JADE
I did not stop the maids from ushering me out of Luciano's presence. I needed him out of sight to think properly.To think about my fate tonight. I can not do this with someone I do not love or know. I barely know him. This is not the fifteenth century where girls have no say in their affairs.This is my life and I will not not let anyone pressure me into having sex with him.The maids led me to a spacious bed chamber. I stared dewy eyed at the room I was in. Everything from the rug to the bed to the walls were oozing of wealth, bloody wealth.What do these people do that gives them so much money?Do they own a tech company? A fashion line? Nope. That is absurd.But still, it was not impossible.I sat on the bed as the maids helped me undress from my wedding gown."Is this I and Luciano's room?" I was tempted to ask as they took of my earrings."No ma'am. This is your private bedchamber. Your bedroom. When you desire peace and away from your husband you can come here. We got enough clothes ready here for you" one of them replied.I did not even know their names."Hmm. What are your names?""I am Elizabeth ma" one smiled fondly at me."My name is Jane and my other colleague is Catherine" another introduced both herself and her friend who flashed me a smile."It is nice meeting you three" I chuckled. I needed to make friends here. Everybody seemed so busy with their own lives.In an hour, my maids had already helped me in undressing, preparing a nice hot bath, changing my gown and they were currently restyling my hair. I allowed them spray me sweet smelling perfumes which scented like heaven!"When you are done tonight ma we will give you a nice warm bath again and a Chinese tea that will help with the uhm...uhhh... discomfort" Elizabeth slowly said the last words.What discomfort?"What do you----" I quickly realised what they were pointing at and all the blood got drained from my face.Did it hurt that much?The maids looked so embarrassed to even speak further concerning the matter.Was he very rough?He does not even seem like the gentle type to me.No. I have to stop thinking of these mundane thoughts. I am not having sex with that man.A knock on the door pulled me out of my thoughts. "Come in" I responded.A different maid walked in, her head bowing momentarily before speaking. "Dinner is ready ma'am. Master requests your presence" she informed me."I do not want to eat. I do not feel hungry" I declined."Please signora, for your own sake do not refuse his orders" Catherine advised me with so much concern in her tone."Why? Will he kill me? Why is everyone so scared of him?"I watched my maids pass each other glances, as if they were hiding something from me."Why is anyone not speaking? Do you all know something that I do not? Are you all hiding something from me?" I pushed further. My curiosity had been piqued for far too long."We are not hiding anything from you signora Greco. We just do not want you to get your husband upset in your first night of marraige" Jane responded."I do not want to eat with him. He is my husband so he should understand that I am not hungry. I am quite filled and I just want to be by myself, to process all that happened in the last two weeks of my life" I still maintained my ground.Of course all I said was a lie. I was fairly famished but I just needed to be by myself for now.The maid was hesitant and unwilling to leave."What are you standing there for? Go tell him I am not hungry and I will eat when I want to eat" I instructed her sharply.She scurried away."Ma'am I do not think he will be happy with you" Elizabeth spoke as she combed my hair down."What is the worst he can do because I refused to eat with him?" I shrugged my shoulders.Silence settled in, each person lost in their thoughts. Suddenly, the door flew open with Luciano marching inside."You all leave. I want to have privacy with my wife" he ordered my maids out sharply, his tone was not livid but it was not a happy one either.One by one my maids dispersed, locking the door behind them, leaving me alone with Luciano.He ponderously walked towards me, his steps refined but dangerous until we were in close proximity with each other. My heart suddenly began palpitating, drumming so loudly in my ears just by staring at his blue hot orbs."You refused to come have dinner with me, why?" He simply asked."Because I am not hungry. It is that simple to understand" I scoffed back."You know", a malicious smirk tugged at his lips, "I did not expect you to be this bold and fierce. I expected you to be submissive to your husband" Luciano completed, pulling my arm in the spur of the moment and hauling me against his chest."Let go of me!" I fired back."Why should I? Why should I listen to you when you have never listened to me?" He menacingly whispered at the base of my neck sending shivers down my spine."This is harassment you know. I can get you arrested for this" I threatened with annoyance playing in my tone."I do not care how you see this. You are my wife and I can touch you however I want to touch you, do you get that?" Luciano snaked his other arm around my waist fiercely."Stop it! Let go of me this instant!" I was becoming mortified but I could not afford