Sienna
My father has his hand on my knee as he stares out of the limousine window with his gun drawn. He was in New York, Dragonetti Famiglia territory and on high alert, the irony being that he was basically handing me over to the man he did not trust.
We spent the car ride in silence all the way to the church; my father did not once glance my way, and it left me with an uneasy feeling in my heart. I was his only daughter, and yet he had nothing to say to me on my wedding day.
The limousine pulls up outside of the church, and I could already tell the place was filled with what I could only assume were mafia families - Both Famiglia and Outfit acquaintances. My father gets out after his men and scours the area with his eyes before walking over to my side and opening the door. He holds out his hand for me to take, and he leads me by the arm to the inside of the enormous cathedral.
It was finally sinking in; I was getting married to a ruthless man who left threats hidden in the wedding bouquet he chose for me. My heart thuds profusely, and I grip my father’s hand so hard that he turns to look at me with a frown.
“Be strong, Stellina. You are of Vincenzo blood, the woman before you were held in great esteem, and you have inherited their fire. Be strong, not for your mama but for yourself.” My father tells me before we brace ourselves to enter the church.
This piece of advice made me smile; my papa had never given me any advice before so this was precious to me.
“I love you, papa,” I tell him, and he turns to kiss my forehead.
“I love you too, my brightest star.” He responds, and I lace my arm with his again. The string orchestra starts playing, signalling that it was my turn to enter. I breathe out one last time, and my father leads me inside the church.
The church was packed and decorated exquisitely. The bottom pews held family, while the top section held Dragonetti and Vincenzo soldiers. I saw Carmella at the end of the aisle, next to the other bridesmaids, but she wore an expression that startled me. Was she sad? Then I spot my mother in the front pew and smile; she would be my strength today - then my eyes fell on the man I was to marry.
Dante Dragonetti keeps his eyes on me as I walk down the aisle with my father, his eyes never leaving me. For a heartless monster, I had to admit to myself that he was exceptionally handsome, dressed in a three-piece charcoal tailored suit. He slicked his raven hair back as usual and his green eyes seemed to be a darker moss colour today. How was this man known as il Drago when he looked like God sculptured his features?
We reach the end of the aisle and my father takes my hand in his before placing it in Dante’s, “Ti affido la sua vita, la proteggo con la tua.” (I entrust you with her life, protect her with yours) My father says while looking my intended straight in the eye.
“Fino alla mia morte.” (Until my death) He vows and my father returns his nod and turns to leave for his seat next to my mother.
I force myself to look up at Dante, but as soon as our eyes meet, my heart sinks further into darkness. My feet were telling me to run far away, but my brain would not follow. Anxiety grips my heart and I try to level out my breathing by inhaling and exhaling slowly; this seems to work, but before I knew it, the priest was at our questions already.
“Dante and Sienna, have you come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in marriage?” He asks. Dante and I both respond with an “I will.”
“Will you honour each other as man and wife for the rest of your lives?” He continues and Dante winks at me before responding with his answer of “I will,” and I couldn’t help but think of him as extremely arrogant. We were lying in the house of God, and he seemed to see nothing wrong with it.
“Will you accept children lovingly from God and bring them up according to the law of Christ and his Church?”
“I will.” We respond again, and I send up a silent prayer of forgiveness.
“Since it is your intention to enter into Holy Matrimony, join your right hands, and declare your consent before God and his Church.” The priest says, and we let go of one another’s left hand.
Dante caresses my thumb with his, “I, Dante Dragonetti, take you, Sienna Vincenzo, to be my lawful and honourable wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will honour you until death do us part, Con il mio sangue Dragonetti, è fatto.” Dante concludes his vow with an added ‘By my Dragonetti blood, it is done.’
“Forgiato nel fuoco, forgiato nel sangue!” I jump as his brothers and soldiers respond with ‘Forged In Fire, forged in blood,” the line that was apparently emblazoned on their Dragonetti tattoos.
I brace myself and take a deep breath before looking him in his eyes and reading my vows. “I, Sienna Vincenzo take you, Dante Dragonetti, to be my lawful and honoured husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do us part and even after.”
Dante’s eyebrows raise at the added bit at the end but smile regardless. The priest calls the ring bearer forward, “May the Lord, our God, bless these rings which you will offer to one another as a sign of your honour and fidelity.” He says, and Dante and I take the other’s respective rings.
Dante takes my left hand in his. “Sienna, please receive this ring as a sign of my promise, honour and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” He says and slips an elegant red emerald ring on my finger. Wow, it was gorgeous! They cut the centre stone in a square with white diamonds around the border and the ring itself must be white gold.
