Her Return

Chapter 12

Adriana's POV

Today is the day!

"Adriana you need to hurry up!" Granny yelled

"Why are we rushing? It's 9 in the morning and the party doesn't start til 8."

"Volkov's don't whine! You still have to get your nails, hair, and makeup done. Then we have to get you dressed for photos before mass." She scolded

Ironically we're Russian Orthodox which is a branch of Christianity. Granny would always force us to church any chance she got. I do believe in God but if there's a heaven and hell I'm definitely headed downstairs.

Granny had me baptized when I was 10. It was in front of the entire church on my birthday. Every year she makes us attend the overnight sermons at church during the holidays.

"Ugh fine! When is my nail appointment?" I asked

"10 o'clock JJ. Get in the shower!" She yanked my blanket off

I opened my mouth to complain but her cold glare shut me up. With a silent groan I got out of bed and walked to my bathroom.

Hours later

I'm all dolled up. My hair is natural, messy, and down. Since I have a hood with my dress we decided against an updo. My hair is pinned back with a really pretty hair clip. My face is natural for the most part. Since my skin is clear they decided not to cake me full of it. My skin looks like it's glowing! Overall I feel gorgeous!

I put on my Air Forces and jewelry. Then granny helps me into my dress. She also helps me put on my tiara. It's a diamond forehead band.

"Let's get in the car we're late!"

I put on my hood and made my way to the car. The only people invited to mass are the Volkovs, Lombardis, and the members of my court. From there we'll all make our ways to the venue.

At church

I can see Alek in his suit waiting for me outside the car. His job is to walk me down the aisle of the church in order to renew my baptismal promise and commit myself to purity and God. That's the part where we chose to tweak things out of respect for the religion.

I'm pulled out of thought when the car door opens. Alek holds out his hand and I take it then step out of the car.

"Wow, you look gorgeous JJ."

"You sound surprised? You know as well as I do that I always look good." I told him cockily

"You're an idiot." He chuckled

"I'm your favorite idiot."

"And my most expensive... I'm glad you got the dress. It was practically made for you."

"Thanks for buying it. Thanks in general. You never hesitate to provide for me." I expressed my gratitude

"You're my kid. It's my job to."

We finally made it to the front of the church

"Are you nervous?" He asked

"I've waited years to take my vows to the mafia and this family. But, I never imagined taking my oath in the house or God."

"It's more exciting than hearing you pledge your virginity to your future husband. Plus who better to witness your swearing of omertà than God himself. Breaking omertà is punishable by death. So, let the creator hear your vows."

By the end of our conversation I was at the end of the aisle. The priest began the ceremony with some religious words. I wasn't really paying attention until Xander stepped forward.

I chose him to hand me my rose bud for the flower ceremony. The rose bud was the decision that took a lot of thought since it's supposed to be presented by my mother or someone who has been present in my life since my birth. Enzo told me all the stories of how attached Xander was after he found out mom was pregnant with me. He also explained how devastated he was when mom fled with me. He was really happy when I asked him to present me my rose bud.

Once he placed the rose bud on the table he walked back to his seat.

Next came the Gramps and Viktor. They're presenting me with my half open rose since that must be given by someone who helped me recognize right from wrong. Gramps and Viktor are the biggest disciplinarians present in my life. I've learned a lot from them.

Lastly, we're Granny and Nonna. They came to hand me my black rose in full bloom.

It was now my time to swear my omertà

"Klyanus' svoyey zhizn'yu postavit' etu mafiyu prevyshe vsego i ubedit'sya, chto zhertvy moikh predkov ne byli naprasnymi. Dazhe yesli ya stal zhertvoy prestupleniya, ya ne budu obrashchat'sya za pomoshch'yu v politsiyu i nikogda ne budu predostavlyat' im informatsiyu. Moya vernost' byla, yest' i vsegda budet moyey mafii. YA nichego ne sdelayu i nikogo ne ub'yu, chtoby zashchitit' nashi interesy. YA, Adriana Volkova, klyanus' molchat' i klyanus' svoyey zhizn'yu vozglavlyat' russkuyu mafiyu."

I swear on my life to put this mafia above all else and to ensure the sacrifices of my forefathers were not in vain. Even if I am the victim of a crime I will not seek out assistance from the police nor will I ever offer them information. My loyalty has been, is, and will always be to my mafia. There is nothing I won't do and no one I won't kill to protect our interests. I Adriana Volkov pledge my silence and vow my life to leading the Russian Mafia.

"Budete li vy podderzhivat' tsennosti, kotoryye olitsetvoryayet sova?" Gramps asked

Will you uphold the values that are represented by the owl?

"Da." I answer

"Primete li vy metku sovy do svoyego prikhoda k vlasti?" Dad asked

Will you accept the mark of the owl prior to your transition into power?

"Da."

"My prinimayem vashu klyatvu." They spoke in unison

We accept your vow.

Relief washed over my body. I was worried my vows were too short but in my defense I always imagined I'd only have to recite a script not speak from the heart.

The priest continued and he concluded mass after his sermon.

I felt bad for my biological family. The entire ceremony was in Russian. They probably weren't even aware they were witnesses to my swearing of omertà.

"The reception begins in under two hours. Let's get some non candid pictures then make our way to the venue. Our guests have already begun arriving." Granny yelled

•_•

Part 1 of the Quince!

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Mwah ⛪️