THE ENGAGEMENT 1

Arya entered her father’s room with dread in the pit of her stomach.

“You sent for me father”, she said softly as her father turned around on his seat.

“You’re getting married the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow, you’ll meet your soon to be husband at your engagement party”, her father, Carl Miguel said with an air that leaves no room for argument.

Arya couldn’t believe her ears, she definitely wasn’t having it.

“What?!”, she exclaimed.

Carl lifted an eyelid at her.

“Father, I just turned twenty, surely you can’t push me of to be with someone I do not know”, she said.

“I’ll forgive you for talking back at me like that just this once, Arya", Carl said with a stern expression.

“I am your child for crying out loud, your only daughter! And you’re pushing me off to be with a stranger?”, she asked, still unable to believe her ears.

“This marriage is set in stones, there’s no need to shout”, Carl said nonchalantly, an impassive expression on his face.

“I refuse this marriage!”, she said loudly.

Carl looked at her with a bored expression. From the look on his face he wasn’t bulging at all.

“Your marriage isn’t just about you. It’s about this family too. Everyone has decided!”, her father said to her.

Arya was no fool, she knew he didn’t mean it. Carl never consult anyone in the family before making a decision.

“No! I’d rather die than get married to a stranger”, she said, still not giving up.

“Then, die you shall. This is the only use I have for you. Since you can’t carry the Miguel family name as you’re a woman, you’d connect us to the most wealthiest and feared family in the whole of Italy”, Carl hissed at her.

“I won’t do it, I won’t marry someone I do not love because it’s convenient for you”, Arya said, her voice breaking and Carl noticed she was falling apart.

“Like I said, it’s set in stones. There’s no going back from here”, he said.

Arya felt her heart shatter into a million pieces. She had always been a dutiful daughter but this is where she draws the line.

“Why are you doing this?”, she asked crying.

“Because that’s the only use for a female child. Sell her off to get back the money I spent in training her”, he said spitefully as if it repulses him to talk about them.

“You could have at least waited till I was older. What if they kill me or sell my body parts?”, she asked, still crying.

“Then so be it. It is none of my concern. After the engagement tomorrow you belong to your husband. Now if you’ll excuse me, figlia”, Carls said and pointed to the door.

Arya rushed out and went straight to her room. She couldn’t believe this was happening to her. She had always wished to get married to someone she loved. Her parents loveless marriage always reminds her to marry for love and nothing else.

She heard a rap on her door and Camille, her mother walked in. She sat on her bed and cuddled her weeping daughter. Both mother and daughter cried in each other’s arms.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything about this. He just informed me about it before calling you up. I would have sabotaged this”, Camille said, wiping the tears off her daughter’s face.

“But it’s not too late, mum. I can run away today. There’s hope”, Arya said, not wanting to give up.

“I thought about that too but there’s no way. Your father tripled your security and added more cameras around the house. There’s no way out of the mansion, amore”, Camille said, her voice filled with despair. She looked into Arya's eyes, searching for a solution, but none seemed to be within their reach.

“So you mean the man who is supposedly my father is selling me off to some rich family for money and connection?”, Arya asked, still unable to digest the news as she shed more tears.

“Amore mio, I wish I could do something about it. I’ve never felt so helpless”, Camille said sadly.

“Are my brothers aware of this?”, Arya asked her mother.

“No, your father plans to tell them over dinner”, Camille replied.

Arya wiped the tears from her face and walked to the bathroom to wash her face and Camille sat on her bed, watching her. She came out and walked to the mirror, she pulled out a wipe and cleaned her face with it.

“Do you want me to apply some make up on you?”, Camille asked, looking concerned.

“No *madre, it’s fine. I do not want to apply make up. I want your husband to see the pain he caused me”, Arya said, looking into the mirror with unshed tears. She got rid of them quickly and walked downstairs for dinner. Camille wiped her tears and went after her daughter.

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Arya and her mother walked downstairs to dinner together. Her brothers were already sitting at the dining table waiting for them and Carl.

They took their seats and Dante her elder brother noticed her swollen face and red eyes.

“Have you been crying, amore?”, he asked her.

“Don’t trouble your sister. She’s not in the mood to talk”, Camille interrupted and threw off his question.

“But mamma, she’s hurting. What’s going on here. Did father do something? Did he hit her?”, Antonio, her younger brother asked with rage in his eyes. He might be the last child but he loves his sister dearly. He’d kill for her and die for her.

“I think you should ask Carl, your papa instead, Antonio”, Camille said.

Before anyone could say something, Carls entered the dining room. Everyone stood up as he walked in. He sat at his usual seat and everyone sat down.

“Buonasera papà”, the boys greeted him in Italian language. Carls demands they greet in their mother tongue.

“Hmmm, how was the office today?”, he asked them.

“Good, we already have supplies coming soon”, Dante said.

“I have good news boys”, Carls said with a slight smile playing on his lips. The room fell silent as everyone eagerly awaited his announcement.

“Your sister is getting married on the day after tomorrow. Her engagement party is tomorrow but don’t worry, she was made aware earlier”, he said as he bit into his dinner.

“What?!” Dante and Antonio asked simultaneously.

“You heard me. Now silence! I want to eat dinner without all the bickering”, Carls shouted.

“If we can’t get peace, neither can you”, Antonio said as he stood up.

“Antonio stop!”, Arya said something for the first time since she got to dinner.

“We run drug cartels, we mix with dangerous people everyday and yet we have peace. But in this house, it’s a different thing because we have the Devil himself as our father”, Antonio said spitefully, looking at Carls dead in the eye.

Carls stood up retrieving a gun from his pocket and pointed it at Antonio’s direction. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger.