The Wedding Decree
AIN
A dark mafia romance centered on a forced marriage between two heirs of rival mafia families. Bound together by a peace treaty written in blood, they begin their marriage as enemies, each refusing to surrender to the other. He is a ruthless, possessive mafia king feared by everyone, while she is a fearless woman who refuses to be controlled. As betrayal, revenge, family secrets, and a deadly mafia war unfold, hatred slowly turns into obsession, trust, and an all-consuming love. The story explores power, loyalty, sacrifice, redemption, and the thin line between love and possession.
Rain lashed against the towering windows of the Moretti estate, turning the ancient vineyards beyond the iron gates into nothing more than blurred shadows beneath the storm. Thunder rolled across the Sicilian sky as if nature itself had gathered to witness the end of someone’s freedom.
Aurora Moretti stood silently in the middle of her bedroom, her fingers resting on the edge of an open suitcase she had packed three times and unpacked just as many. Inside were simple clothes, a passport, a little cash, and a life that would never happen. The suitcase wasn’t meant for a honeymoon. It was meant for escape.
She looked toward the rain-soaked balcony, imagining herself climbing over the stone railing, running through the gardens, disappearing before sunrise. It was a foolish fantasy. The Moretti estate was surrounded by armed guards, security cameras, and men who had known her since she was a child. There was no escaping a family like hers.
A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.
“Come in,” she said quietly.
The door opened, and her younger cousin Sofia stepped inside carrying a large white garment bag.
“They’re here,” Sofia whispered.
Aurora didn’t have to ask what she meant.
The wedding dress.
She stared at the bag as if it carried a death sentence instead of silk and lace.
“They spent six months making it,” Sofia said, trying to smile. “It’s beautiful.”
“I’m sure it is.”
“You don’t even want to look at it?”
Aurora slowly shook her head.
“What difference will it make? Whether it’s beautiful or ugly, it’s still a cage.”
Sofia’s smile faded. She placed the garment bag on the bed before walking over and wrapping her arms around Aurora.
“I wish there was something I could do.”
“There isn’t.”
For a long moment neither of them spoke.
The rain filled the silence.
Finally Sofia stepped back, her eyes glistening with tears.
“Do you think he’s really as cruel as people say?”
Aurora gave a humorless laugh.
“Which story?”
“The one where he burned an entire warehouse because someone stole from him.”
“I’ve heard worse.”
“The one where he—”
“I know.”
Everyone knew.
Alessandro De Luca.
His name was spoken with fear in every corner of Italy.
Some called him the King of the Underworld.
Others called him Il Diavolo—the Devil.
No one called him kind.
A week ago Aurora had searched every newspaper, every business magazine, every interview she could find. Publicly he was a billionaire investor and philanthropist. Privately, according to every whispered rumor, he ruled one of the most powerful criminal empires in Europe.
And tomorrow...
She would become his wife.
A knock sounded again, this time much harder.
“Miss Moretti,” a guard called from outside. “Your father wants to see you.”
Aurora closed her eyes.
“It begins.”
She followed the guard through the endless marble hallways of the mansion, portraits of dead Moretti ancestors watching her from gilded frames. Every man in those paintings wore the same expression—cold, proud, untouchable.
Power was the only inheritance the Moretti family had ever valued.
Love had never been part of the tradition.
Her father’s office stood at the end of the corridor behind heavy oak doors.
The guard opened them without knocking.
“She’s here.”
Lorenzo Moretti didn’t look up immediately. He continued signing documents spread across his enormous desk while cigar smoke curled lazily toward the ceiling.
Only after several seconds did he raise his eyes.
“Sit.”
Aurora remained standing.
“You wanted to see me.”
“I said sit.”
She reluctantly lowered herself into the leather chair opposite him.
For a few moments the only sound was the ticking of an antique clock mounted on the wall.
Then Lorenzo placed his pen down.
“Tomorrow changes everything.”
“I know.”
“No.”
His voice hardened.
“I don’t think you do.”
He stood and walked toward the window overlooking the estate.
“Our family has survived for generations because we understood one simple truth.”
Aurora remained silent.
“Feelings are temporary.”
He turned to face her.
“Power is forever.”
She clenched her jaw.
“So that’s all I am?”
“What?”
“A bargaining chip.”
“You are my daughter.”
