The Mafia Princess’s New Groom Chapter 02
Vincent raised his gun and shot a bullet into my head soldato’s leg.
“Isabella, we’re getting married. Don’t push it.”
“I held back out of respect for you. That doesn’t give you the right to lay a hand on my people.”
I stood on the stage, chin raised, staring down at him.
“Your people? Vincent, you’re a stray the Mancini family took in. Now you’ve got a little bite, and you think you’re the big dog.”
The moment Sophia screamed about the baby, whatever was left inside me went cold.
Vincent and I were done.
His expression shifted again and again. Sweat gathered on his forehead. He clenched his jaw and forced every word through his teeth.
“Isabella. Twenty years we’ve known each other. I don’t pick fights with women, and I sure as hell don’t want to pick one with you. But you shot one of my men. You owe him an apology. Otherwise, you’re walking down the aisle alone tomorrow.”
He swept Sophia up in his arms and stormed out.
My head soldato cursed under his breath. “Boss, you’re letting him walk? He pointed a gun at you. If the Don finds out, he’ll cut Vincent’s hands off himself.”
The crowd erupted in whispers.
“Wasn’t Vincent supposed to be crazy about the princess? Now he’s walking out carrying another woman?”
“She’s the one who fought to get him that waterfront territory. He’s barely had it a year, and he’s already turning on her.”
I smiled and turned to the guests. “He’s having an off night. Nothing to worry about. Please, enjoy yourselves.”
A man could be replaced. The Mancini name could not.
Everyone in that room understood. They laughed, clinked glasses, and the whole ugly scene was forgotten in minutes.
The blood was mopped up in no time. A doctor whisked my soldato away for treatment. Music filled the hall again, and couples drifted back onto the floor.
Hours later, when the last guest was gone and the house sat empty, I finally looked at my phone. Sophia had left me over a dozen voice messages.
“Miss Mancini, Vince said you need to come apologize to me in person. But don’t worry, I already talked him out of it. He won’t make you do that. You’re welcome.”
“He promised he’d be at the wedding on time tomorrow to do right by you. I’ll stay home, of course. Vince wants me to rest. Good for the baby. He said he’ll come straight to me once the ceremony’s over.”
“Oh, Miss Mancini, one more thing. Vince wants you to pack a few outfits and bring them to me. Don’t forget the prenatal vitamins in the cabinet. He ordered them from abroad just for me.”
I listened to her smug little voice, raised my gun, and fired a round straight into the giant wedding portrait hanging in the living room.
Vincent’s face exploded on impact. Just like the night they dragged him off the docks, covered in blood and barely breathing.
I was lining up for a second shot when his call came in.
“Isabella, I already went easy on you today. Sophia even begged me to forgive you. Keep pushing me, and see what happens.”
“I’m taking Sophia to her checkup in the morning. Go to the hotel and greet the guests yourself. Don’t embarrass the Mancini family.”
I almost laughed.
The Mancini family.
The man didn’t even know where his own people were buried. He’d get lost in a graveyard trying to find his own bloodline.
But I let it go. I kept my voice light.
“Sure. I got it.”
The second I gave in without a fight, his voice swelled up like he was king of the world.
“Good girl. Keep it up. Do what a wife is supposed to do, and I won’t give you trouble. Get along with Sophia. That’s basic decency for a woman in your position.”
“Now pack up some clothes and bring them to the hospital tonight. After the wedding, Sophia’s coming home to rest. I want the master bedroom cleared out for her.”
I couldn’t help but laugh again.
“Vincent, the master bedroom is the bridal suite. We’re supposed to have a honeymoon. Where am I sleeping?”
His voice went sharp. “You’ve got two good legs. Pick a spot. Are you really going to fight her over a bedroom? What did I just tell you? Be a proper wife. Short memory?”
Sophia’s soft little voice floated in from the background.
“Vince, forget it. She’ll just get upset. What if she causes trouble…”
“Let her try. I call the shots around here now. The Don himself doesn’t get to tell me what to do.”
“She’s just a woman who comes with the deal. She still thinks she’s daddy’s little princess. If she plays nice with you and keeps me happy, I’ll treat her fine.”
“Nobody else on this waterfront would touch her. If I told her to get on her knees and beg you for forgiveness right now, she’d do it.”
Every word drove through me like an ice-cold blade.
I couldn’t wrap my head around it.
What made Vincent so sure I couldn’t live without him? Was it because I’d loved him for twenty years? Did he think I’d die if he left?
And where did he get the nerve to think he could turn me into some meek little housewife?
Did one year of running the waterfront really make him think he was somebody?
I picked up my phone and made a call.
“Dominic. I’m getting married tomorrow, but I need a new groom. Interested?”