Chapter 3 Livia
"Livia."
Squinting against the harsh lights, I spot a familiar silhouette.
Gabriel.
My stomach twists. He stands there, stiff as a board, his usual swagger nowhere to be seen. As I approach, I notice the circles around his eyes. Whatever's going on, it's bad enough to rattle even him.
"Livia," he calls to me again, his voice strained. He opens his arms for a hug.
We embrace, but it feels all wrong. His arms are too tight, his body too tense.
"What the fuck is going on, Gabriel?" I hiss into his ear.
"How was your flight?" he asks as we pull apart. "Studies going well?"
I shrug it off and grit my teeth. "Cut the shit, Gabriel. Why am I here?"
He forces a smile. "Can't a brother want to see his sister?"
"Not when said brother tells me I have one hour to be ready, no options, sends a private jet, and an army of suits to 'escort' her," I snap. "What's going on?"
Gabriel's eyes dart around, never quite meeting mine. "Let's talk in the car, okay? It's cold out here."
I shake my head. "No. Tell me now."
A muscle twitches in his jaw. "Livia. Not here."
"Then where?" I yell out. "You drag me across the country in the middle of the night, with a fucking chaperone, might I add, and you won't even tell me why?"
He looks at me. I can see anger rising in his eyes, but it quickly subsides.
"The car, now," he says and turns, walking away.
I sigh and follow him. "Fucking cryptic bullshit," I say under my breath. I know Gabriel hears me, but he pretends not to.
I follow him around the corner, and the car he's referencing is actually a sleek black limousine, its windows tinted black, reflecting all the light around us.
Gabriel opens the door and gestures for me to get in. I look to my left and see my chaperone carrying my suitcase toward us. I stand still, thinking about just saying fuck it and running.
But who am I kidding? Where would I go? I've come this far.
“Please just get in the damn car, Livia," Gabriel says, his patience wearing thin.
I slide into the limo. The leather is cool against my hands as I shift across the long black cushion. Gabriel jumps in, and the man with my suitcase slams the trunk shut, comes around, and nods to my brother.
"Mr. Falcone, sir," he says and closes the door.
I glance toward the front of the limo, noticing the driver for the first time. He's a statue, silent and imposing, his eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses despite the late hour. It strikes me as odd that he didn't get out to open the door.
The car starts to move, and there's a silence between us that I've hardly ever experienced.
I stare out the window, breathing heavily, trying to calm myself down.
I sneak a peek over my brother, who's playing with his cufflinks, something he does subconsciously when he's nervous.
I'm not even sure he knows I know about it, but it pushes me to break our quiet drive.
"Well?" I turn fully to him. "Are you going to tell me what’s going on, or do I have to guess?"
Gabriel leans back in his seat, attempting to relax. "How's your dissertation coming along? Still diving deep into the Victorian macabre?"
I shoot him a glare. "Seriously? You want to talk about my dissertation right now instead of answering my questions?"
He sighs, suddenly looking much older than his 35 years. "Livia, I—"
"Don't 'Livia' me," I interrupt, my voice rising. "You drag me out here in the middle of the night, surrounded by suits and private jets, and now this limo? What, are we in some B-grade mafia movie?"
A slight laugh escapes Gabriel's lips. "If only it were that simple."
"Then explain it to me!" I'm shouting now, my composure crumbling. "Why am I here? Why did Enzo Bonventi order my 'protection'? What the hell have you gotten us into?"
Gabriel's eyes darken at the mention of Enzo's name. "How do you know about Enzo?"
"Your yes-men aren't as tight-lipped as you'd like to think," I snap back. "Now answer the question."
Gabriel sighs. "It's complicated, Liv," he begins.
"Then un-complicate it," I retort, crossing my arms.
Gabriel's jaw tightens. He reaches for his cufflinks again.
"No more fidgeting. No more bullshit. Tell me what’s going on.”
My voice cracks on the last word, betraying the fear beneath my anger. Gabriel flinches, guilt flashing across his face.
"Liv, please," he says. "You need to calm down. I promise I'll explain everything, but—"
"But what?" I cut him off. "But it's too dangerous for me to know? But I wouldn't understand? I'm not a child anymore!"
Gabriel tenses. "Livia, I never wanted this life for you. I tried so hard to keep you out of it, to give you a normal life."
"Normal?" I laugh. "You call this normal? Knowing my brother works for the mob? Oh, and being whisked away in the middle of the night without a choice because my brother says so?"
I'm shaking now, tears forming at the corners of my eyes.
