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45: De Luxe
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Maksim could play the part of a happy husband. Oh, he would play it so well his stubborn wife would have a rethink. It was an hour to the ribbon cutting ceremony. He had to be there earlier to make sure it all went right. If at all he was nervous about tonight, it was at having Mila, Camilla, and Kira in the same venue. From the live feed of the club, things were running smoothly.
No guns. No knives. No weapons. Maksim wanted a club where everyone from rival mafias could come and be fully relaxed. The success of tonight’s ceremony would determine if that worked. He shut down his laptop and grabbed his phone. No message.
Doris was supposed to text him when she was done helping Camilla to dress up. He didn’t understand why it was taking that long, but the housekeeper kicked him out of the room an hour ago. He pocketed the phone and traipsed to their bedroom. A happy husband would wait while his wife dolled herself up. It was time for him to practise that befo
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The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 46: I love her
Camilla was at the casino when Maksim finally found her. That tightness in his chest waned on seeing his wife was fine, even if amid a gambling crowd. Hiding in the darkness to watch them, he groaned when someone stopped in front of him.Mila Fucking Petrov.He dismissed the Petrov daughters as soon as he could, but here she was. What did she want? She didn’t want the marriage as well. Camilla did both of them a favour, even if Mila’s father might think otherwise.“Hey,” Mila said, touching her platinum blonde hair. Her green eyes might have bewitched other men, but Maksim had never seen her as anything more than a means to an end. “We didn’t get a chance to talk or say hi to your wife. She’s pretty.”“Is that really why you are here?” Maksim grunted. Mila blushed, her gaze lowering. How could he have spent the rest of his life with this woman? Her shyness annoyed him. At least Ca
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 47: Jealous man
Adrenaline pumped through Camilla’s veins. She had never been one to fight or launch the first hit, but tonight, she had quickly found out why some people fought. It was exhilarating. Freeing. Refreshing.Her cheeks stung from the few times Kira scratched her, but it was a mark she would wear proudly. Alek was quiet beside her, his arm tight around her waist. There were a lot of things she wanted to say to him, but since she had already ruined his opening ceremony by fighting, she stayed mute. It wasn’t enough that he invited those women here. One of them had to come after him.They reached the car. Before he opened her door, she turned to say, “Look, it’s not my—”“Shh,” Alek whispered. “You’re hurt.” His knuckles ran under her scratches, and she winced. “We will get you cleaned up.”Opening the door, he let her inside first and followed behind. In the absence of pe
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 48: Bleeding (I)
A scream woke Camilla up. She blinked slowly at the person in front of her. Doris had a hand over her mouth and the other pointed at the bed. Camilla tried to sit up, but the stickiness between her legs made her reconsider the decision. The cover was already off, so she saw the bloodstains on the bed. A scream tore out of her throat.She was bleeding. She. Was. Bleeding.Doris jumped on the bed to hold her until she calmed down. “Oh, Madam Camilla.” She placed a hand on Camilla’s flat belly. “The baby. This is bad. This is really bad.”Her words snapped Camilla back to reality. There was no baby. But the cramps, mood swings, odd bloating, and nausea. Oh God. Her period was finally here. She tried to tell Doris this, but her stomach knotted and she clutched it as pain spread through her.The housekeeper shot out of the bed, her head shaking softly. Racing to the door, she stopped to say, “I go call Mr M
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 49: Bleeding (II)
Ivan came closer to the car, putting an end to the conversation that had barely started. Camilla gritted her teeth when Alek hoisted her on his lap, his arm around her waist like they were a happy couple.He had to stop forgetting that Ivan didn’t count as public. There was no need to impress his driver. All these thoughts she kept in her head. As the car journeyed to the hospital, the weight in her chest only tightened. Tears burned the back of her eyes, but she didn’t let them fall. She wouldn’t cry in front of this man.The car moved past unfamiliar buildings, stores, and shops. She was nothing more than his toy to do with as he wished, and that hurt so much a sob escaped her. His arms tightened around her, he pulled her in and whispered some Russian to her. She hated him, but right now, she was stuck here. So she cried into his chest, staying that way until the car slowed to a stop.“We can come back another day,” Alek said.
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 50: Grand Sinner
Camilla wasn’t talking to Maksim. Hours had passed since their last conversation in the car, and she hadn’t breathed a word in his direction. At least she called him Alek, and Papa had been informed about the baby. His phone rang. He stared at it, trying to make sense of the letters that formed a name on his screen. It took minutes for him to register the name. Vanya. He massaged his forehead, delaying to answer the call. When he did, none of them spoke. His chest was heavy, like someone thrice his size was sitting on it. He was trying to help her. Why didn’t she see it that way? Maksim was not vile, just a secretive man. No one knew his plans, not even Doris or Ivan. If Camilla had known, her shock might not have been the same. No one doubted his story about them losing their baby, not with Doris telling everyone in the house how pale his wife had gone or how loud she screamed when she saw the blood. The reaction had to be natural, not acted.Vanya cleared his throat, and the phon
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 51: Oops
Four nights passed without Alek showing up. Camilla didn’t care about him. She was only curious about his location. He told her he would be late on Monday, not absent for days. Her period ended two days ago, and she was less moody than she had been in days. She wanted to go out. To at least shop for her underwear instead of using what Doris got her. She also missed the shooting lessons.The door opened, and Alek walked in with a tote bag swinging from his hand. He didn’t glance her way as he dumped the bag on a table and strolled to the bathroom.Curiosity almost got the best of her, but she stayed away from the bag. Moments later, Alek stepped out. He hadn’t looked at her once, and it was growing maddening. She was right here, and she was the only one who had the permission to ignore him.Seconds rolled away as he stopped at the table. She had so many questions, mostly about where he had spent the nights. Kira might not be his mistress, but wh
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 52: On one condition
Alek walked up to her and pried the bags from her hand, leaving her with just the lunch. He retrieved something from his pocket and directed it to the trunk. The car beeped, and the trunk popped open. He dumped the shopping bags inside and returned to take her hand. His smile was deceptive. She didn’t trust it one bit.“What are you doing here?” she muttered.Alek led her to the backseat and opened the door, but she didn’t enter. His eyes narrowed in warning, and he pointed at the door. She couldn’t get her feet to move.“Where’s Yaro?” Camilla whispered.“I’m taking you home.”A sound caught in Camilla’s throat, and she struggled to force out her words. For some reasons, she imagined the worse had happened. That he was punishing Yaro for the text when it had nothing to do with him. Why did she send him that message?“Alek, please,” Ca
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 53: Ready to play?
Camilla couldn’t keep still. She had been a mess at the auditions yesterday and today. Everyone had noticed that, especially the bitch, Kira. Today had been better than yesterday, but Camilla was still jittery.Alone in front of the building, she waited for Yaro to come around. Why would he leave the place without telling her? She wanted to leave before her co-stars joined her. But seconds passed, and Yaro wasn’t in sight. She had sent him multiple texts.She wouldn’t consider herself a snitch, but she was tempted to report him to his boss. Unlocking her phone, her first instinct was to check the media message she received yesterday. Her plans of reconciling with Alek had flown out of the window as soon as that message entered. She couldn’t tell him. She wouldn’t. But how did anyone get access to this number? So far, only Alek, Yaro, and Ivan knew about this number.What if it was someone close to her? Or him?A familia
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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
