The Mafia Don's Redemption

"You'll take Isabella's place, Valentina. There's no other choice."

My mother's words echoed in my mind as I stood before the gates of the Nevarro Estate, the world as I knew it crumbling beneath my feet.

The gates groaned as they opened, a shiver tracing down my spine.

"Your sister is gone. Disappeared without a trace. The little wretch took all the money we had, too."

The estate was every bit as grand and imposing as I'd imagined, a testament to the wealth and power of the Nevarro family. But there was nothing coming about it.

It was a fortress, and I was its latest prisoner.

"Marry Matteo Nevarro. Have his heirs, and nothing would ever happen to you again."

I had never been here before, not even when my father had to come because of his little business with the former Don.

Mom always kept me away, insisting that it was unnecessary to let him know he had two daughters.

It had been Isabella, who was promised to Matteo Nevarro, not me.

Never me.

But with Isabella gone, I had to step up and take her place.

No one arrived at the gates to help me with my bags. I had to drag it down the long driveway, the weight of it pulling at my arms.

It was filled with books and my favourite paint brushes, a remnant of the life I had left behind.

"No wonder Isabella ran away; the guy must be a dick," I muttered under my breath, cursing when no one from this vast estate came to help me. Not that I expected any help from a place as cold and indifferent as this.

The doors to the estate opened with a creak, and there he stood.

Matteo Nevarro.

Exactly as I had seen in those photographs of him, and yet more.

So much more.

With hair as dark as the night sky and eyes a striking blue - the colour of stormy seas - he looked like he came straight out of a magazine.

"Miss Russo," he said, his voice smooth as velvet. "Or should I say Mrs Nevarro?"

His words were like a slap, a confirmation of the new identity that had been forced upon me.

"Valentina Nevarro," I replied, my voice trembling despite my efforts to make it steady.

"Come inside."

He didn't wait for a response before turning on his heel and disappearing back into the mansion.

Should I follow him?

This was my opportunity to run away and be free.

"And your mother would be dead come morning," a voice in my head whispered, treacherous and unrelenting.

So, I stepped inside.

The interior of the mansion was as cold and intimidating as its exterior.

High ceilings, dark marble floors stretched beneath my feet, and the walls werelijed with expensive art.

A place devoid of any emotions.

Matteo led me through a maze of hallways until we reached a large, dimly lit room.

A fire crackled in the fireplace, casting deep shadows across the walls.

"You can sit." He said, gesturing to the chair close to me.

I obeyed, sinking into it without a second thought.

"You know why you're here," he said, finally breaking the silence.

I swallowed hard, nodding. "Yes."

This was the man I was married to. Someone as cold as a block of ice. I knew my role in his life - produce heirs, be a doting wife who attended functions, and keep my mouth shut.

I was nothing more than a pawn in a game of chess.

"Good," Matteo said, leaning back in his chair. "Your sister was a tricky little thing. She challenged me in ways I didn't expect. I never imagined she would..."

Run away. I helped him finish.

The words were heavy, laden with anger and disappointment.

A surge of anger bubbled inside me.

Isabella was gone now, and with her, the life of freedom I had hoped to live.

"My mother... she forced me into this," I said, my voice weak even to my own ears.

Matteo's eyes narrowed slightly, the only sign that my words had any impact. "A wise choice. It is unwise to break a contract with the Nevarros."

But Nevarros could break a contract without anything happening.

He could have rejected me.

"I will do my best to fulfil my role," I said, the words slipping out before I could stop them. "But I won't be a pawn in your game."

My hands shook as I spoke, betraying just how terrified I was.

His eyes held mine, the stormy blue depths colder than the ocean it resembled. There was a flicker of amusement in them, like he enjoyed watching me squirm under the weight of his gaze.

"Good. You have some bite. But you belong to me, Valentina, and what you think doesn't matter."

His words were like a punch to the gut, a reminder that there was no escape for me. No way out.

"What do you want from me?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "I'm not Isabella Russo."

Matteo leaned forward, his eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my breath catch. "I want your obedience, your loyalty... and for Isabella to watch as I break you."

The air left my lungs in a rush, my mind reeling from his words. "You love Isabella," I said, my voice trembling.

It wasn't a question. It was a fact.

His expression didn't change, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes-something dark and unreadable. "Love is a luxury that doesn't come easily to me. I cared for Isabella, but I did not love her."

The tears I had been holding back threatened to spill over, but I refused to let them. "I will do whatever you ask," I said, my voice steady even as my heart pounded in my chest. "But I won't be a second Isabella. Not for you, and not for anyone else."

Matteo's eyes darkened, his gaze piercing through me. "You are already her replacement, Valentina. That counts as a second Isabella."

The tension in the room was so thick I could barely breathe.

