The crystal chandeliers in the Griffin family estate cast a warm glow, but they couldn't dispel the chill in my heart.
Even with my parents by my side, I had never felt so out of place.
This was supposed to be the place I knew best.
Rhys and I once discussed family business here, even found excuses to sneak into his private office for secret trysts.
But now, everything had changed.
Several Capos sat around the long table, eagerly discussing the benefits of the coming marriage.
"This alliance will bring us three new ports, not to mention their arms network in Europe."
"The Noa family's political influence is nothing to scoff at either," another Capo added.
"If you ask me, all this formality is unnecessary. Getting both families' consent, visiting her father beforehand, preparing all these pleasantries… it's all so traditional."
I looked at the meticulously decorated main hall, filled with white roses flown in from Sicily.
The table was set with vintage Cuban cigars and whiskey; even the guard mastiffs wore diamond-studded collars.
And there was Rhys, adjusting his bespoke suit and combing his hair before an antique family mirror, obsessed with achieving perfection in his appearance.
Just last night, we were locked in a passionate embrace as he tenderly kissed every inch of my collarbone.
The very tie and cufflinks he wore now were the ones I had picked out for him.
I sat in a corner, bile rising in my throat as I listened to these men discuss marriage as a transaction.
Rhys's mother, Donna, approached me and gently touched my shoulder. "Maeve, dear, you look a little pale."
"I'm fine, Donna."
I lowered my eyes and remained silent.
I was afraid that if I spoke, tears would stream down my face in front of the family's leadership, an utterly humiliating prospect.
She sat down beside me and sighed softly. "To be honest, I always thought you were a better match for him than Noa."
"You grew up together, you understand each other, and you're intelligent, elegant, and you know the family's rules. I even had an understanding with your parents about a betrothal. I truly believed…"
"Mama!" Rhys spun around, his face dark. "I only see Maeve as a sister. Don't get any ideas. That betrothal was a childhood joke. How could you take it seriously? Don't let Noa's people hear this. What if they get the wrong idea?"
Rhys exploded, showing no deference to anyone, not even his own mother.
He suddenly turned to me, his gaze cold. "By the way, Maeve, there's something I need you to do."
"Where is the family ring my mother gave you? The one meant for the future Donna." He stared at my hand. "I need it back."
The entire room fell silent.
It was the Griffin family's ancestral ring, which Donna had placed on my hand herself on my eighteenth birthday.
Seeing my silence, he strode over to me and roughly grabbed my wrist. "That ring represents the identity of the future Donna of the Griffin family. I need to take it back now…"
Before he could finish, the mood in the room shifted. A hush fell over the table.
My mother started to rise, but Donna held her shoulder and rushed to my side, pushing Rhys away forcefully. "Rhys, have you lost your mind?"
"Mama, calm down." Rhys avoided her gaze. "I just think this ring might cause a misunderstanding with Noa arriving soon."
"A misunderstanding?" Donna's voice trembled. "Who was it that knelt before me and begged me to give this ring to Maeve?"
Rhys's face froze, a flicker of a memory in his eyes.
The year I turned eighteen, the Rossi family heir began to pursue me relentlessly, declaring that I was a woman now and he was going to marry me.
Rhys got blind drunk when he heard the news.
On a stormy night, he stole the five-generation Griffin family ring, stumbled into my bedroom, and called my name with a trembling voice.
"Please wear it," he'd choked out, his voice trembling. "Maeve, remember, once you put this on, you belong only to me."
Back in the present, Rhys took a deep breath and tugged at his tie.
He seemed to want to say something but ended up just waving his hand dismissively. "Forget it. It's just an object, it doesn't represent anything."
"Besides, I never take back what I give. Maeve, since you want it so much, you can keep it."
"No need." I stood up and cut him off, my voice calm. "I'll give it back. I'll go get it right now."
