Stuck in a Mafia Romance

NO One’s POV

The grand ballroom was decorated beautifully, glowing with crystal chandeliers and floral arrangements. The elite members of high society had already arrived, clinking their champagne glasses.

Near the front of the room, Dominic’s mother waited impatiently. She kept her eyes glued to the massive double doors, her heart fluttering with excitement. She absolutely could not wait to lay her eyes on her future daughter-in-law.

Just then, the doors opened, and Amelia entered the ballroom but she wasn’t alone. Walking beside her was Enzo.

A ripple of shocked whispers instantly broke out across the crowd. Everyone in their social circle knew Amelia had spent years desperately chasing after Dominic Valente. To see her arriving at his family’s private estate with another man was completely unexpected.

Dominic’s mother put on her best smile and walked over to welcome them. "Amelia, darling! You made it," she chimed, her eyes immediately drifting to the tall, handsome young man standing beside her. "And... who is this fine gentleman?"

"This is my high school friend, Enzo," Amelia introduced smoothly, though she shot a subtle, warning glare at him out of the corner of her eye.

Enzo didn’t acknowledge it instead he offered a charming smile and stepped forward, gently taking Dominic’s mother’s hand and brushing his lips against the back of it with flawless manners.

Dominic’s mother beamed, instantly charmed by his polite demeanor. "My, what a fine, well-mannered gentleman! Please, make yourselves at home and enjoy the party."

Enzo’s dark eyes shone with a deeply hidden amusement. "Indeed I will, Madam. Thank you."

Amelia gripped her purse tightly, her eyes scanning the room for any sign of Dominic, while Enzo casually stood by her side, looking entirely relaxed.

But just a few moments later, the doors swung open once more.

An immediate silence slammed into the room. The clinking of glasses all stopped instantly, making the entire ballroom go dead quiet.

Sensing the sudden shift in energy, both Enzo and Amelia turned their heads toward the entrance.

There stood Dominic and Vivien, their arm colide as they walked slowly into the glowing ballroom.

Every single guest gasped in the moment they laid their eyes on the breathtaking beauty standing beside the notoriously cold billionaire.

Together, they looked absolutely dashing, effortlessly captivating everyone’s attention like a royal couple.

"Which family’s daughter is she?" a wealthy woman whispered behind her hand.

"Oh my god, she is absolutely gorgeous..." another murmured in awe.

"Are they dating? Is this the real reason Amelia didn’t arrive with him tonight?"

"Not going to lie, she matches him so much better than Amelia ever did..." the elite gossip spread like wildfire through the crowd.

Across the room, Amelia’s eyes glued themselves to the woman standing beside Dominic. Her entire body started to shiver violently, and her eyes widened. Looking at the deep wine-red hair, the striking exposed face those sharp eyes, and that mesmerizing dress, a horrific memories from the novel’s original timeline suddenly crashed into her brain.

The exact moment Vivien’s clear eyes swept across the room and met hers, Amelia’s body jolted as if she had been struck by lightning.

"No... no... don’t kill me..." she whispered frantically under her breath, stepping backward in pure terror. "Viella...!"

Watching her pathetic, trembling state, Enzo leaned down and softly blew a cold breath of wind directly into her ear, causing her to lose her balance and stumble slightly.

Enzo let out a dark chuckle, thoroughly amused by her psychological breakdown.

The mocking sound of his laugh instantly snapped Amelia out of her terrified daze. Her fear instantly twisted into a manic, burning rage. Teeth clenched, she grabbed Enzo tightly by his sleeve and dragged him out toward the dark balcony to avoid making a scene.

From the entrance, Vivien’s sharp eyes noticed a flashy woman dragging someone away toward the terrace. She couldn’t quite see the man’s face since a crowd of guests had suddenly gathered around her and Dominic to greet them, but a slow smirk crawled onto her lips anyway.

Be more scared... Alina, Vivien thought to herself, a thrill of satisfaction running through her veins as she watched her panic.

Dominic’s mother finally caught sight of the girl she had been anxiously waiting for all evening, and she was not disappointed in the slightest.

Her face lit up with absolute joy, and she immediately pushed through the crowd of guests to walk over to the couple.

Before even saying hello, she lightly smacked Dominic on the shoulder for keeping her waiting.

"You are really trying to kill your mother with worry, aren’t you?!" she scolded, huffing.

"Mom, please. I am not a five-year-old," Dominic muttered, his cold facade cracking just a tiny bit in front of his parent.

"Hmph! You will always be a five-year-old boy to me!" she shot back proudly, crossing her arms.

