Chapter 350
His Promise: The Mafia’s Babies
Aria âDaddy!â
Dad shot me an annoyed look and placed his finger over his lips, which was not surprising, considering 1 had burst through his office.
He seemed to be on an important phone call, so I sat down in front of him and looked into his eyes â forcing him to end his conversation.
âIâll call you back later. Something important came up.â Dad spoke. âWhatâs up? My beautiful daughter needs me.â He said, ending the call.
Oscar Morales was a busy man, even to busy for his daughter-but whenever I really needed him, he was always there. As his only daughter and his heir, I was the hope of the Morales family.
âMuffin, what do you want?â
I ignored his cringy nickname and went straight to business. At times it seemed as if my dad still thought I was a teenager, but today I would show him otherwise. âWhat did you think about the wedding yesterday?â Dad continued. âChristian seems like a good family man, doesnât he?â
I gave him a nod and reached for his hand across the table. âThe wedding was nice, but dad-donât you think itâs time for me to get married?â
Dad stared at me with big eyes before a wide smile appeared on his lips. He was an old-fashioned man who had devoted his time picking out a suitable suitor for me, and he had been doing so since my eighteenth birthday. âDo you have someone in mind?â
I bet he thought I was talking about one of the men he had introduced me to throughout the year.
Although they were rich, handsome, and would be of value to the Morales family, they were not like Vincenzo. They did not have to face a single struggle in their lives and were weak-minded. They could not handle a boss bitch like me.
âDaddy, I want to marry Vincenzo Garcia.â
Dad blinked his eyes a few times before releasing my hand and burst out in complete laughter.
âPrincess, you have got to be kidding me?â
âN-no, dad.â I shook my head. It seemed like I had to fight for Vincenzo, but I was willing to do that. I had never experienced love at first sight before, so I would not let go of him. Ever.
âI want to marry Vincenzo Garcia-â
âNo.â He spoke, His answer was loud and clear. It was something I wasnât used to. He never said ânoâ to me. That word almost sounded foreign to my ears. âNo? What do you mean, no?â I furrowed my brows, confused.
âAria, Iâve introduced you to the finest men, and now youâre telling me you want me to hand you over to a -a-a.Garcia!â Dad spoke, disgusted. âYou know they donât have a good name around here ââ
âThen weâll make it good!â I got up from the chair. I turned my back to my father and took a deep breath to prepare myself for what I had to say. âI know you think theyâre weak and useless, but Vincenzo is the one I want.â
âI heard about what heâs been throughâ¦heâs strong, determined, a fighter, and worthy of becoming my husband.â
The way he turned me down yesterday had only pumped my adrenaline. I was even more desperate to have him by my side, and I was going to marry him-even if I had to hold him hostage.
âIâm pretty sure the Garciaâs need this alliance, and having Vince by my side will only make us stronger, so please, daddy.â I pleaded, turning around to stare at him with puppy eyes.
It seemed to have worked because dadâs eyes slowly softened. âIâll discuss it with your uncles, but I canât promise anything.â
Wait a secondâ¦.
It worked?
I jumped up and down and flew into dadâs arms to give him a tight hug. Who wouldâve thought those sad puppy eyes would actually work?
âWait, dad, are you serious?â
Dad placed his hands on my shoulder and nodded. âI would buy the world for my Aria if sheâd ask meto, so if you want to marry Vince Garcia-Iâll pull every string I possibly can to let you marry Vince Garcia.â
âAnd thatâs what happened!â I summarized the conversation for Stella, who had an uncomfortable expression throughout the story.
She rubbed her neck and smiled awkwardly. âAnd how does Vince feel about this?â
âWhat do you mean?â
Stella cleared her throat as she covered her long dark bangs in front of her eyes. âWell, heâs expressed not wanting to get married many times-and now youâre kind of pushing him into an arranged marriage.â She forced a friendly tone.
I knew what she was thinking. She thought I was stupid, insane even-but so what? Maybe I was.
