An Arranged Marriage To The Mafia...?

"My deepest condolences," The words did little to warm Maria Radev's broken heart no matter how many darkly clad guests whispered their sympathy as they sipped on expensive champagne and reminisced valuable memories of her darling son. Instead she sat, still and sullen within her comfortably lavish chair situated inside the ballroom of Antonio's most famous casino. A multi-billion dollar earning enterprise which he had closed in honour of his late son.

It didn't matter the words that left the mouths of the illict family that surrounded the large room, the comforting embraces or the sorrow-filled gazes did little to mend the dull throb of pure heart ache and none of it brought the charasmatic smile fo James Radev back from his freshly burried grave.

From across the room my vision burned into Ethan's back, his head hung low and voice washed in muttered whispers to an aquaintance I had never before seen or met. My curiosity sky rocketted in an instant as Ethan's shameful face nodded in understanding before he moved swiftly toward the enterance door and disappeared out into the foyer. The heavy stares from a group of older women landed over me from a far corner and I didn't need to speculate far to know that they were discussing the reported scandal of my finacee's apparent affair with Penelope Jakowski.

I grew self conscious, paranoid that every set of eyes were now cast upon me waiting in the shadows for my reaction, anticipating what would happen next.
Would I cry?
Would I scream?
Would I call off the wedding?
Would I go after him?

I did absolutely nothing. I stood gaping at the swinging door where my unreliable betrothed had eagerly and easily waltzed from, I watched isolated from the party of mourners as my world slipped from my control and the unsettling pain of betrayal eased througout my veins. My lips sunk yet another sparkling glass of champagne and I felt the full effect of the intoxicating bubbles rising through my blood stream. My overly tall pumps moved with stealth across the carpetted floor and in an instant my finger tips had pryed the main door open, my senses lifting the scent of stale carpets and cleaning agents from the waiting foyer.

Escape had been on my mind from the second I had entered the large over-sized hall, suffocated by a stream of tear-stained faces and brooding men, surrounded by sympathy, empathy and sorrow, stuck in the centre of chaos and grief and abandoned for a cheap enemy whore. I was far too focused on the stainless silver doorways of the elevator to care about the gossiping men and women inside who speculated over my leave. I did little to ensure there rumours didn't contain well devised stories of my failing engagement or the curious antics of my fiance. Instead I slipped inside the elevator and prised my fingers over the small rectagular penthouse button, leaned against the far mirroring wall and rested my head against its backdrop as the lift sent my stomach in rolling spirals to the very top of the casino.

Expectantly the upper penthouse which was repectfully reserved for the Radev family lay abandoned. The living rooms were empty and un-disturbed. The kitchenette sterile and bathrooms glimmering in cleanliness. I paced my way around the room, my thoughts running rampid over every detail. The cotton fibres of towels, the way the stailness steel gleamed under the bright lighting, the soft material feel of sofas and gentle hum of the television set; anything which moved my mind from the unbearable antics that took place in the course of the previous week.

My feet instinctovely flexed as they slipped from the height of my soaring shoes, my stockings graces the fine carpets as my hands and knees graced the soft clothes of the bed spread siuated in the second of the three large rooms. I coiled against my side across the duvet, my knees arched to the side and arms wrapping firmly over my body as the silent hiccups fell from my lips and small drops leaked from the edged of my eyes.

Heavy hearted my memory raced to the scene of the day. The way the mahogony coffin fell so naturally to the heavy grave, the smiling photograph of James standing tall and proud upon his memorial, the heartache of losing him to the greedy, grimey hands of Jakowski's men. The hatred that burned inside my chest knowing my betrother was flirting shamelessly with the daughter of that very enemy.

I felt sobs erradicate my chest to the point where it felt it would collapse. Hot tears washed make-up from my face and caused my hair to stick to the soft skin. My head throbbed with a cry-enduced headache and body weighed down with grief.

Too overwhelmed and with a sense of calm hanging over the large quilted bed I stayed lying dazed by the string of circumstances as the elevator chimed and a pair of shoes sounded over the tiled flooring, keys rattled as they landed over the surface of a table top and footsteps approached the bedroom with an even slow pace. I reacted barely when the white door opened inches at a time and did absolutely nothing when Ethan's suit-clad body emerged from the hall way.

His palms closed the door behind him and shoulders shrugged his jacket from his body, my eyes remianed staring straight before me at the shallow white wall while his shoes were kicked from his feet and my body shifted involuntarily as the mattress sunk underneath his weight as he crawled his way to the top. I breathed a deep, aching breath and sniffed a witheld sob deeply. Ethan's arm draped around my waist and pulled me closer to his body, the warmth of his figure behind me sent comforting chills down my spine and on instinct I coiled further toward him. It wasn't until the still of our silence had washed across the room that I realised with a heavy heart the uneven breathing of Ethan at my back, his jaggered breath a sure sign of his obvious grief for his older brother.

The sheer realisation broke my heart.

Slowly I moved my left arm and laced my much smaller hand with his giant palm, confidently and comfortingly squeezing his grasp. Almost encouragingly his arms wound tighter across my body and fingers laced heavily more with my own.

My eyelids grew heavy as his warmth washed over every inch of my entire body, his reassuring presence sending me to a sleepy state of consciousness, a mind set where I felt suddenly safe and calm. Ethan's lips lifted and graced the corner of my jawline before he shifted only a fraction and held tighter to my hand, his breath falling evenly against the back of my neck as sleep over came us both.

In Ethan's arms I rested soundlessly, warmly encased in the most perfect embrace. Somewhere in the back of my mind screamed the voice of remindence; Ethan was unafithful and guilty of the ultimate betrayal, he was capable of breaking hearts even while engaged to wed. But the feeling of the heavy set white-gold silver engagement ring on my left hand spoke louder than the sensible sound of my inner voice. The small band reminded me that tonight; in the middle of chaotic grief, I found myself wrapped securely in the arms of Ethan. Tonight he had chosen to spend the seconds in only my presence and Penelope Jakowski for the moment was meaningless and forgotten.