Sold to the Devil
"Mama!!" Maria's voice echoed through the grand villa as she rushed inside, her heart filled with excitement. Four years had passed since she last saw her family, and the thought of being home again filled her with warmth.
But the reception she dreamed of wasn't waiting for her.
Her mother, Laura, appeared in the doorway, her expression tight, her hands clutching the edges of her shawl like she was shielding herself from an unseen storm.
"Your father is waiting for you in his study," she said abruptly, cutting off her greeting.
She didn't expect such an awkward welcome from her mother who has always wanted to speak to her while she was in America. She has been out of the country for the past four years, and now that she was back, she expected a glad and grand welcome from her mother.
"But, Mama…."
"Go and meet him now, Maria." Laura insisted, her tone sharp. Her lips curled into a forced smile, but it didn't reach her eyes.
The suitcases on Maria's hands almost fell. She knew from onset that something was off. How her father spoke to her, the urgency of his call for her to come back to Italy. "Mother, hope nothing is wrong…."
"Nothing much, go and meet your father, he's waiting for you."The villa, once a place of comfort for Maria, now felt foreign and suffocating to her as she dragged her feet and the suitcases upstairs. She paused in her room only long enough to catch her breath before her unease drove her to her father's study.
"Maria, my beloved," her father grinned, stalking the uneasy feelings that had crept in her. Relief flooded her chest. She had thought something weird had happened but seeing her father's face, things seemed to go well.
She ran into her father's arms, hugging him gladly. It has been four years since she had such an embrace from her dear father."Papa, I missed you so much!"
"And you," he replied, his voice gentle, though there was an edge to it she couldn't place.
"I have news," Maria said excitedly, pulling back. She held up her hand, the diamond engagement ring catching the light. "Look! Paulo proposed! We are getting married in three weeks."
"What's this?? Don't tell me….." Antonio furrowed his brows, seeing the ring on her daughter's finger pierced his heart without warning.The smile on his face faltered. His eyes locked on the ring, and something dark and unreadable flashed across his face.
Maria was startled at her father's reaction. He was the one who had been pressing her concerning the need for a partner, why was he showing such a reaction.
"It's... Paulo and I are engaged. Isn't it wonderful"
"No." Antonio's voice was sharp, cutting through her excitement like a blade. His jaw tightened, and his fists curled at his sides.
"Papa?"
"Take that ring off!" he ordered, his voice like a thunder.
Maria stepped back, confusion and fear colliding in her chest. "What are you talking about? Paulo is….."
"You are going to be married this afternoon!!"
Maria couldn't fathom all that her father said. This afternoon? To whom? Who was she going to marry?
The only person she was going to marry was Paulo and they've not talked anything about the wedding yet. So who was he referring to?
"I repeat, remove that awful ring from your finger now!! You are going to wed Vincenzo today!!"
The room spun. She stumbled, her father's words crashing into her like a tidal wave.
"What?! Vincenzo??" She laughed nervously, shaking her head. "You can't be serious Papa. Vincenzo Ricci? The Mafia King? The devil of Milan? No, this is some kind of joke."
He was not someone who would have any connection with such a devil. Never, Antonio would never have anything to do with him.
Then, without warning, Antonio grabbed her wrist, yanking her forward, his eyes burning with fury. . "Do I look like I'm joking?! Get yourself ready now. You are wedding him this afternoon."
"Never!! I'm not marrying any man except Paulo," she voiced out after seeing the reality on her father's face. This wasn't the man she left four years ago. This was the man who would do anything to satisfy her need, now, what was going on?
Suddenly, before she could utter anything again, her father's palm landed on her cheek. The force sent her reeling, her chek stinging with pain. "Do you think you have any say in this?" Antonio growled, his voice dripping with menace. "You are my daughter, and you will have to do what I say!!"
Tears welled in her eyes as she cradled her burning cheek. "Why are you doing this, Papa? What does Vincenzo want with me?
Antonio didn't answer. Instead, he grabbed her hand and yanked the ring from her finger, throwing it to the ground and crushing it beneath his shoe.
Maria's heart shattered into pieces along with the ring. Her hands trembled as tears blurred her vision. The man standing before her wasn't the father she had loved and trusted. He was completely a stranger, cold and unyielding.
She couldn't believe what was happening. Now, everything was clear to her. The urgent call in America. The awkward welcome. The heavy atmosphere. It was clear to her now. The person who has always shown affection to her, the one who had risked his life to save her from a fatal accident four years ago, was now wedding her off to a deadly man. A man who butchers anyone that stepped on his toes.
