Chapter thirteen : The Game Begins

Antonio sat back in his leather chair, his fingers drumming against the polished wood of his desk as he stared out the window at the sprawling city below. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows over the skyline, its golden light reflecting off the tall glass buildings, but Antonio didn’t notice the beauty of the view. His mind was elsewhere—on Isabella, on the decision he had just made.

The plan was set. Isabella would be his wife. He would make sure of that. She had no choice in the matter. It wasn’t just about forcing her to marry him, no. It was about control, about power.

For so long, Antonio had played the game of business, the game of power, with an eye only on the next move, the next deal, the next victory. He had built his empire, not through kindness or diplomacy, but through sheer force, dominance, and an unwavering belief that his needs came first. But this? This was something else. This wasn’t just about business. It wasn’t about just acquiring a wife. It was about taking everything.

Isabella was more than just the daughter of a mafia boss. She was the key to expanding his empire, the final piece of a puzzle that would secure his place at the top of the food chain in Italy’s criminal world.

He thought of his ex-wife, Valentina, the woman who had shattered his heart and left him with nothing but a bitter resentment for love and trust. Valentina had been a tool, a pawn in his life—someone he had married for the wrong reasons. Their union had been one of convenience, business, and status. But Isabella? She was different. She was the perfect weapon for his plans.

He gritted his teeth as his thoughts drifted back to her father. Leonardo Carlos. The second most powerful mafia boss in Italy, and Antonio’s most dangerous competitor. Leonardo had always kept his distance, had always kept his power just out of Antonio’s reach. But now, everything had changed. The marriage to Isabella was the deal he hadn’t even known he had made, the leverage he would use to control not just her, but her entire family.

A grin tugged at the corners of his lips.

He had underestimated just how powerful this alliance could be.

Isabella might have come into his life by accident, but her presence was far from a mistake. She was a tool in a game of power, and he would use her for everything she was worth. He wasn’t just marrying her to fulfill his own twisted desire for control over her. No, this wasn’t personal anymore. This was business.

In the underworld of Italy, alliances were everything. Marrying Isabella would give Antonio leverage over her father, over the Carlos mafia group. It would force her father to either accept his terms or lose his daughter. And if he refused to play ball, Antonio could use his own brand of ruthless force to bend the world to his will.

Leonardo had no choice but to bow to him now. Antonio had played his cards perfectly. Isabella’s importance was not lost on him. With her by his side, he would control the two most powerful mafia families in Italy. He would be untouchable.

The idea made his blood pulse with excitement. His mind spun with the possibilities, each more enticing than the last.

He could feel the power already coursing through his veins.

With Isabella in his possession, he would be stronger than anyone. He could demand anything he wanted from Leonardo and the Carlos family. He would control the major players in Italy’s criminal underworld. And with that control, he could solidify his reign, ensuring that no one, no matter how powerful, would ever threaten him again.

Antonio’s gaze shifted to the desk in front of him, where a set of documents lay untouched. His hand hovered over them for a moment before he picked them up and began flipping through the papers. He had known, even before he had come to this decision, that Isabella’s marriage would be the key to everything.

Marriage to her wouldn’t just mean having her as his wife—it meant having control over an entire mafia group. It meant gaining power that he had once only dreamed of. And the beauty of it all? It would all be wrapped in a package that was far more than just a marriage of convenience. No, Isabella would think she had a choice. He would let her believe that for a while, even though he knew better.

He thought about her—how innocent she was, how naive. She had never experienced the harshness of the world Antonio had been raised in. She was the perfect woman to manipulate. She wanted love, didn’t she? She wanted a fairytale. He would give her that. He would give her a twisted version of love, a love that was controlled, caged, and suffocating. And as soon as she was in his grasp, he would make her see things his way.

But for now, he needed to keep his focus on the bigger picture. The marriage had to happen, and it had to happen soon. He couldn’t wait for things to go wrong. He needed to take control before anyone realized what he was really after.

Antonio leaned back in his chair, the leather creaking under his weight as he took another swig of his whiskey, savoring the burn as it slid down his throat. His thoughts were sharp, clear. He had already made his plan. He had already made his decision. Isabella was going to be his wife, and in doing so, she would make him more powerful than anyone in Italy could even imagine.

The world was about to change, and Antonio de Luca would be the one holding all the cards.

He reached for his phone and dialed the number he knew so well. A deep voice answered on the other end.

“Everything is set. I want to move forward with the plan,” Antonio said, his voice low and cold. “Arrange the meeting with Leonardo. Let him know that it’s time to seal the deal. He’ll have no choice. We’ll make sure of it.”

There was a brief pause, and Antonio could almost hear the calculation in the voice on the other end.

“Understood, boss. We’ll handle it,” came the reply.

Antonio hung up, the silence of the room enveloping him as he set the phone back down.

Everything was falling into place.

But even as he prepared to move forward, a small, nagging part of his mind whispered a warning. A part of him that wondered what would happen once he had her. What would happen if he truly broke her, if he truly caged her? Would he ever be able to let her go?

But the thought was fleeting. Power was what mattered. His son’s future, his own future—those things were what mattered.

He’d made his decision.

And now, there was no turning back.