I smile and look up into Dante’s eyes. “Dante, please receive this ring as a sign of my love, honour and fidelity to you. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” I say my vow to him, forgetting to omit the ‘love,’ part from the vow, but he seems to have overlooked it.
“Famiglia, I present to you, Mr and Mrs Dragonetti! You may now kiss the bride.” The priest says finally, and Dante lifts my veil, his eyes falling on the tear in it with a smile. When my eyes stray to his breast pocket, I noted the iron badge pinned there. So it wasn’t just me wishing this marriage good luck.
He looks into my eyes and cups my cheek, “La mia Pura Bellezza,” (my pure beauty) he murmurs before lowering his lips to mine. Dante’s lips were incredibly soft as he kissed me with possession, claiming me as his bride in front of our family and filling me with a need at my core yet again. He ends off the kiss with a slight pull of my bottom lip. “You look beautiful, Sienna.” He whispers into the kiss.
“Forgiato nel fuoco, forgiato nel sangue!” His brothers exclaim again and thunderous applause follows. We turn to our respective families and Dante laces his fingers with mine before leading me down the aisle to depart the church. They greeted us with showers of rice as we walked past our families, and I couldn’t help but laugh at this.
Dante looks down at me with a scowl as we exit the church, “She knows how to laugh,” he says and immediately my smile goes from my face. This man truly was a thief of joy. He opens the limousine door for me and I get in, waiting for him to occupy the seat next to me.
“Would you prefer I remain miserable throughout this day, Dante?” I ask him and see his eyebrows raise in surprise. He was not used to being questioned, this was obvious as he ruled over many factions.
He chuckles. “No, but it is odd to hear you laugh when I know you would rather be dead than my bride.” He says and pulls me closer to him.
I stare down at my wedding ring and realise that I was now Dante’s to do with as he pleases. Would I survive my wedding night at all? Glancing up at Dante, then I remember the bouquet he sent and a terror seizes my heart again. I wasn’t safe with this man, not at all. Would I even survive the week?
“I can smell the fear on you,” Dante says and I turn to face him, but he was staring out the window. Obviously, I feared him. Who in their right mind didn’t? He turns his head to face me, and his green eyes flash with anger.
“You are a Dragonetti now, Sienna. I will not tolerate weakness.” He says, and I was not sure if this was supposed to calm me down or terrify me more, because I certainly did not feel consoled.
But I nod regardless. “I understand,” I tell him, breaking his gaze and staring out the window.
Not fear il Drago? I have been scared of him since I met him and it has not let up. How could I not feel this way? The man was a cold-blooded murderer of innocents who demanded respect wherever he went. How could I not fear him?
Sienna The Dragonetti estate was a sight to behold! Dante’s parents had impeccable tastes and you could see it by the opulent architecture, art and perfectly manicured gardens. “You have a beautiful home, Dante,” I say as I take everything in. “Thank you, but it will be your home too from today forward.” He says and we arrive at the reception to greetings from our fellow friends and family members. As per custom, we greet everyone individually as they give us their good wishes and felicitations. “Brother, you have a beautiful bride,” came the voice of the man who accompanied Dante to my parent's home back in Chicago. This man was lean and well built, with the same intense green eyes and dark hair as Dante, and I recall him being Dante’s best man. He picks up my hand in his and kisses the back. “Bella,” he says and I blush at his compliment. “Thank you,” I say as a smile plays on my lips and he winks at me. “Are you flirting with my wife, Nico?” Dante asks him, but the man named
Sienna I was seated at our table when I saw Carmella rushing out of the mansion and heading straight to her father’s parked Mercedes. A few seconds later, the car speeds away. My mother had prepared me to be a mafia wife, she raised me not to talk back and to speak when spoken to, but what my mother didn’t prepare me for were the betrayal and heartbreak. Carmella had been seeing Dante behind my back all this time. That was probably how he knew we would be at that specific café where he waltzed in with the blonde. They had played me for a fool and I was none the wiser. My heart might as well be made of glass because the one person I trusted irrevocably shattered it. Trusted even more so than my own mother. And yet, no tears came. Is this what absolute heartbreak felt like; a numbness in your chest and difficulty breathing? Because that is what I feel like right now. First, my father hands me over to one of our world’s most brutal mob bosses, my mother ignoring my pleas for help, an
