Southern Sweden (18 years ago)

"You know exactly why I am here, don't you? You shouldn't have betrayed me. You were one of my best men, I trusted you, and it was all for greed," he argued while pointing a gun at the man in front of him.

"I know I don't have the right to argue, and I can't even defend myself. I accept my punishment, and I know it is death. I only beg for mercy for my family. They knew nothing, I am the only one to blame," the man's sobbing intensified after those words.

"If you truly care about your family, you should have thought about them first," he turned to the woman. "On second thought, death wouldn't be punishment for you, but I think I can make you pay in another way," he touched the face of the child in the mother's arms.

"No, not my daughter," the woman pleaded, crying.

"When your daughter turns eighteen, she will marry my son. Keep the girl pure, or she will also pay. And as for your son, he will serve the organization faithfully. He will only marry if I allow it or if my son, as the future leader, decides so. Try to do a better job with them than you did with me. Keep them in line, or you will witness the consequences and your punishment will be watching everything, powerless. I will prepare the marriage contract and come back here for it to be signed. And don't forget, the destiny of your children was determined by you."

After saying those words, he turned around and headed towards the door, pausing to give an order to one of his soldiers.

"Watch them. If they try to escape, let me know."

He left the house, leaving a kneeling father, a desperate mother, and a frightened boy behind.

Present day...

The sound of heavy breathing filled the dark room. It was another nightmare, or rather, an old memory that kept repeating in the past few weeks. The bedside lamp was turned on, but even with that light, his heart remained in darkness.

Augusto got up and went to the bathroom sink, splashing his face with water and staring at himself in the mirror, thinking about how he would free his sister from that situation. He was already thirty years old, and since that experience he had at thirteen, he never forgot the eyes and the look of the mafia Don's son in his direction, the same organization his father had been a subordinate of when he made that mistake.

Augusto's gaze, which was the same age as his back then and had left him so frightened, was now even colder and more intimidating. He had gone from being known as the boss's son to being recognized as the current leader of the mafia. He had taken over at the young age of twenty-two when his father fell ill. He had a reputation for being cruel and ruthless, sparing only innocent women and children. Many of his enemies, and even some allies, referred to him as a monster.

The reason for his nightmares was that his sister Alice would turn eighteen in a week. He was anguished, wondering if he would be able to save his sister from the punishment of marrying the monster.

During those years, their father had allowed Alice some freedom, knowing that she would be deprived of much after marrying the mafia leader. He had let her go out and have fun, but always pleaded with her for one thing: to remain pure.

After getting up, Augusto set off early for his morning run, as was his usual routine. He needed to think and come up with some ideas on how to help his sister. He decided to call his friend Mark, thinking that maybe the two of them could find a solution to this problem together.

Mark was his best friend, and he considered him a brother. Like Augusto, Mark was also involved in the underworld of the mafia. They had known each other since elementary school, trained together in the ranks, and even lost their virginity on the same day through a scheme that Mark had arranged.

"Hello, I need to meet with you to talk about that matter again," Augusto told his friend, knowing that Mark was already aware of his concern.

"Of course, I'm at home. You can come over, I'll be waiting for you," Mark replied.

They ended the call, and Mark's expression changed after hearing that his friend would be discussing his sister's situation once again. He took a deep breath and had a drink, needing to gather the courage for what he had to do.

They agreed to meet at Mark's apartment, but first, Augusto went back to his house to take a shower. He was sweaty from his run and, upon arriving home, found a certain commotion.

When he walked in, he found Alice crying, and his father and mother were trying to console her.

Alice

"What's going on here?" she called everyone's attention.

Her sister looked at him, still crying, and ran towards him, embracing him.

"Augusto, they want me to marry that monster Pietro," she held him tightly, beside herself.

He looked at their parents, questioning them, but they just shrugged.

"Calm down, let's sit and talk, you need to calm down," he kissed her on the head.

