The Mafia boss substitute groom

"Leonard! Have you seen your brother?" My mother's voice dragged me out of sleep. I opened my eyes slowly, confused by the panic in her voice. For a second, I didn't understand what was happening. Then another loud knock hit my bedroom door. "Leonard!" her voice hoared again. I sat upright as it became obvious something was wrong. Today was Adrian's wedding day. The entire Moretti estate had been preparing for it for weeks. By now, the house should have been filled with music, relatives, wedding planners, and servants running around with flowers. Instead, all I could hear was shouting. I pushed the covers away and hurried to the door. My mother stood outside my room door. The moment I saw her face, the last trace of sleep disappeared. Isabella Moretti was rarely anything less than perfectly composed. Even during family disasters, she could usually put on a calm smile and pretend everything was under control. This morning, she looked terrified. her eyes shone as she looked at me. “Good morning mum” I greeted awkwardly. She didn’t answer unlike her. "Have you seen Adrian?" she asked again. "No." My stomach tightened. "Why?" She asked panicking as she glanced down the hallway then she looked back at me. "He's gone." she said slowly. I blinked, My eyes still weary from sleep. "What?" I asked in confusion. "We can't find him." My mom replied. For a moment, I simply stared at her. Adrian? Gone? I almost laughed. My brother was probably hiding somewhere because he didn't want to deal with another lecture about his wedding. Adrian had never been particularly excited about marrying Damien Russo. But then I noticed the security guards moving through the hallway. The servants whispering to one another. The doors being opened and searched. This wasn't a joke. he was not actually there. "How long has he been gone?" I asked. "We don't know." That answer sent a cold feeling through my chest. I stepped past her. "Where's Father?" I asked staring at my mom. "Looking for him." Of course he was. I hurried down the hallway without bothering to change out of my sleep clothes. The Moretti estate was chaos. Security guards moved from room to room. Servants stood together in frightened groups. I heard someone downstairs shouting Adrian's name. My brother was supposed to be getting married in a few hours. Instead, the entire family was searching for him. I reached Adrian's bedroom and found Father standing outside the door Antonio Moretti looked as composed as ever. Dark suit, perfectly arranged hair and a cold expression. But I knew him well enough to recognize the anger beneath it. "Have you seen him?" he asked without waiting for a greeting. "No." His eyes narrowed. "Did he say anything to you last night?"I frowned. "No." I replied instantly. "Think carefully." my father said again. his voice was slightly nervous. "I am thinking carefully." His expression hardened slightly and typical. Adrian disappeared, and somehow Father was already looking at me as though I had helped him escape. I folded my arms. "Can I see his room?" Father stepped aside. The moment I entered, something felt wrong. Adrian's wedding suit was still hanging beside the wardrobe. His shoes were neatly arranged beneath it. His expensive watch sat on the bedside table but his bed was empty. I walked toward the open balcony doors. Cold morning air brushed against my face. Below me, the gardens had been transformed for the wedding. White flowers, rows of chairs and an aisle leading toward the place where Adrian was supposed to marry one of the most feared men in New York. Everything was ready except the groom. "Leonard." I turned. My mother stood beside Adrian's desk. "They found something." My heart immediately dropped. A security guard approached us, he held a folded piece of paper. Father took it from him. "What is this?" I asked. "It was inside the desk, sir." Father unfolded it. The silence that followed made me nervous. "What does it say?" Mother asked. Father didn't answer. His expression was unreadable as he glanced through the paper. I stepped closer. "Father." His eyes lifted toward mine. For a second, something flashed across his face. Then it disappeared. He handed me the paper and i unfolded it. The handwriting was Adrian's. I recognized it immediately as my eyes moved across the page. “Don't look for me.!” My fingers tightened. “I refuse to become a slave for a debt I never created. Whatever happens after today is Father's responsibility, not mine.” I read it again and then once more. My stomach twisted. "What debt?" No one answered. I slowly raised my head. "What debt is he talking about?" I asked in confusion. Father's face went cold. "Adrian is being dramatic." He said slowly. I stared at him. "He's missing on his wedding day." I reminded them. "He ran away." "And left a message saying he's becoming a slave because of a debt?" I asked waiting for answers. "Enough, Leonard." My anger rose. "What aren't you telling us?"Mother stepped forward. "Antonio, he deserves an explanation." she said slowly looking straight at my father. Father turned toward her. "And what exactly would you like me to explain?" He asked harshly. "The debt." Silence filled the room. I looked between them. Something was wrong. My mother looked frightened and my father looked furious. And neither of them wanted to explain Adrian's message. That was when I realized something. Adrian had complained about this marriage before. He had called it ridiculous. He had said Father was treating his life like a business transaction but he had never mentioned a debt. Not once. What had changed? and what had Adrian discovered? A guard suddenly appeared at the door. "Mr. Moretti." Father turned. "What?" He asked immediately. I could sense the panic in his voice. "We found Mr. Adrian's phone." The guard replied. Mother moved immediately. "Where?" she asked the guard. "In the western garden." The guard held up a clear bag. My mother grabbed it and opened it. Inside was Adrian's phone. I stared at it. Adrian never went anywhere without that thing. "Was there anything else?" Father asked. The guard hesitated before anwering. I felt my stomach tighten again. "There is security footage." Father's expression changed. "Show me." We followed the guard downstairs. The security room