"You have got to be kidding me." I stare at my dad. I hate men. I really do. It's quite honestly the most stupid thing ever that I was born into this world to serve a man, and the second I turn seventeen, i'm being paraded around town to meet another, for my eighteenth birthday I have to marry him, and then serve another man.
Stupid.
"You're seventeen, you knew this would happen." He opens a drawer in his desk.
"Why don't Marco or Nicolas have to marry? Nicolas is my twin-"
"You're a girl, that's why." Dad throws a wad of paper down on the desk in front of me. "I already have a few men calling to ask about you."
"Papa, it is my birthday, can I have one more day of freedom-"
"Arabella, you need to sort your attitude out. I can tolerate you because i'm your father, your husband will not and you know that-"
"So don't get me married off." I state the obvious.
"You know i can't do that." He taps the paper, "Find one you think looks nice-"
I groan, grabbing the paper and storming out of my fathers office. Nicolas laughs as i pass him on the stairs and i stop walking, "It isn't funny."
"Yes it is. A year from now you're gonna be walking the aisle with some-" Before he gets the chance to finish, i push him down the rest of the stairs.
"Ow! Papa she just pushed me down the stairs." He shouts.
I carry on walking up the stairs, into my room. I can't even close my door and slam it because i got in trouble and dad removed it. So i grab my salt lamp and walk into my closet, sitting on the cloth covered bottom.
I turn the switch on, but then leave it to the side as i open the page. Dad would want someone powerful, someone who would bring an alliance between the two families, someone with money and power.
And because i'm being forced to marry. I want someone the same too. Dad has to pay for all my clothes, women aren't allowed jobs whenever you're born or married into a mafia life. So my husband needs to have a lot of money, and he should die preferably soon so i can inherit that money and then never have to marry again.
Actually, i don't want to have sex with a guy twice the age of my father. It's ritual to have sex on the wedding night. It's actually quite weird how this whole process works.
You live your teenage life out with your father, but as soon as you turn eighteen, he doesn't want anything to do with you anymore, because well... men like this deem woman unfit for everything other than childbirth and house chores.
Like today, i'm choosing who looks appealing to me through photos and information about other Italian men who are looking for a wife. Fresh age of seventeen. Some of these men are older than my dad. In cases like this, you get to chose who you like the most. My sister, Gianna, she didn't get to chose. Dad found her a husband in Italy and thankfully, they got along with each other because she had no other choice but to move there.
Then throughout the year of seventeen, you get to know this man. And you can't change it if you don't like it. You have to stick it out. You have to marry a man you're probably going to resent; like my mamma did. And it's weird. These men are usually over the age of 24, and they're talking to a seventeen year old? Like, stop.
And then the night before your eighteenth birthday, you do the deed. Yup, still seventeen. Then eighteenth birthday is the wedding night and boom, you're handed over to another man. Dad will no longer tell me what to do, this man will.
It's normal. It's what's happened for hundreds of years. Im complaining but i knew it was inevitable. All my Italian girl friends have been through the same process.
I start flicking through the book, disregarding the ones above the age of 30. That's too old for me. That left me with three men.
Three.
I rip the entire booklet up.
I lean against the wood with my inital carved into it. I did it whenever i was six and got my hand on my first knife.
Dad never really cared too much about me and after mom died, it was life i became invisible unless i did something extremely wrong.
Like i did two weeks ago, i was making out with one of my girl friends, we wanted to experiment but no, dad said kissing girls was wrong, so he killed her and then took my door off it's hinges.
I have to be a good child and keep my virginity for my husband.
"Ari, where are you?" I hear my older brother Marco.
I reach up and push the door to the closet open, but don't pop my head out.
He opens both doors and then kneels, "Why are you throwing a tantrum?"
"Because, look at the men dad has decided to choose for me. I know full rightly there's men younger then that." I give him the ripped up paper.
His face squints as he looks at them, "Yeah i think he gave you the wrong sheet." He stands up, "These men are all divorced." He walks away, "Papa."
I stay in the closet, he returns a couple minutes later with my dad, and the ripped up sheets in his hands. "The right one. I don't think you're fit to be someone's first wife-"
Of course.
"Fuck you-" His hand slaps across my face and i seen that coming. Yeah, should have kept my mouth shut.
"But, i see where you're coming from. You will have a man by the end of the day Arabella, and meet him tomorrow. No more talking about this. I'll arrange one."
My eyes grow wide in horror and i look toward my brother who stood there helplessly. "Fine, just get out." I slide back into the closet.
"Why are you moody, you knew this would happen?"
"Just go." I close my eyes, throwing my head back. "And can i have my door back?"
"No, Marco call your Zia." He and Marco start walking away. I close the door of my closet but then it opens again and my twin walks in, he sits opposite me, we close the doors again.
This is how we used to talk whenever we were younger. I was mute growing up. When i was three, i seen somebody shot and decided i didn't want to talk to anybody for three years. So i never talked to anybody unless it was my brother, and we sat in here to talk.
"Gio is looking for a wife-"
"Gio has fucked literally every woman in existence, i'd rather not catch an STD." I keep my eyes closed. "You're so lucky you were born with a dick. You don't even understand how unfair it is."
