Cephus' POVA smile of satisfaction ran across my lips. I tried hard not to chuckle, by covering my mouth with my palm, while facing downwards. I heard a loud sigh and my facial expression went back to its usual form- A cold and mean one.I took my strong gaze to her and frowned slightly. "What is that supposed to mean? Why did you sigh? Is there a problem?""Yes!" She quickly replied, like she had been waiting for that question. "There is actually a big problem"My eyes blinked in wonder, as I tried to apprehend what she meant, even without explaining."Hold on" I said and briefly shut my eyes before shoving my opened palm on her face. "I think I know what you want to talk about"Her eyes widened like she had been caught red handed. "You do!" She gushed, shockingly.I sighed, showing how furious I was. "Are you saying that you were joking with me?""What!" She exclaimed, and laughed. "Oh, no! Not at all""Then, what are you trying to say?" I asked, my eyebrows knitting.She swallowed
Katie's POVI shivered when he barked at my face and I knew he would do as he said. Anxiety and fear surged inside of me, as I tried hard not to tremble too much. Besides, I didn't want to get hurt. I had to do and say something. Even his face, which was still frowned, was somewhat scary for me to continue looking at."I'm sorry, I will do as you have said" I said, softly and looked down.I heard Cephus heave a sigh of relief and I took my eyes up. "You have made a wise choice" He said and I forced a smile."When do you plan on leaving?" He asked, facing the closet and then hanging the dress back in.I bit my lower lip and looked at him. "Very soon, if you don't mind," I said, feeling nervous."Sure…" He gushed and I widened my eyes in surprise. I didn't believe his character would change this way. He looked jovial and happy. I wondered what happened to him."Okay… Thanks" I muttered."How about we start packing in immediately!" He said, smiling brightly."Like right now?" I asked, ra
Cephus’ POVI crouched down tiredly on my mahogany brown office chair, cradling my head with my hand as I thought of Katie. A smile found its way to my lips; I waved off the thoughts and receded to the file on my table. I had heaps of them to deal with and it was getting too much for me already. I have been away from the office due to the introduction stuff; I just had to deal with the files before they became too much for me.A knock at the door caught my attention; knowing who it would be, I gave the order for my secretary to come in. A young lady walked into the vast office. She wore a brown dress that revealed most of her back and stopped far below her knees; she had a yellow blazer hung over her shoulders. She was tall and had white skin that glowed with so much Katie, she had long legs she probably liked to reveal."Hi, Cephus," her heels rattled on the tiled floor as she walked toward me. She dropped the files in her hand on the table."It's been a while." She winked at me
Katie’s POVFor some reason, since Cephus introduced me to his mafia family, he moved into my room saying, “We are married to them, so we have to keep up the act, play along or die, your choice.” Let’s just say, I didn’t have a choice in the matter, but if I can help something, I intend to do just that.Cephus woke up early in the morning and I could feel that he had left my side; I opened my eyes when the lights came on but instantly shut them back when Cephus looked toward my side. He strode into the bathroom and had a cold bath before getting out and changing into his workout outfits. When he was done, he donned black shorts, a black singlet and a pair of red sneakers with black socks. He sat up and flexed his muscles. I watched from the corner of my eyes, pretending not to be awake, but I could see everything he was doing.He inserted his Air Pods in his ears and grabbed a black hoodie, he wore it over his head and it stayed on his body. He looked at me one more time before leavi
Katie’s POVI was still staring at him when his phone started to ring, he jumped up from bed and picked up the call."Now?" He asked the caller, whose voice range through the cell clearly."Yes, about two of them broke into the casino again. We were able to capture them, but there are more around. We don't know what might happen, a war is about to break out. Come with your weapons." I could pick from the words the caller was dropping. "We need you over here now." He sat up and pulled out the drawer from the bedside. He ended the call and brought out a pistol. I stood up in fear, I had never seen a gun all my life. He loaded the pistol with some bullets, hurrying towards his closet. I stared at the pistol as it sat innocently on the bed, with fear gripping my mind, I moved away from where I lay down."Are you going somewhere?" I asked him as my eyes were on the pistol on the bed, I wondered how many people my husband had killed in his life, I stopped staring and looked up at Cephus.
Katie’s POVHe still had his shorts on and his arm was bleeding hard, I stood up and moved closer to him, I tiptoed and stared at him, it looked like he was stabbed with a sharp knife or dagger, the cut was deep to an extent and he just wrapped bandages around his arm. He closed his eyes, wincing in pain as he unwrapped the bandage."Are you okay?" I touched him, but he pulled away from my grip, he didn't want to look weak in front of me. "Cephus, I can help you treat that." I offered but he shunned me."I'm fine," he said sternly and was about to walk into the bathroom when I held him back, I jumped on the bed so that I could reach his height. Breathing hard, I stared directly into his eyes."No, you're not fine and I will do this for you!" I said angrily, I hated that he always pushed me away. "I've got you, I can do a bit of it." I got down from the bed and pushed him to the bed. "Just stay still please." I begged with my eyes and Cephus just sat on the bed without an argument.
