Chapter 3

THIRD PERSON’S POV…

The engagement party…

The guests arrived, wine glasses in hand, comfortably discussing with one another. Dylan’s eyes roamed over the hall, searching for one person—the reason for the occasion. He was about to go and look for her when he heard the clink of a spoon against a glass, drawing everyone’s attention. It was Kira’s father, Tius.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Tonight, we celebrate the age-long union of our two families. As you all know, centuries ago, my great-great-grandfather Julius Neel was on the verge of ruin, all the other families abandoned us except the great Romano Vasillios. And with his help, we overcame our enemies and In gratitude, Julius agreed to a marriage alliance between our families. This blood alliance has allowed our families to coexist peacefully for generations. And tonight, we honor this legacy through the marriage of my beautiful daughter Kira and Dylan Vasillios." he paused, looking around.

"So here's to love and family. Let's all raise our glasses to Dylan and Kira." He raised his glass, and the room erupted in cheers. As Tius took his seat, Paulo, the don of the Italian mafia and Dylan's father, nudged Dylan to get up and make a toast. Dylan stood up and raised his glass.

"Thank you for that wonderful speech, father-in-law," he said, pointing his glass to Tius. "As you all know, my fiancée Kira and I have been betrothed since childhood. And along the way, we've learned to love each other, and also embrace both the best and worst parts of ourselves. Kira is like a breath of fresh air, she's… everything. She's perfect. But as the saying goes, we don't always get what we seek." He paused and called out, "Kira!" The guests looked around, eager to see the beautiful lady who had captured the heart of the young lord.

"I apologize, everyone, but Kira won't be joining us tonight," Tius said as he stepped forward. "She caught a cold at the last minute and couldn't make it. But rest assured, she'll be fine." He patted Dylan's shoulder reassuringly.

Dylan's eyes narrowed in concern. "She was fine when I left her yesterday," he stated, puzzled. "I would have loved to have her present for what I’m about to say, but I guess the show must go on. Kira was my lifeline or so I thought. I won't beat around the bush so we can all go on with the ceremony. I am sorry to announce that I won't be getting married to Kira." Dylan expected the gasps from the guest and the commotion from both families but he didn’t expect Tius to hit him in the face and point a gun at his head.

"How dare you?!" Tius growled, his face burning with rage. It was at that moment that Dylan began to reconsider his confession. Maybe he shouldn't have said it.

"Tius!" Paulo shouted. And at that moment both the Vasillios men and the Neel men pulled their guns out and pointed them at each other, "What do you think you're doing?" He glared at Tius who held his son at gunpoint.

"Give me a good reason why I shouldn't blow his brains right now, Paulo?!" Tius spat.

"Because he's my son." Tiffany, Paulo’s wife spoke this time, she glared at Tius like she was ready to strangle him herself if he ever hurt her son.

Tius hissed and faced Dylan, "What do you mean you won't be getting married to Kira?! Do you think this is a child's play or a play date that you can just call off at any time you want?!" Tius growled and Dylan continued to stare at everyone, his eyes so wide, that they almost threatened to pop out of his head.

Paulo spoke up next. "Speak up boy! What are you thinking?! You've been betrothed to Tius' daughter since birth, there's no way you're calling off the engagement. That's not for you to decide. You're getting married to Kira and that's the final decision." Paulo ordered.

"I… I can't Father. Kira and I can't get married." Dylan stammered.

"No, you're getting married to Kira on my word." Tius removed the gun from safety, pressing it on Dylan's forehead. Sasha watched the scene before her, her hand covering her mouth. She knew Tius was beyond furious and anything could happen, including killing Dylan without thinking of the war that it would result in.

"Tius put the fucking gun down!" Paulo growled, his voice holding a threat. Tius looked back, his eyes twitching a bit when he saw Tiana, his second daughter, at gunpoint.

"Kayla is pregnant with my child!" Dylan finally said.

"What?!”