"Yeah, i do."
"No you don't, Nico. You know i have to do all the housework right? While you just sit around. I have to cook, clean, do laundry, do the gardening. I'm not allowed to have an opinion, hell i'm not even allowed to make my own choices. All because i have a vagina."
"Marco is going to make sure you find someone good."
"If it's someone older than twenty five, i'm going to kill myself-"
"Don't say that." He raises his voice.
I open an eye, "You're not even allowed to visit."
"I know. But we'll make it work."
I smile, closing my eyes again.
*
I dive into the pool, and all the stress is able to wash off me for a while. I stay underwater for as long as possible and when i break free again, i see a man.
A very, very handsome man.
"Arabella." He clears his throat.
I take a step back despite me being in a pool, and take in his features. He's tall, taller than dad, he's blonde, tan skin, blue eyes, a mean look about him. I can tell he's very muscular, his clothes are going to rip if he moves wrong.
"Who are you?"
"Get out of the pool."
"No."
He looks at me with a dark look, it makes me gulp. "Get out."
"Who are you?"
The door slides open and Marco walks out, "Uh... Arabella, get out of the pool, will you?"
"Not gonna stand here half naked while some creepy blonde guy is staring at me-"
"Don't flatter yourself." Blondie mumbles.
I scoff, swimming to the steps and climbing up then. The fucker does, in fact, do a sweep over my body, from head to toe, and he looked damn impressed too.
"Asshole." I tug on my brothers sweatshirt. He got the memo and pulled it over his head to give it to me. It dropped to my mid thigh. "Who is this?"
"Your husband-"
"No."
Marco sighs, "You can't say no to everyone."
"Let's get this straight, i'll tell you the same thing i told Nico. I'd rather kill myself then-"
He pushed me into the pool.
Blondie pushed me into the pool. He just, pushed me. As simple as that. I already hate him.
Blondie stares down at me, "Disobedient, but i can train her."
"Train me?" I wipe the water from my eyes, climbing up the ladder again. I pull my brothers, now wet, sweatshirt off my body.
"Don't." Marco warns me.
I ignore him, slapping Mr. Blondie across the face with the wet sweatshirt and then running into the house.
Both dad and Nico sigh at me. "Thalia." Dad shout.
The housekeeper comes running quickly, she almost slipped. "Take her up and change her-"
"I am not marrying blondie-"
"His names Roman." Nico runs his hand across his jaw, "And he's the closest to everything you want."
"Roman? Is he even Italian?"
"Now." Dad says, to Thalia, and then her small arm tugs me up the stairs.
"You need to stop." She gives me her worried eyes. "He'll kill you, cara." She starts towel drying me.
"Who is he?" I grab the towel off her, doing it myself.
"Roman Reign." She looks up to me, "You don't know?"
"No."
"He is very big name, psycopath."
"They're marrying me to a psycho?"
"He kill seven people last night."
Jesus fucking Christ.
I change into some sweatpants and an oversized shirt and Thalia literally drags me down the stairs, passing me off to Marco who literally had to carry me into the living room, despite my attempt to kick him to put me down
"I hate all of you." I say once he places me on the couch.
Roman was now sitting on the couch, his hair slightly damp. He would be my type if i didn't have to marry him.
"You will marry Roman." Dad says.
"I will kill myself-"
"Jesus christ." Nico rubs his face. "He's everything you what. Young-"
"Psychopath was not on my list of features." I scowl.
"Is she always like this?" Roman asks, his voice is deep. He's even prettier in the proper lighting.
"Yes, stubborn." Dad pinches the bridge of his nose. "You'll marry him, cara. End off."
I mock him and when all of the men in the room turn to stare at me as if i'm crazy, i lower my head. "Her room is the one without the door, Roman." Dad stands up.
"I don't need tucking to bed, blondie." I jump over the back of the couch and start walking up the stairs. He followed me.
"Why don't you have a door?" He asks.
"Because i was kissing a girl and papa didn't like it." I get into bed, "Go away."
He looks around my room, "You're messy."
"I'm a lot of things."
"I know that." He walks around, "Do you want your own room-"
"I'm not marrying you."
"Yes you will." He picks up a drawing of mine. "You like to draw?"
"Go away."
"Very stubborn indeed." He puts it down and slides his hands into his pocket, he walks to the end of my bed. "This is how it will be okay? I don't like this idea any more then you do, you're not my type, i prefer submissive." He clears his throat, "We'll marry. You'll live with me. In a separate room. I'll fuck you when i want, leave you alone the rest of the time, understood?"
I lean forward, "Does it not make you uncomfortable saying that to a girl who's just turned seventeen? How old are you?"
"Twenty-two and no it doesn't, because by then you'll be eighteen."
"It's weird, and a stupid plan. If you think i'm going to live with you just to be your fuckbuddy, you have another thing coming."
He smiles, dimples piercing his cheeks, "Ciao, bambina." And then he walks away.
I really hate men.
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AHH OMG FIRST CHAPTER SO EXCITED. This book is kinda a dark romance, some chapters might be unsettling and it isn't enemies to lovers!!! Romans just a mean ass bully :)
anywayssss so excited.
word count: 2225