“No.”
She rose to her feet.
“I’m your investment.”
The words hung heavily in the room.
For a brief moment she thought she had gone too far.
Instead, Lorenzo smiled.
“A smart investment.”
Aurora felt anger burn through her chest.
“You arranged my marriage without asking me.”
“I informed you.”
“You sold me.”
“I protected you.”
“I don’t need protection.”
His expression darkened.
“You have no idea what is coming.”
He opened a drawer and placed a thick file on the desk.
“Read.”
Aurora hesitated before opening it.
Photographs.
Crime scenes.
Burned vehicles.
Dead men.
Warehouse explosions.
Family estates reduced to ash.
Each photograph belonged to either the Moretti family...
...or the De Luca family.
“What is this?”
“Our future.”
She looked up.
“Someone is attacking both families.”
“Who?”
“We don’t know.”
“And marrying Alessandro solves that?”
“It creates an alliance.”
She laughed bitterly.
“You expect decades of hatred to disappear because of one wedding?”
“No.”
Lorenzo’s eyes became cold.
“I expect two powerful families to survive long enough to discover who wants them dead.”
Aurora stared at the photographs again.
For the first time she realized the fear in her father’s voice wasn’t fake.
He was worried.
Truly worried.
That alone terrified her.
Before she could speak, another knock echoed through the office.
One of Lorenzo’s trusted captains entered hurriedly.
“Boss...”
“What?”
“The De Luca convoy just crossed the eastern checkpoint.”
Silence.
Aurora’s heartbeat slowed.
“They’re here already?”
“They arrived ahead of schedule.”
Lorenzo nodded once.
“Double security.”
“It has already been done.”
The captain glanced briefly toward Aurora before leaving.
Her father adjusted his cuffs.
“You should prepare.”
“For what?”
Lorenzo looked directly into her eyes.
“You’re about to meet your future husband.”
Aurora’s breath caught.
“I thought I wasn’t supposed to see him until tomorrow.”
“So did I.”
“What changed?”
Lorenzo walked back toward his desk.
“Alessandro De Luca doesn’t ask permission.”
A black convoy of armored vehicles rolled through the massive iron gates of the estate, their engines echoing across the courtyard. Guards from both families stood motionless with rifles in their hands, watching every movement with cautious eyes. The rain had finally stopped, leaving the stone driveway gleaming beneath the fading afternoon light.
Aurora stepped onto the second-floor balcony without making a sound.
She wasn’t supposed to watch.
But she couldn’t stop herself.
The center vehicle came to a halt.
A chauffeur opened the rear door.
Polished black shoes touched the ground first.
Then long, confident strides.
Finally...
Alessandro De Luca emerged from the car.
Even from this distance, his presence demanded attention.
He wore a perfectly tailored black suit with no tie, a silver watch glinting beneath the overcast sky. His dark hair was neatly combed back, and his sharp jaw carried the calm confidence of a man who had never heard the word “defeat.”
He didn’t look around in curiosity.
He looked around like a king inspecting land that already belonged to him.
Aurora forgot to breathe.
Not because he was handsome.
Because he looked exactly like the kind of man people wrote warnings about.
As if sensing someone watching him, Alessandro slowly lifted his head.
Their eyes met across the courtyard.
Neither of them looked away.
Aurora refused to be the first to look away.
The distance between them was too great for either of them to notice the subtle changes in expression, yet she felt the weight of his gaze as though he were standing only inches away. Around him, dozens of armed men moved with military precision, scanning every corner of the estate before allowing anyone to approach their boss.
Alessandro remained perfectly still.
Then, without warning, he turned his attention back to Lorenzo Moretti, who had just stepped out of the mansion to welcome his unexpected guest. There was no handshake. No smile. Only a brief nod exchanged between two men who had spent years trying to destroy each other.
Aurora watched from the balcony until Sofia appeared behind her.
“You shouldn’t be here,” Sofia whispered nervously.
“I know.”
“They’ll notice.”
Aurora let out a quiet breath before stepping away from the railing.
“So that’s Alessandro De Luca.”
Sofia nodded.
“He looks...”
“Dangerous.”
“No,” Aurora interrupted.
“He looks like a man who has never been told no.”
A few minutes later, one of the housekeepers knocked on Aurora’s bedroom door.
