KEIFER POV
Today is the fucking day.
Tonight, at the Mariano hundredth anniversary gala, Jasfher will announce our engagement to the entire world.
The legal empire and the criminal underworld will be watching under the exact same chandeliers.
And exactly seven days after tonight, the wedding happens.
The ring will be sealed onto her finger, the vows locked in blood and paper, and she will officially belong to my empire.
I am so fucking delighted to see her that my hands are practically vibrating with anticipation.
She has spent years dodging me.
But tonight?
Tonight, she has nowhere left to run.
There are no corners to hide behind, no excuses, and no exits.
She has no choice but to stand right beside me, breathe my air, and talk to me in front of hundreds of cameras and power brokers.
I walked over to the full-length mirror in my dressing suite, adjusting my platinum cufflinks.
I made sure my private fashion designer crafted her dress to absolute perfection.
He followed every single measurement I gave him, sculpting the burgundy velvet until it looked like a second skin.
Truth be told, I despised the idea of another man’s hands cutting the fabric and designing something meant to wrap around my Jay Jay’s body.
If he hadn’t produced a masterpiece, I probably would have had his hands broken for even thinking about her silhouette.
But I let it slide because the final result was sheer art.
I pulled on the tailored tuxedo jacket cut from the exact same deep burgundy silk velvet, paired with crisp black lapels and an obsidian silk shirt underneath.
It was crafted to complement her gown in every single photograph and under every flashbulb.
I don’t want to steal a single drop of attention from my woman tonight.
I want the entire room, from the most ruthless mafia kingpins to the cleanest corporate CEOs, to look at her, blinded by her beauty, and immediately recognize by the color on my back that she is completely, undeniably claimed.
JAY JAY POV
The morning of the dreaded gala arrived, and before I could even properly open my eyes, a miniature army of makeup artists and hairstylists had already breached my bedroom door.
They attacked me from all angles.
For three solid hours, they waxed, plucked, threaded, and brushed, making sure not a single stray hair dared to exist on my face.
My scalp was subjected to enough heat and hairspray to threaten the ozone layer, but when they finally backed away and let me look in the vanity mirror, I had to give credit where credit was due.
I looked gorgeous.
Glowing skin, smokey eyes, and hair cascading in soft, expensive waves.
Once the stylists packed up their thirty bags of brushes and left, I stepped into the burgundy velvet dress.
The zipper slid up smoothly with a whisper, and the fabric clung to every single curve of my hips and waist like it had literally grown out of my skin.
Okay, fine.
Maybe Keifer really did have my exact measurements memorized down to the millimeter.
Creepy?
Absolutely.
Flattering?
Unfortunately, yes.
“Not bad, Mariano,” I muttered to my reflection, swiping a layer of berry lip gloss over my lips and adjusting the off-the-shoulder neckline.
By the time I finally finished getting my heels on, it was already time to leave.
I was already completely exhausted.
Can I just skip this entire event, stay in bed, and order three large pizzas with extra garlic dip?
The thought of sitting through five hours of stiff small talk without snacks was depressing.
Taking a deep, calming breath, I gathered my gown and pushed open my bedroom door, feeling nervous about what was waiting downstairs.
Percy was standing by the banister checking his watch, and the second he looked up, his jaw dropped.
“AHHHHHHHHHH!” Percy screamed at the top of his lungs, clutching his chest like he was having an actual coronary.
My heart jumped into my throat.
“What happened?! Who died?!” I yelled, frantically looking around the empty landing for an assassin.
“What did you do to my sister?!” Percy wailed, lunging forward, grabbing both my shoulders, and shaking me while fake-sobbing into the air.
“Why has my goblin sister turned into a Victorian ghost?!”
My panic instantly flipped into pure, unadulterated rage.
I glared at his stupid, smirking face and smacked him right upside the head with maximum force.
“Ow! See? Violence! That is not my sweet, ugly sister!” he complained, rubbing his skull.
Aries stepped out of his room adjusting his tuxedo cuffs.
“Smack one for me too,” he called out without looking up.
Then he raised his head, caught sight of me standing in the hall, and literally froze mid-step.
