His Redemption

Adriano looked at the girl sleeping beside him and was disgusted. Not because he thought she was ugly, no, she was breathtakingly beautiful, she was in every sense perfect and that was the problem. Why had he agreed to this union in the first place? She was perfect, sweet and innocent. She was not supposed to be married to a man like him. But now, they were joined in this union 'till death do them part'. It wasn't just a vow; it was how things worked in their world. Divorce was not an option and running away from your marriage was probably the worst mistake you could ever make as a woman.

It was a death sentence. The only thing that could break a marital union was death. This sweet, precious girl was bound to him forever till either of them died.

****

ISMERALDA

Most girls her age would be thinking about graduating and going to college in two years and were most probably planning out their future and their careers. Ismeralda Romano had known that getting married was inevitable. That was how things worked in their world. Every girl was supposed to have been married before they turned twenty and they were to be engaged before they were eighteen. Ismeralda was sixteen and it hadn't taken her father long to find a husband for her.

Ismeralda stared at her reflection in the mirror. She had been looking at herself for almost ten minutes. She was dressed and made up properly in a navy-blue dinner dress that was super long. She was wearing a diamond necklace around her neck that was a bit too heavy but her mother had insisted that she wear it. Thankfully, the diamond earrings she had on were not so heavy and they would be bearable for the evening. Her mother had allowed her to wear flat shoes because she knew that if she wore high-heeled shoes, she would fall and make a fool of herself because although she hated to admit it, Ismeralda was hopelessly clumsy.

The make-up on her face made her look way older than she was. It was probably for the best since her fiancé was over 5 years older than her.

The reason for all the dress-up was because today was the official engagement party for her and her soon-to-be husband, Adriano Ferrari who was also the capo of the Lato Oscuro mafia organization.

Adriano was every girl's dream and, in all honesty, Ismeralda too had developed a crush on him when she had first seen him at a party at his house a year ago so she wasn't all that annoyed at the fact that she was getting married so young.

Adriano was incredibly handsome. He had nice, thick, black hair. Thick, curly brows, piercing, dark grey eyes, and nice tanned skin. He was six foot and five inches and obviously from his body structure, you could tell that he worked out a lot.

He was quiet a lot and didn't say much of anything. Even during parties, he tried not to mingle with people but she knew he wasn't shy because he had an air of confidence around him. Everybody knew it and that was why nobody ever dared to cross him.

She wondered how a girl like him could ever survive in a house with a guy like him.

She had once heard her father complaining that he was a control freak and that he hated to relinquish control to anyone. If he could be controlling with her father who was his consigliere, then there was no reason why he wouldn't control her. And nothing upset her more than someone trying to control her. She could hardly even tolerate it from her father.

"Mom told me to tell you that Adriano is here and that you should come down now." Her little sister Sienna said, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Okay, tell her I'll be right there." She replied without taking her eyes away from the mirror.

She took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves. She hoped her hands would still by the time she got downstairs because she felt really shaky. Again, thank God she wasn't wearing heels.

With one last glance at herself in the mirror, she turned around and left the room.

When she got to the staircase, she saw that her parents were already deep in conversation with Adriano. They were probably telling him all the sweet things about her and most of what they were probably saying were exaggerations.

She descended the staircase slowly and her movement probably caught his attention because Adriano looked up at her immediately. She was hoping to get some form of reaction from him but all she was met with were cold grey eyes. But his face wasn't hardened, she'd just have to console herself with that.

When she was one step away from them, he brought his hand out to her in invitation. He was being a gentleman because courtesy demanded that he be one.

"Good evening, Ismeralda." He greeted her in a soft voice. She was surprised by the sound of his voice because she had expected his voice to be cold like his face.

"Good evening, Adriano." She replied before he linked their arms together.

"Well, come into the hall, the guests will start to arrive soon. "

They both followed her parents into the event room of their house.

"My parents extend their apologies. They had a matter to attend to but they will be with us soon." Adriano said.

"Oh, it's alright." Her mother responded with a smile on her face.

