Arranged Marriage To A Mafia Devil

"I will not tolerate that attitude from you young lady. I am the head of this empire and so I know what is best for it."

"What else can you do to me, father, you've already done enough in ruining my life completely!"

"Aaliyah!! that's no way to talk to your father,"

"It's okay sweetheart, I understand how you feel. I should have told you sooner about the wedding, but your mother and I have already made a decision."

"Oh hell no you expect me to agree with whatever bullshit you two cooked up..."

"Aaliyah..." Her mother cut in.

"Don't Aaliyah me!! How could you two do this to me; giving me off to get married to a man I do not know or have ever heard of just to save your empire?"

"It is what is best for the empire, baby..."

"Fuck your empire, Dad. Jason is the one I love and that's who I'm going to get married to."

"You can cuss at me all you want, young lady but just know this, not you or anyone else can stop my empire from being the biggest in the city." He paused to catch his breath before continuing, "Now get up from that bed and go wash up, your husband will be here any minute and you better put on your best behavior."

Aaliyah looked up and tried to meet her Mother's gaze. But on her mother's face was a smile that didn't seem to reach her eyes. It was as if she wasn't happy about the situation either but she couldn't do anything about it.

"C'mon Aly, cheer up. You're getting married to one of the biggest names in the country."

"Did I just hear you say cheer up?... Mom, you of all people should understand me better. I mean you loved my father despite his wealth before you married him. Why would you want to give me out to someone I barely know?"

Her father interrupted, "And you should know that this empire is almost crumbling to bits and you're the only...."

"And I'm the only sacrificial lamb. I understand." Aaliyah said as tears rolled down her cheeks. Her fate had been decided for her and there was nothing she could do about it.

"So...so what happens when he gets here?" Aaliyah asked, her gaze still fixated on the both of them.

"He takes you to his home." Her father replied sternly.

"That's it?!"

"I go along with him to his home, like I'm some slave auctioned to the highest bidder," Aaliyah said as she choked on her tears.

"Oh Zayd, please don't let her go with them immediately. Let her stay for a week or two," Aaliyah's mother held her husband by the arm and pleaded.

He turned and looked into her eyes as his countenance softened. How could he possibly say no to his dearest wife? "Five days and that's it!" He announced as he took out his phone to dial a number and led her out of Aaliyah's room.

"What the fuck Dad?!" Aaliyah shouted after them but they had already exited the room.

A few weeks back, Zayd had decided to go into business with a big gun hoping that it would boost his company and ascend the ladder of the most successful companies in the country. Despite the warnings from his family to stay clear from his supposed newfound business partner, Zayd went ahead with his dealings, unfortunately, things went south and he decided to seek help somewhere else. The only person Zayd knew could get him out of the trouble he was in and rescue his company from crumbling was Don Alejandro who was the deadliest mafia boss in the city.

********

"Please sir, I'm begging you to help me get out of this mess. I promise I'd do anything, just please help me save my company," Zayd clamped his hands together as fell to his knees, prickles of sweat gathering on his forehead.

Don Alejandro tapped the butt of the cigarette in between his large fingers on the cigar tray. He took it back to his lips and took a huge drag. He stared into oblivion as he took another long drag, his legs were crossed and the chair under him seemed like it was giving its all in holding his weight.

His face had no emotion on it and a long scar that ran from a corner of his eye down to his cheeks added to his menacing appearance.

"I will help you... " Don Alejandro's voice was raspy as he spoke. "Only if you agree to my conditions."

"Thank you, sir, Thank you." Zayd's face lit up in a wide smile as he crawled closer to Don Alejandro to show appreciation, but the warning look that appeared suddenly on his face sent Zayd crawling back.

Zayd composed himself before he asked, "What are your conditions, sir?"

Don Alejandro took another drag before tossing the cigar in Zayd's direction. "That your daughter gets married to my son." He said blatantly.

Zayd gulped on hearing the condition. The air made Zayd grow taut and it was as if he was finding it unbearable to take in the same air that went into Don Alejandro's nostrils. "But... my daughter is engaged..."

"Then you can forget about me helping you."

"Oh... Oh.. Okay," Zayd stuttered, raising his hands above his head as if in surrender. "Fine, she'll marry your son, just help me."

Don Alejandro nodded and looked down on Zayd for the first time and noticed the plum-sized man he had been talking to all this while. He clicked his fingers and a man that stood at least seven feet came trotting down. Don Alejandro signaled for the man to bring his ears closer to him. Don Alejandro began to whisper something into the man's ears while pointing in Zayn's direction.

**********

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Aaliyah yelled as she flung the pillow that was close to her to the farthest corner. She stood up and paced around the room. "How could Dad do this to me when he knows that Jason and I will be getting married in a few weeks?" She asked no one in particular.

"Oh my poor Jason, how is he going to take the news of me being with another man?" she clenched her chest as fresh tears cascaded down her reddened cheeks.

