Forced Alliance

Chapter 7

At the third step I trip and fall onto the

stairs. I laugh at myself. Making him

smile a little.

"I don't think I've got it." I say and he

helps me up again lifting me up. Now

carrying me up instead.

"God how much have you been drinking."

he says looking at me. "Don't remember." I

answer laughing at myself.

I lay my head on his chest as he carries

me to bed. f**k. This is not my bed. I look

around to find myself in Antonio's room. I'm

too dizzy and tired to walk up and go to

my room. He did this on purpose.

"Just so you know I would never sleep in

your bed, I hate you and you hate me so

this would never happen if I were sober

but I can't walk right now..." he interrupts

me.

"Just shut up and sleep Isabella." He takes

his pillow and walks out of his room.

I like that he is respectful and not just

gets in bed with me. I'm starting to get

comfortable around him and it's scary. I

am supposed to hate him because this is a

forced marriage. But he was also forced to

marry me. So I don't know if it's fair to be

mad at him for something he didn't want

either.

He lets me sleep in peace. And to be

honest this bed is much more comfortable

than mine.

When I wake up I realize it's the ball day.

Today I will be introduced to everyone as

"Isabella Romano". What a horrible day.

I get into my room and my dress is

hanging on my wardrobe. It's dark green

and very long. It has a silky material and

looks really good. The straps are made

with diamonds and with it they have

given me a silver bag to match the straps.

The heals are really pretty too shiny.

i get ready all day to look perfect. I put on

the dress hoping it covers my scars.

He walks up behind me standing so very

close. He puts his hand on the zipper

but stops there. His eyes are staring at

my back. Slowly his fingers touches my makeup then on with my dress. I look

myself in the mirror. I don't think I've

ever felt prettier. I smile at myself in the

mirror. The only thing now is to zip the

dress.

My hands won't reach my back. And I

don't want anyone doing it for me. They

will see my scars my father left me. I

try again and again. Trying to reach the

zipper.

"f*****g zipper" I shout getting annoyed.

"You need help with that?" Antonio says from

behind me. How long has he been there. I

nod and hesitate to move my hair my

back. Following the scars with his fingers.

"Please don't" I say as a whisper. He stops

and zips my dress.

I turn around and face him eyes closed.

"Who did this to you?" He demands. I

shake my head not wanting to tell him.

I try to smile. "Is it true what my father

said, that you get hit at home?" Antonio asks.

I don't answer but it's enough for him.

"I'll kill him" he says but I shake my head.

"It's not that easy. He swore that if we

ever did something to him he would kill

all of us."

"He has guys who will finish what he

didn't. My family will die, what ever

you do you can't kill him. Trust me I've

wanted to." I say out of fear.

He sighs getting frustrated. His hands

clench into fists. "I will do it Isabella" he

says not listening to me.

"No Antonio you have to trust me on this, he

won't ever hurt anyone again, I can't put

my family in danger" I say stopping every

plan he had to kill father. He clenches his

jaw out of anger.

"I won't kill him now but if he ever

touches you again I will make him regret

it" he says. Since when did he care so

much about my life. I don't know what got

into me but I lean in on him. Resting my

head on his chest.I realize what I'm doing and back of

quickly. "I didn't mean to do that" I say

and we both try to not think much about

it when we leave the house.

This place is like a castle, with grand,

sweeping architecture that leaves me in

awe. The staircase is magnificent, curving

gracefully down to the expansive dance

floor below. Each step is covered in a rich,

red carpet that feels plush underfoot, and

the banisters gleam with polished gold

accents. As I walk down the stairs, I can't

help but feel like I've stepped into a fairy

tale.

At the center of the room hangs an

enormous chandelier, a breathtaking

masterpiece of crystal and light. It

sparkles brilliantly, casting shimmering

reflections across the room and creating

an enchanting atmosphere. The light

dances on the polished marble floor,

adding to the magic of the scene.

The room is filled with people, all dressed

in their finest attire. Elegant gowns and

sharp suits are everywhere I look. The air

is alive with the sound of laughter and

animated conversation, a harmonious

blend of voices that fills the space. Thescent of fresh flowers and expensive

perfume mingles, creating a heady,

intoxicating aroma.

I've never been to a ball before. My heart

races with excitement and a touch of

nervousness.

Antonio, looking dashing in his tailored

suit, leads me to the edge of the room.

"I'll be back in a moment" he says with a

reassuring smile, before turning to join a

group of men engaged in what appears to

be a serious discussion. From the snippets

of conversation I catch, it sounds like

they're talking about business, though I

can't make out the details.

I walk around the place. The buffet looking delicious. I take two plates and

fill them with food. Walking back to Antonio

I interrupt their conversation. "I got us

some food can we sit down for a minute"

I say to him as I smile to the other guys.

"Talk to you later" he says to the guys and

we walk to a table to sit down.

I place the plates in front of us. He only

looks at his plate. "I didn't know what you

liked so I got you all" I say as I start to eat.

He takes some bites of his food then stops

eating. "You got me like the whole table"

he says and I smile. "Yea so eat it, don't

waste it." I say.

After a while he stands up.

"What are you doing" I ask watching him.

"Asking my wife to dance with me" he

says teasingly. I take his hand as we

walk up to the dance floor. It's fun how

everyone here thinks we are a couple but

the truth is we don't even like each other.

We hate being around each other. We

were both forced to do this and just play

along.

He carefully places his hands on my

back. I place mine over his shoulders

connecting them behind his head. We

are closer than ever. Eyes staring into

each other. We rock back and forth to the

music.

His hand drops a little further down.

Almost touching my ass. "What are you

doing" I say. "Showing everyone you're

mine" he tells making my cheeks heat up.

Why am I blushing.