Chapter 1
I am Elena Rossi, the eldest daughter of the Rossi clan.
Today was supposed to be the day I bound myself in holy matrimony to Leo Moretti, the heir apparent of the Moretti family. But this wedding was more than a union of hearts; it was the linchpin of a decade-long truce between New York’s two most powerful Mafia syndicates.
Yet, the groom who should have been waiting at the altar had vanished into thin air.
"You’re telling me Leo ran?" I asked, my fingers tracing the outline of the thigh holster concealed beneath the layers of my wedding gown.
"Word on the street... word is he eloped with that cocktail waitress from the Jazz Club..." the bodyguard stammered, head bowed, sweat beading on his forehead.
My father and brothers rested their hands on the grips of the pistols at their waists, their expressions thunderous.
The Rossis and Morettis had spent an entire year negotiating this alliance. The heads of the Five Families were all in attendance, and FBI agents were even circling the perimeter like vultures.
If Leo had an issue with the arrangement, he could have raised it at the negotiating table. But to flee on the wedding day? That was nothing short of a declaration of war against the Rossi name.
My father whispered something into my brother’s ear, looking ready to order a lockdown and turn this wedding into a funeral.
Sitting in the shadows of the dressing room, I was plotting how to avert a bloody turf war when a deathly silence fell over the main hall. Instinctively, I looked up. A man in a bespoke black Italian suit was striding through the entrance, his aura as dark and unfathomable as an abyss.
It was Vittorio Moretti—known as Don Vittorio—the reigning Godfather of the Moretti family, as well as Leo’s uncle and adoptive father. Though he was thirty-six, time had been exceptionally kind to him, leaving behind only the lethal charisma of a man in his prime.
Vittorio rarely appeared in public, existing mostly in whispers and fear. His presence now made the entire room hold its breath. No one dared approach the sleeping lion.
Staring at his face, cold and chiseled as marble, a crazy idea flashed through my mind. Just as he was sweeping his indifferent gaze across the room, he stopped, then walked straight toward me.
"Ms. Rossi," he nodded slightly. His voice was deep and magnetic, carrying an undeniable authority. "I apologize for Leo’s stupidity. My men are already hunting him down. When they bring him back, he is yours to deal with, in accordance with family law."
He continued, "I will announce the cancellation of the wedding. As compensation, the Rossi family will be granted control of the docks for two years."
It was a generous offer, but I had a plan that would better guarantee the peace.
"Mr. Moretti, this marriage is a blood pact between the Rossis and the Morettis, is it not? The groom doesn't necessarily have to be Leo. It just has to be a man of power within the Moretti family, correct?"
"Excuse me?" His grey eyes, cold as ice, narrowed slightly, clearly caught off guard by my audacity.
After a moment of silence, he asked, "Then who do you choose?"
I flashed a sultry smile and extended my hand, clad in delicate lace, toward him. "Will you be my groom, Godfather?"