was already crowded when we entered.Several monitors covered one wall. One of the guards pressed a button. The footage began. At first, there was nothing. The western gate dark gardens and a few security guards walking in the distance. Then Adrian appeared. My breath caught. He was alive and he was walking alone. No one was forcing him or chasing him. He carried a small bag over one shoulder. I stared at the screen. "That's it?" I asked quietly. One of the guards nodded. "He left through the western gate approximately four hours ago." Four hours. Adrian had disappeared four hours ago, and nobody noticed. My chest tightened. He reached the gate on the screen. Then suddenly stopped. I leaned forward. "Wait." I commanded. The guard paused the footage. Adrian was looking behind him. His face was difficult to see clearly, but something about his expression made me uncomfortable. He didn't look relieved, instead, he looked scared. "Play it again." The guard did. Adrian looked back once more. Then disappeared beyond the gates. Father suddenly turned away. "Find him." He said but it was an order. "Sir, Damien Russo's people are expected to arrive soon." "I said find him." He shouted in panick. His voice exploded through the room. Everyone went silent.I watched Father walk away and my mother followed him immediately. But I stayed behind for another moment. Adrian had left. The footage proved it. But the letter didn't make sense. A debt, A slave. Father's responsibility. Something had happened before Adrian disappeared and it was certain nobody wanted me to know.  I left the security room and headed upstairs. I needed a moment alone. But halfway through the hallway, I heard Father's voice. "How much time do we have?" I stopped. The sound came from his private study. The door wasn't completely closed. A guard answered. "Twenty-four hours, sir." My heartbeat slowed. Twenty-four hours? He asked again, this time slowly. "That's all?" "Yes." The guard replied. I moved closer. Father was inside with Mother. "Please, Antonio." Her voice sounded broken. I froze as I leaned closer to listen. "Please. We can find Adrian." she said panicking. "We've already searched the estate." Father replied. "We can send people after him." Mother said again. it sounded like a plea this time. "I have." My father said slowly. "Then wait!" Father's voice became dangerously quiet. That only happens when he is about to make a dangerous decision. "Wait for what?" My mother's breath shook. "For our son." Something inside me tightened. I moved closer to the partially open door. "Damien Russo will wait," Mother said. Father laughed bitterly. "No. He won't." he said slowly in a low voice. The silence that followed felt heavy. Then Mother spoke again. "What happens if we don't give them Adrian?" My heart began pounding. Father didn't answer immediately. When he finally spoke, his voice was low. "The Russo family will consider the agreement broken." Mother went silent.I pressed myself closer to the wall. "And then?" She asked again. Father's next words sent coldness through my entire body. "Then there is no alliance." Mother whispered something I couldn't hear. Father continued. "The ceasefire ends." My breath caught. Ceasefire? What ceasefire? I knew the Russo and Moretti families had once been rivals. Everyone knew that. But I thought those conflicts were in the past. I thought the marriage was meant to strengthen business connections. I had never heard anyone mention a ceasefire. My mind raced. Adrian's message suddenly felt different. “I refuse to become a slave for a debt I never created.” What debt? What had Father promised the Russos? I asked myself with no answers. "Please, Antonio." My mother's voice broke again. I heard movement inside. She must have moved closer to him. "Not Leonard." I covered my mouth in awe, my entire body froze. "Do not say his name." Father remained silent. "You cannot sacrifice another son." My heart began beating harder. What were they talking about? "Isabella—" My father screamed out. "No!" My mother's voice rose. I had almost never heard her shout at Father. "Adrian is gone, and now you're already thinking about Leonard?" Father's voice became colder. "What would you have me do?" Father shouted. this time, the tension in his voice was obvious. "Find Adrian." she said loudly. "I am trying." father added. "Then keep trying!" My mother was sounding so scared. "The Russo family gave us twenty-four hours." the room became silent. I stared at the door. Twenty-four hours. The words repeated inside my head. Father continued. "Twenty-four hours to give Damien Russo the groom we promised him." My mouth went dry. "And if we fail?" Mother whispered. Father's voice dropped. "If we fail, the agreement is broken." I waited. Then Mother asked the question I was afraid to hear. "What happens when it's broken?" Father was silent for several seconds. When he finally answered, his voice was almost a whisper. "It is war." My heart stopped. War. Not an argument or a business disagreement. I thought about the armed guards surrounding the Russo estate whenever their family visited. The stories people whispered about Damien Russo. disappearances, the bodies and the bloodshed that had followed the old conflict between our families. I had always assumed those stories belonged to another generation. But apparently, I was wrong. "Please, Antonio." My mother's voice trembled. "Not Leonard. He knows nothing about this." she begged. I hasd always being my mum’s favorite all along. "He doesn't need to know." My stomach dropped. "He is our son." she said as though she was reminding my father. "And Adrian was our son too." The words hung between them. I couldn't move or even breathe. Mother began crying quietly. Father spoke again. "The Russo family will not leave here without a groom." My fingers curled into fists. I finally understood. Adrian had disappeared, there were twenty-four hours left and Damien Russo still expected someone to marry him. And my father was looking for another solution. Mother's voice became desperate. "Antonio, please." I pressed my hand against the wall. Then Father's voice came through the door. Cold and final, destroying everything I thought I knew about my family. "If Adrian refuses to marry Damien Russo, then his brother will."