"CHRISTIANITY. I'M A CATHOLIC, LIKE YOU. All the Di Matteo are!" And they are still not telling me anything.
"Were you baptized?" Millie asked.
She clenched her jaw, "Yes, I was."
"By who?" Her uncle countered.
How is this of any importance? "Mama's best friend, and her husband. Guilhermina Massimiliano and Hasegawa Yasumi. Both worked with mama in her official job, the one that everyone else who wasn't part or aware of the Mafia, knew of."
"She was an architect, right?" Millie leaned closer to take a better look on Chiara. "Rufus told us that she had a company there."
"Yes. Mama was a renowned architect," and she taught a lot about her work, even making me learn how to project and draw the designs. Which I loved it. "I'm sure she left the company on zia's hands, now that she's a widow, after zio Yasumi died of cancer. And well, her daughter is also an architect," Melissa. Speaking of her, the last time I talked to her, she had moved to the UK after having a baby. I should try getting in contact with her, she'll turn 20 soon. "Why?"
"Just curious," Kingsley took another sip of his wine.
They are all too curious about my life. "If you were the only one," she scoffed, bitterly, side-eyeing Khloe who blushed hard. "Now, can you be straightforward with me? I'm holding myself together here not to be rude or harsh, zio Kingsley, but it's hard when you all keep going around, and around, and around, without going anywhere. Don't you know how to be direct? Was papa the only one with that ability in the Armstrongs?" Chiara glared at him, making it clear that she wouldn't take their small talk any longer.
Sharing a worried gaze, they all turned to her, and she waited, as her feet restlessly hit the floor. Come on, tell me. Tell me, merda.
"Do you promise to stay as calm as you can, not freak out or attack us after we tell you?" Her aunt asked, making her get even more anxious.
Chiara closed her eyes for a second, inhaling sharply, "Porca puttana!" She mumbled under her breath. "I'll do my best. But if you keep withholding whatever is it that you want to tell me, I won't be able to hold myself." And she heard when they all gulped.
The tension spread around the dining room, and her uncle gathered all the courage he had to tell her what he needed to. "Rufus made a deal with Nicolae Scarlat 23 years ago!"
Oh mio Dio! Now, tell me something I don't know, testa di cazzo. I already heard that when I was spying on your ass. "And what does that has to do with me?"
How can she be so intimidating? Fuck. I'll just drop the bomb all at once. Her stress is spreading on me. "That deal entails that his firstborn daughter would get together in matrimony with Nicolae's firstborn son. And it wasn't a simple promise they made to each other, it was a sealed deal with both our families' lawyers. All to tie the Armstrongs and the Scarlat together."
Chiara froze. She stared at her uncle for an eternity, waiting for him to tell her that it was all a joke. That he wasn't serious, it was just a prank, and that he was still going to tell her the actual reason. But something came, and thus, she stayed silent. And her silence made them even more scared than a possible burst of anger.
After almost 10 minutes, Chiara swallowed, clenching her jaw, "Mama… Was mama aware of it? Did mama know about this?"
Her uncle nodded, feeling suffocated by the 17-year-old. "Yes. Caterina knew about it, and was in agreement with it. She was not present when it happened, thus, Nicolae has never met her, but she was aware of everything."
That took her breath away. For once, her eyes looked lost for almost five minutes. Hazy. She put the fork down, cleaned her hands with the napkin, and passed them over her face, frustrated. "So, you are telling me that papa and mama made this decision together? They decided to get me married by convenience to the son of papa's best friend, just to join their families?"
Kingsley made a signal for his steward to come and bring a document, and as he handed it to a shaken Chiara, he left as quick as he came. "That's one of the five copies of the document, Chiara."
As much as she tried, she couldn't stop her hands from shaking. Curling her toes and clenching her jaw, she felt thankful for coming down with her eyeglasses on, and let her eyes pass through the documents.
۞
Hereby, Nicolae Gatten Scarlat and Rufus Jason Armstrong, swear this oath and promise to united both of their families as one in matrimony, thorough their firstborns. In case Scarlat's firstborn is a son and Armstrong's a daughter, they will get engaged when they turn 18, to marry in the December that comes after they reach adult age, as per the tradition of the Scarlat's family, a condition accepted by Armstrong.
If they grow up together or not. With a slight difference of age or not. This agreement will come into play, and going against it will cost the inheritance of both parties in question.
In case of Armstrong's firstborn being a son, and Scarlat's firstborn being a daughter, it will all come into play in the same way. If Armstrong's firstborn is a son, and Scarlat's as well, the male to be married with be Scarlat's heir, to the first daughter of Armstrong. And if Scarlat is unable to conceive a son, his first daughter will be married to Armstrong's son.
Their children will come together in holy matrimony as one, in a catholic marriage during winter season. Divorce will be out of question, and never to be allowed. All that one has will be the other's and they will be with one another until death do them part. Thus, they have a duty to bear heirs, so these heirs will keep their union alive.
A sacred promise that is not supposed to be broken.
Having as it's witness, besides the two parties mentioned above, Kingsley Joshua Armstrong, Madalina Kate Vasilache-Scarlat, Theodor Coriolanus Scarlat, Natalia Diana Smith-Scarlat, Luca Valeriu Vasilache, Keira Dove Charles-Vasilache, who share blood with the sealers of the deal; Caldwell Powell, lawyer of Armstrong, and Leith Byrne, lawyer of Scarlat; and Bishop Noel Rees.
To be put into action when both the bride and groom have reached adulthood!
Signatures of the parents of the future bride:
Father of the child- *signed*
Mother of the child- *signed*
Signatures of the parents of the future groom:
Father of the child- *signed*
Mother of the child- *signed*
June 7th, Sunday. Private office of Bishop Noel Rees. London, UK.
*Handwritten by Bishop Noel Rees. |||||
۞
Chiara's mouth dried when she saw the familiar signatures of her father and her mother on the last page of the handwritten paper. She signed with the DM of Di Matteo. They may not notice, but I do. I've seen this more times than I could possibly count. And I've also seen both Nicolae and Madalina's signatures when I was hacking them. "To think mama and papa really did this…" She avoided the gaze of her uncle. "You said this is one of five copies."
"One for your father, one for your mother's family, one for the lawyers, one for Nicolae and Madalina, and one for the Bishop!"