Mia's pov

The rooftop garden reminded me of my mother. It was where I came anytime I needed to remember her.

Collins was already there, smoking a cigarette. "You look pissed," he said, his eyes scanning me as I approached.

"How observant. " I collected the cigarette from him and took a long drag, even though I'd quit six months ago. "When were you going to tell me?"

"About the marriage?" He shrugged, his expression neutral as he collected his cigarette back. "I only found out last week."

"And you didn't warn me because...?" I trailed off, my heart racing slightly anxious to hear his reply.

"Because warning you wouldn't have changed anything." He answered very casually with a tone that suggested that he wasn't interested in the conversation, not the warm tone he usually used when we were alone. "Your father made his decision, that's the end of it."

I studied his face in the dim light, searching for the Collins I knew but the hardened expression on his face told me everything I needed to know.

"That's it?" I asked, my voice raising slightly"That's all you have to say? I'm being forced to marry Jonathan and you're just... fine with it?"

"What do you want me to say, Mia?" He took another drag, not sparing a glance in my direction. "That I'll fight your father? Get myself killed over some arranged marriage? Be realistic."

"Some arranged marriage." As if it wasn't Jonathan, as if Collins didn't know what Jonathan had meant to me, what I feared he still meant even though he broke my heart.

"You helped plan this," I said slowly, the pieces clicking together as understanding dawned."Elena said you were supportive, I thought she was exaggerating, but she wasn't, was she?"

"Your father needed someone who could assess Jonathan's security protocols. I have the expertise." He finally looked at me, his expression unreadable. "It's my job, Mia. Same as this is yours."

My job.

Marrying the man who broke my heart so my family could use me and destroy him, just another day in the De Luca empire except this time it was different.

"Is that all I am to you?" The question came out before I could stop it. "A job?"

His expression still remained infuriatingly neutral like we were playing poker."What we had was...convenient, for both of us. But it can't continue once you're married, you understand that, right?"

"Right," I said, my voice surprisingly steady. "Convenient."

I wasn't even surprised, with everything I've seen in this Godamn estate, nothing could really get to me anymore. Well, except the fact that i was about to get married to my ex boyfriend.

"I'll still be your contact," he continued, as if he hadn't just dropped a bomb."You'll receive your instructions through me. Security updates and anything you need to complete the mission."

"When?" I asked with a slight tremble in my voice. "When do they want it done?"

"That depends on how quickly you can gain his trust." Collins threw his cigarette on the floor and crushed it under his boot.

"I should go," I said, suddenly exhausted by this conversation, by him, by everything. I looked at him one last time, memorizing the face of yet another person who'd proven that love in this family was just another weapon. "I'll wait for your instructions, that's what you want, right? A good little soldier?"

"I want you alive," he said quietly, his eyes narrowing."That's what I want."

"Funny way of showing it." I turned and walked away, leaving him alone with his cigarettes and whatever the hell he'd actually been planning when he decided to help my father destroy my life.

The walk back to my room took several decades. It was as if the wall was whispering the truth I had feared to acknowledge. The same truth I'd been avoiding, I was completely alone in this, my father wanted to use me. My stepsisters wanted to see me fail and Collins-the one person I thought might actually care-had just revealed himself to be exactly what he'd always been. A loyal soldier in my father's army.

I locked my door and dropped in my bed letting myself feel the betrayal.

Three days until I married Jonathan Mysterio, three days until I stepped back into his world with a tongue filled with nothing but lies.

My hand drifted unconsciously to my face, tracing the subtle differences the surgery had created. Smaller nose, slightly different cheekbones, eyes that looked wider now, more innocent. A year ago, when Jonathan knew me, I'd been Sophia, my mother's maiden name, the identity I'd built when I tried to escape this family. I had dark hair and sharper features, a totally different face from the one I was wearing now.

Then Jonathan ended it, and my father finally found me after months of searching and the surgeries began. "If you're going to be useful," he'd said, "you need to look like a De Luca, like my daughter not like her."

So they erased every trace of Sophia from my face and made me into Mia De Luca, the daughter who'd been conveniently "studying abroad" for years. The perfect bride for a billionaire who'd never connect her to the woman he'd loved and discarded.

This is going to take a lot out of me. I thought to myself, and there's not a damn thing I can do to stop it.