to show it."Only if you agree to have dinner with me? Do you agree bella?" He smirked, his hungry hands eagerly playing with the zipper of my night gown.Fuck. "I accept. I accept please just let go of me and stop doing whatever you are doing" I folded in immediately.Luciano let go of me, allowing me to heave a deep sigh of relief."See you downstairs in a minute. Nothing less and nothing more" he commanded before exiting my room.What an arrogant and cocky jerk!Arranging my emotions in place, I wore a fur coat over my sleeveless night gown and ambled down the stairs. On getting to the dinning area, I was in awe of the banquet that had been arrayed on the dinning table.I mean I am hungry but I am not this hungry. Wasn't this just a waste of food?Pulling out a chair, I sat directly opposite Luciano who was taking slow bites out of the chicken stuffed on his fork, as if taking pity on the animal. The kitchen staffs on standby dished out my own food and I began eating. Dinner went on in silence but I was a bit disappointed.I actually expected to see more of his family members here and not just I and him flanked by a number of staffs."What is wrong?" Luciano asked out of the blue."Pardon?""I can read you like an open book. Is something bothering you?" He questioned.I adjusted in my seat before responding, "Nothing much. I just thought I would get to see more of your family members in dinner and not just I and you"He went silent for a while. Was he not in good terms with them? "You will meet more of my family soon. Do not let that bother you"I nodded and dinner went on in its usual silence. But the silence was later punctuated by the sonorous sound of the door being pushed open.Two young men claded in black apparels walked in on us with about five bodyguards behind them.I stared at them and so did Luciano but his features seemed to harden at their presence. It was like their mere faces got him pissed off and he was trying to control it."Luciano Greco" one with unruly coffee brown hair spoke with his arms outstretched, he was the taller one."To what do I owe this sudden visit?" Luciano stood up, walking towards the men."Aww do not sound like we are strangers brother. We just came here to welcome your new bride into our beautiful home" the one behind replied.Brother? Why did he now seem disconcerted and pissed by their arrival."Thank you Arturo and also you too Raffaele but as you can see we are having dinner so you can come back some other time" Luciano replied."Bullshit. Why are you both having dinner all by yourselves when there is an entire feast going on in our place. Our wives would be very happy to meet your wife brother" the one called Raffaele passed Luciano a vicious smile."And besides, we also want to get to know your pretty wife better since the wedding happened so fast and none of us were given the liberty of meeting her" Arturo added. Luciano strode towards his brothers, his eyes glaring at them. He was a little taller than his brothers.No words emitted from their lips but their fervent gazes upon each other spoke a million secrets.I watched in horror as Raffaele drew out a gun tucked in his pocket stylishly.I was about calling out to Luciano but I think he saw the gun his brother tucked out."You are not the only one who has a gun in his possession Raffaele" Luciano gravely spoke.Did he also have a gun? What is going on in this family? The tension in the air was quite alarming."And thank you for your offer but we have to refuse it. Maybe some other time" Luciano tactfully declined with a reserved tone that was different from the anger raging in his eyes.His brothers bowed their heads and left whilst Luciano watched them leave.First I met a murderous looking uncle and an overly friendly step mother, jealous sister-in-laws, a multitude of armed men patrolling the estate and now hateful brothers.Truthfully, all is not as it seems in this family.And I will make sure I find out the skeletons they are all hiding in their cupboards.JADEI watched Luciano with bated breaths as he reclined back to his seat on the dinning. He avoided my anxious stares and focused on eating his meal. But I could tell that he was no longer interested in his food.He instead fiddled with it before taking little bites and his fist kept on balling and unballing. He was really struggling to control his rage.Why would his so called brothers come in here, make flirtatious comments towards me and one had the audacity to tuck out a gun?It felt like they had a sinister agenda in visiting him.Was he not in good terms with them?All these confusing questions and new discoveries were irking me to be honest.Nobody wants to tell me what really goes on in this family! It feels like everybody is hiding something from me! Luciano inclusive.Unable to concentrate on my food either, I dropped the cutleries in my hands and stared at Luciano. "What was all that?" I asked.He stopped eating and slowly ascended his gaze to hold mine, "What do you mean
