Exposed to the CEO Behind the Mafia Mask

Ivy’s POV

The day had been a whirlwind of preparations for our blood oath ceremony, but every moment felt absolutely perfect. My sisters in the syndicate had proven themselves to be incredible organizers. In a short time, we had secured everything needed for the sacred ritual - black roses for the altar, trusted catering from our territory, a string quartet loyal to the family, ceremonial daggers blessed by Father Murray, the guest list of allied families, a traditional wedding cake, and most importantly, my dress. Since I wanted something intimate rather than a massive display of power, the planning moved quickly while still capturing exactly what I envisioned for a mafia queen’s wedding.

We had also coordinated with the priest that Jude recommended, and met with Father Murray about performing the ceremony. Initially, he hesitated to conduct the blessing since Caleb and I hadn’t completed the traditional family counseling that most syndicate marriages required. However, Zoe worked her persuasive magic and convinced him to meet with us the following morning for an abbreviated session. After that discussion, he agreed to provide the religious blessing we wanted, knowing full well the dangerous world we inhabited. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Gemma and Lila had designed gorgeous digital invitations with our family crest and scheduled them to go out during dinner time, ensuring our enemies wouldn’t discover our plans prematurely. They had volunteered to handle all the RSVP responses the next day, screening each guest for potential security threats.

Zoe had completely taken over the next day’s schedule with military precision. The day would include the pre-marriage counseling session, which she had already informed Jude to communicate to Caleb, followed by a full spa treatment, hair salon appointment, and final dress fittings for both myself and my bridesmaids. I had specifically chosen to let each of them select their own dresses and colors. I wanted them to feel confident and beautiful in whatever they chose, rather than forcing them into something that might make them uncomfortable just to satisfy some bridal vision. I wasn’t the type of future don’s wife who worried about being overshadowed - after all, I would be the one standing at the altar taking the blood oath in white.

My sisters were all so different from each other, with varying body types and personal styles. What looked stunning on one might not flatter another. I wanted each of them to feel radiant standing beside me as we entered this dangerous new Chapter. That’s why they each chose their own dress in their preferred color, and I absolutely loved their selections - beautiful, vibrant hues that were all different from each other. It would be perfect, like being surrounded by loyal soldiers in a garden of deadly flowers.

Before heading home to prepare for the family dinner, Lila asked me to send her my wedding vows so she could have them engraved on the ceremonial blades.

"Lila, I’m not writing personal vows," I explained.

"What do you mean? Every modern syndicate wedding includes personalized blood oaths written by the couple," Lila responded, as if I was completely out of touch with mafia traditions.

"That might be the current trend, Lila, but I want ours to be traditional. The classic and sacred ’I swear by blood and honor to be faithful to you, through prosperity and war, in power and in exile, in wealth and in poverty, loving you and protecting you, all the days of our lives, until death claims us both.’ It’s absolutely perfect! Nothing could be more meaningful than promising loyalty, faithfulness, and protection through good times and deadly times, for our entire lives."

"Oh, Ivy, you’re such a hopeless romantic," Zoe laughed.

"Besides, those vows sealed the union for Caleb’s parents and grandparents, so we’re continuing the family legacy," I said with a smile.

"You’re going to be the boss’s wife, so you make the rules!" Gemma agreed.

When I arrived home to our fortified compound, I found Caleb looking somewhat irritated. He informed me that Zoe had mandated he spend the following nights at Xavier’s safe house and couldn’t see me again until our wedding day. The men would use this opportunity to have their own gathering, like a war council mixed with celebration. Dominic had promised to organize a bachelor party that would involve weapons training and strategic planning. I warned Caleb that this bachelor party better not involve any female entertainment from rival families, which made him laugh heartily.

After finishing my preparations, I ran my hand over my dress while examining myself in the mirror. I wore a midnight blue dress that hugged my waist before flaring into a midi-length skirt. The front was modest, but the back featured an elegant low-cut design that revealed the small Thorne family crest tattooed between my shoulder blades. A thin fabric belt in matching material was sewn into the waist, creating a beautiful bow at the back. I left my hair flowing loose over my shoulders and completed the look with subtle makeup and nude heels with a matching clutch.

I walked into the living room where Caleb was waiting. He looked incredibly dangerous, as always, wearing a dark gray suit with no tie and a crisp white shirt. When he saw me, he approached with his eyes absolutely burning with possessiveness.

"You look absolutely breathtaking!" He smiled and gave me a possessive kiss. "I’m going to marry the most beautiful queen in the entire underworld!"

"You’re being dramatic!" I smiled, wrapping my arms around his neck. "Where is everyone else?"

"They already left. Your parents took Max with them. They went with the armored car and armed guards."

"Well, then we should go too."

"Do I really have to stay at Xavier’s compound? I promise I won’t tell Zoe anything!" His tone was practically begging.

"Yes, you absolutely do. Because she will inevitably find out, and I refuse to face her fury," I smiled and pulled him by the hand. He followed with an exaggerated sigh.