Mia's pov

The wedding dress was all white silk and shit, like I was some virgin maiden instead of a killer coming in wraps like a flipping Christmas gift. Martha had picked it out personally, which meant it was probably cursed or hexed or designed specifically to make me look as uncomfortable as possible.

"You look beautiful," Clara said from the doorway, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. "Jonathan won't even recognize you."

Won't recognize you, of course he wouldn't, because Sophia was dead and buried under surgical maiden.

"That's the point, isn't it?" I adjusted the veil in the mirror, studying the stranger staring back at me.

"Do you need something, Clara? Or did you just come to watch me suffer?" I smirked.

"Can't a sister wish the bride well on her special day?" She walked into the room, without permission wearing that infuriatingly innocent smile. At twenty-one, Clara had perfected the art of looking harmless while holding knives and bombs behind her back.

"You're not my sister." I kept my tone friendly and pleasant. "You're the daughter of the woman who made my childhood a living hell, let's not pretend we're family."

Her smile didn't fade, as a matter of fact, it widened. "Still so bitter about Mom marrying Dad, it's been twelve years, Mia."

As if grief had an expiry date. As if could actually forgive my father for replacing my dying mother before her body was cold, then spent the next decade letting his new family treat me like a maid.

"What do you want, Clara?" I asked with a more serious expression.

"I want to give you some advice, sister to sister." She sat on the edge of my bed, smoothing her bridesmaid dress. "Don't expect Jonathan to fall in love with you."

"I don't expect anything from Jonathan except exactly what this marriage is-a business arrangement." I shot back.

"Good, because he's not the romantic type. From what I've heard, he's cold, ruthless, and doesn't waste time on sentimentality." Clara sounded utterly interested in him, especially the way her face lit up when she spoke. "He'll use you the same way Dad is using you. The only difference is Jonathan won't pretend to care."

"Noted," I said, expecting her to spew more nonsense. "Anything else?"

"Just one more thing." She stood, moving closer. "Collins was here earlier, he left something for you, an envelope. Martha took it."

"Why would Martha-" she was gone before I could complete my statement leaving me alone with my wedding dress and a whole new set of questions I couldn't answer.

A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. "Miss De Luca? The car is ready." The voice came from outside.

Already? I glanced at the clock, it was ten minutes before I was supposed to leave for the church.

"I'll be right there," I called out, my voice even more steady than I was.

I took one last look at the mirror, My new face staring back at me, beautiful in a way Sophia had never been, screaming De Luca money and power.

Jonathan wouldn't recognize me, he'd look at my face and all he'd see is a stranger, a business arrangement.

He wouldn't see the woman he'd used to love and care for, the same woman whose heart he had shattered without remorse. Maybe that was for the best, perhaps it was easier to kill a man who didn't remember loving you.

The car ride to the church was very silent except for Elena's occasional adjustments to my veil and Martha's constant chuckle at my misery. They sat beside me like guards, making sure their investment didn't run before the transaction was complete.

"Remember," Elena said as we finally pulled up to the church, "you are representing this family today, so smile and do whatever it takes to look charming and make Jonathan believe this marriage is everything he wants."

Everything he wants, what a joke. As if they had any idea what Jonathan even wanted.

"And tonight," Martha added, not sparing me a minute of rest. "you'll begin gathering the information we need. His computer passwords, his security arrangements, his schedule. Collins will contact you tomorrow with specific instructions."

The church doors stood tall at our front, massive with old wood and very intimidating. I could see the guests taking their seats, half of them were criminals, while the other half of them were corporate elite, all of them present to witness the arranged marriage.

"Show time," Martha said cheerfully, like we were about to watch a comedy show in a cinema.

The doors opened, soft music played and suddenly I was walking down an aisle toward Jonathan Mysterio-the man I'd loved, the man who'd shattered my heart and the man I was now supposed to destroy.

He stood at the altar wearing a designer suit, knowing him, it was probably one of one specifically crafted for him. He looked exactly as I remembered, but some things about him were a little different. Especially the soft look in his eyes, it was completely gone, replaced by a very cold and stoic one.

His face was very neutral and passive, almost like he was bored as he watched me approach with eyes that looked like it was scanning a land or a car that he was about to acquire.

our eyes met but there was nothing, not even an hint of recognition or even realization that I was someone he once knew, not just knew but loved.