JADE I was running, running so fast. My feets dug deep into the wet, black soil as I sprinted through what seemed like a very dark forest.I stumbled upon shrubs, branches and tall grasses on my way and I had so many cuts and bruises from them. But I just had to run as fast as I could. Someone was chasing me. Someone that wanted me to kill me. The unknown murderer was angry, blood thirsty and revengeful.My heart drummed in my ears and my body was going weak from exhaustion.I ran so fast but I accidentally stumbled over a branch and fell flat to the ground.I raised my eyes up and right before me was Raffaele, a murderous intent glaring in his eyes for me. His gun was pointed right at my head but before he could pull the trigger, Luciano came out from nowhere and tackled him to the ground. I watched them fight to death until the sound of a gunshot blasted through my earwalls. All the blood drained from my face that instant and pain overwhelmed me. Raffaele had shot Luciano rig
JADE The day went by in a blur and once again, the estate was thrown into darkness by night. After my talk with Luciano, he went off to work and I never did set my eyes on him up until now.I never knew he worked this late.I did a great deal of reading today. Luciano had a huge library up stairs and I delighted in exploring its books, the entire library oozing of vast knowledge and ideas.After that, I ate launch, watched a bit of television before dozing off in the living room and waking up again.I had expected to see Luciano back though. And for some reason, it saddened me when the maids and guards informed me that he was not back yet. I ate dinner, showered up and retired to my bed but yet still no sign of Luciano.Hours had passed as I laid on my bed, my eyes observing the skies. Lightning flashed across the dark horizon, signalling a storm approaching.Was that a bad sign?Quickly I picked up my phone from where it laid. It was close to midnight. Just few minutes away.I
JADEThree days had passed already. So fast. I still had not yet recovered from the tumultuous events of the last few days. I still find it hard to believe that I almost got raped in just my second night of being in this family and by Luciano's brother for that matter.And Luciano whom I expected to be my comfort and shield, treated me like I was a common object, a possession of his all because I ran to his brother for help. We rarely even spoke these days.I never imagined him to be so petty and keep such malice with me all because of that.What is a brother whom you can not meet in times of distress? He says there is nothing going on in this family yet he forbade me from going over to his brothers. Well if he had not then I would not even bother going any way.The aftermath of the rape still loomed over me like a dark cloud. I am really not safe in this place but who can I confide in?I do not feel comfortable with Luciano nor any other family members of his. Oh God please help
LUCIANO I could not concentrate on a single thing after Jade told me to leave her alone. A day had completely passed since we had that brief outburst of anger and all I just wanted to do was to grab her towards me at that moment and kiss her so passionately so she could understand that my emotions were intertwined with hers.I could never leave her alone. Not even if she begged for it or a gun was pointed at my head.I will not say I love her because love is a foreign word to me. I do not think I will be able to love anyone. My mother loved my father dearly but it did not fix their broken marraige. Her love was just not enough to do it.But I do care for Jade alot. I cared for her more than I cared for myself. I cared for her the moment I was told that I would be her husband. It was initially going to be Raffaele who would marry her but the man could not just keep his dick within his pants. He had gotten Aurora pregnant out of wedlock then so my father on his deathbed instructed
JADE When we arrived at Luciano's step mother's quarter, it felt like we had been walking for a millennium. I never realised this estate was this huge and also confusing. Every house seemed to look alike. A huge banquet had been arrayed before us and to my surprise, I saw that Luciano step brothers and their wives coupled with some men who looked like they were of Luciano's age and their own wives were in attendance. Probably they were his cousins. He did say his cousins resided here too.Mrs Gabriela welcomed us all as we greeted her in return before taking our seat. I watched as Luciano's brothers, cousins and wives exchanged pleasantries among themselves but Luciano did not move an inch after sitting down.And not much of his cousins came to welcome us either. Just two were bold enough to offer us a kind smile and to talk with Luciano. The disunity among the Greco brothers was alarming. Oh heavens please help me.Soon enough, everyone sat down in their assigned places; each
