Mafia's Contracted Mrs

Eloísa sat on the marble-tiled floor of the castle-like prison she had come to accept as her room. She stared at the ray of sunlight seeping in through the small cavity in the roof so high up. A warm smile appeared on her pale face. This was the only way she could get to see the world outside the confinement of these thick bricks and pillars surrounding her. It was the only shade of the world she had been allowed to see since she got to know herself.

She dragged in a deep breath and the sweet smell of fresh roses filled her nostrils and senses. Looks like the flowers had fully bloomed already. She heaved a long sigh. If only she could get the privilege of stepping outside, even if it was just for the briefest minute.

The door suddenly creaked, dragging her from her thoughts. Turning around, she saw her father, Pedro Vandez walk in. She immediately rose from the floor and walked to meet him.

"Father!"

Pedro Valdez smiled warmly at his daughter, his eyes holding lots of warmth for her. "My dearest child." He said sweetly.

"You're here," Eloisa said curtly. She was quite surprised to have him come visit. Last she checked, he only visited once every four months. But, it had only been a month since his last visit.

"Yes, it's important." Pedro Valdez answered, "You're getting married."

Eloisa froze in place. Marriage? How could she be getting married? The last time she checked, she had always been inside this room all her life. She's never had the opportunity of meeting real people or making any friends, so how was she to get married when she barely even knew anyone? It takes two to tango, doesn't it? How could there be marriage plans when the two involved didn't know each other and had never met, even once? But, on the brighter side, getting married would mean her freedom from this private penitentiary she had been in almost forever.

"If I marry, does that mean I can leave this room then?" She asked.

Pedro Valdez smiled warmly at his daughter. "No, you will continue living in this room, just as you always have been after your groom leaves on your wedding night."

Eloisa's brows creased, and a frown of confusion settled on her forehead. "If I'm still going to remain locked up, then why do I have to get married now?"

"We are planning to merge with the DeLa Cruz's in order to carry out a great cause and we want our both children to seal the oaths the two families have made to each other. The both of you do not necessarily have to live together after marrying, as he isn't interested in that. All that is important is that you bear his name, and his sons if he so wishes. He will come here to you whenever he needs you." Pedro Valdez replied.

Eloisa stared in disbelief at the man she had come to know as her father while trying her hardest to comprehend if indeed he was the one speaking.

"You're saying that I am forced to get married and remain here, just for some business venture, and to bear sons?" She asked and watched her father nod with a smile.

"No," she said, shaking her head in disapproval. "I don't want to, that- is not the kind of marriage I want to have."

Pedro Vandez's countenance dropped at once. "It has already been decided. Just do as you are told."

"But, if I get married just as you want me to, Father, that means I'll have to live my entire life inside of this room."

Pedro Vandez's countenance suddenly softened as he watched his daughter breaking down. Taking deep breaths, he started in her direction, stopping a few inches apart.

"Eloisa dear, you're my only child. After your mother passed from the cruelty of this wicked world, I can't afford to lose you as well. You're my precious daughter, the only thing I have left in this world, and you're going to stay in this room as long as it guarantees your safety."

"What is out there that I need to be protected from, Father? The world is a beautiful place, and if at all there are dangerous people as you say, then I'm sure I can take care of myself."

"No, you can't Eloisa. You've never left the four walls of this tower once, so you don't understand what I'm talking about."

"But father-"

"No buts Eloisa. You will do as I have said and you won't ask any more questions." Pedro Valdez concluded, raising his voice slightly. He snapped his fingers, the sound of it resonating in the room and a bunch of young maids bustled inside. While some carried boxes, others rolled in hangers full of every design of dresses.

"You will meet with your husband soon," He informed Eloisa, his smile fully returning. "Please, look good for your father, Eloisa."

Eloísa watched her father walk away, the huge double wooden doors closing behind him. She exhaled sharply.

"Young Ms." She heard someone call from behind her. Turning around, one of the maids was standing behind her. The girl seemed to be the same age as her, or slightly older. "Please come sit, let's get you ready."

Eloísa nodded and walked past her. The maid girl bowed and followed behind her.

AN HOUR LATER

Eloísa stood in front of the mirror staring with a stunned expression at her reflection. She was wearing a yellow corset-style sun dress with tiny diamond crests around the waistline, and her auburn hair was packed in a loose bun, making her look like a flower princess from a fairytale.

"You look stunning young Ms." A maid whispered from her side, and despite her heart filling with sadness, Eloise smiled at her from the mirror, her brown hazel eyes shimmering brightly as she did.

When they were certain she looked perfect, a maid led her out to the front door where a huge bodyguard stood agile. With broad shoulders and thick rigid muscles, he looked like he was related to the legendary 'D Rock' or even still, from the lineage of Undertaker.

Seeing Eloísa, the bodyguard bowed slightly in greeting, then proceeded to open the heavy doors with just one push.

And as the doors spread wide apart, Eloise gasped in surprise and couldn't help staring in admiration at the scenery in front of her.

"Wow!" She exclaimed as she looked around the beautiful flowery yard. It was her first time being outside in seventeen years. After her mother's sad demise when she was four, her father, Don Pedro Vandez locked her up in that completely deserted house. According to him, he was trying to protect her from an evil she knew nothing about, but which existed.

The smell of roses was stronger in this part. She had been right, the flowers had fully bloomed. She spread her arms as the wind blew past her, sweeping her dress along with it. Her hair danced around her back. Looking around, she smiled more genuinely than she had in years. The world she could see right now was beautiful, how could anyone call this evil?

"This way, Ms." She heard the bodyguard calling to her. Bubbling with a different kind of enthusiasm that hadn't been there earlier, she followed behind him.

The guard led her into the main house, a three-story grand palatial-style mansion. As she walked inside, memories she could barely recognize flashed through her mind. She frowned as she wondered what those were.

"Eloísa!" Pedro Vandez's voice made her turn abruptly. Eloísa looked in the direction where her father's voice had come from, there, on the stairway, he was standing with a slightly younger man who looked to be in his early thirties. From afar off, she could notice the man's striking features, he was handsome, no doubt.

"Come dear." Pedro Vandez's voice called her out from her stunned state. She swallowed down the nervousness at the pit of her stomach, straightened her shoulders, then with calm precise steps, she ascended the stairs to meet her father. As she got closer, he offered her his hand. Eloísa stared at the man she called father with absolute uncertainty, but she still took his hand after a few minutes.

"Eloísa dear, meet Dion Carozza, your soon-to-be husband. And Dion, meet Eloísa, my beloved daughter." Pedro Valdez introduced them as they sat in the large dining room in the main house.

"Hi!" Eloísa waved at him, but Dion simply ignored her. Eloísa caught her lower lip with her teeth and lowered her hand in embarrassment.

She looked around nervously. The silence at the table was skin-crawling. She momentarily berated her father for choosing such a man out of every other man in the world he could marry her off to. She didn't want to get married, at least, not yet, but, if he was desperate to get her married against her will, then he could at least just pick someone better. She grabbed the glass of wine in front of the man and downed it after glancing briefly at the liquid, and she involuntarily groaned as the savory taste of blueberry touched her tongue. "This is nice," she murmured to herself, then glanced up at Dion, trying to strike a conversation. "What's your favorite wine flavor?"

"Why do you ask?" He replied, eyes fixated on the screen of his phone.

Eloíse sighed. "Because I'm trying to get to know you. Our parents are setting us up for their own selfish interests, and if we are going to be married, the least we can do is get to know each other."

The young man casually sipped from his glass and put it back down on the table nonchalantly.

"There's no need for that," he started. "We'd only be married in, nothing can happen between us, I

like someone else."