Good, this is good. I told myself, it'd be easier this way.

I reached the altar and the music stopped.

Jonathan reached for my hand, and there was no familiarity, it was like touching a stranger. Up close, I could see the coldness in his eyes, this wasn't the man who'd laughed with me over terrible movies and expensive wine. This was someone else entirely, someone hardened by will and ambition.

"Do you, Mia De Luca, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

No, I do not, i absolutely don't fucking take this man to be my lawfully wedded husband

"I do," I heard the words stumble out before I could stop them.

"And do you, Jonathan Mysterio, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

He didn't hesitate, not even a pause or a barely visible flicker of doubt.

"I do."He said, his expression remaining neutral, perfectly devoid of anything with the slightest resemblance to emotion.

The priest smiled like he'd just witnessed something beautiful instead of something absolutely weird and awkward, if those words could actually qualify what was going on.

"You may kiss the bride."

Jonathan's hands reached for my face in a very mechanical manner. His kiss was stiff and brief and absolutely nothing like the kisses we'd shared when I was Sophia. It lasted what, maybe two seconds, short enough to make it clear this meant nothing to him

When he pulled back, his expression was still absolutely neutral cold.

"Done," he said quietly, like we'd just completed a transaction instead of a wedding.

We turned to face the crowd, as applaud erupted through the air, different breed of people, clapping towards my doom with smiles on their faces.

Jonathan's hand was slightly placed on my waist as he guided me back down the aisle. We didn't speak, didn't even look at each other. We just walked in silence while cameras flashed and people smiled and pretended this was something other than a perfectly orchestrated lie.

And somewhere in the crowd, I knew that Collins was watching, Martha was smiling in mischief and my father was calculating his next move.

All of them waiting to see how long it would take before I gained Jonathan's trust and ended his life for good.

What a drag.

MIA'S POV

The reception was being held at Jonathan's estate, everything about today was prepared and designed to establish Jonathan as the center of the marriage, the price.

I was just a side character.

The estate itself was bigger than ours, with a mansion that could probably house fifty people comfortably. Jonathan had built his empire from nothing, turning a small tech startup into a billion-dollar company losing who he was in the process.

"Your belongings were moved to the left sude of the house yesterday," Jonathan said, his eyes narrowing as we finally entered the gates after several long minutes. The first words he'd spoken to me since we met at the church. His tone was wasn't even conversational, it was like he was talking to his employee. "You'll have your own suite, your own office space if you need it. I travel frequently for work, when I'm home, we'll maintain appearances for necessary social functions. Beyond that, I expect you to stay out of my way."

How charming. "Of course, I wouldn't want to inconvenience you with my presence in your home."

His gaze cut through me, fierce and sharp, his voice slightly raised and authoritative. "Let's be clear about what this is, Mia. Your father offered me access to international markets and investors that I need and I offered him legal business channels. You're just a part of that transaction so I don't expect us to pretend this is anything more than it is."

Transaction, there was that word again, as if I was a commodity, not a person.

"How romantic," I said sweetly, a smile tugging at my lips. "Now can i be on my merry way to our bedroom?"

"You won't be in my bedroom." His voice was carried the tone that suggested there was no room for argument. "The left side of the house is yours, I'll live on the right, we have separate spaces and separate lives, we will only mingle when it's necessary."

"Understood," I said with a cold tone, matching his."I'll be sure to schedule any necessary wife activities through your assistant."

"See that you do." The car stopped in front of the main entrance and Jonathan got out without waiting for me, his long legs carrying him toward the house where guests were already gathering.

Asshole. I grabbed my dress and followed him wearing an unnecessary large smile that made me feel like my face was about to crack.

The reception area was filled with people I didn't know and didn't want to know, the numbers were more than that of the church wedding, but the same carefully curated mix of business associates and family members who all looked like they were attending a funeral instead of a wedding. My father smoking pot close to the bar, looking pleased and full of himself, with Elena and my stepsisters surrounding him with mischievous smiles on their faces.

I caught Collins watching me with the corner of my eyes, with an expression i couldn't quite read.

"Mia." My father approached me, placing his heavy on my shoulder which was surprising, since he hasn't exactly wanted to be in close proximity with me for ages. "Come, there are people you need to meet."

