Chapter 2
The campus was quieter than usual, the afternoon sun casting long shadows on the pavement. I checked my watch again frowning at the time. Dario was always punctual, never one to keep anyone waiting, so this delay felt... off.
But I pushed the thought aside. He was always busy with business, something I have learned to accept. Still, there was a small knot in my stomach as I stood outside.
My phone buzzed, snapping me from my thoughts. I don't need to look at the screen to know it's him.
Dario.
I swipe to answer without hesitation.
"I'm outside" his voice is smooth, calm. I grab my bag and head out to the curb, squinting against the harsh sunlight.
Dario steps out and I notice him immediately. He was a little disheveled, the kind of disheveled that happens when you have been dealing with things you don't want to bring up. His usually sharp appearance is a bit off today, his hair a little too messy, his shirt slightly crumpled.
"Everything okay?" I asked trying to keep my voice steady but I could hear the edge of worry in my words.
He doesn't answer immediately. Instead, he pulled open the door for me and once I am inside, he slides into the driver's seat, his movements confident but with a certain tension I couldn't ignore.
"I'm fine, Alessa. Just business." he said but the words don't sound as reassuring as he intends.
I can't press him on it though. Dario had always been like this private, quiet.
He doesn't talk about the details of his work, not unless it is absolutely necessary.
And I have always respected that even if it leaves me feeling like I am standing on the outside of a world I will never truly understand.
Finally he speaks, his voice low almost regretful. "Father wants you to marry Luca Moretti."
The words hit me like a punch to the stomach but I didn't show it.
I had always known this was coming. Every girl in our family was raised to expect it, the way you are taught how to sit at the table or how to dress properly. Marriage to someone important is just part of the life we lead.
I have heard mom and dad speaking about this, even heard a few names making rounds - the Lombardi's, Romano's, Antonelli's. But to hear it spoken so plainly like it is already decided hurts deeper than I expected.
"What?" I said but my voice was distant, almost as if it is someone else speaking. "Luca Moretti?"
Dario kept his eyes on the road but his expression softens just for a moment. "I'm sorry, Alessa. I don't like it either. But this isn't something we can change."
I looked out the window watching the trees blur as the car speeds through the streets. My heart pounded harder in my chest. I wanted to ask a million questions - why Luca?, why now? But the answer was always the same. It's not my choice.
I leaned back against the seat letting the weight of the words sink in. The reality of it. The inevitability.
"I don't have a choice, do I?" I whispered more to myself than to him.
"No" Dario replies, his voice clipped as he pulled into the driveway. "But I will make sure you are safe, Alessa. I won't let anyone hurt you. You have my word."
I turned my head to look at him, meeting his eyes for the first time since the news. The conviction in his gaze was unmistakable. He was not just reassuring me, he was making a promise.
?????
The sound of footsteps in the hall made me tense, my stomach knotting in anticipation. I didn't had to look up to know who it was. My father's steady gait was unmistakable.
A moment later dad stepped into the room, his eyes immediately finding me, scanning my face with that sharp, calculating look that I had come to know so well. There was a softness there though only visible to me.
"Alessa" he called.
I closed the book in front of me and stood, smoothing the skirt of my dress as I composed myself. "Yes, Papa?"
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. For a moment, he simply held it in his hands, staring at it like it was heavier than it appeared. Then he extended it toward me.
"This is for you" he said.
My fingers trembled ever so slightly as I took the box from him. I could feel the weight of it as if it contained more than just a ring. It contained a future I hadn't chosen. I opened it slowly not trusting myself to breathe.
The diamond inside caught the light, shining with a brilliance that momentarily stole my breath. It was beautiful, the kind of ring most women dreamed of wearing.
"The Moretti's wanted to show their commitment to the arrangement. They couldn't come as it was decided at the last moment." My father explained.
I closed the box and looked up at him, my heart thudding in my chest. "And this.... it is final?"
His eyes hardened, the lines around his mouth tightening.
"Yes. The wedding will take place next month as agreed. This marriage is necessary Alessa. It will strengthen our family, ensure our position. You understand that, don't you?"
The words were too familiar like an old song I had heard far too many times. Of course, I understood. I had always known in the deepest corner of my mind that my life wasn't mine to control. My father had made that clear from the start.
I nodded though the lump in my throat made it hard to speak. "I understand."
He turned and left the room, his footsteps fading down the hall leaving me alone with my thoughts and with the ring.
I sank back into my chair, the velvet box still clutched in my hands. I opened it again, staring at the ring like it was a foreign object, something that didn't belong to me.
I slipped the ring onto my finger. The metal was cold against my skin, unfamiliar and the weight heavy.
Luca Moretti.
I didn't know much about him. Only that his name was whispered in our world accompanied by words like merciless, domineering and a notorious womanizer.
He was a stranger to me, a man I had never met but the weight of his name was already settling into my chest, just as heavy as the ring on my finger.