Standing right beside him, Vivien desperately clamped her teeth together, trying to hold back a loud chuckle. Finally! she thought, feeling pure satisfaction. Someone is actually here to beat his arrogant ass! But the moment his mother’s sharp eyes locked directly onto her, Vivien froze, standing stiffly and awkwardly under the intense gaze.

Dominic’s mother had same charm as him and looked way younger than her age. She had the exact siren eyes as Dominic which scared Vivien more.

His mom smacked his arm one more time for good measure. "Well? Aren’t you going to properly introduce me to my future daughter-in-law?!" she demanded loudly.

A collective gasp echoed through the nearby guests. The ballroom went quiet again. So it was true?! This mysterious, breathtaking beauty was actually Dominic Valente’s soon-to-be fiancee?!

Vivien’s own eyes widened in pure horror. Her brain short-circuited, and she was just about to open her mouth to frantically deny the whole thing, but Dominic cut her off before she could utter a single word.

"Mom, this is Vivien. She works with me," he said smoothly, his tone completely flat.

Vivien snapped her head around, staring at him in disbelief, silently begging him with her eyes to clarify things. Tell her I’m just your ordinary assistant! Tell her I’m basically a maid! Fix this!

But Dominic didn’t add a single word of correction, nor did he bother to explain what kind of "work" she actually did at his company. He just let the heavy implication hang in the air.

"Oh my goodness! So you two met in the office!" his mother squealed, her eyes practically sparkling. "Aha! An office romance! That is so incredibly adorable, darling- it’s just like how your father and I met!" she beamed, completely lost in her own romantic fantasy.

Vivien’s face was a picture of utter shock. "Actually, Mrs. Valente, I am really not- "

But his mother cut her off with a wave of her hand before she could finish. "Oh, darling, I completely get it! You’re just shy. Please, make yourself entirely comfortable! Let me go grab you some drinks myself!" Without waiting for a response, she happily stormed off toward the bar.

The moment his mother was out of earshot, Vivien turned on Dominic, her voice a furious whisper. "Boss! Why on earth didn’t you tell her the truth?! Why didn’t you explain that I am absolutely not your girlfriend?!"

"Because there is no need to waste time explaining something that is never going to happen," he replied coldly, casually turning his back to her.

Vivien let out a breath of relief, thinking he meant a relationship between them was impossible. But as Dominic walked off into the crowd, a dangerous smirk spread across his lips.

Of course it’s going to happen, he corrected in his mind, his eyes glinting with a possessive certainty. It’s going to happen whether you want it to or not, Vivien.

______________

"What is going on?!" Amelia shouted, her voice trembling with a mix of fury and absolute terror.

Enzo didn’t answer right away. He simply leaned his forearms over the marble railing of the balcony, staring out into the dark estate gardens with a relaxed posture.

"Answer me!" Amelia hissed, stepping closer and grabbing his sleeve. "Why... why does she look like Viella?! I thought she was just some ugly duckling from a middle-class neighborhood! How come she... she looks exactly like Viella?!"

Enzo turned his head slightly, a slow smile stretching across his face. "That is exactly why I always told you... never doubt my choices, Amelia~"

"Stop joking around, Enzo! What on earth is going on between them?!" Amelia’s breath hitched as she looked back through the glass doors at Dominic and Vivien. "They look like Dante and Viella themselves..." A shiver racked her body, and she began frantically biting her thumbnail again. "No... no. She took my Dante away from me in the original timeline. I am absolutely not letting her take my Dominic too!"

Enzo let out a low hum, his frame shifting under the moonlight. "Instead of worrying about who is taking who... shouldn’t you be much more worried about why she looks like this tonight? After all, isn’t Dominic the one who was in complete charge of her makeover today?" His eyes glinted with a sharp intelligence.

Amelia froze mid-breath. Her hand slowly dropped away from her mouth, and she stared at Enzo as the horrific realization finally pierced through her denial.

"Do... don’t tell me that... Dominic is actually..." She couldn’t even bring herself to utter Dante’s name.

Enzo smiled, his dark eyes crinkling at the edges with amusement. "I can’t officially confirm if he is Dante or not just yet," he whispered smoothly, his gaze shifting away from Amelia to look past her, straight through the glass. "But I can certainly tell you one thing for sure..."

His eyes locked onto the distant dress and the striking wine-red hair moving gracefully through the crowd.

"...that is indeed my Viella."

A dangerous thrill ran through his veins. After all he had been absolutely waiting for this exact moment to arrive.

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TO BE CONTINUED