His heart ached seeing his sister in that state and led her back to the sofa. That's when he noticed a large box on an armchair, containing a wedding dress inside. He sat her down and picked up the paper on top of it, reading it.

"I hope you like the dress I chose for my future wife. I can't wait to see you walking down the aisle, wearing this dress. P.S. There's a suit for your brother too, I believe it will look great on him. The bride's brother also needs to look impeccable."

He noticed that under the larger box, there was a smaller one, and he imagined it was the suit the note referred to.

"Arrogant bastard," he whispered so that no one would hear.

"I don't want to marry him, I'd rather die than be married to that man."

He heard his sister's complaint and snapped out of his thoughts. He put the paper back on top of the box and went over to her, holding her face, which was covered in tears.

"Our father had no choice, but I'll do everything I can to get you out of this, even if it means giving my life in exchange for your freedom."

After hearing those words, she stopped crying for a moment, her eyebrows furrowed, looking incredulous at him.

"Wait, you knew too? You knew about this whole setup and didn't tell me?"

He could see the anger in Alice's eyes as she pushed him away and ran up the stairs to her room. This situation was not easy for anyone in the family, but he knew it was even harder for her. Having to marry someone she didn't love and was terrified of must be truly desperate.

Augusto wanted to go after his sister, wanting to talk to her, try to calm her heart, but his father stopped him.

"It's no use going there now, she won't want to listen to you, let her digest this information first, then you can talk," he was already getting emotional.

His father sat on the couch, putting his hands on his face, starting to cry.

"If I had another option, I would use it, just so I wouldn't have to see my daughter in that state and having to marry that man, I would be willing to die if necessary, just to not see her go through this," he tried to hold back his tears.

"I'm going to find a solution, Dad, I promise, I'll go upstairs and take a shower, then I'll meet up with Mark, we'll think of something."

"Take the box he sent you," he asked her son.

He reluctantly took the box, but it was better not to contradict Pietro or he could create problems, just because he didn't wear that. Upon arriving in his room, he threw the package on the bed and went to take a shower, took a quick shower, and went out to get dressed. He looked at the box on the bed, deciding to open it.

Inside, there was a white tuxedo, very beautiful and elegant. He didn't understand why Pietro had sent it in white, but at least he had good taste, it was truly impeccable. He threw it back in the box and went to get dressed. He needed to go see his friend as soon as possible, so he took a copy of the contract and left.

When he went downstairs, he found his parents still in the living room, talking. He approached, informing them where he was going.

"I'm going out to try to find a solution. Keep an eye on Alice, don't let her do anything foolish," he was worried.

He left, heading to Mark's apartment. He arrived quickly, as they lived close to each other. When he arrived, his friend answered the door already looking a bit serious, but it didn't surprise him, considering the situation was quite complicated.

Mark

"Would you like a drink?" his friend offered.

"I accept, I'll need it," he said, taking off his jacket and placing it on the couch.

Mark made a drink for his friend, and they went to his office, grabbing the copy that was already there and both began to review it again. After a while of silence and reading the paper, he broke the silence.

"So, are we going to kill him?" he shrugged as he spoke.

"I'm trying to save my sister, not commit suicide," he smiled as he spoke.

Augusto considered that idea a real suicide, since others had tried that feat before but ended up dead.

"He deserves it," he said, finishing his drink.

Mark found that remark a little strange. He already knew that his friend didn't like Pietro, but the way he spoke made it seem like he had a personal resentment against the leader. It wasn't just because of Alice.

Mark stood up, grabbed another drink, and went over to the window. He took a deep breath and spoke.

"Or you could give him an aunt, a cousin, or even yourself since it doesn't mention Alice's name, just states that it has to be a member of the Castro family," he took another sip of his bourbon.

Augusto smiled and was about to reprimand his friend when he paused for a moment and thought about what he had said. He looked back at the contract and had a crazy idea.

Mark returned and sat back down beside him, noticing the slight smile on Augusto's lips. He should have been happy, but in that moment, he felt sad.