Cephus' POVMy eyebrows knitted when I watched the two- Katie and Romeo discussing more amidst laughter. I sighed and looked away trying to ignore them but I couldn't. My eyes would still come back to them. I didn't even realize when and how my emotions changed. I clenched my fists and abruptly halted."Stop" I said and the two who were now in front of me obeyed before turning to face me. They saw the change in my face. I wasn't looking happy or pleased at all."Is everything alright?" Romeo asked, and I scoffed."You should leave," I said, almost clenching my jaw to give my face a strong and cold look.Romeo was surprised. He exchanged glances with Katie who seemed surprised as well."Why should he leave?" Katie asked softly. "We are almost at my place. Just a few miles away. Besides, you mentioned that he would help me. Will you just allow him to leave like that without doing anything?""I'm not talking to you, young lady so take your gross mouth away from my business!" I barked and
Katie’s POV"All I do is cook his food, clean his house and leave after that. We don't talk much unless it's necessary, but if l am to judge, I will say he's cold, talks less, and doesn't care what people have to say.""Selfish, huh?" I looked at Debby."No, ma'am. I would never call my boss selfish but he just doesn't care about being selfish but he just doesn't care about people's opinions." Debby rephrased her words, hoping I wouldn't get mad at her."I understand what you mean. It's been three weeks with him and I still don't understand who he is." I heaved a long exasperated sigh. "So, I do understand when you talk about his ambiguous characters.""Hmm, was it an arranged marriage?" Debby had already asked before she realized the gravity of her words. "I am sorry ma'am, this shouldn't be my business." She bowed her head. I laughed, shaking my head, I set all she needed, and discussed otherthings with Debby, but never answered her question.The bedroom was void when I got in. I
Chapter 183Katie's POVAll I see is a blur of him as I try to get my mind and body to function so I can answer him. My legs hit the floor as he pushed me down, releasing me to walk away. His hand grips his hair as he stares at the gun in his other hand and back down to me.“No. No, it’s not true,” I whimper, tears still falling. “Don’t listen to him,” I plead, looking him straight in the eyes.“Silence,” he orders, walking over to me with his hand raised. Will he hit me? Will he hurt me?“That isn’t true!” I shoot back. “Nothing he is saying is true…”Silence ensues for a long second before Cephus speaks. “Get the ropes and tape!” he yells to Mack. I’m lying on the ground on my side when his face comes into my vision.“Was it all a lie, Katie? Was it all some fucked up lie so that you could get into my head? So you could get the inside job done and walk away unscathed?” His voice is so loud in my ears, I push away from him.“Was it?” he shouts, demanding a response, his fingers gripp
Chapter 182Katie's POV“I see it as more of a protective arrangement for both of us. There are legal protections for each of us… incentives to keep one another’s secrets.”I fixed him with what I hoped was the most vicious look I had in me. “I never went to the cops after you kidnapped me, didn’t go running to my parents begging them to find someone to break your kneecaps, and you thought you needed some other way of getting me to keep your secrets?”“It matters…” I can hear the anxiety in Mack’s voice. Something is very, very wrong.“Why does it matter? She was nothing before this whole incident and will be nothing after everything takes place. She’s clean. I know it.” Cephus sounds confident, and though I know I have done nothing wrong, if Mack convinces him I did something, I know I am as good as dead.“It matters because I know she’s not clean. After Jared called me and told me what Luccio said, I did a little digging on her and found some shit out.”Horror fills my mind. What i
Chapter 181Katie's POV“I was seven or eight, in a regular primary school not far from here.” His right hand moved, grasping for his phone, then he left it alone and pulled my hand he was still holding onto his knee, placing both of his hands over it. If the ring I was wearing was digging in, he didn’t give any sign. “It might surprise you to hear this, Katie, but I was not the best of children.”“Shocking revelation.”“I was always targeting kids a bit younger, a bit smaller. The ones I knew wouldn’t be able to give me any shit in return. Except this one time, there was this kid—Billy Burke, I remember his name vividly—and he did give me shit. He told me he wanted me to stop pushing him around and trying to scare him, and no he wasn’t going to give me his lunch money, by the way. I’d never run into this situation before when I was running this scam, so I panicked a bit. I hit him in the face. Told me to his parents.”I didn’t know what to say to this. It took me all too quickly b
