Bound by the ruthless mafia boss, his sin, her chains

~Camila’s POV~ The happiest day of a woman’s life is meant to be the day she gets married, isn’t it? But mine was different. I was the saddest person on my wedding day. I swear, I had never felt this sad in my entire life before. Despite all the resistance due to us being from rival mobs for the past five years, I was finally getting married to Daniil, the Mafia boss of the Russian mob, today. I had only heard his name but had never witnessed what he actually looked like. But today, I will! I will see what my so-called husband looks like. Although this marriage was not purely based on love, the main goal was to unite two of the biggest Mafia underground associations. Daniil, the man I am getting married to, owned one of the richest and most dangerous Russian mobs. My father agreed to this marriage to seek his protection, as our group, despite its large size, is nothing compared to Daniil’s association. It’s not a mere rumor that Daniil is ruthless and vicious, so everyone else’s associations avoid trespassing on his side. He doesn’t forgive, he doesn’t overlook, the only thing he cares about is loyalty and money. A slight mistake results in death. My father’s goal is simple: he wants to dominate the whole Mafia organization and overthrow Daniil. But I wonder how he is going to do that by marrying me off to this monster. No parent in this world would marry off their only daughter to a monster like him all in the name of power. But mine were different. They never cared. Their goals mattered more to them than this sad bride who was getting married to their enemy. My father walked up to me, stretching his hand forward with a gentle smile. “Shall we?” he asked softly. I was baffled for a second. I had cried and begged this man on my knees yesterday, saying I didn’t want to get married, but he looked away and had been ignoring me since then. I didn’t even catch a sight of him when my mom was warning me this morning. Yet here he was, smiling like it was real. “Yeah.” I nodded, slipping my trembling hand into his. He gave me a smile of assurance as he took his time to look at me, his eyes welling with tears, but I ignored him, clearly showing I wasn’t interested. He had been the best father in the world until today, when he decided to force me to marry a monster. “Camila, I want the best for you. This marriage is just for us to build trust with Daniil. Trust me, you’ll be fine,” he said. His voice was heavy as he tried to hold back his tears. “But Father, do I have to do this!?” I asked in anger. Then, before he could reply, the doors swung open. The room became dead silent. Every head turned. Every gaze fixed on us. My breath hitched in my throat as I took the first step, my fingers squeezing my father’s arm tighter than I intended. The aisle felt longer than it looked. Petals lined the floor, but I couldn’t bring myself to look at anything, not the flowers, not the guests standing to welcome us, not even the altar. My eyes flickered up once, just once, but the light behind him dimmed his face. I saw the silhouette of a man. Tall. Broad. Still. But no expression. No hint of emotion. Just… waiting. I dropped my gaze again, focusing on the rhythm of my breath and the sound of my heels against the marble. My father clutched my hand gently, as if grounding me. Step after step, my heartbeat grew louder than the music playing. And then we stopped. Right in front of him. My father slowly released me, placing my hand into the groom’s. It was only then that I dared to look up and finally saw his face. And my world tilted. He was far from the man I had imagined. According to the rumors, he never smiled, but there he was, smiling brightly as if he had finally secured the love of his life. He wasn’t cold or devilish. Nothing about him said “groom.” He looked more like the kind of man who ordered hits with a whisper and never had to repeat himself. For a few moments, I felt relieved. Maybe I didn’t have to marry a monster. Instead, he seemed gentle and calm, with a hint of perplexity. I looked at my dad and could see him smiling in satisfaction, knowing he had finally secured a great groom for his daughter. My younger brother, Ivan, was also giving me a reassuring smile, sensing that I was finally smiling too. Both of us had cried endlessly yesterday while begging our father, who wouldn’t listen. Only my mother looked confused. She was glancing around, trying to find something or someone I didn’t know about. Well, even if I did, I wouldn’t be of help, she’s always been distant. Besides, I was already standing at this altar. “You look gorgeous,” he whispered into my ear, jolting me out of my trance. A faint red blush made its way to my face. “Thank you,” I replied, my voice barely above a whisper. Hand in hand, we climbed the cathedral altar to meet the priest. The priest gave us a soft smile; then the music stopped. Everyone sat down except us. I turned to face Daniil, and he did the same. For some reason, I couldn’t help but think something was wrong, maybe because he didn’t turn out to be the person I had anticipated. “Dearly beloved,” I heard the priest’s voice, jolting me out of my thoughts, “we are gathered here to witness the holy matrimony of our daughter, Camila Bravona, and our son, Daniil Varkanin…” The priest began the ceremony. His words faded in my ears as all my attention was drawn to the smile on Daniil’s face. I frowned slightly, wondering what was so funny that had him smiling all this while. “Is there anyone here who is not willing for these two to be joined together in holy matrimony? Speak now or forever hold your peace,” the priest inquired. My eyes scanned the crowd, but no one spoke, even though I wished they would. But then, to everyone’s amazement, someone actually raised his hand. Daniil did. He raised his hand, still grinning slightly. This was the most ridiculous groom I had ever met raising his hand to object to his own marriage. Whatever. It was to my advantage. I smiled brightly, happiness evident on my face. I noticed a glimpse of confusion on the crowd’s faces from the corner of my eye. But I didn’t care. This is what I want! my aim, my goal.