Sold to Mr. Giordano

Arielle

I want to throw up, the nauseating feeling in the pit of my stomach hasn’t subsided. The penthouse feels lonely and it’s horrible to think how much I hate the silence, because the only reason it was never silent at home or at night was because of my father and the despicable things he would do to my mother behind closed doors.

Angelo is down the hall and next to my room Carmelo has settled in. He hasn’t said much to me, he’s a dark brooding mass. I can’t help but feel safe, Angelo on the other hand doesn’t. He seems more worried than usual, he’s also wary of Carmelo. Angelo will report to Antonio tomorrow and start his official first day as one of the soldiers of the Outfit. I say a quick prayer for the safety of my brother before dozing off to sleep.

 “Arielle,” a voice startles me awake.

The sun is shining through the windows—I must’ve slept through the night.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“You have a visitor,” Angelo says.

“Who?” Who could possibly be visiting me? “Please don’t tell me it’s Antonio.”

“It’s a woman.” Angelo says before leaving my room allowing me to quickly get dressed.

I put on a pair of blue jeans and a simple black and white striped long-sleeve, thermal shirt. I slip into a pair of my flats, toss my blonde hair into a messy bun and rush downstairs. The woman looks familiar, she has hazel eyes, and dark hair. She’s young maybe early twenties, she’s also tall and stunning. Her outfit tells me she’s rich and obviously a part of the lifestyle. She’s not a stranger… who is she.

“I’m Arabella.”

“Oh. That’s right, Antonio told me you’d be coming. Wedding dress shopping, right?” My brain feels like it’s in a scrambler.

“Are you ready? Or I could come back another time,” she points over her shoulder.

“No. No just let me grab a granola bar and we can head out.” I stuff the granola bar in my purse and walk out the door, that’s when I notice Carmelo is following behind us.

 Sensing how annoyed I am, Arabella asks, “Did you not have a bodyguard back in New York?”

“I did, he took me to school and waited there until I was done.”

“That’s all?”

“My father wouldn’t let me leave the house for anything but school. So yeah, that’s all,” I sigh.

“I’m sorry, that sounds horrible. I guess you must love this newfound freedom,” she smiles trying to lighten the mood.

“Freedom? You call an arranged marriage newfound freedom?”

Arabella blinks at me. “Oh, uh, I’m sorry. I didn’t think you were so sensitive to this arrangement.”

“Why wouldn’t I be!? I’m marrying a man I don’t even know. What’s worse is he is the Capo!”

“What’s worse? Isn’t that a good thing? He can protect you better than anyone, he’ll give you a lavish life.”

“I’ll be in danger all my life and I don’t care about protecting and lavishness, I want to have a husband who will love me!”

 Her eyes brows raise in shock. “People like us do not marry for love,” I suddenly notice the wedding ring on her finger. “Daughters marry to give their father’s advantage in this life. For some it’s power, their daughters ranking up boosts them up in this world. I could be worse, Arielle.”

 “All I wanted was to go to college.”

 “I’m sure Antonio will let you attend colleges online.”

“And do what with the degree? He won’t let me work. Just like how my father made my mother be a stay at home wife.”

“Is that so terrible?” Her voice turns low and soft.

“Yes! I want a life of my own! Don’t you?”

 “Well… I guess I don’t know,” she starts to cry.

 “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“It’s just, my husband is dead. He died trying to protect Uncle Lorenzo. It was an arranged marriage, but I grew to respect him. Even if we weren’t in love, we still liked each other. He was a friend. Now I’m widowed without any children and Antonio is probably going to marry me off to the highest bidder. I got lucky with my husband, he was my age. Some aren’t as lucky as us. My sister got stuck with a man three times her age. A pig he is,” she spits disgusted and for some reasons I felt like I’m responsible for all of the shits happening.

 “I didn’t mean to—”

“I know you didn’t, let’s please forget I said anything,” we reach the car and climb in. Carmelo sits up front and will occasionally look out the side of his eyes to glance at us.

“The boutique we’re going to is run by the Famiglia. Beautiful handcrafted dresses imported from Italy,” Arabella claps her hands together and seems to be in her own daydream.

“How much are these dresses?”