I followed him because that's what good daughters did, even when their fathers were self serving pieces of shit.

The next hour was filled with introductions to different people and their half assed congratulations. Men with suspiciously vague business descriptions but expensive suits, and women dripping in diamonds that seemed too extravagant for their husbands' supposed import/export businesses.

Jonathan played his part perfectly like he had spent time rehearsing how to pretend. He introduced me as "my wife, Mia" his hand occasionally touching my back just for appearances.

"Your wife is lovely," one man said to Jonathan, his smile too wide for the words he was saying. "Such a beneficial arrangement, I'm sure your partnership with her father will prove very...profitable."

"I certainly hope so." Jonathan's smiled, his gaze intensely focused on the man. "Vittorio has promised access to several international investment opportunities, I'm looking forward to exploring those options." He took a quick glance at his watch like he was expected somewhere. "If you'll excuse us," Jonathan said abruptly, his grip on my elbow firm as he controlled me away. Once we were out of hearing range, he released me immediately like holding me was burning him. "Try to look less miserable, people are starting to notice."

"Maybe I wouldn't look so miserable if my husband could manage to fake basic civility." I shot back at him.

"I'm being perfectly civil." He responded, his eyebrows raising slightly. "I'm standing next to you, introducing you to people, fulfilling my obligations as agreed, what more do you want?"

To not feel like I'm being paraded around like livestock."it's cool." I heard the words stumble out of my mouth before I could stop it.

"Good." He checked his watch again and i noticed that it was a sleek piece that probably cost more than a car. "I have to take a call, don't forget to mingle and be charming."

Then he walked away, leaving me standing alone in a room full of strangers.

I found my way to the gardens, desperate for air and space.

"You look like you need this." Clara came to me holding out a glass of champagne. "Rough night?"

"What do you want, Clara?" I asked my eyeballs rolling backwards.

"Just checking on my sister." She sipped her own drink, her eyes sparkling with malicious amusement. "Jonathan seems... intense, not quite the loving husband material, is he?" She shuddered dramatically. "Must be hard, being treated like that by a man you used to-"

"Finish that sentence and I'll push you into the fountain," I said with a forced smile tugging at my lips.

She laughed out loud, without caring whether or not people could hear her. "There's the Mia I know. For a second, I thought marriage had broken your spirit already."

"Get away from me, Clara." I shot at her, my voice raising slightly.

She set down her empty glass, taking a final glance at me. "Oh, and one more thing? Collins has been asking about you, he wanted to know if you were settling in alright. I told him you seemed perfectly happy with your new husband."

"You talked to Collins?"

She walked out on me for the second time today, without answering me, leaving me shaking with fury.

I stayed in the gardens until the reception calmed down and the last guests went home and the staff began cleaning up. When I finally made my way back inside, the house was quiet, and I could finally observe how beautiful it was.

A member of staff-middle-aged woman with kind eyes-approached me. "Mrs. Mysterio? I'm Lydia, the head housekeeper, I'll show you to your rooms."

I followed her through several corridors until we finally stopped at a set of double doors

"Here we are." Lydia said, opening the double doors. "Mr. Mysterio had everything prepared according to your father's specifications, If you need anything, just ring the bell beside tbe bed."

The suite was extremely beautiful, my clothes were already unpacked and my belongings arranged properly, even more than i could myself.

"Thank you, Lydia." I mustered a little smile despite how tired and exhausted I was.

"Of course." She hesitated at the door, scanning my face. "If I may speak, Mrs. Mysterio...it gets easier. Mr. Mysterio can be difficult, but he's not cruel."

She left without another word and i finally let myself collapse onto the bed, still wearing my wedding dress, staring at the ceiling of my new prison.

Somewhere in this massive house, Jonathan was probably working, completely unbothered by the fact that he'd just married someone and I was here, alone, bound to a man who looked at me with disgust waiting for the order to destroy him.

My phone buzzed with a single text from an unsaved number, probably Collins using an untraceable line. "First task, locate his office and report back in 48 hours. "

I removed my wedding dress and changed into something else, something more comfortable and i hung it in the closet, my mind trying to figure out how I was going to spy on a man who'd already made it clear he wanted nothing to do with me.

Welcome to married life, Mia.