When we arrived at the private dining room of our family restaurant, everyone was already gathered. Our inner circle and both sets of parents were there, along with Carmen, Walter, and Daisy - the nickname Gemma had given Dona Katelyn that somehow stuck, and now everyone called her that. We greeted everyone and I received numerous compliments on my appearance. Max was sitting on Xavier’s lap, enthusiastically telling him about the action movie he had watched that afternoon, and Xavier was giving him the same focused attention he would give an important territory meeting.

I felt overwhelmed with happiness having all the most important people in my syndicate family gathered together. We were assembled in the private dining room with armed guards posted at every entrance, and servers from our trusted network circulated offering champagne. Caleb called for everyone’s attention and began speaking:

"Family and allies, this week we endured some truly brutal conflicts, but they brought us even closer together as a unit. However, everything that happened made me realize that when we’re absolutely certain about something we want, we shouldn’t waste time waiting. That’s exactly why we’re all gathered here tonight. I want to thank each and every one of you for being here supporting us and for standing with me during the bloodiest battles." Caleb paused to take a breath. "When my parents were murdered, I felt completely isolated and alone in this violent world, and all of you surrounded me with loyalty and unwavering support. And when I thought nothing could ever bring me peace again, I found the woman of my dreams and my son, and now we’re expecting another child. I would like to make a toast to exactly that - to all of you, to family, to my children, and to the most precious woman in the world who brought light into my darkness."

Everyone raised their champagne glasses in a toast and applauded Caleb’s heartfelt words. He continued speaking:

"I am absolutely certain that you are the love of my life, Ivy, and that I want to spend my entire life with you." Caleb took my hand and walked with me toward my parents. "Therefore, Thomas and Diane, I would like to ask you for the tremendous honor of making your daughter my queen. I promise you, and all our family gathered here, that I will protect her and love her every single day. I will work tirelessly to give her a secure territory and a peaceful life within our dangerous world. I ask for your blessing to marry Ivy and I promise to dedicate myself so that we have a marriage as strong as yours and like my parents had."

"Caleb... ahem..." my father needed to clear his throat, and I noticed he was just as emotional as my mother, who was already crying. "You are definitely a man who keeps his word. When I first met you, you said you wanted to court my daughter and that it wouldn’t be a long engagement. You certainly weren’t kidding." My father smiled and made everyone laugh along with him. "I am a straightforward man, Caleb, but I am completely sure you will make my daughter very happy, because anyone can see in the way you look at her just how much you love her. And where there is genuine love, everything can be endured, faced, and conquered. You have our complete blessing. You are welcomed into my family as a son."

I was crying freely, and a member of our trusted staff handed me a small packet of tissues that she was already distributing among the emotional guests. My father and Caleb embraced, and then my mother also hugged Caleb and kissed his cheek.

Caleb turned toward me, took a small velvet box from his pocket, and opened it carefully. Inside was the most beautiful engagement ring I had ever seen. It was crafted from white gold with the metal designed to look like delicate thorns and leaves, and in the center sat a round diamond, with triangular aquamarine stones on each side connecting to the diamond at its base. The design was absolutely perfect and deadly beautiful.

"The diamond, Ivy, represents durability and loyalty, exactly as I want our union to be," Caleb began explaining. "Aquamarine symbolizes the quality of being unique, and you are completely unique to me. I want you to be absolutely sure of that. This was the ring my grandfather used to claim my grandmother. Later, this was the ring my father used to claim my mother. And now, this is the ring I’m using to claim you as mine. This ring represents my commitment and my complete dedication to you. Choose me to be yours, Ivy, for the rest of our dangerous lives."

"Yes... a thousand times yes... I will say yes to you every single day for the rest of our lives," I said through tears and sobs.

I placed both hands on my future don’s handsome face and gave him a gentle kiss on his lips. Caleb removed the ring from the box and showed me the inscription "Maktub" engraved on the inside of the band, which I knew meant "it was already written." This made me cry even more. Caleb slipped the ring onto my finger and kissed my hand possessively. We were officially engaged.

"Oh, before I forget, you’ll all receive formal invitations, but our blood oath ceremony will be this coming weekend," Caleb announced with a dangerous smile.

For the following hour, we explained to my parents and the other guests exactly why we were having the ceremony so soon and assured them that everything was already completely organized and heavily guarded.

"I won’t lie, I’ll go home feeling much more relaxed knowing that you are married, that you will have someone protecting you from now on, my daughter," my father said, hugging me tightly after dinner.

My father knew I was perfectly capable of taking care of myself and my son in this violent world, but like every loving father, he wanted to see his daughter safe beside someone who loved and protected her. I completely understood his feelings.

"Jude, you kept your promise - this dinner was absolutely magnificent. Thank you!" I said, hugging my loyal friend gratefully.

"It was my pleasure, my queen." Looking at Zoe with a mischievous smile, he said, "I want to see you top this!" He challenged her, knowing she was coordinating the wedding preparations with absolute determination.

"Jude, don’t activate her perfectionist mode," I pleaded, and everyone burst into laughter, but it was already too late - Zoe had accepted his challenge with gleaming eyes.