sadness I saw in my mother's eyes.

Holding my question back in proved difficult, so I let it out.

"Why, Father?"

He cleared his throat and inhaled deeply. "Let's go, the guests are already waiting." He said curtly.

********

After we had gotten to the living room, my father stepped forward with a champagne flute and a spoon, hitting it loudly to gain everyone's attention.

"Good day, Ladies and gentlemen, underbosses and captains who have cleared their busy schedules to be present at the engagement of my only daughter, I highly appreciate your presence. Today will go down in history as an alliance of the Bratva and the Famiglia will take place today. I'm happy to inform you all that the Capo of the Russian Bratva has come to take my daughter, Ariel Scuderi's hand in marriage." He grinned.

The guests clapped but I kept my hands to myself, ignoring the nudge from my mother against my arm. I wouldn't appear to be happy when I wasn't.

"The bride and the groom should step out for the proposal." My father motioned to us.

Another round of applause echoed in the room while I reluctantly moved away from the crowd, my eyes fixed on the masked man who did nothing but stare at me.

I truly wished to know the intent of his heart, but like the mask on his face, his eyes were also veiled with a placid facade so reading him was a huge waste of time.

I stopped in the middle of the room after my father retreated towards his wife. My palms were clammy with sweat as the huge man approached me, his height towering over my petite body.

I was of average height, but standing close to him made my height seem like a joke.

He dipped his hand into the pocket of his pants and produced a little velvet box. He opened it and removed a diamond rock, then reached for my hand.

"Act accordingly, Ariel. You can't afford to mess up now." I muttered under my breath and counted to ten before stretching my hand.

He held it, peering at me with eyes that danced with mischief. It disappeared almost immediately, though.

And then he slid the ring on my middle finger and brought the back of my palm to his lips, kissing it lightly. He darted his gaze around afterward, silently displaying me as his possession.

"You are mine now." He said coldly and entwined my arm with his, leading us to my father.

"It's good that you didn't disappoint me although she fell slightly short of my expectations. I wanted her to be more glammed up than this," He complained gently, though his words sounded like a warning.

Unable to hold back my anger at his impudence, I let the words out of my mouth.

"You don't have to blame them. I'm close to eighteen and I can make decisions for myself. They don't need to doll me up for a marriage I'm not even interested in," I fired at him.

"Ariel!" Father barked, glaring hard at me.

I looked away, fuming.

"It's obvious that she hasn't come to terms with our marriage. Why is that so?"

My father bowed before him and an astonished gasp left my lips. This wasn't my father.

"Ignore her tantrums. I'll speak with her," He apologized and yanked me away from Dmitri.

He dragged me into the hallway, our heels sounding noisily on the tiled floor then stopped at the door of my room and his palm connected with my right cheek.

"I love you very much, Ariel, but I won't allow you to bring problems to me. If Dmitri discontinues the marriage because of your obstinance, you'd regret having me as a father. You will respect that man and never speak back at him again. Do you understand?" He thundered.

With my cheeks burning in pain, I nodded. He stormed off, leaving me to make the greatest decision of my life.

I stared at the rock on my finger and sighed, weighing my options.

I was engaged and in two days, I'd become a married woman to a man whom I deeply loathed, and that opposed everything I'd planned for myself.

Two options had been laid in front of me: Getting married and fulfilling the wishes of my father and the other, absconding.

I chose the latter.