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14: Sorry
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Camilla had to call her twin brother. She had contemplated leaving without telling Calvin, but it wouldn’t end well. She had to at least let him know now, so he could get her replacement for the series. He had a few days until production and rehearsals started. He might not understand it, but she was doing it for him. For Hana. For the rest of their family. They always joked that she was the least responsible McKenna. It was time to prove them wrong.
The phone shook in her hand. She brought up his contact but delayed hitting the call button. Her bed, which usually brought her comfort, filled her with fear. She wouldn’t be able to sleep in this bed for as long as Vanya was after her. But he wouldn’t find her. She would run far, far away from him.
Camilla was about to call him when a scream rang out from the living room. Her phone clattered to the floor, and her blood ran cold. Was Vanya in the house? No, he couldn’t be. It was a few hours until 4
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The call ended before Camilla could plead her case. For a moment, all she could do was stare at her screen. Kenna Prime, KP, her brother’s streaming company, had been through a lot in its first year. The one thing that had remained a constant success was the series she starred in. Her social media popularity also contributed to it. More than that, she knew how upset people might be if they found out she had been replaced without good reason. But what else could she do? Vanya killed Alvin. He could kill Hana. She couldn’t let things get that far. That thought brought her back on track. She dabbed her cheeks dry and finished packing. All done, she went to Faye’s room. Her best friend was asleep, so she dropped a note on the table and stepped out after kissing her cheek. Time would tell if she ever saw her friend or this room again. Purse strapped over one hand, duffel bag over the other, she left the house. Doubts returned when she was in the elevator, but she didn’t l
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 16: I hate you
Camilla ignored him. At least she tried to until questions rushed back to her. She needed answers to prepare herself for whatever this man would do to her.First, where was she going to stay? Would he expect her to cook? She couldn’t. Even if she could, she would never do that for him. What did being his wife entail? What if he assaulted her? If he could kill Alvin, an innocent, man, how much more someone like her who deliberately set out to hurt him?Calvin already loathed her existence. By extension of her love for her husband, Hana must be the same. Camilla had to do something fast, and the most important thing on that list was making sure he regretted the day he met her. She wouldn’t let him walk over her. She would give him hell.“How long is this supposed to last?” she asked. No response. She turned to him, her eyes set on the purse he placed on his lap. He was always seizing her things. “How long is this madness s
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 17: Down
Camilla’s room was beautiful, but the best part? She didn’t have to share it with Vanya. It had been a few hours since the bastard dumped her in this room and locked her inside. The flight had stretched on forever. She had fallen asleep, waking up in this room, on the queen-sized bed with beddings that were as soft as clouds.Now fully awake, she was up on her feet, inspecting every item in the room. From the soft, cotton bedsheets, the bedside drawer, pink table and chair tucked into the corner, empty shelves, to the vanity. It all looked brand new, like they did it for her.The door opened, and Camilla backed away from the table with lightning speed. A short, round bellied woman in a black uniform entered. Camilla grabbed a pillow as the woman walked further into the room. Her face was free of makeup, and her hair knotted in a bun with a white headdress.“Down,” the lady said. “The pillow.”“Ex
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 18: Don’t cry (I)
Someone was holding Camilla. Not any random person. Alek. Wait, no, he wasn’t just holding her. She was on top of him. He must have caught her and lessened the brunt of her fall. Another person might have thanked him, but she was feeling far from grateful. Embarrassment burned her cheeks as she felt his very hard erection against her stomach. She tried to straighten up and make a run for it but hugged him immediately her reality dawned on her.She was naked.From her peripheral view, she spotted her towel on the rug. If she moved, he would see her. She wasn’t ashamed of her body, but she wouldn’t let him have that honour.“Are we going to spend all evening here?” Alek teased. His eyes carried a hint of amusement that bothered her. He might have had Ivan drop some money for Tina, but he was still an awful man. If she forgot anything, she couldn’t, she mustn’t forget he killed Alvin. “Dinner is waiting for us.”
