The Demon and The Angel

Siete

Karina Almonte
Today was my wedding day. Lorenzo's father wanted it to happen fast so they decided the date should be exactly a week after they told us about the wedding. I wasn't ready to marry Lorenzo, the man that I had only known for a week.

It had been 2 days since I last had seen him or talked to him. After he saw Alec and I kissing, he dropped me off at my house, pissed, and sped off, in my car! I didn't know what was happening with anyone including myself. Why did I kiss Alec back? I mean I'm engaged and I know for a fact I wouldn't like it if my fiancé went and kissed someone so close to our wedding. I know Lorenzo and I aren't in love with each other but still, he didn't deserve that. I really fucked myself over because Lorenzo was getting more and more tolerable. I don't know how the kiss will change things.

The women my father had sent to help me get ready were putting on my veil which was the final piece. Once that was set, I was officially ready to get married. I dreaded my wedding for obvious reasons but also because I didn't want to face Lorenzo.

"El velo esta puesto señorita Almonte, se mira tan hermosa. (The veil is on Ms. Almonte, you look beautiful.)" One of the nice ladies said while I saw my reflection in the body mirror in my room. I gave her a small smile and walked out of my room to the stairs.

My wedding dress was a mermaid design which meant it was tight all the way down to my mid thigh and flared out at the bottom. The long sleeved white gown had a beautiful lace design covering it all completely and the veil had small rhinestones all around making it a bit heavy but still beautiful nonetheless.

I saw my brothers Pablo and Eduardo waiting downstairs along with my father. I looked down at the steps making sure I wouldn't trip and ruin the dress

"You look beautiful Kari." Eduardo spoke first as I reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Igual que tu madre." My father said in a barely audible whisper but I still caught it which made me blink back a few tears.

"Stunning Kari, but let's move along now, we don't want to be too late to your wedding." Pablo said as he opened the front door and helped me into the black SUV.

Once I was seated, my father sat next to me. Pablo and Eduardo decided to go in their own cars so we took off.

I took a deep breath and tried to calm my breathing. This was it. I was getting married to a man I knew little to nothing about. Oh god.

"Calmada Karina." My father said probably sensing my nervousness. "I know it's hard but think of all the people's lives you're saving."

"I miss mom." I sighed as I kept my stare down at my hands and my voice shook remembering how I couldn't save her.

"Yo tambien."

"You know I always thought that I would have what you and mom had. That I would meet my Prince Charming just like mom met you." I chuckled a little as I lifted my gaze to see my father already staring at me.

My father let out a deep sigh. "Your mother and I, we were forced into an arranged marriage as well."

"Wait what??" I said as I stared at him in disbelief. My parents marriage did not seem like an arranged marriage. It seemed genuine and real.

"Como escuchastes. Your mother was a Mafia Princess just like you and I was the next in line for my fathers gang. A little gang that he had started in Sinaloa. My father wanted to grow the gang. He wanted his gang to be the biggest in Mexico. Heck, he wanted it to be the biggest in the entire continent. So he searched for ways to become that. It wasn't till one of his close friends advised him to form an alliance with a gang as equally as big as ours. So he settled on the gang your mother's father had. They talked and talked and finally came to the agreement that I would marry Angelica. She despised me when we first got married pero poquito a poquito yo me la fue ganando.(but slowly I won her over.)" He finished off with a smile as he recalled his memories with my mother.

I was left dumbfounded. I had no idea that my parents were together because of an arranged marriage.

"Ahora no lo veras pero yo se que el te puede hacer muy feliz. Igual que tu lo puedes hacer feliz a el. (Now you won't see it but he can make you very happy, just like you can make him happy as well.) It's what your mother always wanted." He said while he rubbed my hand.

"Wait what do you mean it's what my mom always wanted?" I asked as I furrowed my eyebrows at him.

"Ya llegamos." He quickly said trying to avoid the topic.

"You need to stop revealing all of the family secrets when you know I won't be able to talk to you for a week dad." I said rolling my eyes as he got off the car and went to my side to open my door.

I stood outside of the huge cathedral and I felt like I was suffocating. I didn't know what to expect when I go in there and I needed to calm myself down.

"Deep breathes Kari. It's okay." My dad said rubbing my back to help me calm down.

"Are you ready? Pablo and Eduardo are already inside." I nodded and hooked my arm on my fathers. We went up the stairs and into the church.

I couldn't look up. I couldn't knowing that Lorenzo was waiting for me. I glanced around me and saw the church filled with the most important people in the Mafia. They all knew what was happening so there was no need to pretend.

"Thank you, Karina." My father whispered in my ear as he unhooked my arm from his and placed my shaking hands on Lorenzo's.

He quickly whispered something in Lorenzo's ear and went to sit down on the first bench.

I looked up and was meet with Lorenzo's warm hazel eyes that reminded me of honey. He looked handsome as ever but that didn't stop me from keeping a worried expression on my face.

Lorenzo Russo
Karina looked incredible. Her hair was pulled back in a sleek low bun and her red lips made me want to kiss her until I messed it up. It almost made me forget about how she kissed my fucking enemy.

That night, I needed to cool off. I couldn't control my anger and I didn't want to do something I'd regret so I quickly dropped off Karina and drove around for he rest of the night to calm myself down. We were doing so good too. Karina and I could finally tolerate each other and we were becoming friends but she had to go kiss my fucking enemy Alec. I don't know if they had history or whatever but that doesn't matter now. She's going to be my wife in a couple of minutes which means she's mine, until death do us part. And even if I die first I'll make sure that she's never with someone else. Her father signed her over to me and that's how it'll stay.

I zoned out but was quickly brought back when I heard he priest say my name.

"Lorenzo Russo, do you take Karina Angelica Almonte to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?" The priest said with the Bible in his hands.

I stared into Karina's dark brown eyes and said, "I do."

"And do you Karina Angelica Almonte, take Lorenzo Russo to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?" I quickly looked at Karina unsure of how she would respond due to her eyes. She was a master of hiding her emotions but her eyes gave her away always.

Karina Almonte
This was it. All I had to do to sign myself away to Lorenzo for life was say I do. I kept staring at Lorenzo with a straight face while he arched an eyebrow at me. I took a deep breath and looked around the beautifully decorated cathedral. I looked at my father who was sitting next to my brothers. He gave me a nod and that's all it took for me to look back at Lorenzo.

"I do." I said with a shaky voice as Lorenzo smirked.

"With the power vested in me through the Catholic Church, you are now husband and wife. Lorenzo you may kiss your bride." The priest said.

Lorenzo reached down to me and gave me a soft kiss. His lips were cold yet soft, and the kiss lasted for very little.

"Until death do us part, baby." Lorenzo whispered in my ear as he hooked my arm in his and we walked to down the aisle to the waiting car outside.