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Chapter II

The room was silent.

All I could hear was my pulse pounding in my ears, pounding through my veins.

Had I misheard?

Did he just say wedding?

It was not unusual for daughters to be forced into marriage for business deals with partners or enemies, I had been to such weddings myself a few times, but I?

I always knew that marriages for love were not an option in our world. They made no secret of that here. From a young age, you were taught that family, well, business, was paramount. You were raised to contribute, to be an asset to your family. All these years I had tried to do that part in the business, to show that I was just as valuable as Ivan. That I was not just a good marriage match, but a capable and important part of the business, but as a daughter you are always a possible alliance in your father's eyes.

I suddenly remembered my cousin's white wedding dress. It was soaked with her tears. I was only five when she was married, but the sight remained forever etched in my memory. Nor was she the last bride I saw crying, with despair in her eyes.

But my cousin's wedding was the first and last time I went into the bridal room before the wedding.

My father wanted to smooth things over between him and a patron who had rebelled. When I saw the pain in her eyes, I knew I had to take a different path. Unfortunately, I didn't know at the time that no one would let me take that path. No matter what I did to escape my fate, it found me in the end and all my work was in vain.

Anger grew within me.

My hands began to shake.

I wanted to scream, throw things at my father's head, and run for my life, but my body didn't react.

I just stood there, frozen, staring into space, while my anger at him continued to grow.

My brother fought his way through the crowd and pulled me out of the room by my elbow.

We pushed ourselves outside and the cool evening air blew through my brown hair.

Only now did I notice that my breathing was coming in short bursts and my whole body was shaking.

Ivan shook my shoulder and brought me back to the here and now.

Oh, I didn't want to be here, I would rather give myself over to my thoughts and block out my life forever.

"Nastya, are you even listening to me?" His tone was harsh and made me shudder. "Did you know about that?" I looked at my brother attentively. All my concentration was on him.

A stifling silence spread between us and I tore my hands away from his.

"You said something business. You said he was announcing something business! You lied to me, Ivan, Mich!"

He had lied, my brother had lied to me.

Ivan never lied to me, of course, he often left out business details or spoke in riddles so I would understand, but he did not lie. Never!

Ivan slammed his hand against the outside wall of the house. I flinched in surprise.

"I didn't lie, Nastya, I just didn't say it out loud."

Was he serious? Calling

a forced marriage, something business-related was a new level of insinuation, even for him.

I felt the shock slowly fade away and turn into anger, but before I could start shouting, Ivan started speaking again.

"This isn't just about you, Nastya, it's about our family, our people, our business. Do you know what will happen if we don't compromise? If we carry on as we have been? Two of the most powerful players are fighting on the field and nobody is following any rules. We would destroy each other and take countless innocents with us. Understand, there is no other way out, neither for you nor for me."

Ivan snorted audibly. I had never seen him like this before. On the one hand, he was convinced of the cause, but on the other hand, his eyes showed me how confused he was.

Wait a minute, did he just say it for me?

I looked at him questioningly, "for you?"

Ivan exhaled loudly again and looked me straight in the eyes.

"There is not just a wedding between you and Dante, I will marry Isabella Martinelli. Father and Sergio Martinelli see an exchange as the only possibility for a secure and lasting peace."

He can't be serious?!

An exchange?

As if we were a polis that you lock up for your car.

But why are they locking themselves up?

Oh damn it, please don't.

"Ivan, what's in the deal?" He looked up at the sky and straightened his shoulder blades. Then he looked me in the eyes again.

"Nobody gave in during the peace talks, which is why an area was created in which both families will move. But since neither family trusts the other, security had to be created."

Ivan didn't need to say more, because I had already seen what followed.

Isabella and I will act as security in the other family. The plan was quite perfidious and, as always, had a male signature. How could two families come up with the idea of marrying their daughters to the enemy to control each other?

I just stood still on the side of the road and looked into the distance. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a person dressed in black standing there, staring intently in our direction.

Great, my father had already assigned people to watch me. The man didn't even notice that I had seen him, newbie. If it had been Vlad, I wouldn't have found him even knowing he was there, but this one must be new.

Although, I also trusted my father not to make a secret of the fact that he was watching me.

He was probably relying on intimidation because he knew that I would easily recognize this guy.

Great.

"It's the only way, believe me, Nastya," my brother added quietly.

Suddenly I was back to him and our conversation. I pushed the thoughts of surveillance into the back of my mind and looked back at Ivan.

Only now did I realize his words from a few minutes ago.

"бладь...что за...та чё за хё

херня..ааааа"

( Fuck ...what...what shit)

I muttered to myself as I paced back and forth.

"When?" I swallowed hard and looked my brother straight in the eyes. "The exchange will take place in a month, Isabella will be taken to Moscow and you will fly to Sicily. The families trust each other so little that even the weddings will take place at the same time."

It was official, one month, four weeks, then my life was in the hands of the Martinellis and my family.

If anything happened to Isabella in Moscow, her family would take revenge on me.

If my family tried to break into the Italian shops, they would take revenge on me.

If my family attacked the Martinellis, they would take revenge on me.

Either way, they would take revenge on me.

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