Page 4

Four

BIA

Leonidas escorts me from Grandfather’s office and down to the basement. A bunch of the soldiers who all snicker as we pass them, they knowing exactly where I’m going.

“What did you do this time?” Leonidas asks.

“I just asked him a question,” I say quietly. Leonidas might be an asshole, but he is nowhere near as bad as our Grandfather.

“You know better. You are to be seen, not heard. What did you question him about?”

“He is marrying me off to Cillian O’Sullivan.”

“He wants you to marry the man who just murdered his wife?”

“Yes.”

“You knew one day you would have to marry a Mafia man. Did you really expect them to kiss your feet? You know what your job is: to be quiet, to look pretty on his arm, to spread your legs or get on your knees, and to raise his children. Maybe you need another lesson on remembering to keep your mouth shut. I recommend you use the time in the basement to remember your place in all of this.”

Two weeks later

While I was locked down in the basement, my wrist started throbbing from the leather restraints wrapped around it.

The basement can get very hot and humid, I felt like my body had sweat buckets of sweat coming from it. I was also only given a piece of fruit and one cup of water a day, after a few days. This has always been one of my grandfather’s favorite ways to punish me.

When a soldier finally came to get me, I was so weak I couldn’t even keep my eyes open. I was put on fluids and antibiotics, and my wrist was finally cleaned.

Since then, I’ve been locked in my room, he thinks I would try and escape but it wouldn’t be worth the punishment if I got caught.

A maid would bring me my meals. No men were allowed inside my room during this time as my grandfather was so paranoid that one of his soldiers would come steal my virtue. Like that would happen when they are all so terrified of him.

No one has touched me in the past, I doubt they would now.

I’m sure my grandfather has some kind deal on the line with the O’Sullivans, and no one wants to be on the other end of his wrath if they mess it up for him.

I find myself in the back of the plane, while all the family and Theodore sit in the front, drinking and eating. I was told I’m not allowed, not that I would want to anyway. I feel like I could get sick at any moment. Not sure if it’s from my nerves as this is my first time flying, or from knowing my grandfather selling me to a man is rumored to have killed his first wife.

Will I survive? Will he beat me like my grandfather does?

“Sit up straighter and quit shaking. You look like you are on your way to your execution,” my mother says, grabbing me by the back of my hair and pulling me until I’m sitting straight.

“Yes, Mother.”

“Get yourself together. You are representing our family, and you will not embarrass us,” she says, squeezing my shoulder, making sure her nails dig into it before she walks away and joins everyone else. I sit in my seat, with my eyes looking out the window, my back as stiff as a board and my hands in my lap, until we land.

My grandfather escorts me down the steps of the plane, and as we descend, I see an older couple waiting for us. A man who looks to be in his thirties, that must be Cillian as he is the oldest son.

Then I see another man around his age and a beautiful redhead woman next to him. I wonder who that is. It must be his sister because the two teenage girls look almost identical to her, but they have brown hair. Even the younger boys look like them. Grandfather did say they had a big family.

“Remember what happens if I lose this deal.”

“Yes, sir.”

The older man stands a few feet in front of his family with Cillian at his side.

“Hello, Xander, thank you for coming,” he says, extending his hand to shake my grandfather’s hand.

“Thank you for having us, Peter. Hopefully this alliance will end this feud that has been going on,” Grandfather says, but then turns his attention to Cillian.

“It’s good to see you, Cillian. This is my granddaughter, Bia.” He says and pushes me forward.

Cillian shakes Grandfather’s hand before he looks at me. His eyes start at the top of my head and slowly make their way down my body before he gently shakes my hand.

“Bia, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you and your family as well. Thank you for having us.”

Peter takes that moment to introduce us to his family, starting with his wife, Grace, who politely greets us. His second oldest son is Oscar. The beautiful redhead is his daughter, Kayleigh, and the twins are Ellie and Riley. The youngest two teenager boys are Aiden and Keenan.

As Peter’s maids show us all to our rooms, I see Grandfather’s hand move toward my lower back. I flinched automatically, thinking he was going to hit me. As soon as I did, I felt my grandfather’s hard glare on me.

“You will pay for that when we get home.”