Augusto turned to him, holding his face and kissing his cheek. Mark felt a little awkward due to this proximity but had to pretend that it didn't mean anything to him.

"Hey, I know I'm good-looking, but don't overdo it," he forced a smile at Augusto.

"You're a genius!" Augusto was ecstatic.

"I know, I know, but what did you discover again?"

"Don't you understand that you made me see something that I hadn't noticed before? It only states that when a member of the Castro family reaches adulthood, they must be married to Pietro Albertini. It doesn't specify who it is, so it could be anyone from the Castro family who is of legal age."

Mark looked at him in a way that Augusto couldn't decipher. His friend looked away, gazing ahead, and Augusto wondered what might be happening with him.

"What do you plan to do?" he asked, still not looking at him.

"First, I need to talk to a lawyer from the mafia, but if it's as I think, I'll make Pietro nullify this contract."

Augusto got up, grabbing another drink before continuing to explain.

"Pietro is a complete womanizer, so I'm going to offer myself in place of my sister, claiming that the clause is not clear. Being proud of his masculinity as he is, he won't accept that, and even his father won't allow his son to marry a man," he drank in one gulp, feeling excited and hopeful.

"Augusto, have you considered the possibility of this going wrong and him accepting?" This time, Mark spoke while looking at him.

"There's no possibility of him accepting that, but if I'm unlucky enough for it to actually happen, then I'll have to live with the choice I made. But what will console me is knowing that I saved my sister."

After Mark brought up that possibility, it made his friend a little nervous to think about what he had said. After all, it was about Pietro, a cold and cruel man. He could accept just with the intention of humiliating or torturing him for ruining his union with his sister. He tried to rid himself of that idea, or he would be even more anxious.

"Mark, can you schedule an appointment with your uncle for me? I want to talk to him about the contract."

The other nodded and grabbed his phone, calling his uncle. He answered promptly, and when his nephew said that Augusto wanted to speak with him, he replied that he could go immediately.

Augusto was happy that he didn't have to wait, he wanted to resolve that doubt as soon as possible.

"So, are you coming with me to see your uncle?" he asked, grabbing his jacket.

"It won't work, I have something to take care of. I can't go with you," he made an excuse.

Augusto didn't know if it was in his head, but it seemed like Mark had suddenly changed after he had the idea of turning himself in instead of his sister.

"So I'll send news as soon as I talk to your uncle, hoping that we're right and I can do it."

He quickly walked towards his car, Mark watched him leave, lowered his head, and apologized, even though the other couldn't hear him.

"I'm sorry, I can't defend you and I'm sorry for being so cowardly all these years, for not expressing how I truly feel."

Mark picked up his cellphone, wiped a tear from his face, and dialed a number. He had an angry expression as he waited for the person on the other end to answer.

"He already knows about the clause, I've done my part."

He ended the call, went back inside his house, returned to his office, poured more alcohol, and picked up a photograph from the table. It was a picture of him and Augusto together. He ran his hand over the photo and couldn't hold back his tears any longer, starting to cry.

Mark still stayed for a while crying and drinking, feeling guilt and regret in that moment, he was sending the person he loved into the lion's den, while never having the courage to admit that he was in love with his best friend.

Augusto went to his friend's uncle's office, handed him a copy of the document, and explained what his question was.

"What I wanted to know is about the clause that stipulates the delivery of someone from the Castro family, they should have put my sister's name instead, in this case, they can't dispute if someone else is delivered, right?"

"Yes, you're right, they messed up big time with this clause, I don't know how the lawyer who drafted this contract could make such a mistake, especially in a marriage contract, which is all very meticulous."

He became extremely excited upon hearing that, what mattered was that the document had Pietro's father's signature, who at the time was the leader of the mafia, so that document was valid and he couldn't wait to tell his sister about that news.

Pietro

Pietro had just finished his personal defense training, he was all sweaty, bid farewell to the instructor, and headed towards his belongings, when he checked his phone, he smiled at the message he had there.

