Chapter 1

• Chapter 1
• Abby’s POV
• “Abby, hurry up we have to go, before we are late.” My mother yells from outside of my bedroom door. I rush over to my closet and slip into my nude pumps, and bolt out of my bedroom. I fly downstairs only to see my parents waiting for me in the foyer. My mom has a concerned look in her eyes, while my father has his usual pissed off scowl on his face. I bow my head and apologize for my lateness. My dad has always been a cold-hearted man, I guess being the leader of a mafia family caused him to be that way. My mother on the other hand is the total opposite of him. She is sweet and kind hearted, and deserves so much better than how he treats her. Lost in deep thought I didn’t even notice my papa taking a step toward me. It’s only when I feel my mom step directly in front of me, that I come back to the present. “Honey, please if we don’t leave now, we will be late.” She tries to placate him, but it’s to no avail. He pushes her to the side and ceases me up by my arm. “You are lucky we have to get to this event, and that there may be many eligible suitors for you to marry, or I would take my belt off to you. I don’t want to see nothing but 100% obedience today. Do you understand me.” He squeezes his hand that is wrapped around me harder causing me to whimper, just to get his point across. It works to, because I agree all too quickly. “Yes sir, I understand.”
• He releases his hold on me and takes off out the door. My mother wraps her arms around me and leads me out right behind him. The three of us get into the awaiting limo and off we go to the wedding of one of my father’s higher rank members. He is marrying a girl from the cartel. The Mexican outfit was once our enemy, but recently became our ally. I sit across from my parents and just stare at the two of them. My dad is on the taller side, with a belly, and a balding head. He is nothing nice to really look at. My mom on the other hand is beautiful. She has long dark brown hair, big brown eyes, and a little button nose. She is about 5’6 ft tall slim figure. Thank the good lord that I have taken after her instead of him. I could be her doppler ganger. As we pull into the church, I can’t help but get excited, I’m hardly allowed to get out of the house. I’m always locked up like a bird inside a gilded cage. When I do get permission to leave the compound, I have no less than two body guards with me at all times. I don’t have any friends, except my cousin Angel. The vehicle comes to a stop, and the driver gets out and comes to open the back door. My father is the first to climb out, followed by my mother, then me.
• As we step toward the entrance all the people who are hanging around outside, stop and gaze at us. My father is someone who most people fear. I’ve heard of some of the things he has done, and it makes my skin crawl to know a man like him is related to me. Our security surround us forming a circle with my family being in the middle. I want so bad to just blend in like a normal person, but that will never happen. Once we are inside the venue a small gasp escape from me. It is so beautifully decorated, with real roses in the colors of orange and yellow. Each aisle of pews has a bouquet stuck on the end that faces the aisle. As we stroll up to the first role to take our seats, I notice another family sitting on the right-hand side directly across from our row. I’m guessing that it is the leader of the other gang, because once one of the men who is near him spots us, he bends down and whispers something in the older man’s ear. The older gentlemen who were previously sitting rises to his feet along with the other people who were beside him.
• I see my father’s shoulders tense when he notices that the trio were coming our way. I stand beside my mother with my head held high, but avoiding eye contact with anyone. My papa shakes hands with both the older and younger men, and kisses the cheeks of the woman. Then he turns to mother and me and introduces us to the new comers. “Juan this is my wife Tina, and my daughter Abby. Tina, Abby this is Juan Cruz, his son Jose, and his wife Sofia.” I make eye contact with each one of them when the introductions are being made. As I take in the features of the drug lord, I see that he is actually a very good-looking man. I bet he was a looker when he was younger. His wife is beautiful, she has short black hair, perfect tanned skin, and a smile that would light up any room she was in. When I get to the son, my breath hitches. He is a mixture of both his father and mother.
• Mom and pops begin talking with his parents leaving just Jose and me. I decide to extend an olive branch by speaking first. “So, do you know the groom?” Jose just scowls at me before turning to where his back is now facing me. ‘What the fuck is his deal. He has no reason to be rude like that.’ I don’t dare mutter another word. Instead, I just close the short distance that is between my mother and me, and stand by her. I try not to glance over in Jose’s direction, but it’s so hard not to. Thankfully we all have to take our seats, because the wedding is about to start.