Engagement Party

VIOLA

I was in a sheer Valentino dress in the color black.

The dress was an elegant, form-fitting black gown with a sophisticated and unique design.

It featured a draped, hood-like element that covered the shoulders and part of the head. The fabric was smooth and lightweight, which allowed it to contour smoothly along the body.

The dress has an asymmetric, one-shoulder style, with the draped material creating a visually intriguing, layered effect.

My black hair was in a low bun but it was covered by the hood of the dress. I did dark eye makeup and carried my black clutch. My lips were bright red and I had on a tennis necklace as well as a matching bracelet.

My heels matched my black dress perfectly.

"You look amazing," Angie said as she came into my room. Her serious wounds were bandaged but she managed a smile on her face.

She was an angel as her name suggested. Despite knowing she was punished for my mistakes, she never hated me for it. It's why I learned to be perfect so she wouldn't get the short end of the stick.

"You should be in your room. Mother will punish you if you aren't."

She shrugged and sat on my bed.

"Is your husband a good guy?" She asked.

"I don't know…" He wasn't. His reputation was well-known.

I'd never met him before and if I had, he and I had not spoken. I wondered if he was ugly or if he was just another middle-aged man in the mafia with bad hygiene.

He had to be full of muscle. Men in the mafia tended to be muscled because of working out.

Men had to fight so they were required to work out. Some didn't and instead, honed their skills in using knives, guns, and other weapons. I wondered if he was the former or the latter...or both.

"This is unfair, Viola. We should get married because of love and not because Father makes a deal with a Mafioso Don for money, territory, or other benefits."

She crossed her arms against her chest and huffed. I got up from my vanity table and walked to my door. After confirming Mother wasn't in sight, I went back in. We were safe to talk for a while.

I crouched in front of her and cradled her face in my hands. My nails may have been perfectly manicured but they were still dirtied with the sins in the Agosti household.

"Look, you have to be strong, Angie. None of us chose this life and none of us like it in the least. But what can we do about it? I'm sorry for not protecting you as much as I should have but now, you need to protect yourself."

"Remember what Mother teaches us and do everything she says. I don't want you to die within months of me living with my husband…"

"But you don't know him! He could hurt you and Father would not defend you because you will belong to your husband. Aren't you scared?"

I blinked and tried my hardest not to cry. Mother would kill me if I smudged my eyeliner or mascara.

"I am but there is nothing I can do about it. All I can be is strong and obedient to him. Promise me you will be obedient to Mother and Father, Angie."

Tears pooled in her eyes but she nodded. She was a rebel at heart and a strong-willed girl who loved to challenge authority. She felt the constant need to defend herself and show strength.

She should have learned that no matter what she did, Antonio would get what he wanted. It didn't matter how much it would cost him. Even if it cost him the life of a daughter.

"I will try—"

"Be. Obedient. Remember father's threat? He said he would sell your ass to be used by his friends for money. Don't give him a reason to do it. Now go in your room and stay there before Mother finds you and punishes you."

Angie flung her arms around me and hugged me. She sobbed into my shoulder, refusing to let me go.

"I'm going to miss you, V. I will die without you."

She was wrong. Marco, our brother, was going to take care of her. He and I had spoken about what would happen after I was gone. Marco may have killed people but he was a good person at heart.

He was seventeen but he was more mature than his age. Maybe it was because he had been forced to mature at that age.

"You won't. Marco will be here."

She wiped her tears and hugged me one last time before leaving. As I watched her leave, I vowed that I was going to save her from this world. I would make sure she was safe.

I knew it was a huge burden that I was placing on myself but I couldn't imagine Angie feeling the way I was feeling. I was so scared of my future husband that I wished something would happen so we could skip the engagement party.

"Let's go, Viola." Mother said from the door, crushing my hopes.

I grabbed my items and followed her out of the door. With a white fur coat on top of my outfit, she and I met Father and Marco downstairs. They were both in fitting tuxes, looking clean and presentable.

Angie couldn't go because her wounds were still healing.

"Are you ladies ready to go?" Father asked.

We nodded our heads and followed them to the car.

We left with an entourage of guards. The Cosa Nostra and the Camorra may have been the two most powerful mafia organizations in Mafia but we didn't trust one another. Our families had been enemies for decades.

My father's jaw was ticking, like he was angry. Was he upset that I was getting married to Nikolas Mancini? It couldn't be.

Realizing it wasn't any of my business, I focused on my own issues. I had to master composure before I met Nikolas. I refused to let myself be intimidated by him.