Chapter 4 4

Isabella POV

The heavy mahogany doors swung open, and the haunting chords of the pipe organ swelled into the Grand Ballroom of The Pierre Hotel.

Five hundred guests turned toward the entrance. In a fraction of a second, the collective murmur of New York's elite died in their throats. A suffocating, absolute silence crashed over the room. They had expected to see my father, Riccardo Rossi, walking me down the aisle to hand me over to Marco.

Instead, they saw Dante 'The Lion' Moretti.

The Dark Don of the Moretti family did not walk; he stalked down the white rose-petal carpet, his grip on my arm an iron vise. Camera flashes exploded from the press section like a silent warzone, blinding and frantic.

Through the sea of shocked faces, I spotted my father. Riccardo Rossi's face was the color of chalk. He lunged forward, his mouth opening in a desperate protest, but he didn't even make it a full step. Two Moretti Soldiers materialized from the shadows, their massive frames blocking him instantly. They didn't draw weapons, but the lethal promise in their posture froze my father in place. Dante didn't even spare him a glance. His silence was an undeniable decree: *She is mine now.*

As we neared the front rows, the sharp sound of shattering glass pierced the quiet.

Pietro Moretti stood frozen by his chair, the remnants of a crystal champagne flute scattered at his feet. His face was ashen, his eyes wide with the terror of a man who realized his coup had been slaughtered before it even began.

Dante stopped. He turned his head slowly, his slate-gray eyes locking onto his cousin. He didn't speak. He didn't have to. The air in the ballroom seemed to evaporate, replaced by a crushing, icy pressure. Dante's stare delivered a crystal-clear message: *Sit down, or your family will host a funeral tomorrow.*

Pietro's knees buckled. He collapsed back into his chair like a puppet with its strings slashed, his chin dropping to his chest in total submission. Dante had executed the rebellion without shedding a single drop of blood.

We reached the altar. Judge Costello stood behind the podium, sweat beading heavily on his upper lip. He stammered through the abbreviated vows, his eyes darting nervously to Dante's impassive face.

"The... the rings?" the Judge choked out.

There was no ring. Marco had taken the custom diamond to Paris.

Without breaking eye contact with the Judge, Dante reached over with his right hand and slowly twisted the heavy platinum pinky ring off his own finger. It was engraved with the Moretti griffin crest. He grabbed my left hand. The metal was still warm from his skin as he forced the massive ring onto my thumb. It didn't fit. It was heavy, cold, and absolute-a shackle binding me to the most dangerous man in the city.

Judge Costello swallowed hard, completely skipping the traditional kiss. "I now pronounce you husband and wife."

Dante turned to me. He didn't pull me into a romantic embrace. Instead, he leaned down and pressed his lips firmly against my forehead. It was a stamp of ownership, devoid of warmth, sealing the transaction.

We turned around to face the crowd.

My eyes swept over the silent, staring faces until they collided with Adriana Moretti. Marco's mother sat in the front row, her hands trembling in her lap. The hatred radiating from her gaze was toxic enough to burn me alive. I had not only replaced her runaway son, but I had also shattered her delusion of becoming the mother of the future Don.

A few hours ago, her glare would have made me lower my head. But the heavy platinum ring on my thumb anchored me.

I held Adriana's venomous stare and let the corners of my mouth curve upward into a small, diamond-hard smile. *I am no longer a lamb waiting for the slaughter, Adriana. I am the Queen.*

Dante's large hand shifted from my arm to the small of my back, his fingers pressing possessively against my spine.

"Walk," he commanded softly.

We stepped off the altar, marching back down the aisle toward the exit, where his armored Maybach was already waiting to drag me into my new empire.