THE DON'S SECRET OBSESSION ( His Bride, Her Prison)

CHAPTER 1

I can't breathe. I'm nervous as hell.

And while I hope it is not as visible as it feels, I like to believe that everyone would simply think I am acting all weird because I'm a first-time bride.

But the truth is, I'm nervous because I'm a fraud.

I never wanted any part in this. But I have no choice. With a deep sigh, I force down an invisible lump in my throat, looking up at the priest.

I press my fingers tighter into the flower I am holding, hoping it hides how much I am shaking. Dreading the words the priest is about to utter.

"Do you, Ariella Cecilia Boone, take Dermos Salvatore to be your lawfully wedded husband?" The priest asks.

I blink.

I badly want to say it, badly want to scream that I am not Ariella Cecilia Boone.

My sister ran away this morning, and I am being forced to take her place. I badly want to fling this flower at his face and flee.

Yet mom's voice replays in my head like a broken record.

"You have to do it, Cara Mia, your sister is nowhere to be found. If we don't fulfill the end of our bargain, you know what Dermos will do to us."

Yes, I did know what he would do. So, with that, I go along as planned. Pretend to be Ariella until she is found.

My lips tremble as I force the truth down my throat, "Yes, I do." I murmur, my voice a little over a whisper.

I can't expose family, can't put them in such danger.

The priest nods before turning to the almighty Dermos, asking the same thing.

"Of course, I do." His deep velvety voice resonates through the church. His calm green eyes lock onto mine, steady and unreadable.

They're not searching mine. They don't look like they suspect a thing. The tight feeling in my chest loosens a tad.

The relief in my face might have shown a little as Dermos's lips curled into a slight smirk. I don't know what to make of it, and just like that, my anxiety spikes again.

The rituals continue, but I am barely present. My eyes drink up the man. I know nothing except that he is the Don of the Italian Mafia.

My eyes rake down his body, adorned in a white suit; he has the most innocent-looking face. The way his eyes twinkle didn't fit the description of the ruthless Don I heard so much about.

My thoughts are cut off as the priest's words filter into my ears, "You may kiss the bride."

What?

My eyes widen as I watch him lean close, my fingers tighten harder on my flowers as I watch him lean closer, his pink lips now inches away from mine.

"Boss, watch out!" A loud voice booms as shots ring out into the air.

Dermos moves with speed I didn't know a human could possess. One moment he was leaning over, the next he reached into his suit, pulling out a gun and firing back.

My entire body freezes as I watch people scramble about, screams filling the air, yet I don't make a single move.

Is this how it all ends?

"ARIELLA, GET DOWN!!" Dermos' voice breaks through my haze. "Get over here!"

I come back to my senses instantly. But rather than run, my legs give way as my knees scrape the tile.

"What are you doing!" He doesn't give me the chance to respond.

The next moment, tight arms wrap around my body, dragging my limp body up.

I snap back into control, pushing the panic deep down my throat, letting him tug me away.

My heart is beating so fast.

I don't want to die. This isn't how I want my life to end. Marrying a Don against my wish and having my guts spill out on the pavement where I just exchanged vows.

Men dressed in black are scattered around the old cathedral building as they fire guns at each other. I have never seen a sight like this before.

Mom sheltered us our whole life, kept us hidden from the dark world. I never knew anything about this world until I heard of Ariella's arranged marriage.

"Carlos, get Ariella to safety." Dermos barks at a man hurrying our way. "Don't worry about me."

I don't get a good look at the man as things turn heated.

Before Carlos can follow orders, Dermos' arms wrap around my midriff, and he hurls me in another direction.

A blood-curdling scream tears out of my lips as my body is flung down the altar. Pain sears through my side as tears threaten to roll down my face.

I dig my palm into the tiles as I drag my body up, grabbing one of the chairs as I rise to my feet. I snap my head to look at Dermos when strong arms tug me back as the sound of rings through the air.

Thick red liquid spurts out of the guy in front of me, splashing onto my face.

Turns out that one of Dermos' men shot a man who was about to blow my brains out.

"Come on, I will get you to safety." The man says, reaching out for my arms.

I move away from him swiftly, failing to realise that he is the man Dermos was speaking to earlier.

Breathing hard, I glare at him. "Who are you?" I bark just before it dawns on me.

"Carlos, Dermos's boss," he says sharply, grabbing my hand to pull me forward.

I shut my eyes as I bite my lips, about to protest, but the sound of bullets ringing in the air has me shrinking before him.

"Take me away from here, please." I cry out, flinging my arms out to grip his arm.

