The Mafia reluctant Bride

Chapter 2: The Funeral

|| Aria ||

The air in the funeral was thick, sullen and filled with grief. Even the skies wept as it drizzled slowly, hitting mourners' umbrellas. The white silver casket, which was adorned with white lilies and red roses, rested just an inch away from the grave site.

The priest stood by the grave site, murmuring William Moretti's eulogies and telling the attendees about his philanthropic acts and huge donations to the local parish and cathedral.

I was clad in black, and my dark shades rested on the tip of my nose. My body shivered as I stared at the casket that housed the remains of my Dad. A man who was vibrant and full of life was now pale, cold and stiff. The thought of my father spending eternity alone in the ground shook me.

This is the man who made my life fun. There was a*****e filled with luxury gifts, only from my Dad. He still treated me as a baby even when I begged that I was an adult. His words, ‘You'll always be my baby forever,’ resounded in my memory. My body jerked forward, and I almost rushed to the graveside, but Aunty Eve’s firm hands restrained me.

“From dust you were made, from dust you'll return.” The Priest voiced out, but somehow, the funeral countenance numbed his voice, making it sound like a soulless whisper.

I wriggled free from Aunty Eve's hand and rushed back to the rover. I jumped in, slammed it shut and slumped on the chair. I reached out for my Dad's fez towel, which was on the dashboard, and I sniffed it. His cologne filled my lungs, and my body grew stiff. Without warning, a sharp scream escaped my mouth as I clutched my stomach.

“Dad, Dad….” My upper and lower teeth slammed against each other as I kept on jerking.

*

A soft sigh escaped my mouth as I lifted my head. I winced as my head felt so heavy. There was a banging sound on the car door, and it was Eve looking so frantic. It seemed I may have passed out from crying. I opened the door, and she jumped in, checking my body for any harm.

“You scared me…” Eve said as she helped me out of the car.

“Is the funeral over?” I asked.

“Yes, but the rest of the clan, family and church want to pay their respects to you. You have to be at the funeral ground,” She nudged me slowly.

I resisted and leaned back on the rover, “I can't go there. I can't. I just want to believe that he isn't dead yet. First it was Luca, now my Dad. Aunty Eve, I don't deserve to be happy. I don't f*****g deserve it. I'll slit my throat…”

“Listen to me, you're a Moretti and you have to be strong for us. Your Dad wouldn't want you to kill yourself. He'll want you to assume responsibilities, run things”.

I shook my head, “You can't even tell what he would have wanted. Me to run things? I don't even know a thing about his business operations. It's too early, I want to grieve him”.

Eve placed her hand on my shoulder, “Listen to me, Aria, you will grieve him as long as you wish. I know I'm not in a position to say this, but your Dad has quite a lot of operations and would want someone to be in charge. Your cousin, Oliver. I don't trust that guy. You need to take charge before these dudes scramble everything like a pack of cards”.

A sigh escaped from my lips, and a dizzy spell hit me. I nodded and staggered forward, almost tripping, but Eve held me. With a heavy heart, I proceeded to the funeral grounds.

I spotted Oliver talking to a few men who were clad in black. When he saw me, he excused himself and strolled towards me. He was a man of about thirty years, very cocky and I sometimes hated his guts. He was my Dad's right-hand man, but for some reason best known to him, he wasn't at my birthday.

“Aria, accept my condolences. Your Dad, my uncle, was my mentor, my Boss and was a friend too,” Oliver said as he adjusted his suit.

I nodded, “So, what's the way forward? Can we go somewhere to talk?”

He shook his head in brief hesitation and then nodded immediately, “No, problem”.

I spared the tombstone a glance a dropped. I then led Oliver to the car I came with. A Range Rover, my Dad's favourite. He pulled out his phone and made a call. A minute later, a man dressed in a black suit got into the driver's seat.

“This is my Dad's car and I want to drive it myself,” I protested.

He smiled, “Benjamin has been my driver for over eight years. Your Dad trusts him too”.

“This isn't about trust. It's my Dad's personal car, I want to drive it,” I pressed further. “Stop the car”.

“Okay, Benjamin, stop. You said you wanted to talk.” He spared me a glance. “Benjamin, leave us”.

The driver nodded curtly, “I'll be outside the cemetery”.

I cleared my throat and sniffed. This was more difficult than I thought. “I know this isn't the right place to discuss this, but I want you to set a meeting with all my Dad's employers. I'd like to meet them, and I'd love to know what the cops have been able to find out”.

“The cops aren't close to finding out who murdered your Dad, but they are working on it”.

“That's bullshit. I gave them a name, Damian Volkov”.

Oliver chuckled, “The cops have run checks, but the name doesn't appear in their database. Sure, you heard it right?”

“Oliver, everyone in the room heard my Dad call him. It's obvious they both knew each other”.

“Aria, don't stress yourself with these things…”

“Don't you tell me…”

“What I meant is, the cops will handle it. I've made plans for you to go on a vacation. It could be a year, it could be more. Then, we could relocate you to Europe. Changing environments helps deal with grief”.

I slapped my ears to be sure I was hearing him right, “What the HELL? I am not going on any vacation. Like I said earlier, I would love to meet all my Dad's employees. Since you were his right-hand man, you'll brief me about his operations, businesses”.

Oliver chuckled, “Easy, Princess, your Dad didn't want you involved in his operations for a reason. You're a girl, do what girls do. I will ensure that your Dad's business continues smoothly. While you will be entitled to at least 80% of all his shares. Just rest, I'll work for the money”.

He unlocked the car and made to step out, but I held his wrist. He stared at me with raised eyebrows.

“I want to be carried along,” I reiterated. “I know you have helped my Dad over the years. But he sidelined me. I don't just want to be the princess; I'm his daughter, and I want to know what's up. He promised to let me in when I'm of age. Only that death took him unexpectedly”.

“Aria, your dad's business is not as formal as you think. No one will listen to you. So, go home and prepare for your vacation. I run things from now on,” He yanked my grip off and stepped out of the car.