Gabriel takes a deep breath. "The family... we're in a delicate situation. There's been some, well, restructuring."
I roll my eyes. "What does this have to do with me? I'm not part of your 'family business,' remember? That was the whole point of me focusing on school, going to California for my Ph.D."
"Look, you've always been part of this family, whether you like it or not," Gabriel says, his voice firm. "How do you think I live, the money for your schooling, everything I've ever given you," he says and stops for a moment, "And now," he says and sighs, "now we need you."
I freeze. "Need me for what?"
His silence stretches on for what feels like an eternity. When he finally speaks, his words hit me like a physical blow.
"You're going to marry Enzo Bonventi."
I stare at Gabriel, my mind refusing to process his words. My fingers instinctively find my skull pendant, twisting it as a high-pitched laugh passes my lips. "You're joking, right? This is some sick prank. You flew me all the way out here for a joke?"
But as I search my brother’s face, I see no hint of humor. His eyes are cold, distant, and filled with sorrow.
The laughter dies in my throat.
"No," I say so low I barely even hear it. "No, no, no."
The air in the limo grows thick, suffocating. I claw at the collar of my shirt, suddenly feeling like I can't breathe. The world spins, and I grip the leather seat to steady myself.
"Livia," Gabriel says, reaching for me.
I recoil, slamming against my seat. "Don't touch me!"
My voice comes out as a strangled scream. I clutch my head, trying to make sense of what's happening.
Enzo Bonventi.
I repeat that name over and over. It brings flashes of previous memories. Him taking my brother in, giving us a home, giving my brother work.
"How?" I finally manage to ask, my voice trembling. "How can you," I say and lean toward him, "I'm your sister, Gabriel. Your little sister. How can you sell me like I'm some damn bargaining chip?"
Gabriel's face shows his pain. "It's not like that, Liv. You don't understand—"
"Then make me understand!" I scream, slamming my fist against the seat. "Because right now, all I see is my brother pimping me out to the goddamn mob!"
The words hang in the air between us, ugly and raw. Gabriel flinches as if I'd struck him. I'd never seen him do that.
"It's complicated," he begins, but I cut him off.
"Bullshit," I say. "It's simple. You're choosing them over me. Your real fucking family."
Gabriel's eyes flash with anger. "Everything I've ever done has been for you, Livia."
I laugh sarcastically. "Arranging my marriage to a mob boss is for me?"
"You think I wanted this?" Gabriel's voice rises to match mine. "You think this is easy for me? I've spent my entire life trying," he says and trails off. "Fuck, Livia, we don't have a choice anymore."
"There's always a choice," I argue, but my voice wavers. The reality of the situation is starting to sink in, and with it comes a wave of nausea.
I think I'm going to throw up.
"What happens if I say no?" I ask defiantly.
Gabriel doesn't speak.
"Gabriel," I press, my heart pounding. "What happens if I refuse?"
He meets my eyes, and I see a flicker of the brother I once knew—the one who used to chase away my nightmares, the one who kept me safe in our foster homes.
"Then we both die," he says softly. "And probably a lot of other people we've ever cared about, too."
He then leans forward as if trying to console me. "Livia, please, I know this is hard, but—"
"Hard?" I interrupt. "Hard doesn't even begin to cover it. What you're saying—shit, you've taken everything from me. My choices, my future, my fucking free will. And for what? To save your own skin?"
He doesn't say a word, so I continue.
"I'm not a chess piece you can move around at will! I have a life. I have dreams, goals—"
"And you'll still have those," he interrupts. "Enzo's a reasonable man. He'll let you finish your studies—"
"Let me?" I say. "And what about what I want, huh? My research, my life in California. Does none of that matter?"
"Of course it matters," Gabriel insists. "It's just," he says and sighs. "Do you think I enjoy telling my baby sister—" He cuts himself off, taking a deep breath. "This is bigger than you, Livia. It's bigger than all of us."
I scoff, my body shaking with rage. "You bastard. You've betrayed me. Your own flesh and blood. You coward."
I see Gabriel's face tense up, his jaw tighten. He's fuming, but he doesn't say a word.
I lean back against the leather seat, my mind reeling. The anger that had fueled me moments ago begins to give way to desperation.
I can't let this happen. There has to be another way.
"Gabriel," I say, my voice softer now, pleading. "There must be something else we can do. Anything but this."
He looks at me, his eyes filled with a mix of sorrow and sadness. "Liv, I—"
"No, listen to me," I interrupt, leaning forward. "I won that fellowship. I don't need any more money. You can give it to him. Shit, I'll… I'll sell my car, I—"
"It's not about money, Livia," Gabriel says, shaking his head.