Once we are successfully out of the church, I can finally breathe.

"Let's go." He calls out, tugging me like a

puppy.

I dig my heels into the asphalt, refusing to move as I struggle to be free from his hold.

I don't want to leave, not yet. Stepping into that car is equivalent to sealing my fate forever.

"Where is my mom? Where is she? I'm not leaving without her." I argue, snapping my head again to look behind, pretending to seem worried. I am counting on the fact that he's not aware that my mom never showed up for the wedding.

"All attendees are fine," he grits out, annoyance written all over his exterior. "They were not coming for anyone that wasn't the bride or us. Now get in."

I rake my eyes over him. He is a lanky guy with a little muscle. His hair is in a buzz cut, with his piercing blue eyes complementing his pale skin. Blood runs down his jaw over his black suit.

"What of Dermos?" I ask, trying hard to still look worried, knowing fully well that I am stalling.

This might just be the last minute I ever get to be Ariel again. And I plan to savour every second of it.

"What the hell are you both still doing here? I told you to get her to safety. This isn't safe." Dermos's deep voice cuts through my haze.

I snap my head only to see him drenched in blood, his white suit now almost red as his eyes blaze with a fury I have never seen.

He tucks his dripping gun into his suit like it's the most normal thing ever. He looks extremely huge and dangerous as he stalks over.

I barely hear anything until he says something that sends a thrill down my spine.

"You are safe, Ariella." The way he calls my name like he knows something I don't.

Not with him. There was nothing like safety with a dangerous man of this calibre.

What the hell have I gotten into? I think, as I take my first step into my doom.

CHAPTER 2

The ride back to his home is one of the longest ever. I literally press myself into my seat, trying hard not to feel depressed as I think of how I always thought I would have a magnificent wedding.

Now, I am sitting in my husband's car, drenched in blood in my sister's wedding dress.

This sucks, my whole life sucks.

And the deathly silence in the car isn't helping a bit.

Dermos is seated beside me and pretending that I don't exist, while Carlos drives the car, a Tesla.

The silence gets to me until I can't stand it anymore. My head slowly turns to look at him, my husband.

I see now that he is buried in his phone.

"Are we close?" I can't help but ask. The dress is sticky and itchy, plus the idea of someone's blood drying on me makes me want to puke.

"Soon be there, Mrs Salvatore," Carlos responds while Dermos doesn't even move an inch as if he didn't hear a single word I said.

Instead, he remains deep into what he is typing on his phone, not even sparing me a glance.

I take that as my cue to shut up. Slowly letting my body slide down the seat, I once again turn my head to stare out the window.

The road is empty, devoid of life, just endless green trees. Lord knows where he is taking me to.

Will I ever become who I have always dreamed of being? Will I ever open my boutique? Or is my life as Ariel Hannah Boone over?

I don't get to think too much when the car swerves. The buzzing sound of a giant gate pulling open has me sitting up straight.

"Whoaaa!!" I can't help the gasp that escapes my lips at the sight before me.

It's a freaking mansion. The whole place is like an estate, the building is so big and painted completely cream in colour with some gold streaks attached to it. As we drive in the long concrete aisle filled with guards on both sides, in front, I see a big fountain; it's so large I can't help but gasp.

The whole place is so beautiful, I snap my head to the side only to find a maze made out of beautiful flowers.

I wasn't expecting this at all.

The car comes to a quick halt, and Dermos pushes his door open without even sparing me a glance.

I don't really mind; the less attention he gives me, the better it is for me to pass with my act as Ariella.

"Come on, Mrs Salvatore, I will show you to your room." Carlos' voice draws me out of my thoughts. He's the only one making an effort to be nice.

I nod, quickly rushing out of the car as I march behind him. The door squeaks open, revealing the largest living room I have ever seen.

It looks like a hall, and has different couches placed at strategic places with a wide plasma hung on the wall. A beautiful chandelier hangs from the ceiling.

Everything is painted in cream and gold.

Classy.

Is this my new home or my new hell? I can only wonder.

My lips are parted in amazement as I tug my hair from my face.

Let's do this.

"What the hell?" I can't help the words tumbling out of my lips as the door to my room creaks open.

The room is large, but every single piece of furniture is pink. The bed, drawer, closet, and down to the damn TV.

What the hell? I hate pink, that's Ariella's best color– oh crap.

"You don't like it? Don said it was your favourite color–"

"Of course, I love it. Thank you." I cut him off, swallowing the lump of disgust I feel rising up in my throat.

