New Beginnings

Graciously, I step down the stairs beside my fiancé, Clyde, into the grand front room of the family mansion.

About fifty family members and business associates are here for a cocktail party to celebrate the new acquisition of the family business, Mancini Global Estate. After months of negotiations, the other party succumbed to the Mancini influence and accepted the generous offer.

So tomorrow Clyde and I will be moving to the headquarters of this acquisition in Latin America and staying there for several years. And of course, we will get married there. So, all new beginnings.

My fiancé has my hand possessively in his as he looks down proudly at our guests. Being the consummate businessman, Clyde was the driving force behind this successful takeover. And I assisted him along the way as his assistant, yes, my fiancé and I work as a team in his office. And no, there has never been any tension, we have a wonderful understanding and that is the secret of our wonderful relationship.

We take the final steps, my signature smile plastered on my face.

And that does the trick.

Everyone relaxes and smiles back, the atmosphere now less tense than a few minutes before. I am a kind of catalyst between the strict, aristocratic family and their associates. Everyone seems to be afraid or is it in awe of the Mancini's until I appear with my angelic face, as Clyde once noted.

Clyde calls me the Queen of the Family, according to him, the clan's reputation would not be as good if he were not engaged to me. I always tease him about whether that's the reason he loves me. Of course, I know Clyde's love is real, as deep as mine is for him. He could have chosen an equally wealthy heiress, but he only had eyes for me, ever since the first day we met two years ago.

And now we are so ready to take the next step in our relationship.

"Queen Joanna, my dear. You look enchanting again. Just looking at you makes me realize how old I am again," my mother-in-law Mariam jokes as she kisses me on both cheeks. Yes, I get along very well with my in-laws, who, like Clyde, affectionately call me the Queen.

Funny actually, when you see how great my mother-in-law and sister-in-law look.

They don't look a day older than me, they don't seem to age at all. I met Natali in college and when we graduated she introduced me to her brother and immediately I was off the dating market. Clyde kept me for himself, always marking his territory by holding my hand in public. God, I love my fiancé, life without him is impossible for me.

"Mariam, you know that's not true. We can pass for sisters. You, Natali and me," I returned the compliment, which is definitely the truth. She takes me to the female guests while Clyde takes care of the men. This is how it goes at these parties, the men talk about nothing but business, annual reports, newcomers to the industry and politics.

And we, their partners, make sure that the income from their hard work finds its way back into the economy by making other businesses profitable with our massive purchases. Joking.

No, you won't find any gold-diggers among us; in fact and unbelievably, we all women have degrees in our pockets, most of us even graduated magna cum laude. But our husbands convinced us to be their best other half, so we are assistants or a combination of mother and assistant. And the rest of the time, we make sure we are beautiful and presentable.

So Mariam takes me on a tour of the familiar faces in the room, all dressed in the latest Paris haute couture. Yes, that's how we do it in our circle. And Mariam and I are the trendsetters. Don't tell anyone, but we haven't spent a penny on our clothes. We get them sent to us by various designers, knowing that their cash register will ring pretty loud when we appear in public in one of their creations.

I'm not quite sure how this works, since not many women see us at the parties, but Mariam once assured me that the photos of us reaching all the social media platforms are enough for a solid marketing stunt.

"Are you ready to leave, Joanna? Are you sure you want to be grounded there? It's a whole new culture and environment. Little socialite," asks Sybille, a cousin of Clyde's.

She has her never-fading smile around her mouth, but her eyes are always on guard. She must be about my age but looks as ageless as the rest of her family, her fire-red hair making her stand out from the crowd. The Mancini family is very upset with her lavish lifestyle and lack of responsibility. The jet set is everything to her.

Although she has never implied it, I can tell by the way she always addresses me that she doesn't really like me. There is always something overbearing in their eyes when they are set on me. I do not have a wealthy background, and it was Clyde who introduced me to their circle. Sybille clearly had another candidate in mind for her cousin. Well, too bad, in a few months I will be promoted from fiancé to madam.

"Sybille," I acknowledge her presence and raise my glass in her direction. "The only thing I need to acclimate is Clyde. When I'm with him, everything is all right, nothing can go wrong. He is the hub around which my life revolves."

For a moment, her eyes seemed to change color. But I am not paying attention, it seems to be a family thing. Depending on their mood, their eyes change from bright to deep blue and even pitch black when they get into a heated discussion or are angry.

"Owww, how romantic. Have you already picked a date for the wedding? I'm definitely coming over, I can't miss the event where my most desirable cousin finally gets the hook," she said.

"She's already got me on the hook. The marriage is just a formality. Joanna's been Queen for two years." All eyes snap to Clyde standing behind me.

A hand circles my waist as he pulls me against his chest…