Daughter of the Mafia's Consigliere
Chapter 3

MARIANNE.

"That's right, they're coming for you and me, Marianne."

I remained quiet for a few seconds before forcing myself to speak. "Why would they come for me? They don't even know I exist."

My mother let out a soft laugh. "Who told you they don't know you exist? They're the mafia, sweetie. They know everything and have eyes everywhere. Your father and the boss of the D'Onofrio family are very popular in the mafia world because they made a lot of enemies. Since those enemies can't get to the D'Onofrio's easily, they'll look for more accessible prey, and that happens to be us."

I narrowed my eyes. "You're trying to scare me, but I want you to know that it's not working."

She arched an amused brow. "Oh really? Well, picture this: you're going about your daily life, walking freely down the street, but then a black van stops beside you. Someone grabs you and throws you inside. They put a cloth over your nose, and you pass out. When you wake up, you're tied up in a dark room with scary-looking men around you, asking you to spill secrets about the D'Onofrio's that you don't even know. What will you do then?" "Damn it!" I hissed in annoyance. "This was exactly why I moved away from home; I wanted to get as far away as possible from that world!"

She smiled sympathetically. "I know; I found out that you dropped your father's last name and have been using mine."

I pressed my lips together in a thin line. I had decided to drop my father's last name, Valentino, when he died and instead use my mother's own, Dupont. It had been yet another attempt by me to start afresh.

"I'm sorry to break it to you, but you can't run away from your past, Marianne. No matter how much you try to bury it, you'll always be the consigliere's daughter. Your name will always be Marianne Dupont Valentino," she said, and I shook my head.

"No, I refuse. It's my life, and I'll be the one making all the choices. I refuse to marry that person and I absolutely refuse to go back to life in the mafia world. I'm leaving, and I don't ever want to see you again. Goodbye." I turned on my heel and marched out of the restaurant before she could say anything else.

I stepped outside into the mild daylight, and tears welled up in my eyes, but I quickly blinked them away. I had said the words; I had told my mother for the second time that I didn't want to see her again. I thought it would be easier the second time, but it was just as hard as the first time I had said them because, as much as I hated to admit it, it had been nice to see her again.

I began walking down the street with my head bowed low and my eyes watching my feet as they moved. The sound of tires screeching on the asphalt made me look up sharply. A grey minivan had parked right beside me. The door slid open, and two men wearing fitted black suits with sunglasses climbed out.

"Hello, Miss Marianne," one of them greeted, and my eyes widened in horror and realization. They were probably the D'Onofrios' enemies and were here to kidnap me!

I returned my gaze back to my feet, pretending like I hadn't heard him, and tried to walk away, but paused when one of them blocked my way.

"Move, or I'll scream," I warned in a low voice, hoping it would deter him.

When he remained still, I tried to sidestep him, but before I could blink, a cloth was pressed tightly against my nose. A strong chemical smell rushed into my nose, numbing my brain and weakening my muscles the more I struggled against the strong arms holding me.

I tried to scream, but it came out muffled, and my heart began racing faster when I felt myself slowly losing consciousness.

'No, Marianne, you can't be taken like this. Fight it!' I screamed in my head, but it was pointless. The chemical was too strong, and I was only human. The last thing I felt was someone lifting me up before my eyes closed, and I was dead to the world.

****

The sound of seagulls cawing reached my ears as I slowly began to regain consciousness. I listened to the sound with my eyes still closed, and it was also accompanied by the soft sound of waves washing ashore. That soft sound that could only be heard while standing close to a beach. But a beach? That was strange; there were no beaches in Arizona.

My eyes fluttered open, and I winced softly at the pain that hit my pupils. The room was bright, too bright. The bed was also way too big and soft. I let out a soft gasp and sat up sharply while glancing around. I was in a well-furnished, fancy room that looked like a five-star hotel suite with its high ceiling and impeccable interior design.

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I slowly glanced down at my body, and my confusion doubled when I discovered that I was no longer wearing the shirt and pencil skirt that I had worn to my interview. Instead, a spaghetti-strapped, pale blue silk dress that looked quite expensive clung softly to my body. What the hell? Who had changed me?

I turned to the right and found the reason why the room was so bright. Apart from the wide windows, there was also a wide door that led to a balcony where I could see small glimpses of what looked like a sea. "No," I whispered with widening eyes. There were no beaches in Arizona, so where the hell was this? Just where had those men brought me?

I slowly slid down from the high bed and walked out onto the balcony with slightly shaky legs. I sucked in a breath when I came into full view of what lay outside. I had been right. The house was built beside the sea.

The air was humid, and the shimmering blue surface of the water looked very inviting, but its beauty didn't stop me from noticing two things. One, there was not a single other house in sight, just the vast, never-ending sea. Two, I was most definitely NOT in Arizona or the States anymore.

The realization knocked the breath out of me, and I found myself gasping for air while bending forward and gripping the balcony's railing tightly. So many questions raced through my head at once. Where was I? What did the people who had kidnapped me want? Why had they put me in such a nice room instead of tying me up? Did the person who changed my clothes take advantage of me while I was unconscious?

I gripped strands of my hair and tugged on them, feeling like I was going crazy. I was still hyperventilating when I heard a soft, feminine voice speak behind me.

"Oh, you're awake."

I straightened and turned sharply towards the direction the voice had come from. My eyes settled on a petite, young girl who looked no older than sixteen. She was dressed in the recognizable white and black combination of a maid's attire. "You're even more beautiful when your eyes are open," I couldn't help but notice the thick Italian accent that coated her words even though she was speaking English.

"Who are you?" I demanded while watching her with narrowed eyes.

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"I'm Isabella, your maid, and I'm here to help you get dressed for the party tonight," she replied with her smile widening.

My brows furrowed deeply. She was my maid? A party tonight?

"What party are you talking about?" I asked.

"Your engagement party, of course," my jaw would have dropped to the floor from shock if that were possible.

"Is this some kind of prank? Are you playing a sick joke on me!" I yelled as I marched back into the room where she was standing by the bed.

Isabella's eyes widened in alarm, and she opened her mouth to reply, but the double doors to the room opened, and I turned towards it. My eyes bulged when my mother elegantly glided into the room, dressed up in a long red dress with glittering jewelry to match.

"Nobody is playing a prank on you, dear," she said with a smile, and my palms clenched into fists.

"It was you? You brought me here?"

She shrugged one shoulder. "Well, I didn't do all the work. All I had to do was get you alone so they could easily take you."

I scoffed harshly in disbelief. "Take me? What am I? A toy that can be taken by anybody? I'm a human being, damn it!"

She remained quiet, and I ran a hand over my face, feeling a little exhausted. I needed to calm down and replace out where we were first, and then I could make my escape.

"Where am I, Juliette?" I asked my mother directly, noticing her flinch because I had called her by her name.

"We're in Bologna, Italy, in the D'Onofrios' main estate, to be precise, and you need to get dressed because, in two hours, the guests will start arriving for your engagement party."