Dante *Trigger Warning - Sexual Violence*What was I doing? Why was I being so gentle with her? Her body belonged to me by right and I could destroy any chance of her ever enjoying sex again, but that look she gave me before I kissed her had done something to me. It was the look of a virgin knowing she had no other choice but to submit to her husband, and then she had to go and say what I had been thinking. For some reason, I wanted Sienna to enjoy what I was about to do to her and what she was doing to me. Her body was gorgeous and bent to my every touch and caress, it was said the Vincenzo Princessa was beautiful; but whoever said that had clearly never seen her naked. No words could express how gorgeous her naked body was - and it was all mine. Her pure body and soul were mine. I nudge her legs open and look down at the gift presented to me; and how exquisite it was. Her virginal scent clouded my mind, and I could tell she was aroused by the faint wetness at her entrance. I had t
Sienna He tricked me. He allowed me to let my guard down and tricked me. I watch Dante leave, and as soon as the door closes, I rush to the bathroom and clutch my abdomen in pain. Reaching the shower, I open it on full blast and get underneath the freezing water. What had happened to Dante just now? It was like he snapped and then didn’t care if he hurt me or not. Why did he tell me he would be gentle with me, only to completely ruin me in the end? It was as if his plans were for me to let my guard down just so he could tear me in two. And that’s exactly how it felt; I felt the tearing as he thrust into me gently at first, then without abandon. Did he truly want to hurt and ruin me that badly? I still do not know what I did to him to deserve his malice. If he wanted me to hate him, well, he succeeded with flying colours. I take care when I wash myself down below and finish up in the bathroom, then head to what I assume was our shared walk-in closet. The one I had back home was noth
Sienna I am in heaven right now. Whoever designed this garden was a Godsend! Every flower planted grew all year long, so the estate always looked beautiful and bright from the outside. I walk towards the winter garden section and sit down on the marble bench built there. This would be my new mecca; this garden would be where I would get lost in. The crocus flowers and snowdrops looked beautiful amongst the frost, and I found myself lost in thought as I stared at them. Reminiscing over my old life I would never get back, the old connections which I now knew were fake, and my parents, who I would never see again. Carmella’s misdeeds were still fresh in my mind, and I felt a tear slip down my cheek as I remembered the poison to her tone yesterday. I had loved and trusted her like a sister, and she gave me up for a person like Dante, who probably only used her. I am not sure how long I sat in the garden like that, but the next second I heard incessant shouting. “She can’t have gotten
Sienna Dante doesn’t come to bed that night or any other night that follows. Dario, Domenico and I seemed to be getting into a routine at breakfast time; I cook for them while they keep me company. I have truly grown to love the two brothers as my own; they make me laugh and are both fiercely protective over me. When Domenico got asked to accompany me to the supermarket for a quick run to get a few things, a man had touched my arm by accident and he flipped and broke the poor guy’s hand! I was adamant that I would pay for the surgery afterwards, but Domenico, or Nico as I call him now, refused and said Dante would freak out. Dinner time was a different routine: They usually got home just after 6 or 7, cleaned up and we would eat around the table. Dante was always silent but the other two always had stories to tell me. They made my staying here worth the while. I also got to know them better: Dario was a collector of rare knives and had about 50 different tactical ones on display in
Sienna That evening, I prep a few dishes that I would be cooking the following morning. I was still pretty riled up from this morning’s events and keeping out of the guys’ way. Not that I knew if they were home, anyway. I cleaned up the mess with the Christmas tree in the living room and noticed that, luckily, their gifts were still intact. Good, the gifts amounted equally to over $1.5million, so them being ruined during a stupid argument would have surely made me cry. It was 7 pm, and I had the dinner table set, but no one came into the kitchen to eat and by 8 pm, I covered all the dishes and went up to bed. It seems this morning has left a bitter taste in everyone’s mouths and being Alpha men; they refused to be seated at the same table due to pride. Deciding against my better judgement, I grab Dante’s plate from the warmer and put it onto a tray to take to him in his office. I knew I was setting myself up for disappointment, but my mother always said to treat those as you want to
Dante Traitors, all of them. My brothers seem to have forgotten who Sienna was and why she was here. All it took for her to crawl into their hearts was food and gifts - they were weak. I come to a stop outside my study and punch the gilded door repeatedly, letting my frustrations out and pretending it was Aldo Vincenzo. The bastard did despicable things to my Lenore before murdering her, things I didn’t even want to think about. She suffered immensely. And for what exactly? To send a message. And what was it with her coming into my study and personally bringing me dinner? What was her plan, what was her game? Why was she being so nice to me when I was awful to her at every turn? I continue to punch the wall, my blood running down the gilded door when I hear someone approach from behind and knowing it was Sienna who followed me. “Dante!” she says with a gasp and runs towards me, taking my fist in her hand. I look up at her with disgust. “Are you sure you want to be near me right n