Ariella’s POV
Bang! Bang!
The sound of gunshots broke through the still night that day. Putting everyone in fear in the city of Naples.
My coffee felled from my hand, dropped to ground and shattered. My hands began to shake and my heart dropped in my stomach.
People started screaming from the neighborhood. Everyone in the Romano villa was shaking in fear.
They were here.
My pulse thundered in my chest as the sound of boots was approaching the door. I could see men, dressed in black unform, with guns, and their faces covered with masks. My fingers were shaking and I held the edge of the table beside as if it was going to save me.
Despite this, Dad and Mom were relaxed inside their room comfortably like nothing was happening.
This was supposed to be a fake abduction. A Mafia tradition. A show of power.
But in that moment, with the sounds of glass breaking and bullets flying outside, nothing felt fake.
The Morettis and the Romanos had been enemies, fighting for power for years now. Two names whispered in fear across Naples. Both families had spilled blood for control of the city. To stop the endless war, our fathers, Don Moretti and Don Romano, has reached an agreement.
A marriage deal.
A truce sealed not with peace, but with a wedding ring.
Vincenzo Moretti, heir to the Moretti empire, a ruthless, cold and feared man would marry Luciana Romano, my older sister.
Luciana was everything I wasn’t. She's beautiful, proud and very stubborn, with a voice that could cut glass. She was born to rule. I was the quiet one, the soft whisper behind her arrogant life.
But Luciana never wanted this marriage. She wanted to live a life full of freedom, not with a Mafia husband whose name made grown men tremble. A man she would never control.
And that’s why, tonight, I was the one they’ve come to take. Because Luciana and I had switched places.
……..
That fateful night, She had banged into my room with force that almost threw me out of couch. Just as the clock struck midnight. The air smelled of jasmine from the garden outside, soft and warm. She was dressed in silk, her hair long scattered in different directions, and her eyes were looking tired.
“They’re planning to take me tomorrow,” she said, her voice filled with anger, pacing the room. “The Morettis. They call it tradition a show of strength before the marriage.”
My expression changed immediately. “You mean the fake kidnapping?”
She stopped pacing and turned to me, and nodded. “Yes. They’ll come with their guns and masks, pretend to steal me like a trophy. I just heard Dad speaking Don Morettis about it over the phone. What a joke.”
She laughed bitterly.
“You don’t have to go through with it,” I whispered.
She looked at me, eyes burning with anger. “Don’t you see Ariella? I have no choice. Dad would rather kill me than let me embarrass him. He wants this alliance more than his own soul.”
Then she sat on the edge of my bed, her voice softening. “But you, Ariella… you could help me.”
My heart skipped, and they was silent for a moment.“Help you? How?”
“Yes.” She said and took my hands in hers. “I want us to switch. Just for the night. You wear my dress. Pretend to be me. They’ll never know the difference until it’s too late. I just need time to disappear.”
Luciana had always been smart in things like this. I pulled my hands away, shaking my head in disbelief. “No Luciana, that’s madness. They’ll find out!”
Her lips curved into a sad smile. “Not when you play your part very well. Everyone underestimates you, little sis. They think you’re the calm one, too kind, too quiet. But I know what you're capable of doing. You see everything. You think faster than you speak. You can do this.”
I paused for some seconds, my head filled with confusion. My chest tightened. “But why? Why me? I asked.”
Her gaze softened. “Because I trust you. And because… maybe you’ll find out what the Morettis are really hiding, their secretd.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
She leaned closer, her voice almost like a whisper. “They’re not just after peace. There’s something darker, old secrets, blood money and power. Dad's hiding something too. Maybe this marriage isn’t just to end the war. Maybe it’s to hide it.”
Her eyes glimmered in the candlelight. “Find out for me, Ariella. Find the truth.”
I should’ve said no. But the other part of me was curious. I wanted to know too.
Okay it's fine, I will do it. I finally said.
And now here I am.
The door burst open with a thunderous sound.
Before I could attempt move, a man, dressed in all black with a black mask stormed in and corned me. His arm wrapped around my waist, strong and rough.
“Don’t scream,” he commander, his vibrating through the room.
But I never, I screamed. A high, frightened sound that didn’t look as if it was faked.
He covered my mouth, dragging me out of the room with force. My feet scraping against the marble floor. My heart was beating so fast I feared it might explode.
Through the hallways, they were saw flashes of chaos, broken glass, servants crying, guards shouting. The villa that had always felt too big, too rich, now looked like a cage burning from the inside.
They forced me into the back of a black car. And slammed the door shut.
My wrists were tied with ropes, so tight that it hurt me. My eyes covered with with a black cloth. The car roared to life.
The engine hummed, but all I could hear was my heartbeat.
I kept thinking of Luciana, my sister where she could possibly be. Running for the freedom she had craved for?
All I knew was that I had become the wrong bride.
The ride felt endless. Every turn, every bump made my stomach twist. I could smell the faint scent of cologne and gunpowder.
When we finally got to the Morettis's estate and the car finally stopped, someone yanked the door open and dragged me out.
Cold air slapped my face so hard that it hurt me. My feet sank into gravel. The cloth was taken off my head, and I blinked hard against the sudden light that I haven't seen for some minutes.
What I saw stole my breath.
The Moretti mansion standing before me, a fortress of stone and iron, with tall gates and strong securities with weapons guarding the entrance. The air smelled of sea salt and rain.
And standing by the entrance of the house was him.
Vincenzo Moretti.
He was taller than I imagined, his shoulders broad, his face carved like marble. His black suit fit him like armor. His eyes, cold, gray, and sharp. He looked straight into mine.
Even though I was shaking, but I tried not to look away.
He took a slow step forward, the kind that made men move out of his path. The guards bowed their heads.
When he spoke, his voice was low, steady and dangerous.
“Leave us. He commsnded.”
The men obeyed at once. The air between us grew heavy, filled with silence.
His gaze dragged over me like a blade. “So,” he said quietly. “This is the Romano princess.”
I swallowed hard. My throat was dry. “Your bride,” I managed to whisper with my shaking mouth.
Something flickered in his eyes, a sign of amusement, maybe doubts. “My bride,” he repeated softly. “The one who’s supposed to hate me.”
I forced a small smile, pretending to be Luciana. “Maybe hate and fate sound the same in this city.”
He stared at me for some seconds without saying anything. Then his jaw tightened. “You’ll stay in this place from today. Do not make an attempt to escape. The wedding is in a week time. This house doesn’t forgive curiosity.”
Then he turned to his guards. “Take her to her room,” he ordered, his voice calm but filled with commmd.
“Yes, boss.”
Then he turned away to leave, his shirt shifting as the serpent tattoo flexed with his muscles. “Welcome to your new cage, Luciana,” he said over his shoulder.
And he disappeared inside.
The guard gripped my arm gently but firmly.
I stood there alone, surrounded by silence. The night wind brushed against my face.
My knees felt weak, my heart sank with fear and something else I didn’t understand.
This was supposed to be a game. A trick. A mission for truth.
But as I looked around that dark, beautiful mansion, I realized something:
I had just stepped into a world where love and death slept in the same bed.
And the devil I was supposed to fear… had eyes that made me forget how to breathe.