~*~*~*~

The room was filled with guests and Adriano and Ismeralda had to stand at the entrance to receive greetings from the incoming arrivals. His parents had arrived an hour after the party had begun and they were now in deep conversation with her parents. It wasn't really a surprise that Adriano and Ismeralda were engaged because her father had been consigliere to Riccardo Ferrari for years and was now consigliere to Adriano and when he retired, her brother Gabriele who was nineteen would take his place but that would be after he finished his initiation process and he was deemed fit to be consigliere.

Adriano's mother and her mother were also longtime friends. Ismeralda suspected that from the beginning they had already planned that their two children would get married.

As the party progressed, Ismeralda felt herself getting drowsier with each passing second.

She slept so little the night before just thinking about and now that she had gone through the party and she was able to calm her mind, her tiredness was taking over.

"I think you should go and rest now. You look exhausted." Adriano said. She felt embarrassed she was so tired that it was obvious.

"No, I can manage." She smiled at him sweetly sort of expecting him to push further but all he did was shrug with the same blank look on her face.

How was she supposed to be in a marriage with someone who was so hard to read? Wasn't it the most needed thing in a relationship communication? How could she communicate with someone who had a big, impenetrable wall up 24/7?

She had so many questions in her head that had no answers. She guessed they'd figure it out when they got married. Hopefully.

~*~*~*~

ADRIANO

There was nothing Adriano hated more than parties or get-togethers. They annoyed the hell out of him. But it was part of Mafia cultures to make a big fuss out of parties.

This whole engagement was not even something he wanted. Left to him, he would be a Capo without a wife but his parents would hear none of it. They said that it was in poor taste for a man to be a leader without a wife.

So, he had to go through the torturous process. At least he had two more years before he was sealed to marriage for life.

To make matters worse, his parents chose the most innocent-looking girl they could find to marry him. Ismeralda screamed innocence and naivete. He didn't know how in hell a man like him was supposed to be married to a girl like her.

Yes, he knew that every man that was part of the Lato Oscuro mafia was dangerous but everyone knew he was the worse of the worst. He knew their marriage was because of the good relationship that their parents had but it still didn't make sense. As much as he hated it, there was nothing he could do about it. He hated that he had no control over the situation.

The only thing he could do was hope for the best in this situation and pray that he doesn't pull this innocent soul into his dark world. It would be unfortunate for both of them.

ADRIANO

2 YEARS LATER...

He looked exactly the groom he was; he was dressed in his black three-piece suit, a white shirt, navy blue tie, black oxfords, and his hair was styled in a neat side part.

He looked perfect, he looked good but he didn't feel good. He felt like crap. He was anything but happy about his marriage but he had to pretend to be the happy groom that he was not. It was a good thing that he was good at masking his emotions.

"Are you ready?" His brother Julio asked.

He didn't know how to answer that question. Would he ever be ready for this marriage? Would he ever feel right about getting married to Ismeralda? He had had two years to prepare for this marriage, two years to enjoy being a bachelor, two years to convince himself that the marriage might not be as bad as he thought it would be but he was finding it hard to convince himself now.

"Yes, I am. Let's go." Adriano said with more confidence and conviction than he felt.

When they got to the church, the place was already filled up. That was one disadvantage of being a Capo, everybody wanted to be at the wedding because everybody wanted to be on your good side. One thing they didn't know was that he couldn't care less about any of them. He only wanted to keep everybody in check and make sure that nobody messed up.

He was ushered to the front of the church with his brother and his two cousins, Adolfo and Alonso behind him.

They arranged themselves as they were supposed to be while they waited for his soon-to-be wife and her bridal train.

To make matters worse, they were having a church wedding. How the hell does the captain of the mafia or even anyone from the mafia get married in a church? It didn't make sense and neither did this wedding.

The audience grew silent all of a sudden and then the Bridal Chorus began to play. He tore his eyes away from the priest to look at Ismeralda as she walked up to him with her father.

The moment his eyes landed on her; he inhaled a sharp breath but didn't show any reaction on his face.

Ismeralda was beautiful in her white, shiny ball gown. She looked more mature and taller than the last time he had seen her two years ago. He tried his best and succeeded at avoiding her after the engagement party. He didn't know why he did that but then he did.