Vincenzo was made for me, and I would marry him-one way or another.
âItâs for his own good.â I tapped the table, leaning forward. âWeâre a good match, and heâll realize soon enough!â
Stella bit her lip and reached for my hands. âAria.â She tilted her head. âYouâre gorgeous, intelligent-
the Morales heir, and so much more.â She spoke. âI think you need to think this through because youâre really rushing into things.â
âDidnât you say Vince is a nice guy?â
âHe is, he is!â Stella defended him. âHeâs been best friends with my brother for years, like since they were kids-
âSeelâ
âBut-â Stella raised her hand. âVince went through a lot, and he hasnât really been the same ever since.â She said. âHe blames himself for what happened to his family, and other than Serena, who he absolutely canât getâI donât think heâs capable of loving a woman, at least not yet.â
âThen Iâll make him capable,â I stated, knowing I would not change my decision. Stella was the first one to tell me that Vince did absolutely not have feelings for Serena, so her words came as a surprise.
It was almost as if she didnât want me to marry him.
âIâm perfect, so heâll end up loving me-everyone loves me!â
Stella snickered. âOkay, if you say so.â
That same evening I sat on the sofa, thinking about Stellaâs words. How could she possibly claim Vince would never fall for me? Were we really talking about the same Vince who has been running after a married woman all along?
As for his family being rotten? I didnât care one bit.
The Morales had a good name, so marrying me would only come this his advantage. Of course, I wouldnât allow myself to change my name to Garcia because that would be unacceptable as the heir-but Vincenzo Morales has a nice ring to it.
âAna, where is my mom?â I asked our maid. Ever since we moved, that woman had way too much fun to the point I didnât even get to see her face anymore.
Mom had been annoyed with living a humble life, and moving to the big city has always been her dream. Growing up, I didnât see my parents a lot which was something Vince and I would most likely have in common.
We were just so perfect for each other.
âYour mother is having dinner with Mrs. Lamberti and Mrs. Alfonzo.â
âHmm.â I chuckled. âOf course she is.â
It seemed like mommyâs call for attention had also been working as she had been hanging around those two women of status quite a lot-Cesca Lamberti, Christianâs mom-and Lita Alfonzo, Serenaâs mom.
âChristian has an unwed brother. Those were momâs words as soon as we landed. âOne of the Alfonzo boys just got out of a bad relationship, and the other one is a single dad. Those were her second words.
She was probably pulling every string to set me up with one of them, but trust me-I wasnât interested. I wanted.no, I needed Vincenzo Garcia.
âDid you have fun with your friend?â Ana asked while sweeping the floor. Inodded, smiling for a split second.
Yes, we had fun-until she had to leave because Serena had an emergency. The emergency in question? She didnât know what gift to buy her husband and required her sister-in-lawâs assistance.
Serenaâ¦
Just that name bothered me.
How could a married woman, with children on top of that-keep all those people in a chokehold?
Just how?
âSweetie, youâre squeezing your cup.â Ana pointed out.
Shocked, I looked at the imaginary stress ball in my hands and faked a smile. âYes, my bad.â
âAre you excited for your birthday next week?â Ana started another conversation. âTwenty-one is a special age.â
Yes, certainly.
Itâs the age I would marry Vince.
âIs it my party or mommyâs?â I rolled my eyes, annoyed. This party would just be another way for my parents to brag about how rich and amazing they were, not to forgetâa way to meet suck up to the other families.
âDoes it really matter?â Ana grinned. âYour parties are always the best, and so are your different outfit changes.â She spoke. âTheyâre impressive enough to grab any manâs attention.â
I grew a smug smile on my lips, processing Anaâs words. It was not crazy for men to throw themselves at me, and especially not after a grand birthday party that would show off our wealth.
Vincenzo would not be able to keep his eyes off me.
âIt is, isnât it?â
It would be a good way for Vince to get used to the Morales lifestyle.
It would be a good way for my future husband to mingle with my family.