No matter what I said or did, Matteo Navarro would always see me as nothing more than a substitute, a placeholder for the woman he had lost. I would never be a wife, never be anything more than a shadow of my sister.

Matteo stood abruptly, the movement breaking the heavy silence. "You'll stay in the west wing of the mansion. Your quarters have been prepared, and everything you need is there."

I stood as well, though my legs felt like they might give out beneath me. "Was Isabella supposed to stay in a separate wing?" I asked, the question slipping out before I could stop it.

"No," Matteo replied, turning to face me once more. "Isabella was to stay in my wing."

His words hit me like a blow.

I had known the answer before he spoke it, but hearing it out loud made it all the more real.

My place was not with him-not in his wing, not in his life. I was nothing more than a tool to be used, discarded when my purpose was fulfilled.

Matteo led me to the west wing, stopping in front of a heavy wooden door. He pushed it open, revealing the lush bedroom within. "This will be your room," he said, his voice softer now, almost gentle. "Stay here until the servants resume tomorrow."

He stepped closer, the space between us shrinking. His presence was overwhelming, intoxicating in a way I hated.

My breath hitched, and I cursed myself for the treacherous warmth blooming inside me.

"Goodnight," I murmured, my voice barely a whisper.

If he heard me, he gave no sign, turning and walking away without a backwards glance. I was left alone, surrounded by the cold, lifeless luxury of my new prison.

I moved to the window, pushing back the heavy curtains to stare outside at the fading light.

The garden below was in full bloom, a riot of colours and life that felt like a cruel contrast to the darkness that surrounded me.

Isabella was somewhere out there. She left me to the devil.

"You'll play your part well, Valentina," Matteo had said earlier, leaning forward. "But don't forget, it's not just your life that's at stake here. Others will pay if you fail."

"Good morning, Mrs Nevarro."

I screamed.

As loud as I could and for all to hear.

"Mrs Nevaro!!!!"

The first rays of dawn seeped through the heavy curtains, casting a dull light across the room.

And a lady was staring down at me.

Where was I?

"Mrs Nevarro!!!" She tried again, and then it all came back to me.

Matteo Nevarro, the wedding, the wing. His love for my sister. It was like a never ending dream.

My prison.

I had barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Matteo's blue eyes staring at me with a cold and calculating gaze, the weight of his expectations pressing down on me.

And now this lady.

She was tall and elegant, dressed in a sleek blue dress, her hair pulled back into a neat bun. A tray filled with breakfast - fresh fruit, pancakes, and a cold cup of juice - was at my bedside table.

"Good morning, Mrs Nevaro." She said, her voice polite but distant. "I'm glad you've stopped screaming. I'm Caterina, Mr Nevaro asked me to assist you with anything you might need during your stay."

Stay.

The word tasted bitter in my mouth. This wasn't no stay.

"Thank you." I murmured, unsure of what else to say.

Matteo had mentioned the servants would be here today. Now, they could gossip about me screaming my head off.

Caterina placed the tray on a little table she placed over my thighs before turning to me, her expression unreadable. "Mr Nevaro will see you in his office once you're done."

The thought of facing Matteo again made my stomach churn, but I nodded. "Okay."

He was supposed to give me the wifely duty arrangements today.

Part of me wanted to tear through the estate, find the nearest exit, and disappear forever.

But my mother?

What would he do to her if I disappeared?

Caterina gave a small nod and then left the room, closing the door softly behind her. I stared at the tray of food, my appetite nonexistent. But I forced myself to take a few bites, knowing I needed to keep my strength up.

If I was going to survive this, then I had to eat.

As I ate, my mind raced with thoughts of how I might satisfy Matteo sexually. He looked like a man with a lot of experience.

I was a lady with little experience from the one boyfriend I had two years ago. One of the driver's sons.

Before Isabella ratted me out to our parents.

I finished my breakfast and quickly got dressed in clothes that had been laid out for me. A simple black dress that wasn't my style but would do.

Matteo's office was on the other side of the estate, so it took me a while to get there. Especially with all the corridors and hallways in this place.

It was a labyrinth. Made to intimidate, and remind anyone here how insignificant they were.

Matteo's office held a set of large double doors, flanked by two stern-looking men in suits. They nodded at me but said nothing as they opened the doors to reveal his office.

The room was as vast as any bedroom in this place, with walls lined with bookshelves and expensive artworks. A large mahogany desk took over the far end of the room.

"I thought you ran away, too." He said without turning around. "If you had, I would likely think it just runs in your family genetics."

I stepped closer to him, my heart pounding in my chest as the doors closed behind me.

Had that being a joke?

"Did you sleep well?" He asked, his tone almost casual.

I hesitated, unsure of how to respond. "Not really."

He nodded as if he expected nothing else. "Well, I think we should get started with what I called you here for. I am a busy...."