Dylan shifted uncomfortably. "Yes, Kayla and I have been seeing each other for a while. Secretly," he confessed, his voice dropping to a near whisper. "While Kira was always indoors. I needed someone, you know? And Kayla just... she was there. It just happened." He swallowed hard. "We fell for each other, and I got her pregnant.”

There was radio silence after that. Nobody knew what to say. Tiffany looked at her son with disappointment and anger while Paulo wished he could shoot him right there for trying to destroy an alliance that his ancestors had struggled to maintain over the years.

"Who else knew about this so-called affair?" Tius asked

"No one does. No one except Kayla and I." Dylan's voice shook as he answered.

"So you don't know about this" Tius approached Sasha, his glare burning through her skull. He grabbed her neck, the veins in her head popping out immediately. "You're Kayla’s mother. You have to have known Kayla was secretly sleeping with her sister's fiance all this while! Speak!" He pressed harder. Sasha choked, her life flashing before her eyes.

"Tius, this is not the right place for this!" Tiffany spoke out but Tius ignored her. "Tius, please stop. You'll kill her!" Paulo pointed out, that Sasha already finding it difficult to breathe. Her eyes began to close, the blood had now rushed up to her face.

Tius stared at the woman in front of him, his hand aching to pull his gun out and blow her brains out. With a sigh, he released his hand from her already swollen neck.

“Where does this leave Kira? In case you don’t know, Kayla is not a legitimate daughter of mine, which means she’s not of Neel blood,” Tius glared at Paulo.

“We’ll find a solution. But Kira can’t marry Dylan if her sister is already pregnant with his child. There will be no bastard in my bloodline,” Paulo narrowed his eyes.

"They're betrothed to each other, you know this, Vasillios!"

Paulo fell silent, his eyes fixed on Dylan as he tried to think of a way out. He knew Tius’s concerns were justified. If Dylan married Kyla, Kira would be left without a groom. They had a deal to marry Kira to one of his sons, and Dylan was the chosen one. But now, Dylan was no longer eligible to be her groom.

This left no other person than his least favorite child…

"If that's the case, she'll get married to Adrian…"

"No! Kira won't be getting married to that criminal. I will not leave my daughter in the hands of Azreal. Don't even think about it." Tius spat in response.

“We have no other choice, Tius. Adrian is the only option left. He’ll be released in four weeks, and as Paulo’s legitimate son, marrying Kira to him will keep the deal intact.” Tiffany sighed deeply after she spoke. “It wasn’t specified that Kira had to marry Dylan; we only chose Dylan because they’re almost the same age,” Tiffany added.

Tius pondered the situation but couldn’t negotiate the idea of Kira marrying Adrian instead. He knew Adrian well enough to know that he was bad news for Kira. Yet, the deal with the Vasillos family was already set, and even this decision was beyond his control.

He glanced at Kayla who stood behind her mother, her head quickly dropping down in fear and embarrassment.

"And would Adrian agree to this?"

"Don't worry about that, we will deal with him," Paulo smirked. Tius watched him for some while. There was nothing else he could do. Kira would be deeply heartbroken but it is what it is. It was a sacrifice she had to make for being born to a mafia family. Her belief in love had always been a stupid delusion of hers. Tius thought to himself.

“Kira can’t know about this. We can’t risk her running away,” Tius finally said.

Sasha heaved a sigh of relief as she glanced at her daughter, who looked pleased with her father’s decision. While the mother and daughter duo exchanged secret glances, Dylan stared at the ground. He had known he couldn’t end up with Kira from the moment he met Kayla. Kayla’s seductive nature had captivated him. He believed Kira couldn't handle power like how he expected his life partner should. Kira would crumble at the sight of blood or even surrender to an enemy.

But with Kayla, it was different. The woman could make anyone fall for her charms like she made him fall for her. Yes, she could talk anyone's ear off with useless matters but she still knew how to use her body and word to her advantage.

“It’s settled then,” Paulo declared. “No one will tell Kira, and the wedding will take place in four weeks, on the day of Adrian’s release,” Paulo said and Tius heaved a sigh before nodding in agreement.