Chapter 2
Sienna's POV
"Thanks, Dad." I smiled back, just as fake as his.
The party dragged on forever. Toast after toast from people I barely knew, well-wishes that meant nothing, expensive gifts piling up on a table I'd never look at again. I played my part though, smiled and thanked everyone.
Then the front doors slammed open.
The sound echoed through the hall and every single person stopped talking. Three men walked in wearing dark suits. Not our people. Definitely not our people.
The guy in front carried a black velvet box.
Oh good, right on schedule.
"Patrick O'Connor." The man's voice carried this smooth Italian accent that somehow made everything sound threatening. "The Moretti family sends birthday greetings."
I watched all the color drain out of Dad's face. His jaw clenched and I could practically hear his teeth grinding together.
"This is a private family celebration and you're not—"
"This is family business." The man walked right past Dad like he wasn't even there and stopped directly in front of me. "Miss Sienna O'Connor. Mr. Luca Moretti sends his regards on your twentieth birthday and wishes to present you with this."
He opened the velvet box. A ruby ring sat inside, deep red and catching the light in a way that reminded me of blood.
"Mr. Moretti would like to formalize the engagement that was agreed upon ten years ago." The messenger smiled, showing too many teeth. "He's hoping to proceed with the wedding later this year."
The hall exploded. Someone dropped their champagne glass and it shattered on the marble floor. People started talking all at once, voices rising in shock and confusion.
"Ten years ago?"
"What engagement?"
"The Morettis? But they're the enemy!"
"This is absolutely outrageous!" Dad's voice cracked and I couldn't tell if he was more angry or panicked. "This arrangement was never meant to be made public!"
"But it exists." The messenger's smile got wider. "You signed a contract, Mr. O'Connor. Your daughter's hand in marriage in exchange for mercy after you lost the border conflicts so badly."
Everyone started yelling. The man who married into the O'Connor family had sold the heir to the enemy and kept it secret for a decade. This was the kind of scandal that destroyed reputations.
Dad looked like he might pass out. "Now you listen here—"
"I'll take it." My voice cut through all the noise and suddenly everyone went quiet again. They all turned to stare at me, and I held out my hand to the messenger. "Thank you for bringing this."
The messenger looked surprised for about half a second before he slipped the ruby ring onto my finger. It fit perfectly, heavy and cold against my skin.
"The O'Connor family honors its agreements." I turned to face the crowd, making sure everyone could see the ring. "My father made a promise ten years ago, and we keep our promises."
More gasps, more shocked whispers. Dad looked like he was going to have a heart attack right there on the marble floor.
I turned to him and met his eyes directly. "Although Dad, you do have another daughter now, right?" I kept my voice sweet and innocent. "If this arrangement is such a problem, maybe Isabella could go instead? I'm sure the Morettis wouldn't mind."
There it was, just for a second. That flash of excitement in his eyes. If I left, if I married out to New York, there'd be no one to challenge his control over the family. Isabella was easier to manipulate, easier to control. He'd love nothing more than to get rid of me.
You'd throw me to the wolves in a heartbeat if you could.
I looked back at the messenger and gestured toward the velvet box still in his hands. "I'll keep the ring. Please tell Mr. Moretti that the O'Connor family will honor the agreement."
The man bowed slightly. "He'll be very pleased to hear that, Miss O'Connor."
I didn't say anything else. Didn't promise to go willingly, didn't set a date, didn't make this easy for anyone.
As the three men left, the hall erupted again. Everyone talking over each other, voices getting louder and more agitated. Family elders were already closing in on Dad, their faces furious. He'd have a hell of a time explaining this one.
I just stood there.
This time I was choosing my own future, even if that future was with the enemy. Even if it meant marrying a man I'd never met.
At least Luca Moretti didn't love someone else. At least with him, I'd be starting from zero instead of negative a million.
I woke up the morning after my birthday party, someone knocked on my bedroom door. "Miss Sienna? You have a visitor."
I already knew who it was.
"Mr. Murphy is waiting in the garden."
Of course he is. I took my time getting dressed, pulling on jeans and a sweater.
The garden was covered in autumn leaves, all reds and golds crunching under my feet as I walked down the stone path. Finn stood by the fountain with his hands in his pockets, and I remembered how he used to stand exactly like that when he was about to apologize for something stupid.
He turned around when he heard me. "Sienna, I'm so sorry about yesterday."
I stopped a few feet away and waited.
"Isabella and you have the same birthday." He said. "She was alone and upset because nobody remembered. I couldn't just leave her like that. But you had hundreds of people there celebrating, so I figured you wouldn't mind if I missed it."
Past life me would've cried about this. Would've told him how much it hurt.
"I don't blame you." My voice sounded completely flat. "Is there something else you need?"
He actually looked confused, like he'd been expecting tears or anger. "That's it? You're really not mad?"
"Why would I be mad?" I crossed my arms. "You made your choice. I'm not gonna guilt trip you over it."
"Sienna, listen." He moved closer and I caught the scent of him, "About what happened at the party yesterday. The whole Moretti situation. You can't actually be thinking about—"
"I already said yes. The messenger left with my answer."
"No, you can't." He grabbed my wrist hard enough that it actually hurt. "You cannot let Isabella go to New York instead of you. The Morettis are fucking monsters, Sienna. They'll kill her. She won't last a month there."
There it was. The real reason he came.
