First Impressions

Kian’s POV

I stared at my reflection in mirror furious, that I was going through with Grandpa’s plan for me to get married.

Surely there had to be another way around this. But my right hand man, Darryl and I had not been able to come up with a more feasible solution.

“You really are not agoing to marry that girl now , are you?”, Darryl said without looking up from where he sat on my bed.

His question made my skin tick. After my conversation with Don Silver he was the first person I called to help me come up with a better idea to give Don. 

“ I would shut up if I were you!”, I snapped.

“ What would you have me do , huh”, I quizzed him pointedly.

“ Defy Don??”, I asked incredulously.

“ He threatened me with the Capo seat. Threatened to take it back. Surely you know that Don is the last person who will just say something like that.”

“Surely, you are not going along with Don’s plan just like that, are you?”, Darryl asked with a skeptical look at me.

My lips twitched,marveling at how well he had come to know me.

“What do you think?”, I asked sarcastically.

“ If those fucking oldie traditionalists want a marriage they will get, but no one will definitely tell me how to behave afterwards.”, my initial smile thinned.

“You are going to take it out on your poor bride?”, he asked.

I detected a hint of shock in his voice. He didn’t know me that much after all.

“Kian, but you cannot do that.”

“ I can’t?”, I asked taking a slow step towards him.

“I me-mean, the poor girl is probably scared shitless about having to marry you.”, he added.

“ That isn’t any of my goddamn business, okay.”, i fumed.

“Why did her father choose to have this scandal at this time in the first place, huh?”

“Perhaps if he he had cleaned up his shit well, then Don wouldn’t have had the opportunity to clean up his mess and ask him for this union.”

“ If she’s scared shitless then she should be , because that is probably the only state of emotion I’m going to make her feel henceforth.”, i I said with a devilish grin.

Anger surged through me with every word I spoke.

Salvatore Motetti had usurped my world.He caused my grandfather to force my hand to agree to this crap of a marriage thing.

To break my SilverCode with my own hand.

And what better way to make him pay , than to take it out on his precious little weakling of a daughter, Anya.

I wanted to wrangle the life out of her just at the thought of her name. And it didn’t help that I had been haunted my those amber colored eyes all night.

 The marriage had not yet taken place yet everything was already falling apart.

And by God, I promise to usurp her world just as her father had done mine.

Someone had to pay, and it was definitely her.

“But that could not have been any of his fault.”

“I don’t care fucking care about that!”,

And whose side are you on anyway?”, I growled at him.

“Yours of course but.”

“No buts.”, I silenced him in my Capo voice.

  I smothered my suit with my palms and

glanced at myself one more time.

The all black suit matched the fury in my insides. Perhaps my little bride to be will see it too.

“We need to leave.Don’t want to keep our bride waiting now, do we?”, I asked making way to the door.

Darryl stood from his seat and followed a few steps behind me.

Grandpa was already downstairs when we descended.

One look at him and you’ll think it was more than a marriage we were going for.

“ For a moment I though you weren’t going to come.”

He kept a small smile, one that I knew too well.

“Well, I did not think that I could still surprise you grandpa.”, I replied.

“Ready to meet your bride , I suppose?”, he asked his voice low.

There it was!

 I knew he wouldn’t spare the chance to taunt me with this.

“ I think we should leave now , no?”, I asked ignoring his question.

“ Of course. Wouldn’t want to keep our prospective in-laws waiting, would we?”

I groaned inwardly. 

“ Let’s get this done with.”, i said trying to keep the anger out of my voice.

We stepped out into the waiting cars and drove out to the Moretti house.

                          Anya

I had tossed and turned all night unable to sleep. I would have been surprised if I had been able to honestly, considering how the trajectory of my life had changed suddenly.

Few day ago, I had dreams of what I wanted my future to be.

 But it had been taken away.

I had always known that this is the life I had been born into, but I couldn’t help but dream of what I could have.

Silly me. My life was already over before it began.

Everything was decided for me.

Today I was going to meet my husband to be.

Arranged by my father to safeguard our family secret and put us in a better standing as my dad had echoed to me.

I couldn’t stop crying at the thought of the loveless prison I was soon going to be encased in.

From my room I heard mother ordering the servants around.

She was busy  making sure everything was perfect for the introductory dinner, when my own life was nowhere near perfect.

I wished they would cancel it all together.

For all I cared,I didn’t have to meet Kian until our wedding.

I heard my door creak open and turned to see Vayna, our chief cook.

“Anya dear, your mother says to tell you to get ready, that the guests will be here soon.”, she told me softly.

Her pitiful eyes met mine, and I struggled to keep it together.

“Thanks Vayna. I will get ready now.”, I said turning around to avoid her eyes.

I couldn’t stand the amount of pity in her eyes.

Vayna, as if knowing this only nodded and shut the door softly behind her.

After what seemed like an eternity, I moved over to my dresser to prepare to meet my future husband.

No matter how much I tugged at the dress mom had chosen for the occasion, it didn’t get any longer.

I stared at myself in the mirror in doubt. I’d never own anything that revealing ever.The gold dress was clinging to my body like second skin and ended a little high up my thighs;the top was a velvety black bustier with tulle straps.

My mom walked in that very moment as I stared at myself.

“Anya, dear.”, she gasped softly.

“ I can’t wear this mother.”, I left out in a croaked voice.

She met my gaze in the mirror.

“ You look grownup in that dress. I’m very sure Kian will appreciate it.”

I cringed at her remark, upset that I was being sent out like this just so Kian would admire me.

“They should be here anytime soon. Please finish up and don’t keep your father waiting.”

I didn’t fail to catch the strain on the later part.

I nodded and turned to continue with my hair updo.

A part of me wanted to beg her to accompany me or better still let this all go away, but sadly she wasn’t in a position to help me.

I had to go through this alone.

As I made my way downstairs and took in the transformation,I gasped.

The entire room had been decorated.

I thought this was going to be just a formal introductory dinner.

Taking it all in caused my anxiety to heighten.

This was actually happening.

My gaze moved to Vayna who was carrying a tray of something I couldn’t really see from the stairs as she hurried in the direction of the dining area.

There was a lot going on and my eyes took it all in.

I took my last step down the stairs to see if there was anything I could do to take away the overwhelming feeling in my chest.

Turning towards the kitchen, a rush of awareness ran the length of my spine.

I felt the hairs on my neck rise and I couldn’t bring myself to turn.

I did not have to be told to know that my husband to be was here.