Chapter 2:The Wedding
1028 Words
The drive to the wedding venue was slow. Jade hadn't even seen her mother that morning.
Currently, she was seated in a car, her attention outside, while she took deep calming breaths.
She played with her fingers. Her gaze landed on the birds which were flying in the sky, and her lips curved up slowly.
"How I wish I could be like you?" She murmured longingly. "Able to fly without restraints, without any care in the world. I don't even know how it feels to be free. I'm nothing but a locked up canary."
As she said this, tears slowly dropped from her eyes. After what seemed like an eternity, the car slowly came to a stop in front of a huge cathedral.
Jade gazed outside and her eyes became glazed. She was truly doing this. She was getting married to the Don, the most feared man in all of the underworld.
The door to the car opened, and with the help of the driver, she finally stepped down from the car.
They took slow steps towards the entrance, and there, they met Cora standing beside a man who looked to be the same age as her.
Cora's gaze travelled from Jade's head before landing on her feet. Her roaming gaze made Jade feel uncomfortable, so much that she gripped the gown tightly.
Finally, a trace of satisfaction flashed through Cora's eyes. "Breathtaking. Truly breathtaking." She clapped happily, before turning to the man. "Isn't my daughter the most radiant bride you have ever seen?"
The man nodded softly, acknowledging her words.
"Great! The Don is waiting inside."
At the mention of the Don, Jade's entire body tensed up as her breathing turned rapid. She didn't even hear the blabbering from her mom. Only one thought flashed through her mind—she was finally seeing the Don.
"Jade, are you even listening to what I was saying?" Cora snapped her fingers, breaking Jade out of her thoughts.
"You were saying?" She asked, careful to not anger her mother.
Cora took a deep breath. "You were not listening. What was the first rule I taught you while growing up?"
Jade gulped before answering. "Always pay attention." Her voice, a tad bit lower.
"Jade, my darling. You are marrying the Don. Attention would get you far in a place like that. Do you understand me?"
Jade nodded, even though, inwardly, her heart twisted as though someone had placed a dagger in it and was determined to dig out her heart.
"That's enough, Cora. It's her wedding." The man standing beside Cora stepped in, and Jade had never been so grateful. "Today should be a happy day. Not a day for you to lecture her."
Cora rolled her eyes. "I said, Mike would be the one to walk you down the aisle. Your father... he is not here to do so." She placed her hand on Jade's head, and let out a downcast smile.
Jade's eyelid drooped. Maybe... just perhaps, if her father was still alive, she might not have married such a dangerous man.
Her eyes softened as she recalled the beautiful moments she spent with her dad.
"Alright!" Cora clapped, once again snapping Jade out of her fleeting thoughts. "We shouldn't keep the Don waiting."
She turned to Mike, gesturing for him to take Jade's hands.
Mike understood, and he faced Jade with an outstretched hand, and she gave a resigned smile. She placed her hand into his, and with a heavy gaze, they turned to the cathedral's door which opened just in time for them.
The heavy oak doors groaned open, and for a moment, the world was nothing but the scent of a thousand crushed lilies and the suffocating weight of history.
As she stepped onto the marble, the cathedral felt less like a sanctuary and more like a tomb. The gold-leafed saints carved into the walls didn't look down with mercy; they watched like silent witnesses to a transaction.
Above, the massive dome seemed to press down on her, the painted angels mocking the "forever" she was about to swear.
Every step was a struggle against the lace train that trailed behind her like a leaden anchor. The guests were a sea of black silk and cold eyes—men with hands stained by business she wasn't supposed to know, and women who had long ago learned to keep their mouths shut.
With each step she took, she felt the heavy weight of what she was walking into. She was really getting married, and there was no way out of this.
"How do you feel?" Mike's voice snapped Jade out of her seemingly unending thoughts.
Jade looked at him from the corner of her eyes, as she bit her lips, contemplating whether she should lie or tell the truth.
"You know you can always count on me. You can always tell me what's going on with you." His voice was calm, just like an anchor.
But Jade shook her head inwardly. Even if she told him what was going on with her, there was nothing he could do to help her. He only listened to her mother.
"There's nothing, Mike. Thank you for your concern." And with that, her attention turned to the end of the aisle.
And there, at the end of the long, floral-choked aisle, stood the Don.
He didn't look like a groom; he looked like an apex predator waiting for his prize to reach the clearing. The flickering candlelight caught the sharp line of his jaw and the total lack of warmth in his gaze. He wasn't waiting for a wife; he was waiting for his newest acquisition to be delivered.
The organ music swelled, a thunderous, terrifying sound that drowned out the frantic beating of her heart. She wasn't walking toward a life; she was walking toward a beautiful, gold-plated sentence.
When she finally reached, Mike placed her hand into the Don's hand with a measured carefulness. With a slight bow, he stepped away.
Finally, Jade locked eyes with him, and her heart beat raced while she tried to stabilise her breathing.
This was the Don, Dante Russo, and her soon-to-be husband.
- Writer
