"Even though you're not formally married yet, I want to give you a warm and sincere welcome to the family," Gemma said honestly and smiled at me. "I hope we become great friends, the best sisters-in-law, and that we can team up to make my brother's life fun." That caused a lot of laughter. "This gesture is incredible," my mother said. "It's beautiful, Alessio." "Every woman who wears this necklace has power over the Camorra," he explained, and I felt like something momentous was happening. "From today, all men obey her orders." "That's..." If my mother didn't know what to say, neither did I. Hiro remained silent but alert, whereas my father looked completely happy, as if he had been waiting for this his whole life, as if it had been his plan from the beginning. I looked at him with narrowed eyes, which made him tone it down, but we continued celebrating. It was a big reason to do so, but despite everything that had been promised that night, I felt a tremendous unease that left m

It wasn't the reaction I was expecting, especially when she cried even harder, with inconsolable sobbing that prompted Gemma to appear with Pamela, followed by Hiro and Hiroshi, who, upon seeing the room, were surprised and gave me a look of approval. "What's wrong, my love?" Pamela asked, clearly not aware of anything until she saw the room. "Oh my God... this is incredible and very beautiful! Look, Suki, a place like the one you always talked to me about..." Amaya nodded and then, out of nowhere, in the most spontaneous way, she ran and hugged me tightly, causing my sister to give me a thumbs-up, Pamela to smile fondly, and the men to look at me with something on their minds, something I couldn't quite decipher. "This is such a beautiful gesture, Alessio," Pamela said as she watched Amaya not letting go of me. Then I hugged Pamela and gave her a kiss on the head. "It's a very sweet and considerate gesture." "I couldn't take more from her than what I

I looked at Hiro, and he shook his head, answering the unspoken and clear question about what was happening with the man. So, I just had to wait until we reached the chapel. There, with infinite calmness, I got out of the car and waited. My mother held onto me before walking with my brother, and my father extended his arm to me, not without first taking out his phone and sending a message. I didn't know what that would mean, I didn't know what it would unleash, I didn't know what it would imply. Five minutes later, I walked down the aisle. On the groom's side were people who were probably the faces of the most prominent families, the loyal and trusted ones. On my side, there was the Yakuza council, one that had stayed in a hotel controlled and supervised by them. There was trust to negotiate, to sell weapons, and even to exchange power for a daughter. But it was sacrilegious, a mortal sin for them to sleep in the same place as the enemy. It seemed extremely h

As night fell, the Camorra members began shouting typical phrases like "to bed!" To my complete surprise, the Yakuza members joined in, and to make matters worse, Amaya panicked. That's why I picked her up and took her to the presidential suite, where I saw her turn as white as a sheet. "Why are you scared?" I asked, concerned. "I... I read about a tradition that the Italian mafias have," she mentioned. "One that I really don't like because... because..." A flash of insight came to me very quickly. "What led you to discover the tradition of the bloody sheets?" I asked directly. "Curiosity... But..." "That's a barbaric tradition practiced only by the Cosa Nostra and is prohibited in the Camorra out of respect for dignity and women's privacy," I explained, seeing immediate relief wash over her face. "The only tradition that remains is going to bed for the newlyweds to enjoy themselves, but since that's not our case, we don't do it... I j

"I'm going to miss you so much, suki," my mother said through tears, and I felt like my heart was going to melt completely. "And I'll miss you so much too, Mom," I replied. We hugged tightly, one that touched my heart, one that brought tears to my eyes. "Don't be sad, or you'll make me cry," Gemma mentioned, and we laughed when we saw her with red eyes and a red nose. My brother, on the other hand, looked at her sarcastically, and I furrowed my brow. "I'm sorry for this spectacle, but... let's say my daughter is now in another stage, one that I won't be waiting for her to come home from college, and she'll start her own family," she said affectionately. "We won't see each other as often." "Quite the opposite, Pamela," Alessio said, taking my hand. "Now you'll have my plane at your disposal whenever you want to come. Amaya will use it when she wants to visit you. You'll see each other as much as possible." He promised calmly, an