Chapter 50 Arranged Marriage
LISA
I was home for our monthly family dinner even though I didn't want to go. I mean, I've always wanted to steer clear of going home to avoid having a conversation or confrontation with Angel. Because that always happened any time I was in the same space with Angel.
We were currently sitting at the dining table with Tricia and I sitting across Angel and Steff with dad sitting at the head of course. Tricia's excited chatter filled the room and I was doing my best to keep up with her talks while Angel kept scowling at intervals. It was obvious that she didn't like the idea of Tricia going on and on about her designs and the new things she had learned during the past week.
"That reminds me," Angel started in an unusually loud voice that immediately drowned Tricia's own as she turned to dad halfway through the meal, "I have something important to discuss with the family."
I snickered under my breath at the same time Tricia leaned to whisper into my ears, "maybe she's pregnant because what else would she want to discuss with us?"
I really doubt if Angel was pregnant. And if she was, I was already full of pity for her unborn baby because we all know that someone like Angel isn't capable of motherly feelings. I was sure she wasn't even interested in giving birth because she wanted a child but because she had to produce an heir for the family mafia.
"What's it? Can't it wait till after dinner?"
"It can but I think right now might be the best time," she flickered her head toward me with a knowing smile and I frowned for a second before my whole body became tense.
Was it about me?
And if it was about me, what was it about?
The only thing that could be popped up in my mind and the fork I was holding nearly tumbled out of my hands.
She didn't see me.
She didn't see me.
And I've been covering my track pretty well with Axel so there was no way she could have found out.
"Okay, let's hear it then, we're almost done with dinner anyway and I'd love to have an early night today," Dad permitted her to go ahead and I scowled. Steff didn't look the least bit interested in whatever she was about to say, he just looked bored out of his mind. I knew he was glad to have her around because she was good with her job and she always get things done but I wasn't sure if he actually loves her.
Angel wasn't exactly loveable and we all know that.
"So, I've been talking with the don and heir of the Italian Mafia," she started and my face contorted into a deep frown wondering what business we had to do with the Italian Mafia. We've never had anything to do with them, we've always steered clear of them not because we were at war because surprisingly, our relationship with them was kind of platonic, they weren't people that'll pull guns at us when we meet outside and vice versa but we weren't close and until this that Angel was saying, I was sure we've never really had any business to do with them.
"The Italian mafia?" Dad frowned as his head flickered towards Steff who looked like he'd give anything to be anywhere but here.
"It's nothing bad, dad," he assured dad.
"Yeah, it's nothing bad," Angel buttressed, "it's more like a business proposition to strengthen our relationship."
"A business proposition to strengthen our relationship?" Dad mussed, I was obvious that he was interested now and of course, he'd be, dad was a mafia don but he had always hated enmity and bloodshed if they could be avoided and he had always been keen on building relationships with mafia families that wanted to reciprocate the energy.
But something to strengthen our relationship with the Italian mafia? There was only one thing that was a sure guarantee to strengthening relationships among mafia families and that was...
My heart skipped a beat as I turned to look at Tricia. She was eating away at her food without a care in the world, without even paying any attention to the conversation that was going on because she didn't have anything to do with the mafia.
But it looks like that was about to change.
Oh God!
"So what's the proposition?"
"Hmm, the Capo of the Italian Mafia is of marriageable age," she started, "he's just 28 and his dad has been looking for suitable brides for him..."
The fork slipped out of Tricia's hold at the mention of the brides and marriages because she knew only she was going to be at the receiving end of those words. Her hand started to shake on her thighs and I quickly grabbed her hand to squeeze it reassuringly, telling her silently that I was there for her.
"He contacted me because he heard we have two girls of marriageable age and would like to discuss the prospect of getting married to one of them."
I frowned at the bullshit she was spilling. Two girls? The prospect of getting married to one of them? Surely, I wasn't in any way included in one of the two girls.
"I met him and his son yesterday and I showed them the pictures of Lisa and Tricia and his son picked Lisa. He wants her," she flickered her head away from dad to look at me with a taunting smile on her face, "and he wants us to commence the wedding plans as soon as possible if we agree to the union."