Pietro

"The package was delivered to the Castro family's house, sir."

That day had started well for him. He had waited eighteen years for this moment, and his plan was finally being put into action. Soon, he would have what he had desired for so long.

Pietro went to his room to take a shower. The gym was located in his house, which he found more convenient. He took a quick shower, but his thoughts were focused on one place, or rather, one person. He was eager to know what had happened after the delivery of the gifts.

He finished his shower, dressed up, and went down to his office. Diego was already waiting for him.

"Good morning, little brother," he greeted him with his usual smile.

Diego

Diego was Pietro's younger brother, and he was the complete opposite of his brother, as he had managed to prevent their father from turning him into a cold man like he did with himself. Pietro tried to protect his brother as much as he could from all the shit he was buried in.

"Good morning," his brother replied, sitting in a chair.

With his brother, Pietro could be himself; he didn't need to wear the mask of the cold and bloodthirsty monster. Diego knew his brother's secrets and even helped him when needed.

"So, next week, huh?" he asked, a smile on his lips.

Pietro opened the drawer of his desk and took out a photograph - a picture of Alice and Augusto. Both were smiling, sitting on the lawn of the house where they lived.

His brother stood up and moved to the other side of the table, getting closer to him.

"You're very lucky. She's beautiful. I wish it was me marrying her," he sighed, sitting back down in the chair opposite.

In reality, Diego had always been in love with Alice, but she was promised to his brother, even though he knew Pietro would never touch her.

"You'll have your chance, little brother. You know well my plans for this marriage contract."

Pietro could see a glimmer of hope in his brother's eyes. Diego questioned him, trying to get a little more of that hope.

"Do you really think this plan will work? Will you be able to manipulate dad?"

The biggest obstacle to Pietro's plans was their father. If he knew what he had done to get everything ready for that moment, he would definitely lose it.

"I will succeed. You know he believes in me blindly. He thinks he created the perfect replacement, or rather, the perfect monster."

Both of them smiled at Pietro's words. He looked at the photograph again, running his finger over that beautiful face in the picture and that smile that completely destabilized him.

Ever since Pietro entered that house with his father eighteen years ago, he knew what he wanted and what he liked. Those eyes and that gaze had captivated him in a way he couldn't explain. He was only thirteen at the time, but when he left that house, he was determined that when they became adults, that boy with those eyes would be his, no matter who he had to bribe or kill. The owner of that frightened gaze had to belong to him. He had already decided - Augusto had to be his.

Since that day, Pietro had been following Augusto's every move, even though Augusto had no idea. He knew who Augusto's friends were, who he flirted with, and he even knew the day and with whom Augusto lost his virginity.

Pietro was so jealous and envious of the girl Augusto had been with that he almost killed the guy he trained with that day. He wanted his first kiss, his first time to be with him, but he couldn't, not until the right time came.

In truth, Pietro suppressed all his jealousy for him. He couldn't be the monster his father wanted, at least not with Augusto. He couldn't interfere in his life, not until his sister turned eighteen. He let Augusto have fun, sleep with whoever he wanted, even though it hurt him inside.

His wait would be until the date specified in that contract. After that, he wouldn't wait any longer. Eighteen years was already too long. Afterward, Augusto would be his, and he would never let him leave his side again.

Every time he saw him at the meetings, he couldn't take his eyes off him. He saw some women flirting with him, even though within the organization, he wasn't considered a good catch because he was the son of a traitor. Besides, his father never allowed Augusto to get married, and when Pietro took charge, he still didn't give his consent.

The anger he felt from seeing him desired by those women, he took out on his training and his enemies. In one of those meetings, he even saw Augusto with a woman in the garden - they were kissing, and he was intimately caressing her. His desire was to take him away from her, take him upstairs, and show him what he could do with every part of his body.

Pietro pretended to be a womanizer, sleeping with some women to maintain his reputation. It was part of his plan, as he knew Augusto would use that argument against him, and his father couldn't know that he loved him.