The tall towering gates of the Morettis opened and the car drove in. The gates of the Moretti estate were taller than she remembered, the black iron bars of the gate stood tall with gold tips and wrapped in ivy like veins. As the car slowed to a stop, Alessia's stomach twisted, not with fear but fury.
Before the driver could open the door for her, she had already stepped out.
She didn't come here to be treated like a guest. She came here to destroy the Morettis.
The mansion loomed ahead, carved of stone and steel like it had never known weakness. Towering. Imposing. Beautiful, in the same way a blade glinting in moonlight was beautiful. She took a deep breath before heading towards the door where two hefty guards dressed in black stood, one opened the door and without glancing twice she walked past them and into the building, ignoring their stern gaze.
The interior was magnificent.
The ceiling stretched higher than she remembered, with marble floors gleaming under her black heels.
Everything was too perfect, too polished,too cold.
Every step she took echoed through the grand, silent space.
Then, she looked up.
A man was descending the staircase, he wore a black suit tailored perfectly to his frame. The fabric hugged every inch of his well-sculpted body.
His face looked like it was carved by angels, flawless, but sharp.
His eyes were like twin blades of ice, beautiful, unreadable, and dangerous.
Two guards followed behind him in silence. He was the heir to the Morettis' empire, the most powerful of all the mafia families in Italy.
Alessia stood still, burning with rage as he approached.
He scanned her slowly, from the fitted jeans clinging to her slender waist to the effortless waves of brown hair cascading down her back.
"Hello, Alessia," he said, his voice smooth, deep, and cold. "It's good to see you again. I believe it's been six years since we last saw each other."
"You can keep your greeting to yourself, Dominic," she snapped.
The two guards beside him stiffened immediately, their eyes flashing.
"You've grown," he murmured, his thick voice like a blade wrapped in silk.
"And you've rotted."
"I see you're still the same." He said with a smirk
"I see you're still an arrogant jerk." She shot back
"Watch your mouth," one of them growled, stepping forward.
Dominic lifted a hand, just slightly, and the guard stopped in his tracks.
"No one is allowed to be rude to Alessia, she is to be my bride and the lady of this house," Dominic said with a stern look. His tone was calm but the warning in it could chill bones.
"Just so you know, things won't go as you want them to, you'll regret agreeing to this marriage," Alessia said.
"Follow me, I'll show you to your room." He said ignoring her words and walking towards a hallway
She clenched her fist as she followed him up the staircase and through winding halls that smelled of wood polish and wealth. Different paintings of different people were lined up on the well-painted and decorated hallway.
At the end of the west wing, he opened a door and stepped aside.
It was a bedroom. It was large and lavish with Drapes of velvet, the grand bed was carved from dark oak and covered with a neat and exotic-looking bedspread, and a chandelier that dripped gold hung from the ceiling.
"I'll have clothes brought to you. Meals are at seven sharp. You'll be expected to dine with me," he said.
" I won't dine with you." She responded
He turned slowly and walked toward her, eyes locked on hers. She stepped back.
He stepped closer and closer until he was right in front of her, his leather and cedarwood scent wrapped around her.
He leaned close, and he whispered into her ear. "Don't forget why you're here. You're not doing this because you want to. You're doing this because your family's lives are in my hands."
He paused. "So don't play naughty, Alessia. I'm not known for mercy."
Her heart pounded. Her fists clenched at the cruel reminder of how powerless her family had become.
He straightened again, completely composed, and walked to the door.
"I'll see you at seven," he said coolly. "Don't be late."
He stopped at the doorway and looked back at her one last time.
"I hate waiting for things I already own."
Then he slammed the door shut behind him.
Alessia flinched at the sound.
Meanwhile, Dominic walked toward his private chamber. He reached a large metal door with no handle and touched a panel at its side.
The door slid open with a soft hiss.
He entered the dimly lit room and sat behind a heavy desk. Ray and Jay his most loyal guards stood before him.
"Ray. Jay," he said, his tone clipped.
"Yes, boss," they said in unison.
"You two are my most trusted men. I expect that loyalty to continue."
"Always, sir."
"There's someone in the Council working against me," Dominic continued. "They're using the Wrenleighs to try and get to me. Protect Alessia at all costs. Am I understood?"
"If I may, boss…" Ray stepped forward cautiously. "You're the one being targeted. Shouldn't we be protecting you instead?"
Dominic looked at him.
His stare was as cold as ice.
Ray lowered his gaze instantly.
"Forgive me, boss," he said quietly.
"Do you understand your orders?" Dominic asked.
"Yes, boss. We'll protect the young miss."
"Good."
Dominic leaned back in his chair.
Just a little longer, Alessia… I promise.
But his expression remained unreadable.
Alessia stood still for a long moment, her hands clenched into fists. Her chest was rising and falling too fast.
She hated everything about him, the way he looked at her, the way he spoke to her, the way he treated her like he already owned her, and the way her pulse betrayed her every time he got close.
She wanted to scream her frustrations away but she couldn't, she bottled it up and walked towards the massive window at the corner of the large bedroom, looking out at the flawless and silent garden below.
"Why… why did it have to be you Dominic?" Alessia whispers to herself as she continues to look at the garden.