Episode 9

People wandered around our dining room, chatting and celebrating. Most eyes turned to me, full of questions and doubts.

I was an enigma to them. The daughter who was kept at home, away from so much attention for most of her life, and was now promised to one of the Venturellis.

The women didn’t look at me with curiosity, but with envy. The mothers glared at me, hating that it was me in this position and not one of their daughters, while they looked me up and down trying to find something about me that would make for a juicy piece of gossip.

But I didn't care about any of that. I didn't even want to be in this position. If I had a choice, I would never have agreed to marry Dominique. I would have preferred a thousand times the comfort and leisure of my home than a forced marriage, even if it was to one of the most important men in the mafia.

I sipped my sparkling wine, the bubbles tickling my throat.

“Hello, Carmen.”

A female voice echoed to my right.

I knew who she was; her name had been on the lips of women for months on end, criticized for everything she did. Elisa Venturelli. The queen of the mafia.

She was a beautiful woman, with brown hair and eyes and a delicate face. She walked with a grace of her own, exuding the power she knew she possessed.

No one was obliged to like Elisa, but they respected her out of fear. And, for her, that seemed to be enough.

“Hello,” I greeted, somewhat withdrawn, unsure of what I should say.

I never saw any impediment to her marriage to Gilliam, but most members of the mafia took months to accept her as our queen. They thought it absurd that Gilliam had married an outsider, and even more absurd that she was a cop.

“I'm Elisa... um... We're going to be sisters-in-law soon,” she said, showing disinterest.

The shadow of a smile curved my lips upward.

“I know who you are,” I announced. “It's not like anyone here doesn't.”

She looked around and wrinkled her nose in indifference.

“And do you share the same opinion as most?” she asked.

I covered my mouth with my hand, hiding a laugh.

“You know nobody's going to tell you the truth, right?” I countered, shaking my head. “You can ask as much as you want. They'll omit the truth to your face and talk about it behind your back.”

She shrugged and took a sip of sparkling wine.

“And I don't care the slightest bit, as long as they keep their tongues in their mouths while I'm around... Or I'll have to cut them off.” She winked at me.

I liked her. I didn't care what they said; Elisa was a quirky, amazing woman. That's what bothered the others, and if they knew how I was raised, I'd probably face the same prejudices as her.

“No,” I stated, making the truth evident in my tone of voice. “I don't share the same opinion as them.”

She flashed me a bright smile.

“It's going to be good to have a woman around. Living among all these men gets tiring sometimes,” she commented.

Would it be a good idea to ask her what Dominique was like at home? What if she told my fiance and he was offended?

I rubbed the tip of my finger on the sweaty cup, in internal conflict about what I should do.

“Ask away, Carmen,” she laughed. I furrowed my brows, analyzing her, confused. “It's no news to anyone what my old profession was, so I know how to analyze human behavior, and I know how to identify when someone is conflicted about whether or not to say something.”

I confirmed with a nod.

“I just wanted to know how... um... Dominique is at home,” I expressed, lowering my voice so no one could hear. “I know he's your family, so you don't have to be honest with me or even answer my question.”

Elisa took my arm, squeezing it gently.

“I would never let any of them mistreat a wife, Carmen, and I will always be honest about that,” she warned honestly. “Dominique is great, you have nothing to worry about, but if you feel uncomfortable at any time, know that I'll be here to support you with whatever you need.”

“Thank you.”

She shook her head.

“You don't have to thank me, I'm in the mafia and I'm part of it, but I wasn't born here and I still find the custom of marriage by obligation quite strange, as it's something that didn't exist in my world. So feel free to talk to me about it. I may not have the best advice, but I will always be available to listen to you. We're going to be family, and I want this situation to work out in the best possible way, even though I don't agree with it.”

I pursed my lips into a grimace.

“You don't agree with the marriage?”

Elisa snorted and made a gesture of disdain with her hands.

“Of course not, but I don't meddle in the famiglia’s business. I trust my husband and his choices.” She smiled slightly. “I hope this works out. You're young, beautiful... and who knows? You might fall in love.”

I let out a breath.

“I don't expect love, but respect, yes. I'll be happy if I just have that,” I expressed, scanning the room for Dominique, but he was nowhere to be found. “In my world, arranged marriages are so commonplace. Most couples were formed like this, so it doesn't surprise me as much. Some women are lucky, while others... not so much.”

Elisa laughed.

“If that's what you're looking for, don't worry. The Venturellis may be scary, but they're nothing more than trained puppies at home,” she revealed, winking, drawing a sincere laugh from me. “Dominique is great, he'll be a good husband... and well, if he's not, just give me a call and I'll take care of him.”

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