1 - A bloody wedding

ADELINA'S POV

The happiest day of a woman's life was meant to be the day she gets married to the love of her life and I thought it was true.

I had never felt this genuinely happy in my life before, despite all the resistance of us being from rival mobs. Finally, I was getting married to Viktor, the Mafia boss of a rival Russian mob today.

Although my marriage was not purely based on love, the main goal was to join two of the biggest Mafia underground associations. My fiance, Viktor, owned one of the richest and most dangerous Russian mobs; my father agreed to this marriage to seek his protection as our group, despite its large size, is nothing compared to Viktor's association.

The soft organ melody echoed through the large sculptured walls of the old cathedral to the outside, it was loud enough to reach the environs. Stepping down from the car I made my way towards the large doors of the ancient cathedral.

The doors swung open, and everyone's eyes were drawn to me, the beautiful bride. "May I?" Father approached me at the door to take me to the altar.

"Of course father." I chimed at him with the brightest smile ever. Dad took his time to look at me, his eyes welling with tears that his little princess was finally getting married.

"You look beautiful, Adelina." He said with a heavy voice, trying to hold back his tears. I hooked my hand with his arm and then took a deep breath. "Thank you, Papa."

'It's finally time, Adelina; you can do this.' I chanted encouraging words in my mind to control my nervousness. I gripped the bouquet of tulips and lilacs, which were my favourite flowers, and cold sweats formed around my fist.

Dad's presence was reassuring. Everyone got on their feet to watch me proceed down the aisle, smiles brimming on their faces.

Finally, my eyes gazed towards the altar, and there he was, standing tall and handsome as always. Our eyes met, and my heart skipped a beat. I clutched Father's arm, and Father gave an encouraging smile, sensing my nervousness.

The bridal procession started as I made my way towards the altar; Viktor's eyes were on me the entire time, smiling brightly; his charming smile blurred away every other person I walked past towards the altar. The song changed, and every step I took forward felt heavy, telling me that this was a journey that would change my life for good.

Finally, we arrived at the front; Dad released my arm and placed a soft kiss on my forehead before he made his way to Mother's side, who was crying her eyes out. Lorenzo, my elder brother and the family heir, was also with them; he gave me an encouraging smile. My heartfelt fluffy, seeing how my entire family was here for me.

I inhaled a sharp breath, then turned towards Viktor, my groom, entranced by his sapphire eyes. "You look gorgeous," Viktor whispered into my ear immediately after I accepted his hand. A faint red blush made its way to my face. "Thank you. You are also handsome." I said my voice barely above a whisper.

"I hope you are ready," Viktor whispered sensing my trembling hands. With the brightest smile I could pull off, my voice chirped. "I was born ready."

Hand to hand we climbed the cathedral altar to meet the priest. The priest gave us a soft smile; then the music stopped; everyone got down on their seats except us. I turn to face Viktor face to face stretching my neck a bit because of his towering height and large frame. He was very handsome; my cheeks burned more, knowing he was mine.

"Dear blessed beloved, we are here to witness the holy matrimony of our daughter Marino Adelina and our son Romanov Viktor...." The priest started the solemnization, the words faded in my ears, and all my attention was drawn to the smile on Viktor's face. My lips curved into a more beautiful smile.

"Is there anyone here who has a reason why these two should not be joined in holy matrimony? Speak now or forever hold your peace." The priest asks. Viktor's blue eyes scanned the crowd that turned pin-drop silent; even if there was anyone who had something against my marriage, they would dare not speak, knowing how dangerous Viktor was.

A breath of relief left my lips, seeing no one was crazy enough to ruin the wedding. Not only was it important to me but also to all the loyal members of Marino's mob.

"Romanov Viktor, do you take Marino Adelina as your wife before God and man to forever join together for better or worse till your last days?" The priest asks Viktor, and for a slight second, complex emotions run across his blue eyes like he is hesitant.

My heart started to beat fast, and my gut tightened, scared he would say no. Viktor slowly opened his mouth, and my anxiety took over, but the look disappeared, and he said two words more beautiful than I Love you.

"I do." My smile widened with every fear that tortured me earlier being thrown out of the window. Viktor was also madly in love with me. That was the reason he did his best for this marriage to happen.

The priest then turned towards my direction and repeated the same words. "Marino Adelina, do you take Romanov Viktor as your husband before God and man, for better or worse, until death do you part?"

Grinning ear to ear I answered, "I do." Then a beautiful smile graced Viktor's lips with the crowd cheering us. We were finally married, and after that, we exchanged rings. The deal was done.

“You may now kiss the bride.” Viktor's arm wrapped around my waist, and he pulled me closer; our lips met, sending sparks through my spine. Ignoring the crowd that was staring at us, he hungrily devoured my lips; desire coursed through my veins, making me crave more.

When he parted away, my doe eyes looked at him hungrily because I wanted more, but this was not the place. God this was so embarrassing that I boldly kissed him like a starved beast in front of a crowd like this. My eyes went back to the audience, and my face turned scarlet.

My family was now under Viktor's mob and I was his wife. Everyone got on their feet to clap and cheer for us. Viktor leaned towards me and whispered in a very low tone.

"It is beautiful. Isn't it? This is just like the wedding you envision." His deep baritone drawled. My brows furrowed, wondering what he was talking about.

I whipped my head to look back at him, and my smile fell when I saw his cold eyes, making it seem like the smile he had on his face earlier was just an illusion.

"What do you mean Viktor? We finally got married and our groups are united." My voice shook with my grip on the flowers tightening till my knuckles turned white.

My gut was telling me something about this was off; the wedding happened so smoothly that it felt like an illusion. "Yes, we are married, and the deal is done, meaning there is no need to keep up the act my goal has been achieved. You have no use for me anymore."

All the blood from my face drained as a fright I had never felt before wrecked my gut. What does he mean?

Dad sensed something was off with the way we were communicating and he had deep frown lines on his forehead. From the corners of my eyes, I could see his confused look as he jolted towards us. As if answering my question, everything happened so fast that it felt like a nightmare I could not keep up with.

Viktor pulled out a gun and fired a bullet, silencing the entire hall. A scream echoed from my side. My eyes were drawn to the chaos, my knees immediately went weak.

I fell to the ground when the image of my father's limp body on the floor came into my sight with my mother screaming and crying.

Everything around me was grey, with every colour draining from my face. "Papa!!!!!" The most heartbreaking scream left my lips as my entire body trembled.