A Promise Older than us

Have you ever seen those commercial ads where people screw up on the simplest tasks ever? Yeah, that's how I got here. Before I begin, I'm not this careless when it comes to…other things, but my nerves have been all over the place today. Which isn't good. Because it's thanks to those nerves, that I fell in the bathroom today. Fortunately, my arm broke my fall, but now it hurts like so much. I would have cancelled my plans today, but unfortunately, I don't have it to say no to my Deduska when he asks for something. Especially today when he told me he had something big and serious to discuss. That's the reason why I fell in the first place. He's NEVER that serious. And being in the Mafia makes it worse because the news could range from being invited to another gala we have to attend, a new deal for the supply of drugs and arms or a new war that has broken out. Don't get me wrong, Deduska can be serious when he wants to be but when it's just us and maybe Oleg, his second in command, he's a real goofball. After assembling my outfit together, I made my way to his office, trying not to let my nerves slip out. I only get called into his office when I'm in trouble or he wants to talk about something serious making the feeling of dread even worse. I took slow steps while heading up to his office trying to check in mentally if I had done anything that had offended him recently. Unlike how I was in my teenage years, I had calmed down quite a bit. But that didn't excuse me from getting into trouble every now and then. Like how I accidentally tripped the estate alarm and nearly took a bullet to the head. I barely snuck out after that. Death wasn't worth risking my life for whatever was out there. Besides, now I'm old enough to do whatever I want whenever I want, so long as I'm with some sort of weapon or a bodyguard. But I hadn't done anything that would warrant getting called to his office and that made me really nervous. Was he embarking on a new mission? Or perhaps there was another war? I doubt it. But still, anything is possible in my world. The possibilities were endless. You could find yourself making enemies you don't know about just because they're jealous and want what you have or over some stupid banter. I'd finally settled in front of his office before knocking three times and waiting for a response before waltzing in. He sat there, playing with a small fidget toy I got him for his birthday. It helps him stay calm during negotiations and prevents him from raising his blood pressure too high and strangling his employees. “You wanted to see me, Deduska?” I tried to hide the distress in my voice as I sat down. My shoulders are so tense I thought they would pop. “Yes. As you know, you'll be the next head of the Bratva and you’ve come so far and grown into a beautiful young lady. Unfortunately, there's no easy way to say this. We're trying to make an alliance with the Italians in exchange for our weapons to help fight the war between them and the Spanish Cartel” How was this bad news? Making this deal with the Italians would make our drug markets skyrocket. Also, they could be of assistance when it came to more underground work as they had hands in most governments all over the world. It could help get the police off our backs. So does that mean I'll be made the head sooner rather than later? “One of the conditions for the alliance is a marriage between the Belikovas and the Moretti in less than a month” The sound that followed caught Deduska off guard. It was the sound of my own laughter. “Nice one Deduska. That one gave me a run for my money,” but he didn't smile back, his face remained grim, and he shook his head. He wasn't joking. A deafening silence filled the room, but even that felt too loud. My heart was pounding violently against my chest. So much so that I thought it would be on the floor soon enough. My palms were suddenly sweaty. Even if I wiped them across my jeans, it wouldn't do much good. Beads of sweat formed across my forehead despite the air conditioning and I was starting to feel the urge to puke. An arranged marriage? In less than a month? With a man I have never met before? Did I even have a say in this? I looked at him, praying that he would tell me this was a joke. Grandfather was good at telling jokes and planning elaborate pranks. Ha ha, now would be a good time to cut it out before my blood pressure kills me. But he didn't; if anything, he looked sad and remorseful. It was almost like he was avoiding looking me in the eyes. “When was this finalised? How could this pop up out of the blue?” I needed answers. It was taking everything not to raise my voice. Deduska sighed before he began explaining. “Romano Moretti and I have been distant friends for quite some time. We made a contract for an alliance decades ago to ensure our two families would never wage war against each other. Originally this arranged marriage wasn't intended to affect you. It was meant for our children, but we both had sons, so we thought we could call it off. Until his son had a son and mine had a daughter. I guess I had always known this would happen, but I didn't think it would come this fast” he was still playing with his fidget toy, not letting it breathe for a second. The room suddenly felt like it was spinning and I felt like throwing up. At some point, I began hyperventilating. So this was what the call was about yesterday at the shooting range? It didn't make any sense. How would I be sold off in the name of peace? What if the Morettis end up killing me or worse? And their so-called grandson. What did he think of this? I'm sure he wouldn't object. He gets a new toy to play with and someone to have s*x with without actually paying them. Then when he gets bored, he'll dump me and have other mistresses. I've always read about arranged marriages in books and how they ultimately fell in love at the end. I never believed such bullshit. That was Stockholm Syndrome at its best but it was coated to look like love. And now it's about to happen to me. “ W-what would happen if I refused? What are the consequences?” I gulped, not sure I wanted to hear the answer. “They're not good ones. You would lose your inheritance, be disowned and banished to a life of exile as well as be exposed to assassins and kidnappers. Meanwhile, both families would face the prospects of war” he sighed, sinking further into his chair. There was no way to win. I had to go through with the marriage. There's too much at stake. Seconds turned into minutes as the only sound that could be heard was the steady tick-tock of the small clock on his desk. I didn't know what to do or say. How could Deduska do this to me? I felt like I had been betrayed. What made it even more shocking was that it was less than a month away. It could be next week for all I know. Never have I ever felt so small and helpless in my life. Without having much to say, I nodded and signed the papers, not bothering to read them before walking back to my room. What was the point? My throat felt too dry to talk, and even if it wasn't, what would I say? All my life I had been sheltered and somewhat controlled. Spending most of it indoors. Even my time indoors never had an idle moment. I was always training for one thing or the other. I've never had an actual boyfriend who loved me for me. The one I did have only got with me because he thought I was some rich politician's daughter. All I have are my books, and now I'm meant to marry some random Don who wants a trophy wife? I don't think so. I can't believe I let delusion fool me into thinking I'd get a happy ending. Well, if I can't be happy, no one will. Especially not my new husband.