Chapter 3 Absentee wedding

Candela's P.O.V.

"What the fuck is this?" I asked, my voice slicing through the air like a blade.

I stared down at the little diamond box on my vanity, fury bubbling under my skin. I was dressed for company, as Brian had so graciously instructed. Hair done, dress clinging to my body like it knew this was a show. Heels tall enough to make my toes ache. But instead of guests or a fiancé, I got this. A box. Quiet. Mocking. Delivered by Miss Peters, the maid who barely looked me in the eye anymore.

I didn't touch it. I wouldn't.

Brian stood at the doorway, unbothered, arms crossed. "It's a ring."

I spun around, anger snapping in my tone. "A ring? You're marrying me off to a family of murderers and I get an engagement ring by courier service? No face. No voice. Just a diamond in a box like I'm some accessory being passed around."

Brian's jaw flexed, a warning twitch I knew too well.

"You think this is about romance, Candela?" he snapped, stepping into the room. "This is war. And you're the sharpest weapon I've got. That ring is the beginning of your mission."

"My mission?" I scoffed, crossing my arms. "No, Brian. You want an alliance, fine. But don't dress it up as strategy when what you're doing is selling me."

His face darkened, and in two strides, he was in front of me. Before I could flinch, his fingers gripped my chin tightly, angling my face up to his.

"You listen to me, and you listen well," he said, his voice low and cutting. "You will be a dutiful wife to whichever Saverio you're matched with. He is a powerful man. And you? You're my key inside. I need eyes. I need ears. You want revenge for your parents? This is your chance. Get inside. Find out what they know. Bring me what I need."

I stared at him, trembling with fury. "You think that's what my parents would want?"

"I think your parents would rather have a daughter who lived long enough to make those bastards pay," he growled.

My breath hitched.

He slowly let go of my chin, and just like that, the cold intensity in his eyes melted into something softer. He smoothed down my hair gently, the way he used to when I was a girl. A twisted mimic of fatherly love.

"Think of everything I've done for you, Candela," he said gently. "You owe me this."

Before I could respond, footsteps echoed down the hall. I turned just in time to see Sofia descending the staircase, a smirk already plastered on her face.

"Oh, don't stop on my account," she said airily. "It's always fun watching the golden girl get put in her place."

Her designer heels clicked on the marble floor, her silk robe flowing behind her like smoke.

"Dear sister is getting married," she sang with a fake pout. "Must be nice being so useful to Brian."

I squared my shoulders, letting every inch of steel in me rise to the surface. "Jealous, Sofia?"

"Please," she scoffed, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "Thank God it's not me. I'm not cut out for arranged marriages. You, though? You've always had that obedient, sacrificial lamb thing going for you."

I didn't take the bait. Didn't blink. I walked past her, heels echoing with each step, rage simmering beneath my skin like lava.

I stared at my face in the mirror, the white dress on me shimmering brightly. I had come to terms with doing this not for my so-called love for Brian or any sense of duty to him but for my parents. He was right. It was time to get vengeance. I smiled, brushing off any form of sadness and daring to dream just for a second of having a loving marriage like my parents once had.

Allegra burst into the room first, eyes sparkling as she took in the dress. "You look like a goddess," she gasped, circling me. Carina followed more slowly, her gaze softer, more somber. She said nothing at first, then whispered, "I wish it would be different for you."

I nodded. "Me too."

But there was no time for daydreams. A knock at the door, and then Brian stepped in. He looked sharp in his tuxedo, but his eyes were unreadable...stone cold. He held out his arm.

"It's time," he said simply.

The walk down the hall felt like a funeral march. Each step echoed like a countdown, and the weight of my dress was nothing compared to the heaviness in my chest. My heels clicked against the polished marble, my mind reeling with every possibility of what I might be walking into.

But nothing prepared me for what I saw when we reached the chapel.

My breath caught. At the end of the aisle stood not a young man,not Salvatore Saverio,but a severely old man, hunched and trembling, barely able to stand straight. My eyes widened in disbelief. This was a joke. A trap. No, this was the height of this whole circus.

"What the..." I muttered under my breath.

Then the announcer's voice rang out.

"This is an absentee marriage. Salvatore Saverio is busy. His grandfather will be standing in his place."

The orchestra began playing soft, ceremonial music, as if this madness were normal.

My heart hammered. I turned to Brian, my eyes burning. "What the fuck is this, Brian? This is disrespect."

He didn't even flinch. "Young girl," he said under his breath, his voice low and firm, "I'd advise you to watch your mouth. You aren't getting married for love, remember? Clearly, you don't love your late parents enough."

That shut me up. Like a slap to the face. I swallowed the scream that rose in my throat and faced forward. My jaw clenched so tight it hurt.

In the congregation, I spotted Carina wiping a lone tear. I blinked hard, refusing to let mine fall.

Then my gaze landed on two men in the front row: Adriano Saverio and Rafael Saverio. Legends, nightmares, news headlines come to life. The most dangerous men in the country. And now my in-laws.

That's when it truly sank in.

This wasn't a farce. It wasn't a dream. It was real.

I was being married off to the faceless brother. Salvatore Saverio,the one no one ever saw, the one whose name made even politicians whisper.

The ceremony passed in a blur of vows spoken on my behalf, rings slipped on my finger by a withered hand, and cameras captured a lie. My eyes stung with tears I refused to shed.

Before I could take another breath, I was whisked away,out of the hall, into a fleet of black luxury cars branded with the Saverio crest.

The door slammed shut beside me.

And just like that, I was no longer just a girl in a dress.

I was a weapon. A wife. A pawn in the game of monsters.

But they'd made one mistake.

They thought they owned me now.

They had no idea what they just invited into their world.