"Alright, settle in. The Don will be with you soon." He says, a small smile gracing his lips, yet the way his eyes twinkle gives me the creeps.

"Thank you," I repeat, shuffling backward. He nods, then turns, pulling the door open before walking out.

My heart drops as I force back tears from dropping.

Don't cry. This is nothing to cry about. I clench my jaw tight. Just how long can I cope?

"I hate you," I whisper with my eyes closed, pretending Ariella is right here with me.

It is something I heard so many times from her, but I never had the guts to say it back to her face.

Ariella's words from a few years back slam into me, causing my breath to seize. It's not true. "You always take everything from me, but still, you never amount to anything."

My knee buckles as I slump on my bed, not mine. It's hers.

She wasn't right. I never took things from her. My whole life has been hell because my sister hates me, thinking I take what she wants.

This is the only time I accept that because I am married to the man of her dreams.

How will I do this? When she gets back, what will happen? Where did she run to? What if Dermos finds out?

A sharp sting bites into my skin, causing me to realise that I am still in the bloodied dress.

Moving my body on autopilot, I push out of the bed, stalking to the bathroom to bathe and change. My body goes through the motions without my mind.

Once done, and wrapped in a comfy robe. I step out of the bathroom only to meet a figure standing in front of my window.

"Ahh!" A tiny scream tears out of my lips as my body jolts up in surprise.

I didn't hear him come in. Dermos is now dressed in casual joggers and a sweatshirt that still manages to show his ripped arms.

His green eyes look deeper, much darker than I saw earlier, his blonde hair now gelled to the back, giving his face a younger, and much hotter look.

Damn, he is handsome.

"What are you doing here?" I murmur, forcing my eyes not to rake down his body again.

I can't look at my sister's husband.

She will be back soon, and I will leave as if all this never happened. I will go on to achieve my dream, I will open my boutique, and get my master's degree. I will prove her wrong.

Once she is back, I will forget all this ever happened, so that means I can't find him attractive.

"What do you mean? We are married, and this is our first night, so I am here to have sex." He states plainly.

My eyes widen as my arms automatically fly to my mouth, and I stumble backwards, causing my robe to open slightly, showing an eyeful of my boobs.

"Don't look." I cry out, snapping my hand forward to cover my pride.

His lips twitch as a sly smirk covers his lips, "Why shouldn't I? You are my wife, aren't you?" he asks, raising his eyebrows at me. "Are you shy? That is surprising."

Shit! Ariella wouldn't make a big deal out of this. I have to think fast.

My lips move as a fake hard cough splutters out of my lips, my hand slams to my chest as I keep the fake cough coming.

"Honey, please, can we postpone it? I am not feeling quite well, and I wouldn't want to give you the flu." I lie through my teeth, hoping I sound convincing enough.

His eyes squint as he watches me for a while before nodding. He pushes himself off the desk where he had leaned before stalking to the door.

"Well, this is quite odd, Ariella. I expected that you would easily adjust," He says, pushing the door open before leaving.

Shit! How would Ariella have handled this? Perhaps she would have thrown herself at him.

We aren't best of friends, so the only side I know is the bitchy hateful witch side she constantly showed me.

Ping.

My eyes snap to my phone lying on my bed with the screen now on. I move over, grabbing the device to check it.

My whole being freezes at the text displayed on the screen. I stumble backwards, letting the device out of my hand.

It can't be. It has barely been a day.

CHAPTER 3

"Hey imposter, I know who you really are. And soon I will make sure he does too."

Blood drains from my entire body as I re-read the message over and over again.

Who the hell is this? And how did they know about me? Oh my god, what the heck am I going to do? I can't have Dermos find out about this.

No, it must be a prank. Without letting in too much thought, I press the delete button, and the message wipes off.

I press my hand forward, dragging myself off the floor where I stumbled. I quickly change into my nightwear, crawling into the pink, hideous bed to try and get some sleep.

The keyword being try. Sleep refuses to find me as I toss and turn around the sheets that won't stop itching me.

Thoughts fill my head with question upon question. Who sent me that message? Why did they send me such?

It didn't say anything about wanting something in return, so what was the purpose of the message? To scare me?

No, I don't think so.

If they wanted Dermos to know, then they would have just told him straight, so why send me that message?

And so the torture continued till about two am before I was finally able to fall asleep.

~~

The sound of heavy knocking has me jolting up from sleep.

What the heck?

I pry my eyes open before quickly slamming them shut to prevent the assault of the unholy pink covers everywhere.

Why the hell is everything pink? I hate pink. I love dim, dark colours. I am about to grumble when the events of yesterday come crashing down.