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 19: Don’t cry (II)
On the walls were huge portraits of people with foreign names. Most of them were males, only a few had a woman with them. One thing Camilla also noticed was the use of Don before each of the name. Was it a Russian thing? Except… no, it couldn’t be. Alek couldn’t possibly be in the mafia. “What’s a don?” she whispered to Doris as they reached downstairs. A few eyes turned to them as they continued to the entrance. There was a coat hanger in the large foyer and two more men at the door. “Hello.” They both bowed and chorused, “Madam.” Camilla’s cheeks paled. Once the door opened, she rushed out. Doris chuckled beside her. “You will get used to it. Soon.” She didn’t want to get used to this place or lifestyle. She wanted to leave. Doris led the way, and she wasn’t surprised to see a few more men in suit. Something told her they all had guns on them, but she wouldn’t be finding out. How well could Alek shoot? “What’s a don, Doris?” “Big, bi
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 20: Two weeks pregnant
The pregnancy result was out. Camilla had thrown a tantrum yesterday when she realised where he was taking her, so today, Maksim came alone to the hospital. He opened the envelope the bald doctor gave him and read through the results. Camilla wasn’t pregnant, but he expected nothing less. This only confirmed all he knew.“She’s not pregnant?” he asked.“No,” Dr Igor replied.“But that’s between both of us, right?” Maksim added. The doctor nodded. The room was chilly, but a bead of sweat coated the doctor’s forehead. He didn’t like to threaten people, but today was a worthy occasion for it. “If someone else asks…”“She is two weeks pregnant,” Dr Igor said.Papa would want to know more about the woman he was set to marry and would go to any lengths to get the information. The only person who should know his wife-to-be was lying about her pregn
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 21: Our baby
Camilla woke up with a start. She always slept with the lights off, so where was this sudden brightness coming from? Dragging her blanket up to cover herself, the rest of the sleep cleared when the material refused to move. Still trying to understand what was happening, a yelp escaped her lips as the blanket was yanked off her entire body.Doris had heated her room, but without the blanket, the cold pricked her skin. Eyes scanning the room for the culprit, she grabbed a pillow. She was certain she locked the door before falling asleep. Only her bedside lamp was on, so she couldn’t see whoever was playing this prank on her.“Up.”She could recognise that voice even in her dream. It was the voice of her nightmare. Alek. He stepped out of the shadows with a gun, and the pillow tumbled to the bed.What did she do this time? She had stayed away from everyone in the house, eating only what Doris brought to her room? Had he found ou
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 22: Open the door
One. Two. Three.Maksim was finishing up his push ups for the day when someone knocked on the door. Sweat beaded on the rug, turning the particular spot darker. He ignored the quick succession of knocks, hoping whoever was at the door would leave him alone. If it was important, they could discuss after eating.Breakfast would be ready in a few minutes. Camilla’s dress would arrive before then. Grooms were not allowed to see the brides before the wedding, but they had broken enough rules already. He doubted Camilla cared for rules, and he had to fix that. She would have to at least care for his rules.For now, he had achieved one thing. His bride-to-be knew better than to lie to him. But why did she think he was Vanya?What Vanya told him was beginning to make sense. He and Vanya had arrived at Nightfall Hills at the same time but for different purposes. He was there for Mila, and Vanya was to meet a lady. His half-brother had retur
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The Mafia’s Temporary Bride Epilogue (II)
Camilla froze. Her heart raced shamelessly, and emotions she thought herself no longer capable of feeling flooded her. This was their first meeting since he dropped her at KJ’s house. She should pry his hand off her, scold him, or leave. But she did none of those things. It had been months.God, she missed her husband so much. So fucking much it was hard to fully express the loss without breaking down in tears.“Alek.”“Cam.”Camilla’s hand dropped over Alek’s, and she knew the feeling was mutual. He missed her too. If not, he wouldn’t be here with flowers. Or here at all. Her tea was getting cold, but she didn’t care. The shop was empty, so she didn’t have to hide or pretend. She wanted her husband here.Operations didn’t start until 5. So she liked to have an hour of silent reading before the hustle. But she didn’t mind sharing her solitude with Alek. He was the only one worthy of shar
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 122: Epilogue (I)
The alarm on Maksim’s phone went off at exactly 3:45 pm. He shot to his feet and grabbed the bouquet of sunflowers on his desk. Outside the store, people went about their daily activities. But it was only a matter of time until his wife showed up.His wife.Maksim had never thought of Camilla as anything but that, though they had been separated for months. She hadn’t changed her mind about their ending. Not as if he had asked her. He lacked the courage to do that, so he had resorted to stalking her.That was how he knew her routine. That she would walk past this store and head to the coffee shop ahead of it in ten minutes. The man in charge of the shop would be late, but Camilla would wait. And when he finally arrived, he would apologise for coming late. It was the same routine over and over again with her. But with each day, she had grown less skittish and read more books.He couldn’t say if she still read romance, but she read a lot more now.
