The reception hall glittered with chandeliers, their golden light spilling across polished marble floors and cascading bouquets of white orchids. Laughter hummed at every table, glasses clinked in celebration, and for a fleeting moment, Luna thought this night would remain flawless.
She sat beside Keifer at the long banquet table reserved for family, her new husband’s hand never far from hers. The hum of conversations, the subtle strains of the quartet in the background, the eyes on them—it was overwhelming, but in the most beautiful way.
Across from her sat Gabriele Salvador, her father in every sense that mattered. He wore his tailored black suit with effortless authority, but tonight, there was something softer in his eyes—a rare vulnerability as he looked at her and Keifer. For all his power, tonight he was just a father, proud of the daughter he had raised, even if the world would never truly understand what she meant to him.
Keifer leaned closer, his lips brushing her ear, his voice low and mischievous.
“I’ll be right back, Mrs. Watson-Salvador,” he teased, deliberately savoring the title. “Try not to miss me too much.”
Her lips curved despite herself. “Go before I change my mind about marrying you.”
He smirked, brushed a kiss against her temple, and slipped away toward the washroom, his tall frame drawing glances as he moved. Luna followed him with her eyes until he disappeared around the corner, warmth pooling in her chest.
When she turned back, James had leaned toward Gabriele. The two men exchanged words, then laughter. Luna tilted her head, curiosity flickering. For James to laugh—genuinely—meant Gabriele must have said something disarming. A small relief bloomed in her. Perhaps old wounds were truly mending tonight.
But the peace shattered in the next heartbeat.
The heavy doors at the far end of the hall burst open. A rush of voices filled the air, sharper, louder, cutting through the music and chatter like knives. Luna blinked, startled, as men and women carrying cameras and microphones pushed past the guards.
Reporters.
Her breath stilled.
In an instant, the guests’ joy soured into murmurs of confusion. Heads turned. Silverware paused midair. The room shifted as attention funneled toward the intruders.
Luna’s pulse thundered. What were they doing here? This was her reception—private, sacred. Who had allowed them inside?
Then Gabriele rose, his calm booming across the hall.
“I invited them,” he said, his deep voice carrying.
Luna’s eyes snapped to him in disbelief. “You what?”
He looked at her with steady assurance, though faint tension tugged at his jaw. “It was time,” he explained, softer this time, meant only for her. “Your marriage is already all over the news. Better to face them openly. Tonight, I will introduce Keifer properly to the world.”
Her heart slowed, but unease didn’t leave. She forced a smile anyway, nodding faintly. If Gabriele said it was necessary, then she had to trust him.
The cameras flashed. Microphones angled toward her, and she sat straighter, searching for Keifer with her eyes. But he was nowhere in sight.
Fine. She could do this. She was Gabriele Salvador’s daughter. She had been raised for moments like these, hadn’t she? She steadied her breath, smiled at the reporters.
But then—
“Miss Luna,” one reporter’s voice sliced through the chaos. “When were you planning to reveal that you are Gabriele Salvador’s adopted daughter?”
YOU ARE READING
THE MAFIA QUEEN
Fanfiction--- Jasper Jean Mariano - known simply as Jay Jay - was just another face in the crowded halls of HVIS, Section E. To most, she was a common student, a quiet girl battling the usual high school chaos - insecurities, fears, and a world that sometimes...