"Why didn't you search for her?" I asked, my voice firmer than I expected. "You love her, yet you can't risk a few men to find her and bring her back."

He didn't answer right away. Instead, he walked over to his desk and picked up a small, ornate box, turning it over in his hands. "Because I have a replacement."

"A replacement you would never love. Never care for." I said, the words tumbling out before I could stop them. "You could have found her and made her see reasons."

Matteo's eyes flashed with something - anger, maybe frustration - but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. "I can't fault Isabella for her choice. She doesn't love me, and she never would."

The way Matteo said her name.... like a caress. There was something more there. As if the love he had for her wasn't just unrequited to him... it was dangerous.

"She never would?" I echoed, incredulous. "And so, you pick the one sister that wouldn't fight back"

"Yes." He said bluntly, setting the box on the desk. "You took her place, and in return, I will ensure that your mother remains....secure."

And alive.

I stared at him, the weight of his words sinking in. This wasn't about me or Isabella. This was about power, control, and his desire to maintain his position at all cost.

A girl had run away because she didn't want to marry him.

The all-powerful Don of the Nevaro mafia gang.

I was just a means to an end.

"And if I refuse to give you heirs?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Matteo smiled, a cold predatory expression that didn't reach his eyes. "You'll learn how to please me, Valentina. Or you'll learn just how much I hate disobedience."

A chill ran down my spine. He was right. I had no choice in this.

My mother and Isabella had seen to that.

"So, what happens now?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Now." Matteo said, his tone softening slightly. "You begin your new role. You will accompany me to events and host sometimes. You will learn what it means to be my wife with a bit of a modification."

"What sort of modification?" Alarm bells rang in my mind.

He plucked out a piece of paper. "How to satisfy me. I assume a girl like you doesn't have any experience with that world, but you'll learn." The smirk on his lips widened. "I'll come to you when I'm ready, so don't bother coming to me."

His words were like a slap to my face, cutting off any hope that I wouldn't have sex with him. Though mother had made it clear I was to give him a child within two years of our marriage or the alliance is over.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. "I understand."

"Good." Matteo said, his voice smooth again. "You'll find that this life isn't as difficult as you might think. There are rules, of course, but once you learn them, you'll see that it can be... rewarding."

Rewarding. The word felt hollow, a promise of something that I knew would never come. But I didn't argue. There was no point.

"Do you have any other questions?" Matteo asked, his eyes searching mine.

I shook my head. "No. Not right now."

"Very well," he said, a slight smile curving his lips. "Caterina will continue to assist you. She'll ensure you have everything you need."

"Thank you," I murmured, though I wasn't sure what I was thanking him for.

"Remember, Valentina." Matteo continued, his voice smooth as velvet. "Any attempt to behave like Isabella would show you a side of me you don't need to know."

His words hung in the air between us, a reminder of the delicate balance I walked.

"Understood." I said, forcing the word out even as my mind screamed at me to run, to find a way out of this nightmare.

"Good. You may go now."

I was out of the room before he could change his mind and decide to start the marital process there.

Something had happened between Isabella and Matteo. Something he would never tell me or anyone else.

As I left the corridor of Matteo's office, the hairs on the back of my neck prickled. Someone was watching me.

Tracking my movements.

If I didn't find a way to get Isabella soon, I might find myself in a place much worse than the one she left.

Matteo

"She's beautiful."

Black had always been my favourite colour.

Hidden. Silent. Deadly.

I felt at home with it, like siblings whose bonds grew stronger every day.

Yet in the span of a second, Valentina had upended that as she had every other thing in my life.

Heat poured down my body as Valentina mixed various colours in a flat disk, creating a mixture to paint across the canvas. She was colour and chaos, a whirlwind of unpredictable energy I should have stayed away from.

I hated it.

I hated how she made me question everything. How she made me wish I didn't give up on my search.

And I hated how much I wanted her.

She wasn't supposed to be mine. She wasn't supposed to be anyone's.

But fate had always been cruel.

The art gallery in the estate was small, almost quaint, but it had become a place of refuge for her. A sanctuary where she could lose herself and hide from Caterina, I guessed.

Isabella had been the brain behind the idea. She thought it would be nice for me to have a place where I could stay and paint whenever I felt the urge to disappear.

It was supposed to be our place. A little room we could stay in without anyone watching us or trying to harm us.

Just her in front of the canvas as my muse.

Isabella had been everything I thought I wanted.

Carefree, strong, rebel.

Everything I could never be. The ideal partner.

Perfect match on paper. And I had convinced myself she was going to be my future.

Then she ran away.

"Stay away from her." I growled, my voice low and dangerous, the warning hanging in the air like a loaded gun.

Valentina was a wide card. She wasn't a rebel like her sister, and I was pretty sure she had never broken a single rule in her life.

