Chapter Two
Fake tears. Fake wishes. Fake people.
The whole funeral I watched everyone to see if I can get someone to show the littlest emotion possible.
But they just kept this fake pity face like they’re feeling sorry for me. For the woman who was supposed to warm my bed. Most women here would’ve wished to be in Keres’s position, other just came here to do their duty. Men came here to show respect and get under my skin, because they thought my future wife was my weakness.
They just assume things.
Keres was loved by many, her beauty always made heads turn for her. Her kindness was appreciated, her selfless soul was too good for people like us.
I knew that.
But still, I couldn’t find myself to love her.
The moment the empty coffin is left in the cold ground, I look in everyone’s eyes, wanting to read their minds.
“May God rest her soul.” Cornelia, one of Keres’s cousins says. God will do that since she was the most innocent human that I’ve ever met.
I am looking at the Italians who are in a circle, talking in their language. No sign of Hanibal. No sign of Althea.
And that makes me burn with anger.
When Keres moved in America, it was very hard for her to stay away from her siblings. For months she was talking daily with them, crying all the time because she wasn’t there.
I’ve never met Vincent. The heir of the Italian throne. He is the most guarded in that country and he rarely comes to any events. I heard he is exactly like his big sister, Althea.
The she-devil in person.
I don’t know exactly how our hatred started, but the moment we laid eyes on each other, we just wanted to spill blood.
And probably is because I don’t like fake people, and Althea is much more than fake.
She’s wicked.
Evil.
Sinful.
After she almost killed me when I proposed to her sister, and after she made me swear with literal blood that I would protect Keres with my own body, Althea left like she never existed.
One day she stopped answering calls, she stopped calling. When Keres went back in Italy to see what’s wrong, she came back crying because her sister won’t talk to her.
For almost four years I had to see Keres begging her sister to tell her what’s wrong. She thought that
something happened to her, but no one can hurt that girl.
Hanibal even made a joke that she doesn’t have feelings. We came to the conclusion that she really doesn’t fell anything.
But I hoped, for Keres’s sake, that Althea would show up at her funeral.
Even if it’s a fake one.
I feel a hand on my left shoulder and I turn toward the person in a black suit that came here to support me.
My father. Seth Moretti.
“You’ve been staring at that hole for ten minutes. Are you alright?” He is the same height as me, so I looked straight into his eyes.
“She didn’t deserve this.”
“No, she didn’t.” My father was never found of Keres. Said that she is not the woman for me, but he still supported me in the decision of marring her.
‘She’s too soft. Too breakable. You need someone who will fight right next to you.’
But that didn’t stop me from proposing to her.
The moment I saw her blue eyes four years ago, I knew I had to marry her.
And I almost did.
“We need to talk privately.” I see my dad walking toward the church and I follow without a word.
I walk past my mother, who tried to read my face the whole day. She thinks I need to be consoled because my fiancé’s dead.
But no, I need to revenge her.
I enter the church, but I stop after the first steps because for the first time since I met the Capo of the Italian soil, his face shows sorrow.
“Sir.” I extend my hand toward him.
The look he sends me would’ve made anyone else to
piss their pants. He looks at me like he wants to kill me here, in the church. And I don’t blame him.
“What did you promise to my other daughter?” He hisses, and I narrow my eyes.
I clench my jaw and I withdrew my hand.
“If you are assuming that I killed your daughter, think again.” I growl at him. He has some nerves if he comes to my territory and almost threaten me.
“Maybe you didn’t, imbecille, but one of your enemies killed my fucking daughter!” Hanibal yells and I swear I see tears in his eyes.
I bet that if Althea was in Keres’s place, he would’ve thrown a party.
“My enemies? Like you don’t have any.” We start getting dangerously close.
“You need to stop right the fuck now.” My father broke us apart. “You are not doing this at Keres’s funeral.”
Hanibal Luciano is gonna be the bane of my existence. I just feel it and I will gladly kill him.
“Why did you wanted to meet here, Hanibal? To blame us for something we didn’t do?” My father asks him angry.
“We need to talk about the wedding. I’m here to make sure our arrangement is going smooth.” I freeze at his words.
What the fuck is he talking about?
“What wedding?” I ask my father, but he doesn’t even look at me.
“Oh, you didn’t tell him. Fantastic, means I can share the happy news.” Hanibal chuckles. “To maintain the peace in our families, me and your father decided to still have the wedding.”
“Between who?” But I have a feeling that I know
exactly between who. “Between who, father?”
I want him to tell me. To look me dead in the eyes and tell me what I already know.
“You and Althea are going to marry in a month.” And he says it.
Althea Seraphina Luciano. The only person in this world who can actually kill me.
My future wife.
I start laughing so hard that I even surprised myself. My father decided to arrange a marriage when he’s been against one since I was a little boy. And with my ex-fiancé’s sister.
“You just want to kill your other daughter too.” I need to sit down because my legs gave away.
“Good luck to whom has the balls to mistreat my daughter.” He says with a wicked smile, and then leaves.
I calm myself and look at my father.
“Out of all the girls in this world, you needed to choose Althea.” My father raises his eyebrow at me.
“She is an Italian princess. Name a better girl for you.” I can actually name a few. “If you want to get the mafia, you need a wife. And Althea is the perfect woman for you.”
My father leaves me alone in the church. I’m looking at the biblical illustrations on the walls, trying to clear my head.
I haven’t seen Althea in two years. She could’ve changed, she could’ve not. But I know the hate is still intact.
“Keaton?” I hear my name called. I see Orion in a black suit with his long hair braid up in a bun, his lower half of his head, shaved.
“You came.”
“Of course I did.” Behind him, Allan is smoking.
“But when I called you two hours ago you weren’t in the country.”
“Who said that?” Then we both look at Allan who has his hands raised up. “I actually came because I talked with Arius. Or more, I talked with him and he listened.”
Already?
“You said I should give you a couple of days.”
“Apparently he knew you would search him.”
“Him or The Empress?” Asks Allan. That’s a good question.
If The Empress knows that I contacted Arius and not her, I’m good as dead.
“I don’t think she knows. What he asked for in return sounded like it was for him.” Orion lights a cigar in the church.
“Bro, I’m standing outside the church to smoke because I don’t want God to strike me with some lightning, and you’re challenging Him?”
Why didn’t I made Orion my right hand, I have no idea.
“What did he ask for?”
“He said you have a prisoner named Fred Brown.”
“What about him?” I growl just thinking at the bastard who dared touching my little sister.
But why does Arius want one of my prisoners? I’ve been torturing him for a year for he has done to Emmeline, so he wasn’t free to cause any more trouble.
“He wants him. Alive.”
“Why?”
“I didn’t ask him why, Keaton. He demanded and I delivered.”
“When?”
“The night of your bachelor party. He’s letting you meet your fiancée first at the engagement party.”
“My what?” I ask, confused.
Batchelor party? Engagement party?
Am I the only one who didn’t know that I’m getting married to Althea? When did they discuss it when Keres dies just three days ago?
“Oh, you didn’t know? This Friday you have your engagement party with Althea.”