All Chapters of HIS LOVE WAS A LIE: THE ITALIAN MAFIA'S MARRIAGE TRAP: Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

"Get married?" Natalia gawked at her bored mother. "Why would you bring marriage up all of a sudden?"Her mother, Aria, sipped her wine, an amused smirk playing on her lips. "It's not just any marriage, Natalia. It's an opportunity for our family to ally with the most powerful and dangerous family in the city. - The Grettos.""Exactly, mother. Don't you hear the keyword? 'Dangerous'. They could be the freaking mafia, for all we know. How can you promise them your only child in marriage? Are you nuts, woman?" Natalia screamed at her mother."Nuts? Perhaps. But it's a calculated risk, Natalia. Think about it," Aria's eyes glinted with the shrewdness of a seasoned poker player, "The Grettos are more than just a crime family. They're a dynasty. And their son, Alessio, is... well, he's quite the catch."Natalia rolled her eyes. Her mother was indeed nuts if she even for a moment thought that Natalia would agree to this shit show."Look at me, Mom," Natalia said, her voice as cold

"Whoa, are we even allowed here?" Alessio looked around like a peasant who had never seen such grandeur.Natalia shrugged as she waved at the receptionist. "You wouldn't be allowed if you came in alone looking like that. But that's alright since I am here with you.""I never understood why people cared so much about appearance." Alessio tried to bait her. "Isn't what's on the inside that counts, right?"She turned to face him, gave him a long look and then sighed. "Now that doesn't work in the world where we live, does it? I have reserved a private room. Let's go."Alessio nodded and followed her to the second floor where an attendant opened the double doors to a grand minimalist private dining room with a seating capacity for six."Why all the grandeur?" Alessio asked. "We could have eaten down at the restaurant.""It's not about grandeur. It's just a matter of privacy." Natalia shrugged as she sat down and picked up the glass of champagne waiting for her.Alessio nodded and

"Your mother wants you back at the mansion for dinner." Sasha informed Natalia as the two of them stepped out into the afternoon sun."Am I invited?" Alessio asked."Mom does not invite outsiders to the mansion. Says it's her sacred space." Natalia recited the age-old excuse.Alessio wanted to snort. He wondered what a woman like Aria Wellington could hold sacred. She definitely did not hold the institution of marriage sacred. And it was starting to look like nor did she hold any importance for a relationship as pure and sacred as that of a mother and a child."Alright then." He took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles, looking up with a twinkle in his eyes. "I hope to see you very soon, Miss Natalia Wellington."Natalia bit her lips to suppress a smile as she rolled her eyes. "I am busy till next weekend." She said.He nodded. "Guess I am lucky I have work to keep me company till then." "Alessio Gretto is the ultimate charmer!" Sasha squealed that evening as she