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 121: Our cliff (II)
“Safe. Sonia and the rest of the girls and women we found have been taken care of.” Maksim knew the man wanted something more, so he waited. Antony didn’t disappoint him by saying, “Some of our guys aren’t so happy Oleg had to die the way he did. So here’s what we will do—” “No deal,” Maksim interrupted. Antony chuckled, a hand going over his belly. “You haven’t heard me out.” He said nothing, and the other man added, “I’m guessing you don’t want to see this Sonia. I’m as curious as you probably are. Is that her real name? Why do you look so much like her? Why did Oleg keep her in such a place after she birthed the heir to his throne?” “What do you want?” “Nothing. For now,” Antony added. “But soon, we might need your help. If you agree, I’ll let you know where Sonia is.” Maksim dropped the file on the bench. It was still open, so he gazed longingly at the picture. He had lost Camilla and Doris, could he lose his mother? How was he certain it was her? His he
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 120: Our cliff (I)
The living room was quiet. Maksim and Christian sat on the floor. A few times, he glanced at the phone in his hand, expecting it to light up with his wife’s name. Things had progressed from bad to worse since the day she overheard his conversation with Vanya. Before that day she was only giving short replies, but now? She said nothing. A few people around him had suggested a change of location to help her mood, so now they were camped in Christian’s other apartment. It was located Nightfall Hills. But Camilla hadn’t reacted to the move, not even Doris’ appearance. He brought the housekeeper to cheer her up. Their relationship had improved. He wasn’t sure if those two spoke. But whenever he was around them, both women were always quiet. “What do you keep looking at?” Christian asked, snatching his phone from him. Maksim shrugged. His head fell back to the couch he was propped against. He wished for so many things he would never have. “She’s leaving me.” “How
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 119: Their home
Camilla was still asleep when Maksim left the room. There was a smile on his lips as he stepped out. He had to arrange pillows in a long line so she wouldn’t know he was gone. Christian called as he got into his car. At first, they had agreed for his wife to move to Nightfall Hills. A change of location, as was suggested by everyone and also get her closer to her family. With his enemies dead, she wouldn’t have to worry about her safety. But he wanted her to go home when she felt better, close to the version of herself he took months ago.The call lasted seconds. They would visit his friend but might end up not staying. He would have to ask her first. As he got closer to his destination, he pulled out his phone to call Ivan. Camilla was slowly getting better, and he needed to check on her. He had never left the house without informing her first, but he hadn’t wanted to wake her up this morning. She looked cute. He also had Ivan at home for emergencies.A
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 118: Babe
Alek was taking too long to get out of the bathroom. Camilla patted her foot on the floor. She had the option of knocking, but he would demand her voice. Talking still felt strange. While in captivity, she had gotten used to the silence. Her voice didn’t save her when those men had her on the floor. She had begged them to let her go, but…But what?A mental block paused her thoughts. The memories after that were too fuzzy. A blank wall she couldn’t get past. Something bad had happened. That was for sure, even if she didn’t know what it was now. The only person’s touch she could tolerate was Alek’s. Even Doris’ doleful eyes couldn’t get her to allow more body contact. Her body was revolting against something her brain and mind was stopping her from remembering.The baby was gone. Their baby. Alek hadn’t blamed her. He didn’t even mention it. That was supposed to be the surprise. The final addition to their ha
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 117: Progress
They could get another baby. If not this year, then next. The most important thing was Maksim had his wife back. Even if she had becoming unbearably quiet. Camilla was awake now. He could tell from how she pulled the cover over her shoulders.Maksim had tugged it down at night to hug her while she whimpered in her sleep. There was no conclusion on the rape. The tests for STIs had also come up negative. Dr Igor mentioned the absence of semen, but according to him, that could also be because of how long ago the assault happened. For now, they couldn’t conclude on if she had or hadn’t been molested. Only Camilla could answer that question for him.The blood was from losing their baby. A baby he couldn’t protect. Maksim stood by the bedside table, his hands fisted at his sides as he stared at the woman on the bed. She looked like his wife, but she wasn’t. She was someone else. A broken version. Her back was turned to him, and in his hand, he held a roma
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 116: For true evil
Couldn’t the car possibly go faster? Left to Maksim, he would have swam across the river, but that would have been a stupid move. How would he carry Camilla after finding her? Now he was in a car with Ivan behind the wheels. His driver had arrived while he was talking to the men.After today’s display at the house, he was sure no one would question his authority for a long time. Before their fear of him fully dissipated to be replaced by respect, he would fish out every single one that had partaken in Camilla’s disappearance and eliminate them from this earth. If that was the only thing he would do as a Grand Sinner, he was completely fine with that.Maksim had never thought of himself as good, even the time with Camilla hadn’t changed that view he had of himself. But the incident of this morning had revealed he had the capacity for more. For true evil.The car slowed as they reached a lonely path. The road was rocky. Trees lined each side of t
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 115: Baby (II)
If Maksim wasn’t going to listen to Doris at all, the use of his full name had grabbed his attention. She had never called him that. That being said, she stormed out of his sight. Baby? Camilla was pregnant? She wasn’t one to keep secrets from him. Not ones as huge as this. Think, Mak. Think.Wait. She promised to give him a surprise when they reunited. Was that it? No. No!Rage penetrated Maksim’s frame. On his feet, he went to their room. All plans to wait for Dmitri’s reveal dissipated into thin air as the housekeeper’s words danced in his head.Baby.Their baby.He lied to her.He promised to protect her, and he didn’t.In their room, Maksim grabbed two guns and attached silencers to them. For every of Papa’s man he met on the way to his office, he put a bullet in the centre of their forehead. Bodies fell around him. He had the element of surprise and silence for the attack. By the time he arrived at Pa
