Black Wedding Preview - Prologue - Bree
E very child knows the story of their birth…
it’s something mums shout about to whoever will listen.
It might be a fairytale of how they fell in love with their prince, and a baby came along to complete their family.
Or it might be a horror story involving a fifteen hour labour and a whole heap of pain relief.
I always knew that my story was a little more complex. My parents didn’t marry for love, and my life is as far away from a fairytale as it can get.
My parents didn’t even want to marry each other, they were forced together by their parents. To most people, this sounds horrific, but in the world I was raised in, it’s actually not that uncommon.
Welcome to the mafia.
Long before I was born, London erupted into chaos when a civil war began deep within the criminal underworld, with several different families all fighting for power.
My grandfather, Patrick O’Keenan, used this unrest to his advantage, as he wanted to expand his territory.
He mostly ruled over Cork in Ireland, but had slowly begun gaining connections worldwide, all with the intention that our family would be powerful enough to take London when the time was right.
The Mullroy family had control of London, but they lacked the money and the manpower needed to sustain it. Grandfather saw this as the perfect opportunity, as he had both, and teaming up with the Mullroys would enable him to gain power without more bloodshed.
An agreement was reached whereby Shona Mullroy, the Mullroys only child, would marry Patrick’s eldest son, Vernon, who would then take over ruling London. It was the perfect marriage of convenience to everyone except my parents.
Despite becoming a power couple, and solidifying the Mullroy-O’Keenan reign over London, their marriage never became anything more than a business deal. In fact, even to this day, they still hate each other completely. They can barely stand to be in the same room as each other.
Mother resented the life she gave up to become Father’s perfect trophy wife.
Her main job was to look good on his arm, maintain the house, and organise social events that make our family look more charitable than we really are.
Though mother never actually did any of these things herself, throwing money at other people to do them for her.
But Mother knew her real job, the only thing that was expected of her, was to produce a male heir, who would one day take over from my father to rule the Family. Sadly, this wasn’t a job she could throw money at to get right.
No matter how much she tried to stall in the beginning, my father made it perfectly clear that an heir was all he wanted from her, and he’d get it by any means necessary.
Not exactly the conception story any kid wants to hear, but I’ve grown immune to hearing about their bullshit over the years.
Despite their hatred for each other, the pregnancy actually united them for a short time. My father was excited about the prospect of gaining an heir, a mini version of himself that he could mould however he chose, whereas my mother just wanted someone to love, to give her life purpose.
My birth should have been the most incredible day of their lives, but for as long as I can remember, they’ve both made it quite clear it was their worst day.
Mum gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, and named me Brianna, though I get called Bree, for short. And for a few short moments, she was so happy, until all that changed.
Mum started to haemorrhage shortly after I was born, and doctors needed to perform a hysterectomy to save her life. This meant she would never be able to have another child, and my father wouldn’t get his male heir.
I grew up knowing how much the trauma surrounding my birth affected my parents. Mum loved me, but she resented me for everything she lost. She tried to raise me to be the perfect mafia princess, whose only job is to marry the man who will take over running my family.
My relationship with my father was much more complicated.
To the outside world, it looked as though he loved and cherished me, but looks can be deceiving.
He may have given me anything I ever wanted, throwing money at me in an attempt to keep me happy, but I always knew he resented me for being born a girl.
He never saw the real me, but all that will change very soon.
For twenty years, I’ve grown up in the middle of my parent’s drama. Raised in the knowledge that I’m a second-class citizen in the eyes of the Family, all because I was born female. No matter how well the women in our family are treated, they will never be a part of the business.
Without a male heir for Father to hand over to, our future has always been uncertain.
So, as soon as I turned eighteen, they began looking for a suitable leader, who I’d be expected to marry so they could become the O’Keenan heir.
But my family can fuck off if they think I’m going to marry someone of their choosing…
I’m going to marry for love, or not at all.
What my family don’t know is that I have no intention of stepping aside for any man. I have a plan. Screw the sexist rules and the misogynistic assholes who think women can’t rule. I’m determined to be the first female crime boss, and I plan to show I can rule over London without a man by my side.
My name is Bree O’Keenan, and this is my story.