*******
The noon was a blur of tears and dread.
"Your tears are ruining the makeup madam," the make up artist grumbled, her face full of annoyance. This was the ninth time she was cleaning the whole thing off and applying another one.
Laura sat beside her, wringing her hands. "My daughter, I know it's worth crying but now is not the perfect time. Please," her mother begged, caressing her right arm.
"I begged him, but he wouldn't listen. He said this was the only way to repay his debt to Vincenzo."
Maria stiffened. "Debt? What debt?"
"Fifty thousand dollars," Laura admitted, her voice trembling. "To Vincenzo."
Maria stared at her reflection at the mirror before her, her face pale and lifeless. Her father had sold her to the devil, a person whose name alone sent shivers down everyone's spine, to settle a debt.
If she had known, she wouldn't have come at all. She would run into hiding with her lover, where no one would see them.
Before she knew it she was taken into a Rolls-Royce car by some huge men in black suits and black glasses. Their stance alone radiated menace.They were Vincenzo Ricci's men, his shadows, his executioners.The villa she'd once called home faded into the distance, replaced by a nightmare she couldn't escape.
When the car pulled up to the grand hall, Maria's fear deepened.Everyone was already waiting for them except the groom. What she knew was that the groom was always the one waiting for the bride. But reversal was her own case. The priest, the men in black, all of them were all waiting.
Her father held her hand so tight and they moved to the aisle. She was trying all her best to entwine her hand from her father's hand. "Young Lady!! What are you doing?" Antonio shouted, "You will not embarrass me," he hissed as they walked down the aisle.
Maria's legs felt like a lead. Every step brought her closer to a man she didn't love, a man whose very name struck fear into the hearts of everyone present.
"No, I'm not marrying him, I'm engaged!!" Maria voiced out with tears streaming down her face. Whispers swirled around the room.The priest stood at the altar, his face pale, his hands trembling as he clutched the Bible.
"Maria, you had better cooperate now! If I tell you to live, you live and if I tell you to die, Maria, you will die!!" Antonio bellowed to her daughter.
"And who said you could do that?!!" A voice rang out the whole hall, arresting everyone's ear for attention.
There he was. The Devil himself.
Vincenzo Ricci. He strode inside, his presence commanding silence. He wore a black suit tailored to perfection, his movement predatory. His face was spattered with a liquid that seemed to be like blood, and he wiped it away lazily with a handkerchief as he approached. Maybe he had just finished ending a life.
The crowd gasped, shrinking away as the Don passed. Maria froze, her blood turning to ice,
"The next time you utter such to my wife, you will have your head at stake then!!"
"Ohh, you are my new wife? I pray you last than others?" Vincenzo said , gazing at her lustfully.
Blood drained out of her face. Who were the others he was referring to?? Did he mean he has had some others before??
The Priest cleared his throat, his voice shaking as he began the ceremony. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…."
The words faded into background as Maria's dread consumed her. She barely registered when Vincenzo stepped beside her, his hand closing over hers like a vice.
When the priest asked if she would take Vincenzo as her husband, she opened her mouth to protest, tears streaming down her cheek, but her father's warning glare silenced her.
"I…I do," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
"And do you, Vincenzo Ricci, take Maria Salvatore to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
The Don smirked, his gaze never leaving Maria's tear-streaked face. "Till death do us apart."
The priest's hands trembled with fear as he closed the Bible. "You may now kiss the bride."
Before Maria could react, Vincenzo seized her by the waist, his lips crashing against hers. The kiss was possessive, rough, leaving no doubt that she now belonged to him. Yes, all her body parts belonged to him now.
Everything ended with Vincenzo's possessive kiss, sealing her fate. But as she was ushered towards the car waiting outside, her father approached her, a strange smile on his face.
Learning close, Antonio whispered to her ears,"you are doing this for me, for Alfonso precisely."
"Your late brother??"
"Yes," he nodded, his expression unreadable.
But she thought her mother said the marriage was for paying his $50,000 debt. Why was her father mentioning her late brother who was killed by an unknown mafia boss?
How was she doing this for her uncle? What help did marrying a devil would do to her dead uncle?
Question marks were all over her head. She didn't know what was going on again. Maria could smell something fishy about him. She was left clueless and confused.
The car door closed, trapping her inside with VIncenzo. As they drove away, Maria's thoughts churned . Her father's words lingered in her mind, a puzzle she couldn't unravel. What was Antonio hiding?