The bride of the pact

Chapter two

VIVIANA

“Mama can’t find out about this, Vi. Papa will find out — and if he does, God help you.” Livia’s grip on my hand tightened, her eyes wide with worry and fear that seeped into my bones.

I didn’t blame her. Who wouldn’t be terrified of my father, Alessandro Rossetti?

Alessandro Rossetti — the ruthless kingpin of the Rossetti family, the mafia overlord whose hunger for power and blood never satiated. A man whose mercy was reserved only for the weak, and whose wrath fell without warning on anyone he deemed a threat.

The Italian Mafia might be known for a cold, calculating rationality, but my father? He was a tempest — brutal, unforgiving, and dangerously unpredictable. I’d witnessed his cruelty firsthand. Like the time he sped his car straight through a child’s path, claiming it was necessary to flush out the traitorous father hiding nearby. No remorse. No hesitation.

And then there was my mother, Donatella — the silk-wrapped dagger. Soft-spoken and elegant, but just as lethal when the family’s business was at stake. The only person who could temper my father’s fury, his shadow in every boardroom and dark alley.

Once, she found out a trusted maid was leaking information to a rival family. She didn’t yell. She didn’t curse. She invited the woman to tea, smiled, and served her a single poisoned macaron. By sunset, the maid was gone. No mess. No trace. That was her style—clean, quiet, final. She didn’t need a gun to kill.

Just a glance.

At a dinner with rivals, she smiled sweetly as she redirected a toast—turning it into a veiled threat that left the room silent. Later, one of the men excused himself and never returned. She simply dabbed her lips with a linen napkin, as if nothing had happened and papa just nodded in satisfaction.

So yeah, Livia and I had every reason to be scared. Because these two could destroy me — their daughter — like I was nothing but a pawn, if it kept the Rossetti empire intact.

“Mama said the doctor’s coming soon. What do we do then? What if they find out?”

I forced myself to look Livia in the eyes. “First, do you know who the father is?”

She blinked, confused. “Of course I know. I’m not some gossip who loses track of her own life.”

I swallowed hard, heart pounding with shame and fear. “It was Dante Corsini.”

Her face went pale. “Dante? You mean that Dante?!”

“Yeah. I met him in Miami, on vacation. I didn’t know who he was then. We were just two fools caught in a moment.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I was drunk. It was the first time. And… it was him.”

Livia paced, her hands flying in frantic gestures. “You’re out of your mind. You know what your father thinks of the Corsinis — that family is his enemy. Number one. Carrying his child? Vivi, what were you thinking?”

“I wasn’t thinking. I was stupid and naive. I didn’t want this to happen.”

She stopped and looked at me, her eyes softening. “Vi… love is a strange thing, and sometimes it hits when you least expect it. But you have to be ready for the storm that’s coming. Your father won’t just stand by.”

I nodded, swallowing the panic rising in my chest. “What if they force me to terminate it?”

Livia’s voice dropped to a whisper. “You know how this ends. Your papa will make sure of it.”

Suddenly, a knock at the door made my heart leap into my throat.

“This is the family doctor. I’m coming in.”

The door creaked open, and a broad-shouldered man with a calm smile stepped inside.

“Your parents sent me to examine you,” he said, already pulling a pregnancy test from his bag. “Please sit. We’ll start with this.”

I stole a glance at Livia — her face as pale as mine — and sat at the edge of the bed.

“Urinate on this strip,” the doctor instructed.

“Why start with that? You haven’t checked anything else yet.”

“Your mother insisted,” he said with a shrug. “Cooperate, please.”

I wasn’t a religious woman, but I prayed silently that this nightmare would end here.

Reluctantly, I went to the bathroom, returned shaking, and handed the strip back.

The result was clear — positive.

Of course. No miracle here.

Before I could process, the door burst open again — this time with my father storming in, my mother trailing behind him.

“Good news,” the doctor announced, unaware of the chaos to come. “She’s pregnant.”

My parents’ voices merged into one thunderous roar:

“Viviana!”

My father’s hand struck my face twice — hard enough to sting for hours.

“You’re a disgrace,” he spat. “I didn’t raise a w***e! You think you can use this thing in your belly to avoid marrying Jake Giordano? You lie! You lie to us all!”

He turned to my mother, who was sobbing quietly, then barked, “You and your daughter will go with the doctor to get rid of it. That’s final.”

I collapsed onto the floor, sobbing. “Papa, please. I can’t.”

“Are you stupid? Who’s the father?” His voice was ice cold.

I couldn’t answer at first — the tears were choking me. “Dante. Dante Corsini.”

His eyes burned with fury. “Curse Corsini!” He lunged, fists and boots raining down on me, not minding where he hits.

Thank God others held him back. I curled into a ball, tears and pain blurring my world.

And yet, even as he battered me, I resented him. I was carrying the child of his enemy — yes. But I was still his daughter.

“I forbid it,” he hissed to the doctor before storming out, leaving me trembling and broken with Livia and Mama in the room.

I clenched my fists and swore silently to the unborn child — living with Jake Giordano would be hell, but I would make it through for the sake of this pregnancy.