Graceful like the Swan. The perfect wife.

She was chaos.

And she was mine. Even if she didn't know it yet.

Ethan's smirk faded, replaced by a flicker of understanding. "Careful, Matteo. Possessiveness can be a double-edged sword."

My cold smile showed him how little I cared. "Perhaps if you channel that energy to your wife, you wouldn't be on time out."

Satisfaction filled my chest at his narrowed eyes. If Valentina was my weakness, then Valerie was his.

I wasn't interested in anything that happened in his relationship.

After being a fuckboy for most of his life, he finally showed interest in one of the ladies who worked in the Nevaro mafia gang, and like a gentleman, I introduced them.

Now, she was about to give us a little Ethan.

"Point taken." He said with a tightened jaw. All humour was gone now, leaving behind the asshole I was used to. "But I didn't come here to discuss Valentina or Valerie, so let me get to the real issue at hand. When are we going to attack the Greens? I swear, their heads get bigger every time."

I forced thoughts of blond curls and grey eyes out aside at the mention of the rival gang.

Romanos, the mafia that had been the bane of my existence even before I was born. For reasons no one talked about anymore, the Nevarros and the Romanos hated each other.

"No one told you to attack them in broad daylight." I walked to the bar at the side and got myself a drink. Ethan, that bastard picked up my Ipad the moment I walked away. "I told you they did not kidnap Isabella."

"She happens to be Valerie's best friend, so I had to try. Unlike you, who just forgot her and hooked up with the little sister." Judgement flowed heavily from his last statement.

"You have a problem, I explain why." I gave a careless shrug. "If Isabella had been taken, I would give my entire life to get her back.."

And I had not hooked up with the sister. I avoided her at all costs.

Secretly anyway. As far as everyone in the estate and beyond knew, I met up with Valentina every night to provide an heir.

The Nevarro family was a nosy bunch. The whole lot. And I would be damned if I allowed them to know much about my private affairs.

He examined me over the top of his glass. "You act like you no longer care about her. You got what you wanted, then cast her aside like trash." He added. "Everyone on the street wants to know."

"I have my reasons."

Just one to be exact. But he didn't need to know that.

***

She sat on my chair, her legs planted squarely on my desk. If someone else had tried that, I would use my gun on them without asking for an explanation.

"She's different, Maverick." Isabella had said, her eyes searching mine for some reaction. "She's not like me."

"No one is like you."

She chuckled. "Not what I meant. She's a rebel in her own way, hidden from our parents, and I'm scared she'll hurt herself one day." She added. "Especially with the sickness."

*****

Ethan made an impatient noise, but he was smart enough to keep what he thought to himself.

"Fine, but I'm not waiting forever. It's ruining my reputation as a man who kills his enemies." He grumbled.

"Everyone thinks Isabella would be back now that I married Valentina. You're fine." I said dryly.

In reality, they wouldn't.

Questions would always be asked, and fingers would always point.

"I'll go deaf from Valerie's complains." Ethan rubbed a thumb over his upper lip. "Speaking of complaints, Adrian was officially murdered last night."

The atmosphere shifted with the weight of the new topic.

"I wanted to kill him."

I had no love lost for the man who tried to marry my sister last year, only to be caught cheating on her with some lady.

Adrian had always been a slimeball. This was just the first time something happened to him.

Ethan and I talked about Adrian some more before he excused himself to make a call.

As the CEO of Blythe Enterprise, a luxury tech company that prided itself in making the best tech products, he was always in the business of making and taking calls.

In the absence of conversation, my mind moved towards a certain blond.

Did she realise how much she had taken a life that was meant for her sister?

Did she know that despite everything, I couldn't get her off my mind?

The memory of her walking down the walkway, dragging that bag behind her because I had instructed everyone to stay clear, lingered in my brain.

I shouldn't have agreed to her mother when she told me she would let me have the sister, and I damn well shouldn't have allowed her to know just how well I cared for her sister.

I didn't care about the arranged marriage our family had planned for us.

I raised my head up as Ethan walked into the office again.

"I have to go to Paris." He grabbed his jacket from the chair close to me. "Something....happened."

"Sorry to hear that." I said mildly.

I waited until he was close to his car before I added. "The something wouldn't happen to be a certain friend coming to meet Valerie, right?"

Surprise coated his eyes, followed by annoyance. "What did you do, Nevarro?"

"I merely facilitated the reunion between old friends." One message from Valerie and the said friend came running. Pathetic if one asked me. "Since you enjoyed fucking with what's mine so much, I figured I'd return the favour."

I slammed his car door in his face.

Brutal, but effective. He was my best friend, but I didn't appreciate people talking about what's mine.

I straightened my shirt sleeves and returned to the library, where my gaze travelled the length of the driveway until it landed on those fucking grey eyes.