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19: Don’t cry (II)
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2024-10-29 19:42:56On 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
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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
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 23: Welcome (I)
It was dark inside the closet, and there was barely any space with the clothes dangling from their hangers. Camilla was tired of banging on the door from inside. Her voice was hoarse from screaming for help. First, he assaulted her with a gun, and now this? But didn’t she deserve it for hurting Doris? All the elderly woman tried to do was make her stay here more comfortable.Alek had paled when he found Doris. She had never seen him express that level of emotion. He cared about Doris, and she felt the same way about him. The accident had taught her one thing. If anything happened to Doris, Alek would make her life hell. Shifting into another sitting position, she whimpered. Her body ached from spending the night on a floor. This was not the ideal spot after a horrendous night. She wasn’t sure how long had passed until she banged the doors again. Her throat was parched. She was hungry. Doris never let her starve.“Alek?” she screamed. “Vanya?” Tears streamed down Camilla’s cheeks. She
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 24: Welcome (II)
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The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 25: Happy married life
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The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 26: Push him out
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The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 27: Come
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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
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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
