CHAPTER-6

LENA

I am always the troublemaker for my father, never the perfect child he wanted. Only my mother could handle me. After her death, I was broken, but I never stopped being the stain on his reputation—his words, not mine.

I always made plans for mischief. I loved tormenting my stepmother and her daughter. One time, I placed a rat in one of her Gucci purses. It was hilarious when a rat jumped out and destroyed her dress, and it happened at one of her tea gatherings in the garden. Best of all, they never suspected me. I hid my mischief well.

My stepmother, Caroline, and her daughter, Kennedy, moved in six months after my mother's death. My grandmother was happy that someone could finally give her a grandson, but my stepmother never got pregnant. Of course, I am happy that at last, the Mancini family name will die out.

But on the other hand, my father got himself the perfect daughter. She was beautiful, cute, and excelled in dancing and music. As she grew up, she developed a perfect body he could proudly show off. And then there was me. The more he adored her, the more he ignored me. Despite my perfect grades, my academic gifts, and my victories in debate competitions—even though I was an accomplished pianist—he never took me anywhere. All he saw was that I gained a few pounds during puberty. Because of my weight, I wasn't good at dancing or singing, and that seemed to overshadow everything else I achieved.

He doted on her, basking in her perfection, while I stood in the shadows, invisible. My scholarships were my escape. I moved out, determined to carve my own path far away from the house that never felt like home. And I stayed away. I would have stayed away forever if not for my mother's will, which was to be disclosed on my twenty-seventh birthday.

Why? Why not when I needed the advice and was eighteen? What made her wait for so long? Her last requests had a cruel twist, as if that weren't enough. The requirement was that if I wanted to inherit everything she left, I had to get married before I turned twenty-seven.

That's how my father knew I had moved back. But why did he arrange for me to be with Alarik and not Kennedy? I mean, Kennedy is a model and a singer now. She must have suited Alarik more, fitting perfectly as the arm candy he always wanted for me. I couldn't help but wonder why he chose me for Alarik.

So, I confronted him, asking directly why he arranged for me to be with Alarik. Predictably, he brushed me off, telling me I should be grateful and not ask questions. But something didn't sit right. Why do I feel like he's hiding something?

Then, I found out Kennedy was pregnant with Enzo Lombardi's child. Suddenly, the pieces started to fall into place. My father, always obsessed with appearances and prestige, wouldn't want the scandal of an unwed, pregnant daughter. And so, I was thrust into this arrangement, a pawn in his game to maintain the facade of our perfect family. It's infuriating to realize how little he sees me, even now. To him, I'm just a convenient solution to a problem, a tool to be used when his ideal image starts to crack. This transaction worked in my favor too. I need the marriage partner, and he provided me with that.

I was shocked because I thought Enzo would wait for me. He was my childhood crush and my dearest friend. He was also the one I shared my first kiss with. He knows all my sufferings and why I wanted to move out. He disliked Kennedy, too. I always told him about the bullying in school and how Kennedy and her friends never ceased to torment me between periods. One time, one of Kennedy's friends punched me and poured black paint on my notes. It's not like I spared Kennedy; during the school annual singing competition, her dress was so destroyed and tattered, totally unwearable; of course, the dress was one of a kind, exclusive to her only, and the girl who punched me got expelled from the school as punishment for a reason she didn't commit. Obviously, I was the one who destroyed her dress, and Enzo was outside the room, making sure no one caught me.

He was always there for me, my partner in crime. I was in contact with him, and I did tell him I was coming back. He was excited, but after coming here, he never contacted me or reached out. I thought I would marry him for my mother's inheritance.

Then I met him at my family dinner, which I was required to attend. I saw him standing next to Kennedy; they were linking arms. Kennedy looked so happy because that family dinner was their engagement announcement. I was heartbroken, but I didn't let them know that. Enzo didn't even bother to make eye contact. Then the next day, my father declared whom I was going to marry.

It's infuriating to realize how little he sees me, even now. To him, I'm just a convenient solution to a problem, a tool to be used when his ideal image starts to crack. This transaction worked in my favor too. I need the marriage partner, and he provided me with that.

I was bitter with jealousy toward Kennedy. I feel like she won somehow. So, when I knew I was marrying the most sought-after bachelor in the country, I didn't throw much of a tantrum and agreed to meet him.

My father did arrange a dinner with Alarik, which he decided not to show up for. That would have been my first red flag. And to get back at Kennedy and Enzo, I lied that Alarik did come to dinner with a bouquet of flowers, and I enjoyed Caroline and Kennedy's bitter faces. My life has been filled with drama recently.

As for the misunderstanding with Alarik, I did get to know lawyer James, whom I met at the office of the marriage registrar as a representative of Alarik. He got into a major, life-threatening accident on the day of our marriage when he was going back to Alarik's office. Alarik already signed our marriage certificate, so I already have a copy of the documents. James did tell me Alarik was going to contact me and invite me to dinner, but I never received any call or invitation for two months. Fortunately, James is not dead but is in a coma, and nobody knows when he is going to wake up.

"So, you say that your husband, Alarik Andressano, is your employer now, and you will work for him? Also, he does not know that you are his wife. I mean, you did complain to me that he did not reach out to you after your so-called wedding. How come none of his family knows you either? Last night, you saved him from being shot, spent the night at his house, and are going to stay there temporarily." Sarah summarizes most of what happened in the past 24 hours. Sarah contacted me after she saw that my apartment was broken into.

"I mean, yeah, that's what happened, but it's still bizarre to me. I do agree that only James had my number and got into an accident, but why did none of his family or he ever try to contact me? They could have contacted my father." I complained again to Sarah. We are having lunch at a restaurant. Clara let me borrow her car, thankfully. My car's backside has a few bullet marks thanks to someone, and now, due to high-speed driving last night, it won't even start. I was having tea with Clara when Sarah called.

"Well, Lena. If we look at the misunderstanding, you also didn't reach out to Alarik when James invited you to come with him to Alarik's office. And also, no one knows here now that you are George Mancini's real daughter. Everyone thinks Kennedy is his real daughter or that his real daughter is dead. You also don't have any current photographs of you on the internet, which will prove you are his daughter. You avoid any parties and events like a disease, which will connect you to The Mancini law firm." I look Sarah dead in the eyes. She is right. In the year since I returned, I haven't attended any events with my family, or I attend alone.

But it still hurts that Alarik or his family do not know me. I saw most of his family at events, and Alarik rarely attends any events either.

"Even though I also did not reach out to him, from the start, I didn't have any high hopes for our relationship. I don't imagine us having a happy, loving family. And I was scared that he would demand we immediately start having children or that he would not like me working like my family. I mean, he does need an heir considering his life was in danger last night." I explain my point of view.

"Ok, fine. I mean, you do have a valid point, but how long are you going to hide this from him?"

"As long as I get some proof that he will cheat on me or I find out the location of his mistress and record them together, so that I can demand an annulment of the marriage. I only need this marriage for one year." I smirk at my plan. I am confident it is going to work.

"And if he doesn't? Neither he cheats nor has any mistress. Then what are you going to do? Or if he finds out your lie, then? I mean, he is a mafia boss; all influential families work for him directly or indirectly; he can't be stupid. What are you going to do then, Lena?" Sarah's voice is dead set.

Sarah is right. I have not thought this through. Although Plan A does not work out, I can make a Plan B. I

I am confident I can do this because I am Lena Mancini.