Sofia

They are still discussing the business and marriage. My mother is busy talking to Luca's mother, Catherine. They are gossiping about other mafia bosses' wives and fashion brands. Oh ladies, they are so consumed with their conversations, and I am seated in between them, listening to everything.

"Sofia, take Luca to the garden. Get to know each other better." Father motions his hand toward the back door while telling me.

I give him a look like, is this important?

He bobs his head. "Go, don't be shy," he adds.

I gulp down the knot in my throat and stand up. "Okay, Dad."

Luca stands up and adjusts his suit. "This way, please," I say while gesturing toward the door. I walk, and he follows me. His steps are slow behind me. I smell his manly perfume, and somehow this scent is starting to make me nervous.

I am outside in the garden, which is vast and has a fountain from which water flows. There are plenty of flowers, as this is one of my mother's most committed passions-to plant flowers.

I stand close to the white vintage bench. "Come, sit," I tell Luca.

He sits beside me, and the tension is clinging to the air all around me.

"You are going to regret inviting me out to sit on this bench." A smirk curls on his lips.

"I don't regret anything in life." I try to sound a bit bold and confident.

He raises a brow and nods his head. "Okay."

I sigh and look straight in front of me. I don't know what to talk about with him, plus his presence is already making me super anxious.

"So, did you have any boyfriend?" he starts with his questions.

I shake my head. "No, never."

"What about during school time?" he asks.

"I went to an all-girls school."

He nods. "Have you ever kissed someone?" he asks, and I can feel a kind of jealousy in his tone.

I hesitantly shake my head because on my twenty one year life, and I have never kissed a boy.

"I don't believe you." He snaps coldly.

"Well, you have to believe me." I say sharply and almost in rage because I am not lying. My father has never let me out alone. I always have two to three bodyguards with me every time I leave the house.

"Have you ever given someone head?" he asks, his jaw clenched.

"What does it mean?" I ask innocently.

He raises a brow at me. "Have you sucked a dick before?" he asks me this as if he is asking for tonight's menu.

My eyes widen, and I feel so hot. "Eww, no!" I utter in disgust.

"Are you a virgin?" He glances at me.

I am sweating, and the tension between us is unexplainable. I glare at him with my eyes wide.

"Of course," I say in a bit of a high pitch.

"Well, I have to see to make sure it's true," he says in a bold tone.

My soul almost leaves my body. I shake my head and hold my dress tightly.

"No, what do you mean by see it?" my nose flares in rage.

"I am serious right now," he utters, then turns to me and leans close to lift my dress.

I hold it tightly. "You can't do that."

"Your father said that you belong to me now, so I can check what I want to know." He snaps and moves my hand away.

He slips his hand inside my red dress. The fabric is flowy, and his palm is hot against my skin, skimming up my thigh with agonizing slowness. A shiver rips through me, despite the warmth of the day. I hold the white bench with one hand, my fingernails digging into the wrought iron, the cold metal biting into my skin as I try to anchor myself.

He lifts the dress up, the red silk pooling at my waist, exposing me to the open air and his hungry gaze. He puts one of my legs on his thigh, the rough wool of his suit trousers scraping against the sensitive skin of my calf. I am sweating, a thin sheen of dampness breaking out on my neck and back, making the dress cling to me. He looks at me and wipes the sweat from my forehead with his knuckle.

With a firm, agonizing tug, he removes my panties. The lace slides down my legs, and he doesn't drop them. Instead, he puts them inside his suit pocket, claiming them like a reward. The air hits my exposed flesh, cool and shocking. He spreads my hairy pussy wide. I didn't shave because I didn't have to. His thumbs pry my lips apart to look down at the most private part of me. I squeeze my eyes shut, humiliation burning my cheeks, unable to watch him examine my virgin pussy.

Then, he inserts a finger.

I gasp, my back arching off the bench as the sudden intrusion stretches me. It's thick and demanding, breaching the tight ring of muscles at my entrance.

"Shhh." He pulls his finger out, and I whimper at the sudden emptiness. He licks his finger, tasting my wetness, and smirks at me, his dark eyes flashing with triumph.

"Tight and virgin hole." He nods, savoring the words. He leans in close, his breath hot against my ear, sending fresh waves of shock down my spine. "Good girl."

He puts my legs down and adjusts my dress. "I had to check because in our tradition, after the first night, in the morning two ladies will enter our room to make sure there's blood on the sheet."

My brow draws together. "What kind of tradition is this?" I am fuming and sweating.

"An old Sicilian mafia tradition which still follows in our famiglia. Ask your mother she will tell you," he says.

I don't say a word. I am frozen on the bench, my mind already swirling to the wedding night when he will pop my cherry. My heart rate increases. Then two women will come for proof in the morning, which means it is obligatory to sleep with him.

