Chapter 5

Three days had passed, and it was the day of her welcome party that was going to be held in the Gustav mansion. Powerful Mafia lords, their wives, and rich second-generation heirs were invited, all to celebrate the return of Mariana Gustav, the only daughter and child of the Gustav family that had been hidden away from the public eye. They respected the invitation because although the Gustav family was not as strong as they used to be, they still had powerful connections, plus they were curious about what Mariana Gustav would look like.

The party was supposed to start by five pm; the female servants in the house that were appointed to her by Elena, along with Gutav’s special stylist team, helped her to get ready.

Once her makeup was ready, they brought out a pink mermaid gown embedded with real diamond stones and crystal beads sewn in; it was dazzling in the light. As Ana Sophia marveled at the sight of the dress she was going to wear, her resolve to bring the cartel down grew stronger.

With the help of the servants, she wore the dress, and by the time she was done, most of the guests had already arrived.

 

Elena knocked on her door and walked in just as she was about to walk in; seeing the dress she had once prepared for her daughter on Ana Sophia, she felt a sense of loss, but thinking of how her daughter was well protected wherever she was, she no longer cared; instead, she nodded in approval, seeing that the dress actually fit on Ana Sophia like a glove. It even made her look a little bit like her blood daughter, Mariana Gustav.

She could not be stern with Ana Sophia as the servants were present; she had to keep up her persona as a good, caring mother, so she quickly waltzed to Ana Sophia’s side, with a little bit of her dress in her hands to stop her from falling, as it was a long, bodycon red dress.

“You look so beautiful, mi vida,” Elena said as she raised her free hand to touch Ana Sophia’s cheek. Sophia could only smile, even though she wished it was her actual mother that addressed her as such, but she had to stick to her mission; she could not be sentimental.

“Thank you, Mama,” she replied as she forced a bubbly smile on her face. After all the compliments from Elena, they both walked outside with Elena holding her hand to fit the loving mother and daughter image they wanted to create for the public to see.

Once they were downstairs and in the event room, all eyes turned to her, and Elena seriously scrutinized her, wondering if she was going to be a threat to them or a tool. Feeling their gazes on her, Ana Sophia felt chilly. She could not even appreciate the large sparkly chandelier that was dangling from the ceiling or the pink and gold decorations. Knowing that Ana Sophia was probably nervous, Elena squeezed her hands, and with a smile, she walked forward, Ana Sophia following along. She stopped once she was in the middle of the room where the microphone was.

“Welcome everyone to my dear daughter Mariana’s welcome party. As you all know, Mariana has been away from home for almost all of her life; now she is finally back, back to integrate into our world and to inherit the Gustav empire when the time comes,” Elena said, and the crowd erupted with applause.

Once it died down, a sinister-looking man from the crowd spoke.

“I wonder why your darling husband is not here for his daughter’s welcome home coming ceremony. A little birdy told me that he was arrested,” he said with a devious smirk, causing everyone to go silent. Obviously, he came to look for trouble.

“Gustav has personally gone to handle our headquarters in the United States; he needs to clean up a little bit of a mess that occurred there,” she said nonchalantly. 

The innocent rich second-generation heirs and nouveau rich business owners thought Gustav was just reshuffling his company, but everyone who had ties in the mafia knew what the cleanupmeant.

After Elena was done with the introduction, she dropped the mic and walked out of the center, dragging Ana Sophia along with her. Then came the greetings, and all Ana Sophia could do was to smile and nod. And for every time a member of the cartel came to greet them, Elena squeezed her hands a little tighter to let her know, so she kept note of their faces.

After a few minutes a soft, innocent, chubby man approached with a big, bulky guard behind him. He couldn't possibly be in the mafia, Sophia thought, but she quickly realized she was wrong when Elena squeezed her hands even tighter than she had done for other members of the mafia.

“Mr. Fernandez, I am glad you came,” Elena said, her confidence reducing a bit as she never invited him.

“You know why I came, Elena. Your daughter Mariana is back in Valencia from her supposed business training, and she is twenty-four years old, of ripe age. It is time for you to honor your contract,” he said with a warm, kind smile.

“You are right, Don.” Elena nodded immediately.

“Wait, what contract?” Sophia could not contain her curiosity, and Mr. Fernandez looked at her with a smile and raised brows.

“Oh, your mother did not tell you that you have a marriage contract with the Fernandez family?” he asked with a smile.

“A marriage contract?” Sophia asked just to be sure, but her blood was already boiling with anger. How dare Elena keep such vital information from her? If Mariana had a marriage contract, that meant she would have to get married in Mariana’s place.

“Yes, when you were just two years old, the Fernandez and Gustav families signed a marriage contract that my eldest son, Jose, and you will get married when you are of age to boost our familial relations. You were supposed to get married to Jose five years ago when you turned 18 and he turned 20, but for some reason your parents were making reasons to delay it. Now that you are back, it is time for you to honor this contract,” Roberto Fernandez said.

Before Sophia could even say any words of objection, Elena pinched her hand. She realized she could not oppose unless it could ruin her cover.

“I will honor this contract,” she said, causing Mr. Roberto Fernandez to give a satisfied smile.

“The wedding will take place in two days time” he announced with a wide grin and Ana Sophia’s eyes flung wide open.

“Don’t you need more time to prepare for this wedding?” She asked nervously .

“My dear Mariana we have been prepared since the day you turned eighteen” he said calmly then turned and walked away.

Once he was out of her view she turned to look at Elena angrily .

“What stupid marriage contract is this? Why did you not tell me? Why did you not tell the police force?” Ana Sophia asked angrily, her blood boiling with rage.

Seeing the happy smile on Elena’s face, she realized that this was planned by her all along.

“You wanted me to marry in your daughter’s place,” she said with realization.

“Tell me, who is Jose?” she asked.

“Only the most feared man in the cartel, but don’t worry, you will be fine. And oh, don’t lose your temper here; people are watching,” she said with a smug smile and walked away.