There's no way I'm going to let Dad take away my happiness from me." she had barely gotten all the words out when she started to feel funny. She clenched her stomach tightly and held her mouth from spilling the liquid that had clustered there. She ran for her bathroom door, kicked it open, and threw her stomach out into the sink. When she was done, she noticed that there were traces of blood in the vomit. Her heart skipped as she quickly turned the tap on and flushed the vomit down the drain.

Days grew into weeks and weeks into days and there was no news from Don Alejandro. Zayd was beginning to think that the Don might have gotten angry when he told the Don that his daughter needed a week to get ready before she finally became his son's wife. Knowing the Don well, he knew he wasn't one to go back on a request especially when he had already kept to his own part of the deal and helped Zayd out of the mess he was.

**********

"I'm worried sweetheart," Zayd said to his wife one evening as they took a stroll.

"About what?" Rosa questioned, noticing the worried lines etched on his forehead.

He stopped in his tracks and his wife did the same. "Don Alejandro. Ever since I told him that Aaliyah needed a few days to get ready, he hasn't given me feedback until now, and I'm afraid he might not want to keep the deal and come for something else instead... " he paused and looked up slightly to his wife who was two feet taller than him. Reading her emotions, he looked back in front of him and continued, ".... which I might not be able to give him."

His lips quivered as he spoke. At that point, he was beginning to rethink his past decisions. "I made a terrible mistake sweetie, I should have listened to you all,"

"I was so stupid, thinking that I could improve my company by getting involved with the wrong people. Now my poor baby is the one paying for all this. How is Aaliyah going to ever forgive me? I should have... "

Rosa put her finger on Zayd's lips, stopping him from finishing his sentence. "It's okay. You made a mistake, we all make mistakes. Instead of crying over spilled milk, let's figure a way out."

Zayd brought out a rag and wiped the sweat off his face with it. "What do you suggest we do?"

"That we do nothing," She responded.

"What do you mean by nothing."

"If it's Don Alejandro I know too well, that he definitely is not going back on the deal and you know what he does to people who don't keep their bargains... "

Zayd nodded his head absentmindedly as she spoke.

"let's leave Aaliyah to it instead. She's deeply in love with Jason and when Don Alejandro's son sees that she's not complying with him, he's going to send her back to us."

Zayd heaved, deciding to trust his wife's words. "Okay, I hope that works." he reached for her hands as they resumed walking and headed back to the house.

************

When they got back to the house, Rosa made her way upstairs to Aaliyah's room to talk to her about what she and Zayd had decided.

Rosa knocked on the door but she got no response immediately. When there was no further response, she opened the door and strolled inside.

"Aaliyah," she called but there was no response. She didn't remember Aaliyah leaving the house so she called out her name again. Rosa heard noise coming from her daughter's bathroom so she went to check what it was.

She opened the door and saw Aaliyah crouched beside the toilet seat, with saliva running down the corner of her mouth.

"Aaliyah!" Rosa screamed as she rushed towards her.

Rosa took Aaliyah's face into her hands. "Are you alright, baby," Rosa asked with concern etched on her face. She stood slightly and dipped one hand in the sink while still holding Aaliyah. She took some water and cleaned her daughter's face with it.

"Mum?" Aaliyah managed to utter.

"C'mon let's get you up," Rosa said as she lifted Aaliyah and led her back into the bedroom. She dropped her on the bed and tried to get her in a comfortable position. Rosa got into the bed and lay beside her as she placed her hand on her cheek.

"Are you alright, baby," She asked again.

"Yeah, I'm alright." Aaliyah tried to sound casual as sat up.

"No lay back down," Rosa said, trying to get Aaliyah to lie back on the bed.

"No mum, I'm fine," she pushed her mother's hand as she got up and went over to the other side of the bed and sat. "I've just been having some stomach upset."

Rosa tried not to read her daughter's actions as she inquired about her daughter's health. "Stomach upset since when? Has Jemima been microwaving your food again?"

"No mum, she's not."

"So what's the problem?"

Aaliyah kept mute as she stared into oblivion. Rosa sighed as she got up and went over to where Aaliyah was, she stood in front of her for a while before she reached out and caressed Aaliyah's cheeks.

"I know you're mad at us, baby. Your father made a grave mistake and he regrets it."

"It doesn't seem like he cares about me,"

"He does and he's ready to make amends."

"Oh mother, please. I don't want to go into that. Jason won't pick up my calls again since he heard about it, all thanks to Dad,"

Rosa knew that there was nothing she could say that would convince her daughter to be happy and go on with the marriage so she decided to change the topic. "Since when have you had this stomach upset?"

Aaliyah reluctantly responded. "I don't know, maybe about a month and a half?"

"That long? Why didn't you let me know about it? Aaliyah took her gaze off her mother and looked away.

"Look I know that we've not been the best parents, but that doesn't mean that you should keep things from us."

"I noticed that you haven't been to the store to get more pads..."

Aaliyah's eyes widened.

"When last did you see your period?" Rosa questioned.

Aaliyah kept mute and her eyes trained on the floor. "What does it matter?" She finally responded.

"Oh it does matter, Aaliyah, you've been throwing up for a month now and you haven't seen your period. We're going to the doctor's tomorrow morning."

