The Don and His Russian Bride

Chapter 7

I learned the easiest way to escape my troubling marriage was by avoiding Luciano. I hadn’t seen or spoken to him for days after the night of the poker game. At first, I didn’t think that would be possible. But the mansion was large enough for us to keep our distance, and Luciano spent most of his day in his office while I spent nights in my room.

The best part about being alone most of the time was that I could live out my favorite fantasies. As I roamed the halls and sunbathed next to the pool, I became a tourist who won a secluded getaway at a five star resort. In the safety of my room, I was never a woman taken by an Italian mafia boss; rather, I was a princess locked in my bedchambers within the tower.

When Carlotta came knocking at my door Tuesday night, I knew my temporary respite from reality had ended. For the past few days, Carlotta had been helping me out by delivering dinner to my room. When she arrived an hour earlier than usual, it was clear something would be different that night. The woman was as punctual as she was good at cooking.

"Come in."

Carlotta pushed the door open enough for her to slip into the room. She never strayed far from the door when she came to my room. Despite all the times I welcomed her in, she politely remained by the doorway. In her eyes, I was the boss’ wife and she worked for me. What she didn’t realize was that I viewed her as my only friend. Without her, I would be completely on my own.

“Don Martelli has requested your presence in the dining room tonight,” Carlotta informed me.

“Requested? Meaning I can say ‘no’ if I wish to stay in my room for dinner?”

The magazine I had been reading lied open on the bed. Since I wasn’t allowed to have my phone and there wasn’t much to do inside my room, I often turned to reading as a way to pass the time. However, when Luciano was working in his office during the day, I could roam around the mansion searching for activities. I spent most of my time working out in the fully equipped weight room, lounging by the outdoor pool, or watching movies in the cozy theater.

"Rina, I wouldn't advise that."

“Why not? What will he do to me?” My fear of Luciano was beginning to fade. He could be ruthless, but I was fairly certain he didn’t intend to hurt me. Besides, if something happened to me, he would have to search for a new bride to blackmail.

"I know he isn't the easiest man to love, but he may surprise you if you give him a chance."

“Please,” I rolled my eyes in exasperation. “What has he done to deserve a chance from me?”

“You’re right. He shouldn’t treat you the way he has been, but you need to make that known. You two can’t move forward if you don’t tell him that things need to change around here.”

“He’s an asshole. Nothing is going to change that.”

“Well, you need to get your ass moving because sulking in your bedroom isn’t making anything better.” My eyebrows rose at hearing Carlotta raise her voice for the first time in front of me. “I don’t expect you to love him, but if you’re both living here, you should be able to coexist.”

“I’ll be down for dinner,” I said in a meek voice.

Carlotta offered me a triumphant smile. She was clearly pleased at her powers of persuasion. “Wonderful.”

Tears welled up in my eyes as she left my room. Not only was Carlotta my friend, but she was also a mother figure to me. My mom passed away before she could take care of me or give me relationship advice. I wouldn’t have survived living at the mansion without Carlotta.

Remembering I just agreed to eat with Luciano, I fell back on my bed and groaned. Three days without seeing him wasn’t enough.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The long oval shaped table in the dining room held two place settings across the length of the table. I sat at the one nearest to the door leading to the kitchen, leaving the seat at the far end for Luciano. Six meters of mahogany wood allowed a great distance between Luciano and I. Even then, I suspected it wouldn’t be far enough away from him.

Carlotta walked through the door at my back, holding a pitcher of water. She came over to me and filled one of my glasses.

"Thank you for coming. He will appreciate it."

"I'm sure he will," I mumbled.

"If it turns out to be as bad as you expect it to be, you can leave at any time. At least you will have given Luciano a chance to have dinner with you."

Speaking of the devil, he waltzed through the kitchen door right on cue. As he passed Carlotta and I, a mixture of oakwood and cologne filled my senses. The unexpectedly pleasant combination of aromas dulled my previous thoughts while bringing forth more questions.

"Good luck," Carlotta whispered in my ear before exiting the room.

I wanted to beg her not to leave me alone with Luciano. Unfortunately, Carlotta was right. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t hide from Luciano forever after being married to him. I would face this beast on my own.

