Althea Morelli,
a completely normal girl, other than the fact that she has five brothers and her family is filthy rich. Add an unknown group of teens, claiming to be from the past, showing up at her doorstep, her life is nowhere near ordinary.
Will...
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1869, London, England
I bring the glass to my lips, enjoying the slight burn of the alcohol down my throat, as I look at the dancing men and ladies in the ballroom -each one wearing clothes made of the finest material and decorating themselves with the most expensive jewelry.
I couldn't say much, as I was dressed in the same finery, but one couldn't help but feel suffocated by the fake smiles and secret glares present all over the room.
"What are you doing, James?", Olivia asks, walking toward me with Bridget in tow.
"Drinking wine, as you can see", I answer, maybe a bit coldly.
Olivia and I have never been very close. We are not estranged but have never been able to form a close bond, especially with a thorn in our side called Bridget. Which is quite disappointing, as I have always wanted a close sibling relationship.
"Come on, dance with Bridget, she's your beloved after all", Olivia speaks up, completely waving off my hostility.
"She is not my beloved, she is my intended. There is a fine line between both", I retort, before walking away from both of them.
I spot William in the corner talking to a few ladies and walk towards him.
"James! I have been searching for you everywhere", William exclaims, heading towards me completely ignoring the ladies around him, making the ladies turn and glare at me, but that stops once they recognize who I am.
His shouting and over-enthusiasm would go against every etiquette book known by mankind, but William is the type of person to not care about anything, which is what made me like him, even though he has a witch as his sister.
"Your sister is acting up again", I warn him, even though his relationship with Bridget is no better than my relationship with her.
"Ugh, leave her. She always ruins the mood", He says, winking at a lady walking by.
William has always been a natural flirt, attracting women and men wherever he goes.
" I don't know how I'm going to deal with her after marriage", I speak up, sighing at the prospect.
"There are very few people who can save you from this marriage, and all of them are practically untouchable", he stated, brainstorming ideas.
"The queen is more approachable than those families", I deadpanned, sighing at my impossible fate.
There are five families to whom even the law does not apply to, and the only ones that would be able to help me go against the pact made between the mine and Bridget's families.
First and highest, The Morelli Family. The head of the Italian Underworld and many big booming industries. Their old money and rumors say that they could destroy the monarchy of every country with just a snap of their fingers.
Second, The Volkov Family. The head of the Russian mob and relatively new money. Got their big break out of coal mining and fossil fuel production. Although second, they are nowhere near the Morelli's.
Third, the Castellanos Family. The head of the Greek Cartel and also ancient money. They own every piece of land you can find and are considered equal to the Volkov's. One disputed practice by them is the eldest female of the family inheriting the family wealth instead of the male. Many pigs may have objections but the Castellanos are too powerful for them to speak up.
Fourth, The Wang Family. Head of the Chinese Triad and supplies the Opioids. Although new money, their influence has spread throughout China.
And Finally, The Harrington family. Head of the English Mafia and has been associated with the crown for a long time. Although very powerful, they have some limitations as to the power the monarchy has over us.
The reason as to why I have to marry a girl I do not desire is as it is the wish of the crown. Somehow, that witch had managed to convince Queen Victoria herself, which was shocking as the Queen has never been keen on Bridget.
"Yeah, but the Queen is on Bridget's side", William replied, breaking me out of my thoughts.
"Why don't you try the Morelli's? One word from them and the Queen will have no say in it whatsoever", William suggested.
"Yeah, but the difficulty is finding a Morelli. They live in Italy", I commented, actually considering it due to my desperation.
"What about the Castellanos? They're old money, so they must have a significant say over the Queen", William persisted.
"Oh, wait, they live in Greece, and however fair they are, Bridget is a conniving bitch. She may be able to manipulate them", William piped, objecting to his own idea.
I looked at him knowingly, compared to Bridget and William, My sister and I would look like the closest of friends. All William and I have ever wanted was a strong sibling bond, a person you can depend on blindly in this evil world, maybe that is what brought us both together,
"The Castellanos have ruled over the Greek underworld with an iron fist for centuries, do you really think Bridget could trick them?", I questioned, amused by his hatred for his step-sister.
"Don't underestimate the person who holds strings over the Queen herself", William warned, smiling flirtatiously at a lady walking past us.
"I wish I could go forward in time, to a place of no worries"