The table knife flew out of my hands, wooshed through the air, and nibbled a spot on Angel's ear before hitting the wall behind her.
Angel screamed but Tricia's scream drowned hers.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Steff screamed at me, venom and anger oozing out of his body while I remained calm on my seat.
"That question shouldn't be directed at me, it should be directed at your wife."
"Angel has done nothing wrong," he replied to me, practically flying out of his chair, "she's only talking about something that'll benefit our family, that's nothing to act ballistic about."
Beside me, I felt Tricia starting to panic, she was so fragile and sheltered that even loud arguments like this were starting to affect her.
"Go to your room, Tricia, dinner is over."
She didn't wait for anything, she flew out of her chair, muttered quiet goodnights and she dashed up the stairs.
"Something that'll benefit our family? Really? What part of showing my pictures to some mafia family that I want to have absolutely nothing to do with is going to benefit our family? And doing that without my permission? Come on Steff, it's obvious your little wife is trying to get under my skin and get a raise out of me."
"You're a mafia girl, Tricia, and one day, you're going to get married to someone and it's going to be an arranged marriage, the sooner you familiarize yourself with the idea, the better it will be for you." "No, you're wrong," I met his blaring eyes, "when I'm getting married, it's going to be with the man I picked for myself, it's going to be with the man I love and not some arranged marriage freak." Angel snickered as she wiped the tiny blood from her ear, "don't be delusional, Lisa, just because you're a skilled assassin does not mean the rules will be bent for you. You won't be an assassin forever and sooner or later, you'll have to become a wife and a mother and produce heirs."
"Sometimes, I wonder how you manage to get things done when you obviously have a bird brain in your head!"
Venom mixed with fury in her eyes.
"Lisa!" Steff yelled, "you won't disrespect my wife like that."
"You can't earn what you don't give, maybe you should teach your wife to learn to respect me if she wants to get respected."
"ENOUGH!" Dad yelled, quietening the whole room, "have you guys lost all the respect you have for me that you're getting into loud arguments in front of me?"
"I'm sorry sir," Angel apologized first.
"I'm not the one who needs your apology, apologize to Liss for disrespecting her like that."
Angel's eyes widened and her jaws slacken, "sir?"
"You heard me, you disrespected Lisa by pitching her into the talks of an arranged marriage."
"But this is the Italian Mafia, this is our only shot at building a strong relationship with them, and especially with the mission that's upon us, we need their help."
"I don't care about that at the moment, what I care about is that you know full well that Lisa would never get into an arranged marriage, she has said it and I agreed to it and you know it so why did you
take her pictures? If the family isn't in Tricia, then there's no marriage or building stronger relationships."
"But sir..."
"Apologize to her!" Dad snapped and Angel knew better than to prolong the relationship, she turned to me, eyes blaring.
"I'm sorry," she apologized stiffly, "I shouldn't have disrespected you like that."
She was apologizing but her eyes were telling me something else, promising me something else.
Promising me that she'll get back at me.
I'll love to see her try.
"Good!" Dad turned to me, "now, Lisa, apologize to your sister-in-law."
I didn't even push it, I apologized immediately.
"That's settled then," dad rose from his feet, "I don't want to hear anything about marrying Lisa off into an arranged marriage again. I'd really love to build a relationship with the Italians so you can
check back with them if they want Tricia, if they don't, that means there won't be a marriage between the two families. Good night."
We all muttered our goodnights as Dad turned back and walked into his room, Steff closed behind him, leaving me alone with Angel.
She had gone back to eating her food quietly as if the last few minutes didn't happen.
"Are you in love with anyone?" she asked from nowhere as she looked up at me and I frowned, wondering where the hell that question was coming from.
"You've never been this vocal about your hatred for arranged marriage like you did today. One would think you don't want to be torn away from the man you love by getting into an arranged marriage
with someone."
"Don't be ridiculous, Angel, I don't even have the time to date."
She regarded me for a while with a knowing look in her eyes.
"Of course, you don't, I was wondering why you have that uncanny resemblance with a girl I saw with a man some days ago but can't be you, right? You don't have time to date, least of all, a
man like that."
Damn!