“Miss Moretti, your father requests your presence in the dining hall.”
She glanced at the clock.
Dinner.
Her stomach tightened.
She changed into a simple black silk dress, brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and forced herself to leave the safety of her room.
The grand dining hall glittered beneath crystal chandeliers. A table large enough for thirty guests stood in the center, decorated with white roses and silver candleholders.
Every seat was occupied except one.
Hers.
As Aurora entered, every conversation stopped.
Lorenzo Moretti sat at one end of the table.
At the opposite end...
Sat Alessandro De Luca.
His posture was relaxed, but there was something unsettling about the way he observed everything without appearing to move. He wasn’t speaking. He wasn’t smiling.
He was watching.
Aurora walked toward the empty chair, refusing to let anyone see the nervousness beneath her calm expression.
She sat.
For several moments, silence filled the room.
Finally Lorenzo lifted his glass.
“To peace.”
No one echoed the toast with enthusiasm.
Crystal glasses touched lightly before everyone began eating.
Aurora reached for her water.
“So,” Alessandro said, breaking the silence for the first time.
His voice was deep, calm, and controlled.
“You studied law.”
Aurora looked up.
“I did.”
“You graduated with honors.”
“I did.”
“You wanted to become an international lawyer.”
A flicker of surprise crossed her face.
“You’ve done your research.”
“I never enter an agreement without reading every detail.”
His answer sounded less like a compliment and more like a warning.
Aurora folded her hands neatly on the table.
“And what exactly am I?”
His grey eyes met hers.
“A detail.”
Several guests shifted uncomfortably.
Aurora smiled politely.
“I’m glad you’ve already decided who I am.”
“I decide nothing.”
“No?”
“You’ll decide for yourself.”
His expression never changed.
“But once we’re married, every decision you make will affect my family.”
“And yours will affect mine.”
A faint smile touched the corner of his mouth.
“For someone who doesn’t want this marriage...”
He leaned back slightly.
“...you’re remarkably fearless.”
“I’m not fearless.”
She held his gaze.
“I’m simply not intimidated.”
The room became so quiet that even the servants stopped moving.
Marco Romano, Alessandro’s closest adviser, hid an amused smile behind his wine glass.
Nobody spoke to Alessandro De Luca like that.
Nobody.
Instead of becoming angry, Alessandro studied Aurora with quiet curiosity.
For the first time in years...
Someone had answered him without fear.
Dinner ended nearly an hour later.
Guests slowly disappeared into different wings of the mansion, leaving only the heads of both families to discuss business.
Aurora escaped to the gardens, desperate for a moment alone.
The rain had stopped completely.
The scent of wet earth and blooming roses drifted through the cool evening air.
She closed her eyes.
“Beautiful view.”
Her heart skipped.
She turned.
Alessandro stood several feet away beneath an old stone archway, his hands tucked inside his coat pockets.
“You followed me.”
“No.”
He glanced toward the moonlit gardens.
“I came for some air.”
She laughed softly.
“What a coincidence.”
“It is.”
Silence settled between them.
Finally Aurora spoke.
“Tell me something honestly.”
“If I can.”
“Do you want this marriage?”
He answered without hesitation.
“No.”
She blinked.
The honesty surprised her.
“Then why agree?”
“Because sometimes duty is more important than desire.”
Aurora looked away.
“I hate that answer.”
“I know.”
“You don’t know anything about me.”
“I know enough.”
“And what’s that?”
He stepped closer, leaving only a few feet between them.
“I know you’re looking for a way to escape.”
Her eyes widened ever so slightly.
“I know you’ve packed a suitcase.”
The color drained from her face.
“And I know you won’t run.”
“How could you possibly know that?”
“Because if you intended to leave...”
His voice remained calm.
“...you would’ve done it already.”
Aurora’s heartbeat echoed in her ears.
He was right.
She hated that he was right.
Alessandro looked toward the mansion before speaking one final time.
“Get some rest, Miss Moretti.”
“Tomorrow will be the last day either of us belongs only to ourselves.”
Without another word, he turned and disappeared into the darkness, leaving Aurora standing alone beneath the moonlight.
For the first time since learning about the wedding...
She wasn’t afraid of marrying a stranger.
She was afraid of marrying a man who seemed capable of seeing through every wall she had ever built around her heart.
