The Mafia Don's Forbidden Desires

"I'm not getting married to Orlando, Dad! You can't just impose this on me, it's not right!" Charlie complained bitterly, her eyes trembling with rage.

She stood in the sitting room, her father glaring back at her while her older brother stood by the corner, concern evident in his eyes.

"It's for your own protection, and there's nothing you can do about it. The wedding will be held in the next two days," Thomas Cesare, her father replied with finality in his tone.

"How can you suddenly just throw this on me, Dad? I've done everything you've ever asked of me, everything! For years, you've had me locked up in this mansion like a prisoner, and you keep telling me it's for my own good. You and Keith whisper things to each other without me, like I'm not a member of this family, either. And now you wanna marry me off to some guy I know nothing about? Over my dead body!"

"Don't test my patience, Charlie," Thomas deadpanned, his gaze hard and unchanged, "And don't even think about trying to escape, if you do not want to face my wrath!"

Saying that, Thomas walked away from his daughter, leaving her shaking vehemently. There were unshed tears in her eyes, and her fists were tightened so hard her nails dug into her palms.

Keith, her older brother walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently, "You good?"

"Do I look okay?!" She fired back, staring up at him, "Did you know about this?" Her eyes questioned him even before her lips said the words.

"I did, and I tried to talk him out of it but he's made up his mind. He believes it's the only way for him to protect his only daughter from THEM," Keith lowered his voice as he said the last part, sounding quite serious

Charlie knew exactly what her brother was talking about, and she gritted her teeth and pulsed in even more anger, "I could just travel out of the country, or the continent. He doesn't have to marry me off to some... drug lord!" She whispered back too, rolling her eyes

"It doesn't matter where we send you to," Keith said to her, taking both shoulders this time and forcing her to look at him again, "They will find you, they'll find us. So please, I need you to be patient and do as Dad has asked of you,"

"What?" She voiced.

"Listen to me!" He squeezed her shoulders even harder than before, "All you need to do is stay with Orlando until things die down or till I'm able to convince Dad. Maybe a few months... but you have to be patient for now. Dad's only worried about you. Just a few months, Charlie and you'll finally be free like you've always wanted, I promise!"

.

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Alone at night, Charlie lay on her large bed staring at the ceiling. She was putting on her nightgown, and her curly brown hair was spread across the pillow around her.

Her eyes bore into the ceiling, thinking back at everything till today. Ever since she was born, her father forbade her from ever stepping foot outside the tall fences of the mansion. For the first thirteen years of her life, Charlie thought her father was just being overprotective of her, but she could tell there was something beneath the surface.

Her father and brother seemed shady sometimes, and she had walked into them several times holding guns and whispering between themselves. Also, strange, large men wearing all Black always guarded the house twenty-four seven.

At that age, her father had introduced her to a personal teacher who taught her how to handle all kinds of machines, including ballistics. The teacher had also taught her some intense martial arts, drilling it into her for over ten years.

Now, she was twenty-four.

With everything going on in her life, she would have gone crazy but Keith has always been there for her. He had snuck her out of the house a few times and showed her what the outside world was all about. He had also confessed to her when she turned eighteen, about their true identities.

Their Family were part of one of the world's most powerful Mafia groups, the DeLuca Family, and her father was the Underboss - the second in command to the Don himself.

But, there's an even bigger Mafia gang targeting them at the moment. Keith had explained to her that her father had murdered a very important member of their gang, and now they were also coming after something precious to him - His daughter.

This is why her father wanted to quickly marry her off to Orlando, a drug dealer in the Mafia world who belonged in another territory and was on good terms with the DeLuca Family. He believed she would be safe there, for his own reasons.

The whole story wasn't clear, and Charlie suspected her brother was keeping a whole lot of information from her, but she didn't push for more. He wasn't even supposed to tell her anything in the first place, and Dad would be so mad at him if he ever found out.

Eventually, Charlie drifted into the warm embrace of sleep.

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A single, antique lamp lit up a private room. The air was scented of old leather and fine tobacco, and seated in a high-backed armchair, a silhouette of power, was a manly figure.

A thin curl of smoke rose from a cigar he held between two hands, while his other hand swirled a crystal glass with deep ruby of red wine.

The door silently opened, and a man dressed in brown walked in quietly. His strides were quick and precise and he stopped just before the chair, "Don," He murmured, "The Information about the Girl's wedding has been communicated and secured,"

The Don didn't move, but his gaze remained fixed on the wine. Then, slowly he raised the glass to his lips, taking a deliberate sip of it, its taste rich and expensive.

As he lowered the glass, his green eyes finally shifted to the man standing behind him. For an instant, a dangerous, almost playful glint of mischief flickered within their depths, followed by a deeper unsettling darkness.

Then, a chilling smile touched his lips, "Good," he said, his voice a deep rasp which commanded absolute attention, "Get everything and everyone ready,"

The associate simply nodded, turned around and walked out as quickly as he came in.

The Don moved again, extinguishing the cigar by pressing its tip into a brown ashtray until the ember died.

The faint curve of a smile touched his lips once more, a look of pure satisfaction. The stage was set. The Blood debt would be collected. And the girl, the one who used to blush when their eyes met, would finally step out of her cage and into his world.