The Re-engagement

"Mamma?" I called with a sad face, looking at my mom, who I had just gained her attention from working on dying clothes she sells.

"Fiore," She called with wide eyes. "Didn't you went to pick Dante? Why didn't you come back home last night?" She furrows her eyes at me

"No matter the issue you had, I've told you before, despite you being engaged, you're still a girl you need to respect and adore yourself,"

"Mamma, nothing happened between Dante and me," I manage to voice out.

"Good. You know that the Mancini family is powerful. We can't be compared to them. We should not do anything that will let them look down on us," She stared beautifully at me.

"Mamma?" I called, looking away from her eyes.

"Yes, Mia Cara," She responded.

"Do I have to get married to Dante?"

With wide, shocked eyes, she looks at me. "Don't you like him a lot? Don't you love him anymore? When you were both little, you used to follow him around," She explained.

"But, Mamma, I...I just rounded up my Ph.D. degree. I want to work and earn money on my own for three years or help you grow your tie and dye selling clothes business...I-"

"Foolish girl. Don't you know that a girl has to get married? Later, we attend the homecoming banquet party of the Mancini son. We have 1 hour and 30 minutes left, take a shower, and I'll dress you up, okay? Mia Cara,"

"Okay, Mamma, but after I dress up, I need to see someone later, before the homecoming party," I voiced to Mamma, and she nodded in approval.

A few minutes later, I got dressed up for the party. A white body-hugged knee-length gown, short stiletto blue heels, and my hair in a bridal style. No makeup, just my regular everyday face.

"Fiorella..."

I turn at the sound of my name from a familiar yet hoarse voice. I see Dante running towards me under the blossom tree where we agreed to meet. He looks so damn cute; he seems hotter and more handsome than before.

Dante and I grew up together, but we are from different social classes. My mom and I lived with them in their mansion for nineteen years before we moved out, but at that time, she worked for them but not anymore.

He wore a body-hugged white suit that even his masculine body reflected on them. His brown beddy hair and his beautiful smile and brown eyes. Dante Mancini, son of a family of wealth, smiles at a local girl whose mother sells handmade clothes in the mall.

"Naive girl, I have missed you so much," He runs closer to me and picks me up from the ground.

"Dante..." I whisper as the guilt of what happened two days ago in the hotel comes back at me.

He pulls away with a confused face. "What is with you, Fiorella? You look so distracted. Or ain't you happy to see me?" He asked.

I turn my guilty eyes away from him, looking sad.

"Dante...two days ago was valentine's; I wanted to spend it with you, but you didn't come...I didn't sleep well the night before this. So now, I'm a little bit absent-minded today, I'm sorry, and I'm so excited to see you,"

"Okay then, I'm sorry about that, my flight was delayed, that's why. I'll take you out tomorrow before we get married. Don't you agree?" He asked, his innocent eyes remaining the same as when we were kids.

"Dante?" I called, looking excited.

He was still carrying me bridal style, looking so excited. "At my homecoming party tonight, My father will give out his honor to me to take over the family company—The Mancini limited liability Company, and also announce our engagement. Our wedding will be held in two months!" He looks solely at me with desirable eyes.

"Our wedding night, my bride," He grins.

"I've looked forward to it since we were Ten but now. I'm a grown-up twenty-five years old, and you're twenty-four, and still, yet, I've you here in my arms."

Dante will always remain cocky outside, being Noble.

"Dante...stop it, you're scaring me." I joke; the type I knew was not down from my heart. I sinned against him. I gave out the most precious gift that he had ever wanted to a stranger.

I'm so doomed. What if he hates me?

_

An hour later, we arrived at the entrance of the Mancini vast building. It was all lighted up with bright designs and decorations. I sat down closer to Dante, who held my hand under the table with a great smile on his face.

Everyone looks from me to him, some with happy faces, some with disgusted faces.

Dante's father, Greco Mancini, got hold of the microphone as he walked to the middle of the vast pathway. He smiles.

Greco Mancini is a sixty-five years old Sicilian Patrician of Sicily, Italy; word has it that he doesn't only handle clean money but also dirty money. He's a scary man, but right here and now, the dangerous man looks clean and excited about his son's arrival after five years.

Dante left for America at twenty to learn more about his father and other companies outside of Italy. He left for five years, and now he's back looking more handsome than ever, and now I can see preying eyes on him; all daughters of Jezebel are here, both upper class, middle class, and lower class are present here to celebrate his son's success.

"I'm very appreciative to you all for being here to join me in celebrating my son's homecoming. I'm excited to announce that my only son, Dante Mancini, will be taking over Mancini's limited liability company, both big, small, and oncoming companies. I hope you can support us as you've always had," He smiles, exposing too much of his wrinkles.