Nothing mattered to Luciano at that point other than beating the living day light out of his step brother.If possible he wanted to kill him while he was at it.How dare he say such rubbish against his wife! His own wife!There was no way Luciano was keeping silent!"Separate them!" One of their cousins, Petro, yelled the moment they both began their heated combat.Punches, kicks, the awful sound of bones cracking filled the air with blood dripping on the ground from both brothers. Luciano was too angered at the moment. "Restrain Luciano!" Matteo growled, as few of the brothers tried to hold Luciano down and stop him from delivering fatal punches to Raffaele."Fucking let go of me!" Luciano growled with such a blood thirsty rage, knocking them all off and punching some of them in the groins before continuing with his hard blows and punches at Raffaele who was already battered up and bleeding badly.His entire features screamed of pain which oozed all over him. Luciano had blood spl
JADE I walked alongside Luciano and his guards as we slowly trudged to our home.I could not stop sobbing. Staring at Luciano's bloody shirt was traumatizing and disturbing.Because that was also his blood tainted with Raffaele's. He was badly injured. I could feel a gag hauling up to my throat but I had to suppress the urge to throw up and keep on walking.My maids stood close to me, none of them having the guts to walk ahead of us. The multiple stares of the staffs and family members we passed by felt so uncomfortable. I could hear them whispering, it felt like they were throwing derogatory remarks at us. But I did not let that affect me. I held my head high and put up a stoic expression on my face. Once we got into the mansion, I signalled to the maids to walk ahead of us so that they could prepare a warm bath for Luciano in our matrimonial room before quickly calling on another nearby staff."Bring me warm water, a clean towel and a first aid box in my husband's private bed c
JADEA WEEK LATERThe smell of waffles sifted into my nose as I cracked my eyes open to find Luciano packing some food in a flask. A smile formed at the corner of my lips as I looked up at him. “What are you doing?” He looked back at me, “we're going to the beach, let's have a picnic there.”I gasped, excitement bubbling within me. I threw off the blanket covering me and got on my feet as I hugged him. Then, realization struck. “Didn't you say I can't go outside for now because…” I trailed off, but he knew what I was insinuating.It wasn't safe, even with Raffaele still hospitalized, a man like Luciano wasn't short of enemies now was he? Especially since Arturo threatened him a week ago, he's been paranoid ever since. He turned around and grazed my chin with his fingers. “I won't keep you inside forever my love, this isn't the life I want for you, I'll be there to protect you, and they'll be men on standby in the distance okay?” I nodded, my smile faltering. “Now go get ready,” he
LUCIANOI laid Jade on the stretcher as the nurses pushed her towards the emergency room. I squeezed her arm gently, “You're going to be alright,” I said, looking down at her. She swallowed, blinking rapidly. “Sir you'll have to wait here for her,” a nurse said, blocking my way as they closed the door to the emergency room.I nodded and stepped back, “she's pregnant, please save her,” I pleaded. The nurse nodded and entered the room, shutting the door behind her. Another stretcher rolled past me, one carrying Raffaele, his almost soulless eyes locked with mine for a fleeting moment before he was whisked into the emergency room. Aurora, her eyes puffy and red let out a cry as she pressed her back against the white walls, sliding down. I clenched my jaw, swallowing the lump that formed in my throat. “Code red! Code red!” A man screamed from inside as the life support machine started beeping. Aurora and I jumped to our feet, plastering our faces against the glass.It was Raffaele, h
LUCIANOThe car tires rolled against the asphalt as I drove towards the abandoned factory, a scowl etched into my features. I was going to save Jade, no matter the cost. Petro and my uncle had managed to convince me to take a few amen along with me. After all, what good would it be if I went alone and got killed by Raffaele, what would happen to Jade and our baby? Who would protect them?The mission was impromptu, so most of my best men were not available, most where offshore handling other issues. So the available ones would do. Petro would arrive at the location later with some back up, it was now or never. I was going to make Raffaele regret ever crossing me, he would regret putting Jade in harms way. The gravel crunched under my boots as I stepped out of the car, the deserted factory looming ahead. Luca's gaze met mine for a fleeting moment, a silent understanding passing between us before he and the others melted into the shadows. Raffaele wanted this solo - a dance of blood
LUCIANO I kicked the dirt beneath my feet as I let out a frustrated sigh, the sun had dipped and it was getting darker by each passing second. All my men had rounded up near the church. “We searched the area to the best of our ability, there was no sign of her anywhere,” Petro said. I stole one final glance at the cluster of houses in the distance. I couldn't help but wonder if there was a chance that she was inside one of these houses, tied up and scared.I looked around and arched an eyebrow, “Where's Jose?”As if the universe could hear me, my phone rang in my pocket, he was the one calling. “Hello, Luciano… You might want to see this,” his voice sounded over the line. I stepped into the abandoned wooden house, cigar sticks were scattered all over the floor and it seemed like some people had been here.Thuds met my ears as Jose descended from the stairs. We made eye contact and he tilted head upwards. “Upstairs, they left some things, it looks like Jade was here.”I followed
