Page 11 of Mine Again (Mafia Bride #2)

Chapter Ten

Isabella

M ariella’s engagement party is as surreal as it is heartbreaking.

I stand with Mia near the edge of the ballroom, observing from a safe distance. The estate is filled with the who’s who of our world, every corner buzzing with mafia elite dressed to kill… sometimes literally.

Near the entrance, Mamma greets the arriving guests, regal and composed. Sienna and Ariana stay close to her, as instructed. They’re considered too young to roam freely and have been told to never stray far from her side.

“This is so painful to watch,” Mia mutters, stepping closer and half-hiding her face behind my shoulder. Mariella is meeting her future husband for the first time, and we can’t look away. It’s like a train wreck.

Mari is so far out of her comfort zone it makes my chest ache. Her posture is stiff, shoulders drawn tight, hands knotted in front of her. A thin, forced smile flickers across her lips while her eyes keep darting to the floor like it might offer an escape. I wish it did.

“If Mari could melt into the ground, she would,” Mia says, sympathy plain in her eyes .

“Who could blame her? No one in their right mind would want to marry Renaldo Conti,” I whisper back.

“I swear an arranged marriage is the only way that man could ever get a wife. Why did it have to be Mariella, though?” Mia sounds as hopeless as Mari looks.

I have no answer to that. I wish I could help her, save her from all of this. But I can’t.

My stomach turns as I glance back at Mari. Her face is flushed, even under the thick makeup, and her gaze is pinned to the ground.

“The prick doesn’t even glance at her,” Mia says, her disdain obvious.

“Yeah, and judging by the way he eyed that blonde server when he first arrived, I don’t think Mari is his type,” I murmur, nodding toward the woman balancing a tray of drinks with an exaggerated sway.

Mia scowls. “What a disgrace. He can’t even show her or our family a shred of respect.”

“He’s being subtle enough. Not that anyone expected better from him,” I say, the churning in my stomach not easing.

“And Father,” Mia adds bitterly, staring at him, “stands there like this is the proudest day of his life. It makes me want to punch him.”

“Don’t we all?” I whisper.

Father exchanges a few last words with Conti Senior before gesturing toward the library. Renaldo nods and the three of them disappear in that direction.

Mariella’s eyes immediately scan the crowd. The second she spots us, she walks over, fast but still trying to keep up appearances.

“You survived,” I say, forcing a lightness into my tone that isn’t there.

“Barely,” she mutters, exhaling sharply. “This has been the worst few minutes of my life. I’ve never felt so out of place. So invisible. So… disposable.”

I want to hug her, but I can’t. Not with everyone’s eyes on us. Mari isn’t allowed to look upset. She’s expected to be glowing with gratitude over her ‘fortuitous’ match. So I settle for squeezing her hand .

Suddenly, there’s a stir near the entrance. Everyone turns toward the front of the room.

Mateo De Marco, the underboss and brother of our Don, has arrived.

He strides in with Romeo Ferraro, his right-hand man, and another figure I haven’t seen in years follows close behind. Power and prestige fit them like a second skin, subtle but impossible to ignore. For a heartbeat, conversation stills. All eyes are drawn to them.

Mia and I immediately glance at Mari.

Her face goes crimson, but this time it’s not from embarrassment. It’s from something far deeper.

Heartbreak.

She stares at Mateo like someone might look at a star they’ll never touch.

Mateo doesn’t see her. He never has. But she’s been in love with him for years, ever since her sixteenth birthday. He’s her impossible dream.

And now she’s forced to smile through an engagement to a man she doesn’t love while the one person her heart longs for walks into the room, looking devastatingly perfect and completely out of reach.

“I’m sorry, Mari,” I whisper. “I hoped he wouldn’t come.”

She shrugs, but I see the way her throat moves as she swallows. She’s fighting back tears, and even though she manages to keep her expression calm, her eyes are glassy with pain.

“It’s fine. It was bound to happen. It’s not like I ever had a chance with someone like him.”

Silence falls between the three of us as we watch Mateo greet guests, his smile charming, his movements confident. He commands the room effortlessly.

“He’s nothing like his brother,” Mia says. “He’s a total ladies’ man.”

“Playboy,” I correct.

“He’s not,” Mariella says firmly. “He just hasn’t found his person yet. That’s not a crime.”

Mia and I lock eyes for a beat but let it go. Nothing we say can change the way Mari feels. Her heart is already set, and now it’s breaking.

After the buzz of Mateo’s entrance fades, my eyes track the man who steps forward to join him again. Uberto. Luca’s former mentor and la famiglia’s top hacker.

Honestly, I’m surprised to see him here at all. Whatever he’s working on with Mateo must be important enough for him to set foot in our house.

It’s no secret my father and Uberto don’t get along, not since Don De Marco promoted him only a few years into working for la famiglia .

Brilliant, young, and surgically effective in the digital world, Uberto had quietly played a role in several key operations. Our Don, far more progressive than those before him, recognized Uberto’s value and elevated him publicly.

The role was unofficial but strategic. And it put him on nearly equal footing with Father.

Predictably, Father took it as a personal insult.

Luca once told me that Father lobbied hard against the promotion, scoffing at Uberto’s contributions and calling him a ‘glorified keyboard monkey.’ He argued that real power should never be given to men who hide behind screens. But the Don backed Uberto.

After the announcement, Father apparently cornered him and delivered one last insult.

“You might have the Don’s ear now, but don’t mistake data for power. When real decisions need to be made, men like me won’t be asking you.”

That’s my father. Always looking to assert dominance over anyone he can’t control.

Uberto never forgot the humiliation. Or the disrespect. And honestly, who could blame him?

I try to be subtle about watching him as he leans in and speaks quietly to Mateo. Their expressions give nothing away, but the energy between them is thick with purpose.

My pulse quickens before I can stop it. Maybe it’s the reminder of Luca, of the world he lived in behind encryption, firewalls, and closely guarded networks.

Luca had a knack with computers. More specifically, for hacking them. Word spread fast about his talent. Most likely, it was his father, Luigi, who bragged first.

After a few tests of his skill, Luca was invited to join the De Marco cyber team when he was just fifteen. Uberto became his mentor. Luca always spoke of him like he was untouchable. But toward the end, I sensed Luca was surpassing him.

That memory stirs something in me. A conversation I once had with Luca surfaces, clearer now than it has ever been.

And suddenly I know.

Uberto is the answer to a question I hadn’t even realized I was asking.

And tonight is my chance.

My only chance.

But I can’t move yet. Not with so many eyes on me.

I have to wait for the right moment.

And I can’t let it slip through my fingers when it comes.

The night is dragging on like molasses. Father gives his speech, smug, rehearsed. Conti Senior follows, his words equally hollow. They speak of unity, of loyalty, of families bound by purpose.

What they really mean is power. Control. Ambition.

Neither of them will suffer for this union. They’ll walk away richer, stronger.

And Mariella? She’s the collateral.

While the crowd applauds, I don’t clap. I watch.

Uberto sticks close to Mateo the entire time. I keep my eyes on him, heart pounding with the weight of a plan forming too fast to hold.

I need to talk with him before he disappears.