Chapter 1 A powerful alliance

As late afternoon descended over Savoca, a quaint and enchanting Italian commune nestled among the Sicilian hills in the province of Messina, the sky erupted in a spectacle of golden and amber hues, the sun bidding a languid farewell on the horizon.

The town breathed spring with every gust of wind. The air carried a delicate perfume of orange blossoms and wild rosemary, scents that wove together like ancient secrets in the heart of the Sicilian hills.

In the opulent mansion of the De Angelis family, activity buzzed ceaselessly. Servants darted to and fro, their steps hurried, attuned to every whim of the Don and his kin.

In one of the mansion's most lavish chambers, draped in linen curtains and furnished with hand-carved wood, Vittoria gazed at her reflection in the mirror with a serene yet vigilant eye.

Her white gown cascaded over her form with flawless grace, tracing every curve with subtle elegance.

Her long, meticulously styled hair framed a face of noble features and unshakable poise.

In the mirror, there was no trace of hesitation-only a steady, calculated gaze. Beyond beauty or vanity, Vittoria radiated control.

They said a wedding should be the happiest day in a woman's life.

So why, as she stared at her image, did she feel only an emptiness that no surrounding luxury could fill?

"You look breathtaking, ragazza mia," came the deep, commanding voice of Don Alfonso from behind her, carrying the weight of a man who ruled not just a household but an empire.

Vittoria blinked slowly, as if roused from a profound thought, yet she didn't turn immediately.

For a moment, she lingered, studying the reflection of a bride who felt no mastery over her fate.

"You don't seem happy," Don Alfonso remarked, his voice low but firm, as he stepped closer and studied his daughter through the mirror.

"These feels rushed," Vittoria replied, finally turning to face her father with measured grace.

Her gaze met his with unwavering resolve. There was no disrespect, nor was there submission. There was courage, the kind born from years of learning to hold her tongue but never to bow.

"Ragazza, why this now?" Don Alfonso asked, his hand brushing her cheek with a tenderness that clashed with the heavy expectation in his voice. "You've been with him for six months. And you agreed to the engagement."

His words weren't an accusation but a cold, undeniable reminder, impossible to refute.

They served as a stark recollection that, despite the weight of expectations, it was she who had said "yes."

A prison woven from silence, appearances, and obedience, built by him and accepted by her.

"But when I said yes, I didn't imagine I'd be married three weeks later," Vittoria replied, her voice calm yet laced with unmistakable unease.

She reached for the crown that held her veil, her movements precise, almost mechanical, as if performing a ritual she felt no part of.

"Mia principessa," Don Alfonso murmured, his voice low and silken, imbued with the calculated sweetness only dangerous men wielded so well.

He took the crown with reverence, the same one that had once adorned her mother's head, as though it was a sacred relic, a symbol not of marriage but of an empire.

"This union," he continued, holding the piece before her, "is not merely a commitment. It is the consecration of your legacy."

With care, he guided her back to the mirror and stood behind her, placing the crown on top of her meticulously styled hair.

His hands rested firmly on her shoulders, a silent reminder of the man who had shaped her into this moment.

"From today, you will stand under the protection of the two most powerful families in Savoca. And when they speak your name, it won't be with tenderness. It will be with respect."

"You mean fear," Vittoria corrected, her voice restrained but sharp as a polished blade.

Her eyes remained fixed on her reflection, unflinching and unwavering. There was no naivety there, only the bitter clarity of one who knew the shadows of her lineage.

"Remember one thing, ragazza," Don Alfonso advised, turning her abruptly to face him. His gaze was as unyielding as a stone, piercing hers without hesitation. "It is better to be feared than to fear."

He let the silence stretch for a moment, as if willing his words to echo within her like an unassailable verdict, final and indisputable.

Then, unhurried, he leaned forward and kissed her forehead with a gentleness that felt like a caress but carried the weight of a brand.

"So, hold your head high and be grateful for the position you hold," Don Alfonso concluded, his tone calm but carrying the weight of a command, not a suggestion.

Vittoria only nodded in silence, as if accepting another piece placed on the chessboard.

But within, something tightened. Given the chance, she would have vanished without a backward glance.

She stood motionless, her gaze fixed in the mirror, until the door closed softly behind Don Alfonso.

Only then did the weight of solitude crash over her fully. And with it came the certainty that the name she bore was both a crown and a cage.

"Why am I freaking out?" Vittoria whispered, staring at her reflection with a lost, searching look.

But the words barely left her lips before a bitter smile replaced them, crooked, involuntary, almost cruel.

A hollow, incredulous laugh followed, dry and empty, as if she couldn't sustain the lie, she kept repeating to herself.

When the bell rolled twice in the mansion's gardens, Vittoria knew it was time to go.

Not to a fairy tale, but to seal a fate written by hand not her own.

Throughout the journey to the Moretti estate, each kilometer struck like a hammer against the fragile conviction she still clung to.

The white gown, flawless in the eyes of the world, weighed like armor forged from expectations.

Anxiety churned in her chest, thick and suffocating, and the urge to flee open the car door and disappear grew with every curve in the road.

She clasped her hands in her lap, trying to stifle the impulse to scream. She was about to become the emblem of a powerful alliance, but all she felt was being led, slowly, to her captivity.

Vittoria lived at each moment as if she weren't truly there, as if she were a silent spectator watching her own life from outside her body.

The world around her blurred as she was guided down the long red carpet to the altar.

The flowers, the lights, the smiles-all felt like props in a staged tableau for a story that no longer belonged to her.

Even the broad, eager smile of Enzo Moretti, her fiancé, failed to stir any response from her lips.

She met his gaze, hollow, as the applause echoed in the background like a distant hum.

When Don Alfonso placed her hand in Enzo's, the gesture was firm, solemn. In that final touch, Vittoria understood that the last remnants of her own choices had ended.

From that moment, her body belonged to the alliance. Her life, to the pact. And her will, to silence.

The ceremony unfolded with impeccable precision, elegant and moving in the eyes of the guests, faithful to every ancestral tradition of the families involved.

Everything proceeded as it should: the priest intoned his words with reverence, vows were exchanged under watchful gazes, and the crowd's respectful silence veiled the secrets buried beneath that altar.

"If anyone present has cause to object to this union, speak now or forever hold your peace," the priest declared, his solemn cadence resonating beneath the golden arches of the altar, exquisitely set in the heart of the garden.

"I have something to say," a firm, deep voice, laden with authority, sliced through the air, halting everything in the garden for a breathless moment.

And then, as if compelled by an invisible command, every head turned toward the one who dared to interrupt.