Arabella reaches into her purse and pulls out a gray credit card. “Xander gave me his card, it’s limitless. He told me nothing is too expensive.”

  Xander?

 “No. I can pay for my own dress. I don’t need one that is a thousand plus dollars,” I shake my head stubbornly.

“He’s paying for it, end of conversation. Do you want me to get in trouble? He wants to pay for your dress and he wants it from this shop.” She points out the window to a tiny shop with beautiful white dresses in the window. The car slowly pulls over and Carmelo gets out to open my side of the door while the driver opens Arabella’s.

 “Like it?” Arabella catches me drooling over the one in the window.

“It’s beautiful.”

The dress has lace sleeves—perfect for a November wedding. There is a sweetheart neckline, that looks like silk mixed with lace design, pearls at the waist, and then it puffs at the hips and I couldn’t see how long the back went, but I know the train is long. Everything about it makes my heart skip a beat.

“Let’s go try it on,” she grabs onto my elbow and pulls me in the store. “Maria, darling!” Arabella calls out and an older woman rushes to greet her with two kisses on the cheek.

“Bella, I am so sorry to hear about Vinny,” Maria has a thick Italian accent.

“Thank you, Maria. We are here for my lovely soon to be cousin. She is infatuated by the dress in the window.”

“Well get her to the fitting room, I’ll grab the dress!” Maria claps her hands together, puts her glasses on and goes for a hunt for my dream dress.

 The dress she brought me was too big and long, but it was just to try on and see. She pinned the back with clips—although there was nothing I could do about the length except hold it up with my hands. Before I am able to look at myself in the mirror Arabella lets my hair loose and puts a tiara and veil on my head.

 A tear escapes me as I gaze at myself in the mirror. The perfect dress is encompassing my body like a perfect second skin. I never loved any material thing more than this dress. I feel like a princess—the Capo’s wife.

“Beautiful, you look stunning!” Arabella grabs my hands and squeezes.

“I love it,” I say to Maria but continue to stare at myself in the mirror unable to look away.

“He is going to love it.”

“What a breathtaking image you are,” Maria smiles. “I will take your measurements and have it ready the day before your wedding.”

 “Xander will have one of his men pick it up,” Arabella says to Maria.

Taking off the dress itself feels sad. Back in my regular clothes, Arabella and I met Maria at the counter.

 I looked down at the register that rings up the dress for—

“Fifty thousand dollars?! What no way, that’s too much money!” I argue.

“Arielle, you are in love with the dress and Antonio will be fawning over you. The second he sees you he’ll want to rip that dress off you and—”

 Panic rushes into my system. “No, I don’t want it anymore. I’ll take the ugliest and cheapest thing you have,” I sob.

“No, no Arielle. You deserve to be a beautiful bride. Fifty-thousand is nothing to Tony. Please, let him get this for you.” she sight for a second, “ok! Imagine if it would be your dream wedding instead you would not pick this dress, Ary!” I simply nodded my head in response.

 I watch Arabella hand Maria the gray credit card and I am unable to watch that much money being spent so, I step outside for some fresh air.

“You okay?” Carmelo says sitting next to me on the ground.

“How long have you known Antonio?”

“Nearly all of my life. The fact is I’ve heard about him till I grown up and met him some years ago all I knew about him is he used to be my father’s assistant! Crap he turned to be Antonio Giordano.”

“He isn’t capable of love, is he?” I wipe my eyes with the sleeve of my shirt.

Carmelo sighs. “He’s Capo.”

That’s all the answer I need.

“I’m scared,” I draw my knees up to my chest and bury my head.

“I won’t let anything bad happen to you. I swore an oath to protect you.”

“But you can’t protect me from my soon to be husband.”

 He looks taken back. “You don’t need protecting from Antonio.”

“Arabella said that when he sees me in that wedding dress, he won’t be able to wait to tear it off me.”

 Carmelo chuckles, “I’m sure he’ll be anxious, but he’ll wait. He knows how to control himself.”

“You don’t get it, I don’t want to.”

“Don’t want to…”

I give him a pointed look.

“Oh. Uh,” he scratches the back of his neck uncomfortably. “It’s tradition. It’s a husband’s right to his wife’s body on their wedding night.”

     I’m doomed.