She looked more confident and walked with more poise and grace but Adriano still didn't forget that she was still eighteen and probably still naïve.

When they got to where he was standing, her father kissed her forehead before placing her small hands in his. This was it, this was the beginning of the rest of their lives and he didn't mean that in a good way.

~*~*~*~

ISMERALDA

The morning of her wedding, she was all dressed in her beautiful white dress and her high-heeled shoe. Her make-up was done by the best of the best and her shoes were ordered and customized from Versace (Leave it to her mother to overdo everything). Her hair was styled up with a few curly strands falling around her face and of course her veil.

She wore only a simple silver chain around her neck with a diamond pendant and earrings to match.

She looked like the bride she had imagined herself to be when she finally got married. She didn't feel sad because she was getting married but she wasn't happy either.

Truth is that she was really nonchalant about the wedding because she had prepared herself for it and she knew it would come.

The only thing she was worried about was the fact that she didn't know what it would be like to be married to someone like Adriano.

She was very open about her emotions and how she was feeling while he was the direct opposite.

He was cold and closed off. Sometimes, she wondered if he even had the ability to feel things.

If he didn't have the ability to feel emotions, then she was doomed in their marriage.

She didn't even have time to ponder over her thoughts anymore because she was being yelled at by her mother for her to hurry so they wouldn't be late.

When they got to the church building, she took in a deep breath before climbing up the stairs that led to the entrance of the building. Then she took in another deep breath when her dad linked their arms together.

"You look beautiful, princess." Her father told her with a sweet smile on his face. She could see his eyes becoming wet and she smiled softly at him.

"Thank you, papa." She replied and placed a small kiss on his cheeks.

Then the doors opened for them and she inhaled another deep breath. She was probably more nervous than she thought she would be.

As she and her father walked slowly down the aisle, she noticed her future husband looking at her. His face was void of any emotions as usual and that made her heart sink. It took all the strength in her not to turn on her heels and run away but she wasn't stupid enough to think that she'd get away with it.

This was just how things would be for her from now on. She didn't have a choice about anything.

~*~*~*~

After all the vows were said, the moment that the audience couldn't wait to see and the moment that Ismeralda had even forgotten about was about to happen.

For some weird reason, Ismeralda had not thought about her first kiss that would be given to her by Adriano today. It was odd because she had thought about how her first kiss would feel countless times and on the day she would finally get it, it totally skipped her mind.

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride." The priest said.

Ismeralda looked at her husband's handsome stone-cold face. He gave her a tiny smile before bending to place his lips on hers.

His lips were gentle on hers and he moved slowly. Ismeralda was grateful that he hadn't tried to deepen the kiss because God knows she would have done something embarrassing.

The crowd stood up and cheered. Julio, Adriano's brother howled, and then Adriano broke the kiss and they both turned to face the crowd.

They walked down the aisle hand in hand and tried to look like the happy couple that they weren't.

They both knew how awkward it would be for the two of them. They were as good as strangers who had been forced into a marriage that they both couldn't walk away from.

So, no matter how unhappy they were or would be in the marriage, the only thing that could separate them was death, and neither wanted to die soon so they'd just have to manage.

Ismeralda

~*~*~*~

The wedding guests had just finished having dinner and everybody was now dancing.

Ismeralda tried to have a good time but she kept thinking about what would happen after they were done at the reception and they had to go back to Adriano's apartment.

They'd have to consummate their union and that was scary. Adriano had probably done it multiple times and that thought made her cringe. She'd never done it before, she'd never even been kissed until today at the altar. In truth, she didn't think she was ready.

She had always imagined that her first time would be with a man she loved and who loved her right back. She didn't know Adriano well enough to have even fallen in love with him and she was sure as hell that he wasn't in love with her either.

It also scared her because Adriano didn't look like a gentleman. He looked like he was rough with women. He had been a gentleman with her since the beginning but that was only because that was what was expected of him.

"Ismeralda, care for a dance?" Julio, Adriano's brother asked breaking her out of her reverie.