His eyes widened, and he slowly backed away, siding with Percy like I was a radioactive hazard.
“Percy,” Aries asked in a low, deadpan whisper, “which high-class ghost took over Jay?”
“That is exactly what I’ve been trying to figure out,” Percy whispered back loudly, leaning toward Aries.
“She smacked me with full strength, so it is definitely a violent ghost.”
“No, violent ghosts don’t dare exist while Jay is alive,” Aries reasoned with absolute seriousness, gesturing with two fingers.
“Call the priest immediately. We need an exorcism before Dad sees this.”
I stood there in my ridiculously expensive, lethal burgundy gown, glaring daggers at my two idiot brothers.
“Assholes. Pure, unadulterated assholes,” I spat out, rolling my eyes so hard it gave me a headache.
“Good for absolutely nothing.”
“Boys, enough,” Papa’s commanding voice cut through our chaotic screaming match.
He was walking up the stairs holding an elegant, velvet-lined jewelry box in one hand.
The moment he reached the landing and his eyes landed on me, his steps slowed down completely.
Even the terrifying head of the Mariano empire looked genuinely stunned, blinking at me like he couldn’t quite process the view.
I immediately seized the opportunity, putting both hands over my face and letting out a dramatic, sobbing sniffle.
“You also think I’m hideous, don’t you? Even my own father thinks I look like a swamp creature!”
“No, no, no, sweetie, please don’t cry!” Papa said, completely ditching his scary mafia boss persona and rushing forward with frantic hands, looking terrified that my three-hour makeup job was about to melt down my cheeks.
“You look like a gorgeous, heavenly goddess. An absolute princess. Don’t shed a single tear.”
“Goddess of absolute ugliness,” Percy sneered from behind him, grinning like a menace.
I dropped my hands, whipped around, and delivered another stinging slap straight to his shoulder.
“Asshole, stop describing your own face when you look at me!” I snapped.
“Tsk, please. My handsomeness is simply too blinding for mortals like you, sis, and deep down you know it,” Percy said, running a dramatic hand through his styled hair and posing like he was on a Milan runway.
“Handsomeness my ass,” I shot back, folding my arms over my chest.
“You peasants just don’t appreciate true art,” Percy sniffed arrogantly.
“A face like mine genuinely belongs in a museum.”
“A museum of municipal trash? Yeah, I completely agree,” Aries chimed in, not missing a single beat.
Even Dad let out a chuckle, while I doubled over laughing at the sheer offense painted all over Percy’s face.
“Alright, that is enough teasing, boys,” Dad said, shaking his head with a fond smile.
“Your sister looks breathtaking.” He turned back to me, holding out the sleek velvet case.
“Here. This is for you.”
“What is it?” I asked, eyeing the box with mild suspicion.
“I had this custom-made for you. Wear it tonight,” he said softly, lifting the lid.
Inside rested a delicate, understated diamond pendant on a thin platinum chain.
It wasn’t gaudy, heavy, or dripping with mafia arrogance; it was simple, pure, and elegant, resting perfectly along the open collarbone line of my off-the-shoulder gown.
“Dad, it’s gorgeous,” I murmured.
I unclipped the basic silver chain I had put on earlier, tossed it onto the console table, and fastened the new pendant around my neck.
The diamond caught the chandelier light, adding just the right touch of class to the lethal burgundy velvet.
“Perfect,” Dad whispered, his eyes softening in a way that made my chest ache with quiet emotion.
He leaned in, placed his hands gently on my shoulders, and kissed my forehead.
“My beautiful girl.”
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Next chapter is coming after 3 o’clock 🕒
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Thank you for being so patient with me lately!
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I have some good news and bad news…..
We had a soccer game on Sunday and I took a bad spill.
⚽️ Falling twisted my ankle pretty badly and left a nasty bruise, so my coach put me on a 2-week medical leave.
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The bad news is my ankle hurts, but the good news for you is I am stuck in bed with tons of time to write!
💻🔥 Expect a lot of updates coming your way!
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Just remember I still have school and homework to balance , so updates might not be exactly daily, but we will see what happens!