Damn, Luca has already touched me. A place he shouldn't have touched...

He leans close and kisses me on the forehead. "Let's go inside."

The caring side of him makes me feel more affectionate, which I shouldn't feel right now. Well, I can't let him bang me on the wedding night...

Sofia

We are at the dining table, and Luca raises his glass. He taps it with his fork to get everyone's attention. I look up at him.

"So tonight we gather here for the union of Sofia Romano and me, and I am pleased to say that I like her and would like to marry her."

His brothers Rocco and Antonio cheer for him, his mother gasps in shock, and his father gladly stands up to hug my father. His mother immediately takes out a bracelet from her hand. "This is our ancestral diamond bracelet, and I am giving you this in honor of the Moretti family." She makes me wear it.

I force a smile on my face like wow, I am so happy and excited for this wedding too. I remember my father's words, which he told me a week ago. Don't disrespect me in front of the Morettis. I really need to form this alliance with them so that we won't be dead. He strictly told me to say or do anything as Luca says. Now I am just a doll with unspoken words. I have to do everything as Luca says.

As soon as we finish eating dinner, I cut the red velvet cake into small pieces and put it on small plates. I take a cherry and put it on Luca's piece of cake. I share it with everyone. Everyone is sitting in the patio, sipping alcohol now. Whiskey on the rocks for the men and red wine for us ladies.

"Oh my goodness, Sofia, this cake is so delicious," Luca's mother says to me.

"Thank you." I smile at her.

I take my cake and sit a bit far from everyone. I keep my glass on the table and munch on my cake. Luca walks close to me, and he takes the cherry from his cake and makes me eat it. "Open your mouth," he orders, and I do. He pops it inside my mouth, and I chew it.

"I'll pop your cherry just like that," he whispers in my ear.

I shiver at his words. He sits on the chair next to me. Our patio is huge because Father usually has his meetings over here. There is a bar and wooden chairs and tables. It is like a bar itself, so cozy and elegant. He takes a sip from his whiskey, his eyes never leaving mine.

"We will be living here. Your father said when he has such a huge house, we don't have to pay for a hotel." He leans closer. "Do you know what's more interesting?" His voice is calm.

"What?" I question with a shrug.

I take a spoonful of red velvet.

"Your father granted me access to sleep in your bedroom, next to you under the same blanket."

My eyes widen, and suddenly the cake is tasteless. "No. You can't sleep in my bedroom." I keep my voice low, but I am scolding him.

He smirks like a devil. "Yes, I can. Our parents want us to get to know each other as soon as possible because once we are married, I need an heir." He says it like this is so simple.

"Wait, without my decision?" I shake my head. I am fuming with anger.

"This is why I needed to get married."

"I can't bear your baby in my womb. Not a monster like you."

His jaw tightens, and his fists turn into balls. I am a bit scared because I know how dangerous he can be. He controls himself, then meets my gaze. "Sofia, you'll give me an heir like a good girl."

He takes out his phone and scrolls, then shows me news about a house caught fire, etc. I don't read all of it.

"What is this?" I snap coldly.

He chuckles. "I put a bomb in the house of this family because they disrespected me. If you don't listen to me, I can do the same to your house along with your family inside of it." His tongue twitches. "I'll burn y'all to ashes." He speaks like Lucifer himself from hell.

I remain quiet because last time I was asking a made man who works for my father about what he knows about Luca Moretti, he told me terrible things. He has removed people's eyeballs, cracked enemies' skulls, cut off the private part of a man who was abusing his wife. Well, I am certain what he can do if I refuse to obey him. We are already family rivals for ages, and our families are attempting hard to make everything look normal just to merge businesses and soldiers to create a stronger territory so that the Russian Bratva can't invade.

Now I am supposed to be listening to everything Luca Moretti tells me, even if it's taking my virginity and providing him an heir. I already belong to him now. Tears prickle in my eyes, and I look at Luca sitting next to me and enjoying the cheesecake I made with so much love and appreciation. I pray that something happens before the wedding and Luca cancels it or starts disliking me. Maybe I should start behaving like a whore or something, not keep being a good innocent girl. I want him to hate me. I don't want him to marry me. Not now and not even in the future.

I can't imagine myself as his wife. Luca Moretti is a monster. He will tear me into pieces if I make any blunder. What have I gotten myself into?

"I will never abuse you or cause harm to you. I promise to protect you my entire life, but one thing, Sofia..." he pauses, his dark midnight eyes peeking at me, "I'll need you to sleep with me every day. I am a man who occupies lots of things. I get tired, and when I return home, I expect to be with my wife."

I look at him with terror in my eyes. His hand reaches forward, and he wipes my tears. "Don't cry, mia cara," he whispers.

"I will be gentle with you." He lets out a smirk as if he has read my mind.