Chapter 180Katie's POVEven when it gets worked out in the end, it sucks for long-term relationships.”It had to be even harder to find someone you could enter into the sort of long-term relationship most people were especially keen on with. Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised Cephus had jumped at the chance to get me on board as a future wife.And speaking of my future husband, I had half-expected he wouldn’t be there when I returned. Then when I saw him sitting on the couch in front of the TV where he’d been when I ran out to get in Caroline’s car—where he’d probably slept for all I knew, he’d gone out the night before and hadn’t been back before I admitted defeat and crawled to bed—I half-expected to spot Angel somewhere in the room in the next moment. She didn’t have anything further to add to her roster of manipulations for the moment: we were alone.“What was your day like?” asked Cephus without looking at me. I let my bag slip by degrees from my fingers, frozen in place by the p
Chapter 179Katie's POV“Cephus isn’t supposed to be a part of this side of things, he can’t do it… and I doubt you’re in a position to ask your mother for assistance. Caroline is an ideal choice.”I didn’t like it, but she was right. I couldn’t go about this the wrong way if I ever wanted to be on Cephus’s good side. I didn’t want to go about it the wrong way. And while I was surrounded by Cephus’s family I needed to make connections unless I wanted to be treated the same way I was on my own. Caroline seemed like the safest option there so far.“If you’re sure I won’t be inconveniencing you,” I told Caroline. “I could use the help. I don’t have much experience with the whole wedding business, that much is for sure.”Caroline broke out in a little golf clap of delight. There might actually be some benefit in spending trying to absorb as much as I could of her elegance. “I’m so pleased to help. Now, I was thinking, I have the whole of tomorrow afternoon off work, so that would be a g
Chapter 178Katie's POVI sat up with a gasp.It was just like the morning before when I had woken to unexpected voices. But this time I was in a strange bed again, and at least one of those voices didn’t seem familiar at all.I’d learned my lesson from the day before. I couldn’t get myself into the single bathroom in the apartment, but I pulled on a proper outfit, brushed out my hair, and cleaned my face thoroughly with some wipes. I didn’t dare put on makeup without a full mirror, but I was young and fresh enough that I could probably get away without it.Once I was decent, I made a quick and quiet tidy of my room and then stepped up to the door for a bit of strategic eavesdropping before I joined the action.A childish female voice was doing most of the talking. “She’ll need someone to guide her through the process.”Cephus’s voice sounded both amused and exasperated. “Someone who has never been even close to getting married before?”“You know exactly what Caroline means.” The thi
Chapter 177Katie's POVI kept trying to convince myself that what I was craving was the worst craving anyone had ever had, including anything that had been thought up by a brain on pregnancy. But it was ridiculous to be so worried about whether I did or didn’t sleep with him when I was already making myself vulnerable to him, right? Or was this just how I was convincing myself to go along with wherever my lust took me?I don’t think about looking at my plate. Then when Cephus abruptly slid his chair backwards and stood, I startled like a tiny animal that could run away if provoked further. I knew damn well I couldn’t run.Cephus came to my side and put his hand out for mine, drawing me to my feet when I complied.“You have sauce on you,” he said and pointed it out on my shirt—his fingertip pressing slightly into my breast in a way that was, I’m sure, entirely necessary.I looked down at his hand there. Well, I’d managed to at least try to eat something.I thrust my chest forward in
Chapter 176Katie's POV“Madonna and child.” Cephus folded his arms and leaned back; it felt like an acknowledgment that I’d landed a hit, but I didn’t have any idea how. I’d just been trying to give a voice to my frustrations. “So you know a little bit about art, then.”“I think that’s kind of something I picked up through pop culture actually,” I said. I was hoping to screw with him while I seemed to have an advantage, and he did appear to deflate a little in response. “You’d be more eager to get a leg over if I was the kind of girl who t art and how to engage with you because I have any desire to ‘get a leg over’. And I have no intention of scorning you because you lack cultural polish. I assure you that I will be able to provide for you sexually in every way you might require.”“What kind of statement is that? Trust me, I’m a sexy beast, even though from the way I behave you would expect pretty much any Arctic land to be less frigid than I am?”“Do you want me to provide referen
Chapter 175Katie's POV“Am I supposed to believe you are shy?”I was so startled by Cephus's Voice that here I dropped the capsicum I’d been fidgeting with. It rolled across the bench, and Cephus caught it with one hand while he continued dicing its unlucky sibling with the other.“I guess you wouldn’t,” I admitted, “but if any situation was going to make me feel that way… I mean, we’ve gone from you having me dragged out If bed to trying to cook with me?”“You’ve got to roll with the challenges life presents you sometimes, Katie,” said Cephus, rolling the second capsicum into the path of his knife.“Are you talking about me here or you?”“Both of us, for once.” His expression visibly dulled. It struck me then just how much more animated he had become since we had first met. It was just a handful of hours but there was someone behind the mafia man front he was slowly letting me see, whether by choice or unconsciously I did not know.It bothered disappearing again. It was messing wi