My door is opened, and a hand is extended toward me; I accept it and get out of the car, feeling several glances in my direction. I hold my head high even though I don’t feel confident to face them. Wear your mask, you’ll need it, Grandma said just before we left the house, she was right.
I look straight ahead, trying to ignore the stares. My body relaxes as I see Luca walk out of the door and down the small staircase toward me. I quickly release my hand, as if I had burned it, his gaze fixed on me, almost burning, refusing to lookaway, even though his expression shows no emotion.
I feel his body next to mine as his arm is stretched out toward me to link it with mine. I look at him, but his gaze is focused on the group of people staring at us; they don’t seem happy with my presence, and their gazes make my legs tremble. When he senses this small reaction from my body, he turns his eyes to me.
“You look stunning, Chiara!” I feel my cheeks burning, and I fight the urge to lower my head. I can’t show weakness.
“They don’t seem too happy to see me!”
“They’ll get used to it. Otherwise, the red they’ll see won’t be from your dress.” I let out a small laugh and cover my lips with my hand, trying to hide it. Luca looks at me with an arched eyebrow, and I wonder if he thinks I doubt his word.
“My mom said something similar!”
“A wise woman, I can tell you.”
I’m guided inside the mansion, getting a glimpse of how exuberant it is, ice statues are scattered around the room, waiters serve caviar and champagne non-stop, everything looks incredibly wonderful and luxurious. We stop in front of Don Henrico and Lady Milena, who smiles at me, trying to calm me down a little. Don Henrico takes my hand and kisses it.
“You look like a real mafia princess!” I smile without really understanding what he means. When I look around, it seems like I stand out from all the girls my age.
“Darling, I don’t think your comparison is quite right. You do look like a beautiful princess, Chiara, but much bolder than the ones in the mafia.” When I hear these words, I try to ignore the urge to run and change, knowing that after today, I’ll probably never be able to mix with these people. It’s wonderful, a real symbol of change, of the future. I look at Luca’s mother, not knowing if this is actually a good thing. She touches my face and gives me a fond smile, clearly trying to put my mind at ease.“The symbol of a new beginning, a new generation, a new Capo!”
“The future Capo and Queen of the Camorra!” Don Henrico’s voice comes out loud and proud, causing several people to look in our direction.
“Not a future queen, a Queen…” Luca says, placing his hand at the end of my bare back, sending a shiver through my entire body at the contact.
Lady Milena looks at us with a fond smile. “I don’t think Chiara has met Bella yet. What do you think about accompanying me upstairs to meet her?” I nod before looking at Luca, who offers me a small gesture to follow his mother. “Bella never wants to take part in these kinds of parties, so don’t take it personally.”
“Luca told me that few people know her!” I say, watching Lady Milena stop and gesture for us to walk side by side.
“She’s quite introverted. At first, it was mainly for safety measures, but now she really prefers not to participate.”
“I understand…” Lady Milena looks at me like she’s reading my soul, smiling, before knocking on a door and opening it.
When the door opens, I catch a glimpse of Bella sitting on her bed with aChow Chowat her feet, reading a book. She seems so lost in it that she doesn’t notice us. I smile, knowing well the feeling. She looks like Luca, with long, straight coal-black hair, big watery blue eyes, andslightly tanned skin, which is complemented by soft, beautiful features and naturally red lips.
“Bella… Bella…” when her eyes finally lift from the pages that hold her, I marvel at the blue of her eyes. “This is Chiara; you said you’d like to meet her.”
“Hello, it’s nice to finally meet you!” Bella examines me from head to toe before flashing me a smile.
“It’s nice to finally meet my brother’s future wife.” She stands up calmly, making the dog raise its head before deciding to ignore us and lie down again. “Luca was right, the perfectqueen for the Camorra!”
I’m not sure what to say or think; I don’t know her, and no matter how hard I try, I can’t read her expression or intention. “I don’t know…”
“It’s good to see someone different, someone who can bring change to this archaic organization.” Her words make me widen my eyes in surprise, and she laughs, noticing my reaction.
“I hope I’m up to the task, I guess…”
“Oh, you are; Luca would never marry you if you weren’t!” Her words hit me like a punch; maybe I’m just a means to an end, something that can incite change, nothing more. “Although you’re pretty enough to marry just for looks, something tells me there’s more to it, and that’s the real reason for the wedding.”
“Okay, Bella, enough rambling and supposition. I didn’t bring Chiara to meet you to fill her with your theories…”
His hands went up in surrender, and she came toward me, hugging me, leaving me surprised and unresponsive. I returned the hug seconds later, still surprised by her gesture. “I like you; I’m glad my brother chose you as his fiancée! I really hope you find love and happiness together in this twisted world of ours.” the words were whispered in my ear during the hug, and she slowly pulled away from me, giving me a bright smile, which I didn’t have to force to return.
“Aren’t you going to join us?” I ask already knowing the answer, watching her sit comfortably on the bed with her pajamas on.
Bella lets out a small smile and looks a little embarrassed. “I don’t really like these events; I’m not very good with people…” her voice is low, and she avoids looking me in the eye.
“I think we’ve found something in common!” Her gaze goes up to me, and she seems more comfortable.
