Then Unintended Bride

Chapter5

Adrian’s POV

My phone buzzed for the third time in a row.

I ignored it twice, but when the caller ID flashed “Mamma,” I knew I couldn’t keep avoiding it.

I closed my office door, exhaled once, and answered.

“Adrian,” she said immediately, skipping any greeting. Her tone was clipped and cold. “It is time.”

I already felt a headache coming on.

“For what?” I asked, even though I knew. I always knew.

“To return to Italy,” she said. “To take your rightful place as the Leader of the Casagrande Family.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Mamma.”

“No excuses,” she cut in. “Your father is gone. The Council grows impatient. You are the heir. You will do your duty.”

Her voice carried the same pressure it always had.

I had left Italy years ago to get away from all of this. I built this hotel, this life, specifically so I wouldn’t have to live under the weight of the family’s expectations.

But to her, none of that mattered.

“I’m not coming back,” I said firmly. “I told you that already.”

“That foolish dream of yours,” she snapped. “This little business, this hotel nonsense, it ends now.”

I walked to the window, staring out over the city I chose. The one place where I wasn’t the mafia heir. Where I was just… Adrian.

“I refused to kill then,” I said quietly. “I refuse now.”

“You don’t need to pull the trigger,” she replied. “You only need to sit on the throne. Others will handle the rest.”

That didn’t make anything better.

She continued, “The bloodline dictates the leader. You are the only legitimate successor. Your brother is dead. Your cousins are unfit.

The family needs stability.”

I let out a controlled breath. Her logic was the same as always.

My life had never belonged to me in her eyes.

And she spoke like this was already decided.

“It’s not happening,” I said.

“You have no choice,” she replied. “The ceremony is prepared. The Council expects you. I will send a jet.”

That was when it came back to me…. The one rule carved into Casagrande tradition:

A married man cannot be a leader. A leader must be “unbound” and fully controlled by the family.

Marriage was considered a conflict of loyalty.

It was the only loophole that had ever existed.

My mind started racing.

She kept talking, but I barely heard her. If I was married, I could decide not to take the title.

If I didn’t take the title… They would be forced to choose someone else.

It was reckless. But it was the only possible escape.

I tightened my grip on the phone.

“Mamma,” I said slowly. “I can’t come back because… I’m getting married.”

The silence on the other end was immediate.

Her voice was sharp and cold.

“Married? Who is she? I will see her next weekend. You will introduce me to your fiancée.”

I froze.

I hadn’t even considered anyone. Certainly not someone my mother could meet, certainly not in two days.

“I… it’s complicated,” I said, trying to buy time. “We’re arranging everything soon.”

“Two days. I will see her. You must have a suitable fiancée,” she said, leaving no room for argument.

Before I could argue, she hung up.

Dang it

I ran a hand over my face. Two days. That was all I had. My life had just turned into a ticking clock.

I paced my office, phone still in hand, trying to think fast.

The only person I could even consider was Leo. Dpendable, calm, someone I could trust. But he was on leave, away with his girlfriend.

I muttered under my breath. “No. Not him. Impossible.”

I ended the call, leaving my mother’s sharp instructions echoing in my head. Two days. I needed a plan. I had nothing yet.

I glanced up through the office window and noticed someone staggering across the sidewalk, barely keeping balance.

Reina.

She was leaning on a man, laughing too loudly, clearly drunk.

She disappeared into a hotel room, arm still draped around the stranger.

I shook my head, annoyed. She had no idea how visible she was, how chaotic her actions looked. I returned my attention to my office, muttering under my breath about timing and the impossibility of my situation.

Nothing else crossed my mind at that moment.

I had barely sat down behind my desk when a knock hit the door.

“Come in,” I said, still annoyed and trying to figure out a plan that didn’t exist.

My secretary stepped inside, clutching her tablet.

“Sir, I apologize for disturbing you, but we have a situation.”

Of course, we did.

“What is it now?” I asked.

“It’s about the new hire… Reina Cortez.”

I exhaled. “What about her?”

She cleared her throat. “She came in drunk with a man. She went into one of the hotel rooms with him. The staff saw her. They’re unsure how to handle it.”

My jaw tightened. She had barely been there for a full day and she was already creating problems.

“I should have expected something like this,” I muttered. “Fine. When she comes out, tell her”

I stopped, halfway through the sentence. I was ready to fire her, but she kept talking.

“She’s already drawing attention, sir. And since she’ll be part of the staff soon, we need to prevent anything that could embarrass the hotel. Especially with you being who you are. Your mother would definitely dislike any scandal tied to your name.”

My mother….. The wedding's lifetime and two days….

Those thoughts slammed together before I could stop them.

“Repeat that,” I said.

The secretary frowned. “I said we can’t afford anything that damages your name, especially with your mother’s reputation. The last thing you need is a woman associated with you causing issues.”

A woman associated with me.

That was all it took.

Reina was technically untethered, no connections, no boyfriend, desperate for a stable job, and obviously in over her head. Someone without any power to challenge a narrative I created. Someone I could present temporarily if needed.

A fake fiancée.

The idea formed quickly, sharp enough to jolt me.

“Well,” I said slowly, “I’ll handle this myself.”

She nodded and stepped out, completely unaware that she had just solved my biggest problem.

As the door closed behind her, I leaned back in my chair and allowed myself a quiet, knowing exhale.

It seemed I had just found a solution. And they were currently drunk, impulsive, and asleep in someone else’s room.

Perfect.