She looked up at him and smiled. Julio looked just like his brother. They had the same thick black hair and nicely shaped face. The only difference between the two brothers was that Julio had heterochromia. One eye was grey like his father's own and the other was blue like that of his mother. It wasn't creepy the way it sounded, it actually made him look so handsome. He was younger than Adriano and was the Enforcer for the Lato Oscuro.

"Yes, I would love to." She replied and she put her hand in his.

They moved over to the middle of the dancefloor and he pulled her close to him.

"So how does it feel being a married woman?" He asked trying to start a conversation and put her at ease.

"It's good, I guess. I won't know till we start living together." She said and he let out a soft chuckle.

"That's true. Look, just be a bit patient with my brother. He'll get the hang of this whole marriage thing eventually."

"Neither of us even know how this marriage would be like." She replied.

"Yeah, but you might handle it better than he would. He was very strong about not wanting to get married but my parents would hear none of it." Julio said making the Ismeralda inhale a sharp breath.

He had just confirmed that Adriano was literally forced to marry her. That was the case for the two of them but the only difference was that she had made her peace with the marriage. She was okay with getting married to him but he still didn't want to marry her.

"No, don't let that make you lose hope in the marriage. Adriano is a very complicated man and he has been through a lot, more than most made men have been forced to go through but I'm sure with time he'll let you in."

"But how do I get through to him, Julio?" She asked.

"Well, there's no real answer to that question. As I said, he is very complicated, but you are a smart girl, you'll figure it out. Just be patient with him, he will come around." He said then took a step back.

He took my hand in his and kissed the back of it. "It was a pleasure to dance with you and the talk too."

"You too." She replied sweetly and smiled at him.

Immediately he walked away, Adriano took his position. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her really close to him.

"What did Julio tell you?" He asked.

"Nothing, he was just congratulating me on the wedding." She lied easily.

"Really? Is that why the conversation lasted so long?" She knew he didn't believe her but she wasn't going to tell him what they had discussed about.

"He also said I look good. Something you haven't told me today."

"I don't give out compliments." He replied with a slight shrug.

Ismeralda was so pissed, it took all her self-control not to lash out and throw a snide remark at him.

"It is now time for the bride and groom to go to their new home." The master of ceremonies announced.

The crowd started to clap and cheer. "But before they do, kiss her!" Julio yelled.

"Kiss her! Kiss her!" the crowd started to chant.

Adriano pulled her into his arms and placed his lips on hers. This kiss was a bit more thorough than the one on the altar and it made her feel hot all over. It shot a chill up her spine but it was a good feeling. It was amazing. She was very sad when he pulled away.

He took her hand and led her towards the exit of the Ferrari mansion.

Soon her nerves had spiked up and her body started to shake. What would happen when they got to his mansion?"

With the way he'd kissed her, he'd definitely want to consummate their union today.

The crown gathered around the parking lot so they could see them leave. She hugged her mom, her dad, Sienna and Gabriele goodbye before going to where Adriano's car was park with him.

His car was parked just in front of the mansion. When she saw the car, she almost squealed like a little girl. She'd always had an obsession with cars and looking at the beauty that was his car made her want to run mad.

It was the car she had always hoped to have; a 2021 Chevy Corvette C8.

She had to stop herself from gazing at the car dreamily.

Adriano took her hand and led her to the passenger's side where he opened the door for her. She got in excitedly and closed the door herself.

For a few moments, she had forgotten about her nerves until Adrian came into the car and started the engines.

He drove out of the parking lot slowly as people waved at them but then he picked up speed when they got to the gate and he drove out. Now it was only the two of them in the car and the air was thick with tension.

Ismeralda didn't know how to ask him if he could wait for her to be ready before they did anything.

As if the he had read her mind he said, "You don't have to do what you don't want to do tonight."

She exhaled a deep breath. Thank God.

"Thank you so much for that. I really wasn't ready to do it tonight."

"It would have to happen sometime, it is inevitable." He spoke coldly this time.

She cleared her throat and said, "Yeah, I know but just for today."

"Yeah, just for today."