Shit!!

I am Ariella.

"Excuse me, Mrs Salvatore, you have to wake up now. Mr Salvatore requests your presence in the dining room for breakfast." Someone calls from outside the door, banging harder.

Damn, what time is it? I reach forward to my bedside table for my phone.

6:50 am

What the heck? Breakfast at this time? Why? Are they chimpanzees or what?

I push my palm over my lips to stifle a yawn when, once again, a hard bang has me jolting.

"I AM COMING!! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU? GET AWAY FROM MY DOOR!" I can't help the scream that tumbles out of my lips.

If there is one thing about me, it is that I hate waking up early; my earliest being ten.

After grumbling and cursing Ariella repeatedly for disappearing and putting me through this, I push my feet over the edge of the bed as I stalk out of the room.

The banging lady is still standing beside my door when I get there.

"I am sorry, Mrs Salvatore, but the don isn't patient." She mumbles, picking nervously at her fingernails.

"It's fine, lead the way." I hiss, using the back of my palm to scrub the last sleep off my eyes.

She nods and scurries off, leaving me to trail behind her. I am really too sleep-deprived to even take in the inside of the mansion, so I just trudge along, hoping for a tour later.

"Here, Mrs Salvatore." She stops in front of a huge door after taking me down a hideous number of stairs.

Urgh! I hate mornings.

I huff as I send my arm forward, pushing the door open.

"Wow!" I can't help the small gasps that tumble out of my lips at the sight of the long table with almost twenty chairs in it.

Did this man literally have a whole freaking room for just eating? Huh, mafia men are weird.

My eyes immediately find him at the head of the dining room, those eyes once again piercing my soul like he can see every hidden part of me.

I squirm under his intense gaze, raising my head high as I strut towards him.

Despite the outrageous time, Dermos is dressed in a grey Armani suit. An expensive watch decorating his wrist, my throat runs dry as I run my eyes over his hair part- Damnit, Ariel, no staring at your sister's husband.

I catch myself quickly, shuffling to sit down as a few heads turn to look at me with wide eyes.

Why, though? I am too sleep-deprived to care anyway.

My eyes scan the table filled with different dishes, but what really draws my attention is the peanut butter bagel that is placed directly in front of me as soon as I sit down.

It wouldn't be bad as it's Ariella's favourite, but I am allergic to it.

Shit! I snap my eyes forward, but he is already looking at me.

"Good morning Ariella, how was your night?" He asks, slowly taking a bite from his toast.

"It was very short." I snap, my irritation from being up so early rushing back.

"Oh well. New home, new rules. Breakfast is by seven or no breakfast at all." He states, barely glancing my way as he continues to eat.

Does he even like Ariella? He has barely looked at me or even spoken to me since we got married, except when he came to my–not mine– her room last night.

Wait? Is he pissed about that? Could he-

"Eat, I gather you love peanut butter," he instructs, interrupting my thoughts, still not looking at me.

A lump forms in my throat. Ariella loved peanut butter; there was certainly no way he hadn't seen her eat it once or twice. What would he think when I begin to turn purple in the face after a single bite?

I haven't touched peanut butter since it landed me in the hospital more than a decade ago. I am not about to start now.

I stare down at my plate for too long, only jolted when he clears his throat.

"You're not eating, Ariella." He is frowning slightly.

I bite my lower lip nervously. My hands start to shake slightly. How do I get out of this?

"Uh..."

I have to eat it. He will know I'm not Ariella if I don't.

But I can't. He will also know that I'm not her if I do.

Is this a setup? Did the unknown texter reach out to him also?

"Ariella?"

I snap back to focus. "I would like to have toast too." The words come flying out of my mouth before I can process them.

He raises a questioning eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yes." I breathe deeply, calming down my frayed nerves. "I've had enough peanut butter bagels to last a lifetime. I won't be eating another one any time soon."

The word pours out so naturally, leaving me amazed.

He nods. "Very well."

I find it hard to tell, but there appears to be a faint smile on his face. I blink, and it vanishes.

"As you wish," he adds.

"I'm grateful," I mutter. I reach forward for an empty plate.

I look up to see his eyes studying me. I'm gripped with anxiety and feel the need to explain.

"I don't know if I've said this, but I switch to a new favourite thing every now and then." I force myself into a smile, but I'm afraid it comes out as a grimace. "My system no longer agrees with peanut butter bagels."

"I don't care, Ariella. Just eat." His voice is almost cold.

I swallow. Am I doing a bad job? How did Ariella act when they had dinner together?

Oh God.