I stared down my captor as he sat across the table from me. Just thinking about what he has put me through would be enough to cause me to leap across the table and strangle him if the table wasn’t so long.

Luciano stared in return, matching my intensity. To him, my stone cold gaze was nothing but a challenge. As an experienced don of an Italian mafia, he didn’t get intimidated easily and certainly didn’t back down from any challenges.

Without straying from our eye contact, I broke the silence, "Is there something you would like to say to me?"

His expression remained unrattled, but he tilted his head to the side as if I had talked out of turn. I bet the majority of people he dealt with needed to wait for his permission to speak. Whether he liked my forwardness or not, he would have to get used to it. "And what exactly are you expecting me to say?"

He and I both knew I wanted to hear an apology from him. The odds of that happening, however, were so miniscule it didn’t even pay to hope for it. The man likely never apologized for anything in his life, and I refused to beg him to start tonight.

"I don't know. Maybe 'hello' or 'how are you?' I didn't come down here for a staring contest."

"Am I the one who started the staring?"

"If you were going to make me eat dinner with you, the least you could've done was offer me a proper greeting," I snapped.

"You could've denied my request. I didn't make you do anything."

"That's not exactly true. You did make me marry you."

Then Luciano did the thing I least expected him to do. He let out a chuckle. I hadn’t even seen him smile since our wedding day, which must’ve only been for show.

"Point well made, Signora Martelli."

My throat closed at being addressed by his last name. The vile sound made my ears feel like they were drowning in poison. I didn't want his name any more than I wanted the ring on my finger.

Carlotta re-entered the room, carrying steak, potato wedges, and steamed vegetables. My hand grasped my fork. At least the food could compensate for the undesirable company at the dining table.

Luciano waited until Carlotta left the room before he spoke again, "You can hate me all you want for bringing you here the way I did, but I’m not the horrible person you’ve made me out to be."

"You are the don of a Sicilian mafia. You can't be a good man for that fact alone," I deadpanned. "Kidnapping me was only the cherry on top of your cruel nature."

Luciano's jaw ticked and his posture went rigid. My fingers formed a steady grip on my steak knife, as if preparing to defend myself from an attack. With every insult, I pushed Luciano closer towards the edge. I had yet to learn how much self control he possessed.

"You don't understand how limited my options were." He gritted his teeth, straining to keep his frustrations in check. Either he was trying not to make things worse by yelling at me or there was information he didn't want to let slip in his anger. My bet was on the latter.

"Of women? Don’t you realize we don’t exist only to be a part of your ‘options’? You can't pick us out like you would a suit or a car."

"That's not what I meant."

"Then what the hell did you mean? You’re a handsome and wealthy man. If you wanted to get married so badly, I’m certain there were hundreds of women who would have been happier than me to do so.”

Luciano paused before the side of his mouth lifted up into a half smirk. “You think I’m handsome?”

My eyes rolled faster than a bullet leaving the barrel of a gun. It shouldn’t have been a surprise my accidental compliment was the only thing he paid attention to. Luciano didn’t lack even a sliver of vanity.

“That’s not what’s important. The way you look doesn’t change how much I despise you. What I want to know is why me? Why me?”

For the first time during my stay at the mansion, I saw Luciano lose grip on his composure. He froze at my question.

His physical reaction stunned me, almost as much as his verbal response.

“While this has been a wonderful evening with you, Katerina, I have to go. There’s business in my office that requires my attention.”

Despite his formalities, Luciano sought a quick departure. He stood from his seat, only stopping when I protested.

“That’s it? You won’t even answer my question?”

“I thought you would be happy to see me leave,” he volleyed.

I couldn’t disagree with him. Five minutes ago, I would’ve been urging him out the door. Now I wanted him to stay and stop dodging the question. There was a legitimate reason for why he wanted to marry me– other than for an alliance with my father.

“I will be once you give me an answer.”

“Basta!” Luciano slammed his palms onto the table before collecting his anger once again. “Considering I have been courteous to you all night without the same in return, I don’t owe you an answer. Don’t push me again. You won’t like to see what happens then.”

I kept quiet as he stormed out of the room. Forgetting about his short fuse, I had pressed him too much tonight. If there was a deeper reason for our marriage, I had the right to know it. He could run to his office tonight, but I would not give up on it. Sooner or later, I will find out why he chose me.