"Mr. Pluto is stepping on a tiger's tail; I bet he doesn't know the kind of person he's messing with," Damien fumed.

"Boss, Mr. Pluto is planning to escape from the country with his family." Luca let out. Luca who was Damien's right-hand man has been the only closest friend to him since every other person was afraid of him. Not many people knew Damien's secret, and even though they didn't, they were still afraid of him, Luca was the only person Damien could fall back on since he not only knew his secret but didn't show any signs of fear whenever they had conversations.

"Send all unit 12 bodyguards to track him down and report to me within two hours." Damien became enraged as he spoke.

While Damien was still furious and spewing out orders, a guard approached him and said, "Boss, your father requests your presence immediately."

Damien turned in his direction. His face was cold and pale. His eyes were bloodshot, with dark circles underneath, which gave him a sinister appearance.

Damien thought he saw the guard shiver as he looked him in the eye, so he took a deep breath to calm his inside and return to his face to its natural hue before he replied. "Where is he?"

"He is in his garden in the courtyard," The man stuttered and hurriedly took his leave.

Without hesitation, Damien hurried to the courtyard. As he arrived, he was shrouded by the tense atmosphere. His father exuded the demeanor of the mafia devil he was known to be. His posture suggested readiness to annihilate anyone who crossed his path. Yet, being his son, Damien hoped that he would continue to be merciful unto his children and not unleash his brutality on them when they defaulted his rules.

"Good day, Father. You requested my presence," Damien greeted, attempting to ease the tension in the air. Don Alejandro turned towards Damien, his face devoid of emotions. "I called to discuss your wedding with Mr. Zayd's daughter," he stated immediately. Despite being familiar with his voice, Damien still felt the weight of its baritone. His voice was among the many traits Damien's brother and his brother had inherited from him.

"Wedding? What wedding are you talking about Father?"

"I'm... sorry father but I don't think I'm ready to settle down nor get married to someone I feel nothing for..."

"Feelings make one weak son, and besides you're not just getting married to anyone, you're getting married to Mr. Zayd's daughter."

"I do not care who she is, Father but I'm not ready to settle down," I said adamantly.

Don Alejandro stared hard at him for a long time until Damien started to feel uncomfortable as he stood. He finally broke the silence by saying, "You're getting to visit them tomorrow with your brother, Bruno, so get prepared."

"But Father..."

"This meeting is over," Don Alejandro said with an air of authority as he walked past me and made his way out of the courtyard. I stood looking dazed and confused. "In three days, why so soon?" I questioned no one in particular. I couldn't suspend my business, not even for a day. "Well, I guess it's just marriage..." Damien said, trying to look on the brighter side, "I'll just try to get this over with, and besides it'll save me the expense of going to look for a hooker to satisfy my needs."

After the meeting. Damien decided to go on with the business he had left for the day-to take Mr Pluto's life. When he got to my warehouse he saw him sitting almost lifeless on the floor. In the corner were his wife and two daughters cowering in fear as they were about to witness the death of their father. 'tsk tsk tsk tsk what a pity for his poor family,' Damien thought.

Damien walked up to Mr. Pluto and crouched to his level to take in the miserable look on his face. "I see you're resting nicely," Damien scoffed devilishly, "You do have the nerves," he said while staring into his eyes.

"I...I'm sorry sir, I never intended to cut the deal and take so much money. I just needed some money to sort out some family issues..." Damien didn't let him finish his sentence before he sent a jaw-shattering blow his way. "You wanted to sort your family issues with my own money?!...." Damien grabbed the man by the collar with both hands and yanked him forward.

".....And you must be delusional to think that I won't take such shitty excuses from you."

Damien got up from his crouched position and took the Chiavari chair that his guards had already kept ready for him in front of Mr. Pluto. He turned the chair around and spread his legs across the seat as he sat and rested his arms on the back of the chair. With a menacing look on his face that told the man across from him that he was going to take his life anytime soon.

"Now tell me, what exactly did you do with my money?" Damien asked.

"I promise that's what I used it for. I'm telling you the truth, sir."

"You're doing an excellent job at deceiving me, Mr. Pluto. I must say, I'm impressed," Damien remarked, adjusting his tie while letting out a smile that failed to reach his dark eyes.

"Please sir, spare my family and I, I promise to give back every penny I took. I promise to... to give you all my properties." Mr. Pluto pleaded, his voice trembling. As his words reached my ears, I let out such a menacing laugh that even the four walls of the building seemed to acknowledge my voice.

"Mr. Pluto, you know how much I respect you, so I'm afraid I'll have to humbly turn down your request. I only need my money back and not your properties."

"Luca!!!"

"Yes boss," Luca came rushing forward as he bowed his head subtly before raising it to look Damien in the eye.

"Give this man the beating of his life. Make sure he regrets ever ripping me." I ordered as I stood up to make my leave.

"Sir, I beg you, it was never intentional... please spare him, we will make sure to return your money in a few days or weeks." Came a voice from the corner.

Damien turned to see who had the nerve to counter his order after he had passed it.

"Please sir, spare his life." It was the man's wife.