The Mafia reluctant Bride

Chapter 3: The Proposal

|| Aria ||

My slender palm rubbed and caressed my forehead as I winced again. There is skull skull-cracking headache that commenced moments after my father's death. I moaned in slight pain and crawled into the driver's seat. There was no way I would let Oliver take over my father's empire. I was going to fight him and ensure I beat him to it. Moments like this made me hate my father's pampering and overprotectiveness. The man had refused to let me know anything about his operations, even when I wanted to.

“This is too early,” I muttered as a pang of guilt rushed through me. I was supposed to be mourning for now and not scheming on how to take charge of the operations.

Rumours had it that Dad was an outlaw and Morettis were more than just a family. It was a clan, a faction of the mafia. And somehow, deep in my heart, I knew if anyone was to take charge, it would be me. There was no way I would step aside and watch Oliver rule everything. I needed to step in, take charge, so I could haunt those who killed my father. My time of innocence elapsed after my father dropped dead.

As I engaged the handbrake, I lifted my gaze to see a black sedan racing towards me. My mouth opened in shock as I expected a crash, but the car ground to an automatic halt, just a few inches away from my car. My heart started racing as two men clad in Safari suits walked leisurely towards my car. One of them stopped by the bonnet while the other strolled towards the passenger door.

There was something lethal about him. His aura was so palpable, and I knew he wasn't just an ordinary man. He knocked slightly on the door screen and nudged me to open the door. Fear overwhelmed me, and I thought of igniting the car and zooming forward. But there was a car in front and a man sitting on the bonnet. That would cause a severe accident, and my driving skills weren't exceptionally good to avoid a serious crash.

Slowly, I unlocked the door. If he were a killer, I prayed for a swift death, just like the way my Dad passed on. He got in and settled on the passenger's seat with a slight groan. I quickly lifted my hands above my head in surrender.

He chuckled slightly, “Miss Moretti, I'm not here to hurt you, at least not yet. I came to pay my respects to your father”.

“Okay, what do you want?” I managed to ask. A thought crossed my mind. What if Oliver had paid these guys to kill me?

“What I want is very simple. That you and your clan are protected from the Quadrant,” He said with a stiff upper lip. He opened his jacket, pulled out a cigarette and stuck it in his mouth. He then rummaged through his pockets, searching for a lighter.

“f**k” He groaned.

“The Quadrant… I don't know what you're talking about.”

He took a deep breath and pulled out the cigar. I kept my gaze fixed on him through the rear-view mirror. There was this calculating glint in his eyes.

“The Quadrant is a circle of four powerful men with strong mafia ties. They control the affairs of the mafia here in the States. They had given orders to wipe out the entire Moretti clan. So, Miss Moretti, everyone you love will be dead in the next forty-eight hours.” He tossed the cigar out of the window.

His cold words instilled fear into my heart, and my hands fell lifelessly to my side.

“But you can save them”. He heaved and leaned forward, “We need to get married”.

“Huh? Married?” I asked again to be sure.

“You heard me correctly. Let me tell you how these things work. You could call it mafia politics…tag it any name you want. But this is me being diplomatic. When I saw you that evening, you looked like an angel. I knew it would be my undoing to humanity to take your life”.

“Jesus,” I yelled, “You were the one who killed my father. You are Damian Volkov.” My gaze became blurry, but I struggled to stay conscious. I was in the same vehicle with the man who killed my father.

“I was merely following orders. Your father had stepped on a few toes in his attempts to unlock the secret of the past. Every outlaw lives by a code of conduct, and he broke his.” He replied.

I punched the steering wheel continuously, screaming and crying. My father's murderer was in the same vehicle with me, and I could do nothing. How I wished I had taken my sword dancing sessions seriously. Perhaps I would be able to do a flip to the back. Then punch his neck until he starts gasping for breath.

“Save yourself and your clan, let's get married. I'll expect a reply from your people in three days. If you don't accept my proposal, you and the entire Morettis will be wiped clean in less than a week. They know better than to dare the Quadrant,” He made to unlock the door, but it was locked. “Kindly open the door”.

“Why?” I stuttered and started sobbing, “What was his offence? My dad was kind…”

“Don't bore me please,” He chuckled. “He was an outlaw. He did a lot of evil and you won't hear it from me.. Now, open this door before I strangle you to death.” His voice was cold and domineering.

I tapped on the central lock quickly, and it gave way. As he stepped out, I released a deep breath, and the headache intensified. I had never been this confused in my whole life. He got into the car, and the guy on the bonnet quickly got up and concealed something in his jacket. From the bulge by his side, I knew it was a gun.

There was a knock on the door again. I turned to see Eve looking very disturbed.