From Cecilia's perspective:
I sat at my dressing table. My makeup, my hair, and my nails were done. I looked at myself in the mirror. This 17-year-old girl was going to see her fiancé, Albert Rich.
My eldest brother, Raul, personally picked out my gown for me. It was an extravagant gown. I knew exactly what he meant by this. On the one hand, he wanted me to attract as much attention as possible from Albert, and on the other, he wanted to show off our family's wealth and power so that the Rich family wouldn't think they were out of our league.
"You look so beautiful, my princess." Mom held my hand with tears in her eyes.
"Thanks, Mom." A tear slipped down my cheek.
My mom wiped my tears away and held me tightly. Comforting me with a hug was the only thing she could do. Other than that, there was nothing she could do. In this family, whether it was me or my mom, we had no say in anything, and we had no ability to make any decisions. As my mom stroked my long hair, she didn't say anything. I knew there was nothing she or I could do either. None of the women in a Mafia family had ever been able to change a man's decision.
My mom took my hand and led me out the door while my sister, Daisy, waited for me outside. The three of us walked down the stairs and straight to the limousine that was already waiting in the yard. Raul was sitting inside. He had his legs crossed and a glass of champagne in his hand. He took a sip and said, "Get in the car." His eyes were emotionless and he couldn't wait to send me away.
I got into the car and my mom helped me get the hem of my dress in.
"Hurry up!" Raul shouted at my mother impatiently.
"You're the one who insisted I wear such a troublesome dress." I glared at him angrily.
"Don't talk to me like that!" Raul grabbed my necklace and pulled me in front of him as he said word by word. I felt a chill down my spine and I didn't dare to look into his eyes.
"Yes." I lowered my gaze and stopped contradicting him.
Raul let go. Mom sat down beside me and looked to see if there were any strangulation marks on the back of my neck.
The car drove out of my family's manor. On the way, I didn't dare to look Raul in the eye.
"I still don't approve of this marriage," Daisy said, breaking the silence. She crossed her arms and frowned at Raul.
"You have no say here!" Raul shouted. "This is Dad's decision!"
"This was your decision!" Daisy did not back down.
"Don't think that you can speak to me in such a tone just because you're my biological sister. I'm the heir of our family's Mafia! I am the one who calls the shots now, and in the future!" With that, Raul gulped down the champagne in his glass.
Even though Daisy's words couldn't change anything, I was still grateful to her. Daisy was two years older than me. She had never made things difficult for me or helped me. We just maintained basic courtesy to each other while living under the same roof. However, when she found out that I was going to marry Albert, it was she, and only she, who stood up for me, so I was grateful.
I stared out the car window in a daze. It was already evening and the evening lights were on. Some of the people on the street were relaxed, and some were in a hurry. They all had places to go, people to love, and dreams to pursue. As for me, I had nothing. I was born to serve other people. My father was the head of the Mafia, my mother was his mistress, and my half-brother hated me to the core.
I had naively imagined that one day, I would be able to escape this hellish place and build a normal family with the man who I loved and who loved me. From then on, I would have nothing to do with the damn Mafia. However, things did not go according to my wishes. I was born into a Mafia family and my ultimate fate was to become another Mafia man's toy. Helplessness and fear overwhelmed me, but I had no power to resist.
Albert Rich was a terrifying name. Although I'd never seen him before, I knew that he had killed countless people, and he was violent and cold-blooded. If I was going to live with such a person, I would be going from one living hell to another.
I couldn't disobey my father's orders, or else what awaited me would be cruel beatings and imprisonment. I knew their methods well. My marriage, in the eyes of my father and brother, was just a way to establish connections. Without using a soldier, a penny, or a silver, one woman could be exchanged for an alliance with the Rich family's Mafia. Why not?
Raul tidied his cufflinks and looked up at me. "Marrying Albert is your best option. At least you're officially husband and wife. At least you're not like your mother, who's been nothing but a whore after all these years." He glanced at my mother and snorted disdainfully.
I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists in anger. Mom had one hand on my fist and the other on my shoulder as she nodded at me. She wanted me to hold it in.
The car pulled up to the hotel entrance and the doorman politely opened the door for us. I lifted my skirt and stepped out of the car while feeling the chill of late autumn. Raul and Daisy walked in front while Mom and I followed behind.
"I want to go to the bathroom," I said.
Raul stopped and turned back to give me an impatient look.
"You guys go in first. I'll be there soon."
Raul instructed two of his bodyguards to follow me in case I ran away.
I lifted my skirt and heels as I went into the bathroom while two bodyguards waited for me outside the door. In the mirror, I saw a faint red ligature on the side of my neck. This wound was nothing compared to the way Raul had beaten me before. After tonight, I wouldn't have to endure Raul's beating and scolding anymore. There was no doubt about that. The person I should really be worried about was Albert Rich. Would it be better for me to live with this man than to be in my own home? Perhaps I would die a worse death. I used the necklace to cover the ligature and placed my hands on the sink. Fear overwhelmed me. I could barely see my reflection clearly as tears filled my eyes. In a daze, I felt a person pass by behind me. Suddenly, I felt a prickle on the back of my neck, so I touched it. I saw blood on my fingers.
"What is going on?" I said to myself as I looked at the blood on my fingers.
"This is a sedative." These were the last words I heard before I passed out.