Wedding Day
1108 Words
I turn to Adrian, who raises an eyebrow.
“Well, this is interesting,” Adrian says. “I was going to give her to Kostya if no one volunteered. He’s the closest to her age.”
“Well, he’s not getting her.”
“You still haven’t heard the catch, Salvatore. You might change your mind.”
“I won’t change my mind.”
“Alright then.” Adrian shrugs and takes a sip of his drink. “That’s settled.”
Dinner goes on in silence, which is unusual. Normally, we talk business and laugh, but tonight everyone is quiet, focused on their meal. I notice the guys glancing at me, probably wondering why I suddenly want the Italian girl, but I don’t care what they think. She’s mine, and that’s all that matters.
After dinner, Adrian nods at me, and I follow him down the hall to his office. He sits down in a chair while I stay standing, leaning against the wall.
“She’s twenty-one. You’re too old for her, Salvatore.”
“Ten years isn’t much. You’re eight years older than your wife.”
“I have a youthful personality,” he says, smiling.
“Sure.”
“You’re always so eloquent.” He shakes his head. “She’s barely an adult. What will you do when she wants to go out every night? What if she wants to party and you have to tell her you need to work? You’ll have to watch teen movies with her every week. Even Nila loves that stuff. I can ask her for recommendations, you know.”
“Thanks, I’ll pass.”
Adrian sighs and leans back. “Girls her age want a man who talks more than five sentences a day, Salvatore. They want kisses, cuddling. Did you think about that?”
“We’ll figure it out.”
Silence. He just watches me, tilting his head, and I know exactly what he’s thinking.
“She’s not one of your usual women. How do you think a twenty-one-year-old girl will handle your problems?”
“She won’t have to. I’ll deal with my issues myself.”
“Oh? When was the last time you willingly touched someone other than Lena?”
I stare at him without answering. Not because I don’t want to, but because I can’t remember. “I’ll handle it, Adrian.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Alright then.” He sighs and continues, “You know she’ll probably be spying on us and reporting to the Italians. You’re in charge of most of our drug business, so be careful what you say in front of her. Also, make sure to hide any important documents in your office in case she decides to snoop.”
“I will.”
“There’s one more thing you need to know about her, and if you change your mind, I’ll give her to Kostya.”
“I won’t change my mind.”
“She doesn’t speak, Salvatore.”
I freeze and look at Adrian, not sure if I heard him correctly.
“No way” I say. “She’s a dancer.”
"There was a car accident when she was a teenager. I don’t have many details. That’s all the Italians told me.”
“How does she communicate?”
“I don’t know. She probably writes in a notebook or uses sign language. Are you still interested?”
“Yes.”
Adrian raises an eyebrow but doesn’t say anything about my decision. “Do you want to meet her before the wedding?”
I go still. “No.”
“Why?” he asks, like he already knows the answer. “She can’t say no. Everything is already arranged.”
“No meeting.”
Adrian watches me for a moment, then shakes his head. “Alright then, it seems like we have a wedding to plan .”
MIA'S POV
The sunlight shines through the window, making the room feel warm. It’s a nice day for a wedding, but not for mine. Outside feels warm, but inside, my heart feels empty.
I lean forward and carefully put on my eyeliner. Maybe running away would be better. They would find me, but maybe it’s worth it.
“You look so beautiful!” Annabelle says as she comes into my room. She is very excited. “I’m going to cry!”
I smile at my sister and keep doing my makeup. Even though she doesn’t like weddings much, she’s excited about this one. I can’t tell her how I really feel.
“I wish Pedro could be here to see you,” Annabelle says. “He was so mad when Dad sent him to Mexico.”
I wish Pedro was here, too. He’s the only one who cares about me, except Annabelle. Dad probably sent him away on purpose.
“I made Peter take me to the reception hall earlier,” she says, fixing my dress. “It’s beautiful. I can’t believe you agreed to an arranged marriage. I thought we would stay single and have lots of cats.”
She laughs, checking my dress while I watch her in the mirror.
Annabelle doesn’t know how close she came to being in my place. She wants to go to college and be a nurse after high school. I think she will. Annabelle is strong, so she will probably succeed unless Dad makes her marry first.
“So, tell me about him. What’s your future husband like? Why didn’t you bring him to meet us?”
I stop putting on my eyeliner and face Annabelle. She’s my sweet sister who learned sign language just for me. Mom and Pedro learned some, but Dad and Allegra never cared.
“His name is Salvatore Orlov,” I sign slowly so Annabelle can understand.
“And? What does he look like? Is he handsome? How old is he? Come on, tell me more.”
“That’s all I know.”
“What! Are you crazy? I thought you at least met him and agreed to marry him because you like him.”
“Go change. We’ll be late.”
“Mia?” She puts her hand on my shoulder. “Did you agree to this marriage? Or is Dad making you?”
“Of course, I agreed.”
“You agreed to marry someone you’ve never met? Don’t lie to me.”
“I’m not lying. Please go change.”
She looks at me with doubt but leaves. I finish my makeup, put on my heels, and head to the wedding, hoping Annabelle doesn’t end up in the same situation.
- Writer