He continues. "Meanwhile, there is another thing that I need to also announce to you all today. A Few only knew about my son's engagement party six years ago when he was nineteen years old before he traveled out," He said.

Hearing this, some were shocked by the past announcement. Some turned to look at our table; whispering and murmuring took place to some that just found out about it. I felt too small at the eyes that were piercing me.

"Who is that unlucky bitch?" A lady who looked so upper class whispered at the other table beside ours.

"I dare she is a poor street rat,"

"Lady Imelda, how can the strict master Mancini allow a poor street rat to get married into the Mancini family?" another voice said.

"I don't care, yet I care to know who that girl is. For goodness sake, Lady Adelina, we're the top richest in the upper class. I've been preying on the young master since I was sixteen, but now he's already engaged, and I don't know about that?" The anger was evident in her voice.

"I, Thalia Risotto, will forever don't get an eye for my same class; I like my boys middle class and poor. You see, that's where the juice and real love are. I'm happy for whosoever that girl is, either rich or poor, she deserved it, and I'm glad for the excellent pick. Rich or poor, we will all still be buried on the ground; I reckon she will make a perfect bride,"

Hearing this Lady Thalia's voice, I felt a sip of relief in me that, to an extent, somebody supported me without knowing I was the poor bitch. The girl whose mother is a tie-and-dye clothes seller—the woman who watched Dante grow.

"January 15 will be the wedding ceremony of my son and Fiorella Evette. The granddaughter of our old family friend, Caeser Evette, and also her mother, Ginvera Evette, was the one that took care of my son since he was little. I hope you can all come to the wedding ceremony!"

Master Greco Mancini gestured for Dante and me to come out, which we did. Instantly, all eyes were on us as Dante held my arm to walk out with me.

"Fiorella Evette? Isn't she the daughter of the nanny who cared for Dante when he was little? She is the lady's daughter," said a lady by the left.

"The granddaughter of Caeser Evette is wonderful, beautiful, and chaste; who is she? Is she from the upper-upper class? Because I've never heard of her family before,"

A man voiced out with a stunning face.

Then, the voice of another hater was heard. The mockery was so evident in their voice. They were loud enough for me and Dante to hear.

"She, a lower class of the button. Beauty is nobody. She is just a girl after the wealth of the young master. If it were not for her, grandpa once saved the life of the young master of the Mancini family. With her background, she could never marry her way into this wealthy, famous family, like the one of the Mancini." the older woman hissed with a laugh.

"I was just wondering how they could get married. So this is the story I held about Evette. They don't know when her mother gave birth to her. Her mother was still in school, and she was just twenty-one when she gave birth to her. So I heard," The younger girl giggled.

With this, I felt my feet turn into jelly. Instantly, Dante pulls me closer to him... DANTE... I called in my thought as he knew what I was feeling.

"I need to reengage you again, in the presence of this badminton," He frowns as he walks down to his father and whispers something into his ears, then his father nods with a smile.

"Young master Mancini is very handsome; he's so fine, which he's mine to handle. She's so lucky to have such a man," A younger female said thoughtfully.

"Attention everybody, my son here has something to show you all," GrandMaster Mancini said. He made a hand gesture as Dante brought out another ring since I was not wearing the one he had given me.

He knees down. "Fiorella, this was one of the reasons I missed my flight two days ago because I was waiting for the ring to be done with. I designed this myself in my father's company in America; you know, diamonds, gold, coils, etc., are our field; that's what our company makes. I hope you can all be a witness to this today?" Dante voiced out with the microphone for everyone to hear.

With one knee up, one knee down, he brought up the ring to my face level that looked down at him. "Fiorella Cora Evette. Will you marry me? Will you be my wife till death do us path? And let me be your protection for eternity?"

I feel that my heart will explode. He's so delicate and so lovely and so wonderful. Who would believe that a low class would marry an upper-class fine man, the finest in his field?

"Woah, the Young Master is so genuine; he might love her so much to go to their extreme," The ladies that wished me well smiled in awe.

"I do," my voice came out so shaky.

He got up with the gesture of my hand as he kissed me in the presence of everyone. He parted from the kiss. "I love you so much, Fiorella,"

"Thank you for all you do, Dante; I love you more," I whispered as tears dropped from my eyes. "Dante...but I-"

"I love you, don't say," He hushed me with another kiss.

I felt so disgusted with myself and that useless stranger. Oh my God, what have I done? What has Dante done to deserve this from me?

Everyone claps as he grabs my arm with a simple smile.