"Then what?" I ask, my mind racing. "I could disappear. Change my name, move to another country. You could tell him I died or—"
Gabriel's laugh is hollow. "You think the Bonventi family wouldn't find you? There's nowhere you could go that they couldn't reach."
I feel the limo closing in around me, but I refuse to give up. "Okay, then what if, what if I just," I hesitate, the words tasting bitter in my mouth, "what if I just fuck Enzo once? Would that be enough to satisfy whatever it is?"
Gabriel's face contorts with disgust. "Jesus Christ, Livia. Don't even suggest that."
"Why not?" I say back. "Isn't that basically what you're asking me to do anyway? To be his whore?"
"It's not like that," Gabriel insists, but his voice lacks conviction.
"Then tell me what it's like!" I'm shouting, my desperation turning back to anger. "Because from where I'm sitting, it looks like you're selling your sister to the highest bidder!"
"It's not ideal, I know that," Gabriel says, his voice strained. "But it's the best option we have to stay alive. Enzo's a powerful man, Liv. He can protect you, give you a good life, anything you want."
"A good life?" I repeat in disbelief. "Trapped in a loveless marriage with a man who's what? Sixteen years older than me? How is that a good life, Gabriel?"
He doesn't answer, and in his silence, I see the truth. There is no bargaining here.
No alternatives.
No escape.
I feel something break inside me. The fight drains out of me, replaced by a cold, numbing despair.
"You really don't care, do you?" I say through tears, my voice trembling as I cry. "About me, my dreams, or my future."
I continue crying, my body convulses with each sob. The weight of everything—my stolen future, my brother's betrayal, the life I'm being forced into—crashes down on me all at once.
I can't breathe. My chest heaves as I struggle to draw air into my lungs. Tears blur my vision, hot and stinging as they stream down my face, tasting the salt on my lips.
"Livia," Gabriel's voice cracks as he reaches for me. "Liv, please—"
I press myself against the wall of the limo, as far from my brother as I can. My body shakes uncontrollably, wracked with sobs I can't contain. I curl into myself, hugging my knees to my chest as if I could somehow disappear.
The leather seat creaks as Gabriel shifts, and I flinch at the sound. "Livia, I—"
"Shut up!" I scream out between gasps. "Just leave me alone!”
I can't process what's happening. My mind reels, unable to grasp the reality of my situation. One moment I was celebrating my fellowship, surrounded by friends and colleagues, my future bright and full of promise. And now…
Now I'm here. Trapped in this suffocating limo, my entire world shattered by my brother's words.
I gag, tasting bile in the back of my throat. I press a hand to my mouth, fighting the urge to vomit.
I turn away from him, pressing my forehead against the cool glass of the window. Outside, Chicago rushes by in a blur of lights and shadows. Somewhere out there is the life I was supposed to have. The career I've worked so hard for, the friends I've made, the future I've dreamed of.
In the reflection, I catch a glimpse of Gabriel. He's watching me, his expression a mix of guilt and resignation. For a moment, I see the brother I once knew, the one who protected me, who I thought would do anything for me.
But that brother is gone now, replaced by a stranger I don't even know.
The limo falls silent, save for my ragged breathing as my body slowly calms down. My adrenaline and anger depleted.
After some time, the limo starts to slow down. I'm so numb I don't know how long it's been since either Gabriel or I have spoken.
I look around, my eyes swollen and sore from crying, struggling to focus. As we turn a corner, I see the end of everything.
A massive compound looms before us, stretching out like a fortress. High walls of smooth stone rise up, topped with coils of razor wire that glisten menacingly in the early morning sun. Security cameras swivel silently, their red lights blinking like evil eyes watching our approach.
This isn't just a house.
It's a prison.
My prison.
Armed guards stand at attention, their faces impassive as they watch our car approach. Their hands rest on holstered weapons, a subtle but clear threat.
"Enzo's home," Gabriel says in a low tone.
My mind wants to scream at him, to claw his eyes out for daring to bring me here now, but I'm too drained. The fight has left me, leaving nothing but a hollow ache in my chest. I'm tired, and I haven't slept properly.
The gates open slowly, like the jaws of some great beast preparing to devour me whole.
As we pass through, I recognize the sprawling mansion beyond. The heart of the Bonventi empire.
As we ride closer to the mansion, I feel something inside me harden, a resolve forming in the wake of my shattered world. They may force me into this marriage, but they can't force me to accept it.