LUCIANOMy car screeched to a stop where the tire track vanished. I looked ahead, frustration clogging my reasoning. I couldn't find Jade like this, I had to think of a plan, come up with something..I let out a shaky breath as my anger rose. When I catch the person who took my Jade, I'll make them regret being born. The shrill of my ringing phone permeated my thoughts, I looked over at my phone, a scowl forming on my face. It was Petro calling. “Hello?”“Hello, Luciano, the cops are at the house and they want to speak with you since you're her husband.”“I'll be there in a minute,” I replied. I jammed the gear shift into reverse left this trail, the road went on and on for hours, there's no way I'd find jade like this. My automatic gates slid open as I drove in. A cop car was parked in front of my mansion, sticking out like a sore thumb. This was an anomaly for a mafia gang, but a necessary one. I got down from my car and made my way inside. “Good morning officers,” I greeted, plop
LUCIANO My shoes connected with the concrete floor as I stepped down from my car, banging the door shut behind me. Fatigue sat on my shoulders as I made my way into the mansion, it was still early in the morning, the sun was struggling to fully set. The only flicker of hope I had was that I'd meet Jade at home because I had left before she even returned back from her parenta house. Her presence made everything feel much lighter. I made my way into the house, my blazer folded against my forearm. As soon as I was in the hallway, my head was already swiveling around in search of my wife. One of the maids walked up to me, curtsying a bit before retrieving the blazer from me. “Where is Jade?” I asked.Elizabeth shrugged innocently. “I don't know sir, she hasn't returned since she went to see her parents.”My expression tightened, “What? Elizabeth, are you sure about this? Because I called her yesterday night and she said she was driving…”I facepalm myself, admonishing myself for not cal
JADETwo days later, I decided to visit my parents. Their house felt like a sanctuary, a haven of warmth I craved. As I entered, their smiles welcomed me, and I couldn't help but express how much I had missed them."Mom, Dad, it's been too long," I sighed, genuine joy lighting up my face as I hugged both of them tight. "Baby, how are you?" Mum replied with an even brighter smile. They led me to the living room and my eyes perused through the walls of my home.Everything was still the same. Nothing had changed."I am fine and what about you both?" "Well we are fine as you can see" Dad replied. My eyes tilted towards the stairs, expecting to see Melissa's bubbly profile come rushing downstairs to meet me."Mum, Dad, where is Melissa?" I inquired."Oh she traveled for her internship. She would be back soon enough. In a month's time I think" Mum replied, caressing my hair. A mild frown appeared on my face at her absence, "I miss her so much. I was hoping to see her""Cheer up princess.
JADE Love is really one of the most beautiful feelings anyone can ever have.It brings you with so much delight. Just the mere thought of your beloved and spending time with them is enough to keep you going and standing strong. Luciano has proven to be my rock, shoulder, companion and bestfriend. Getting married to him was indeed not part of the plans but I am glad I did. After the confession of my pregnancy, I saw Luciano change from being an overworking husband to a careful and compassionate father.He did go to work but he rarely ever came late. I wondered if it wasn't affecting the numerous workload in his office.But Luciano did not care to concern himself with that. He always cared for me, handled my tantrums and my cravings too.He would never even let me put a foot down without helping. I am pregnant not ill. His overcaring personality made me blush always.I am definitely lucky.As the day drifted into evening, Luciano orchestrated a lavish dinner at the mansion to c
JADE Days drifted by, turning into grain of sands and in the quiet of the mansion, I found myself in a conversation with the doctor.I had been feeling quite unwell for some days and indeed I was worried. The thought that I had eaten something poisonous, something meant to kill me slowly, wouldn't leave my head.I mean we are back in America, the den of our enemies.Luciano being a don has a lot of enemies and I'm no exception to the looming threats around his life.The constant nausea made me tensed and when it's sickly wave wouldn't stop, I just had to meet the family doctor.He ran a test on me yesterday but I couldn't wait to see the result and left quite immediately."You are pregnant Mrs Greco" the doctor told me with a warm smile, handling me the test results.Fuck! This was such an unexpected news – I'm pregnant. I am actually pregnant!But we had it only once, and ever since Luciano has been so busy. Was that one time enough to get me pregnant?Gosh I sound so much like a