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71. Escapade
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2023-11-27 17:44:56Related chapters
The Ruthless Mafia’s Contracted Bride 72. Determination
I manage to get a grip on my emotions by drinking tea. I don’t know what’s in it—chamomile, maybe—but I feel relaxed as soon as I drink about half of it. The man who so happens to be my uncle (I have no doubt of it now) watches me patiently, waiting for me to be ready for his story which I have no doubts will be tragic and devastating. He seems to be the kind of person who has gone through much in life. Yet he weathered through it all with a smile on his face. I drain the cup and he fills it for me again. This time, I drink it more slowly. He asks me, “Better?”I nod. “Yes. Thank you.”“I imagine that this kind of thing isn’t easy for anyone,” he states. “I can’t imagine myself in your situation right now. You’ve just discovered that your life was built on a lie.”I shake my head and swallow my tears. “There are moments when I can’t believe that this is happening to me and that I’m even here.”He nods slowly and then stands back up. I have a few more mouthfuls of tea, feeling more
Last Updated : 2023-11-28The Ruthless Mafia’s Contracted Bride 73. Emergency Call
I press my phone to my ear and wait for him to pick up. I don’t know why the idea occurred to me—Boris has always been on Igor’s side where I’m concerned—but for some reason, I feel like I should. He’s my only lifeline at this point. If he doesn’t help me, I’m lost. He picks up, but sounds confused when he says, “Yes?”“Boris, it’s me,” I say hurriedly, afraid that he’ll hang up. This is his personal number, after all. “It’s Clara.”“Clara?” he says in confusion. “What’s wrong?”“Can we talk?” I ask. “Can we meet?”“What for? Where’s Igor?”“He doesn’t know where I am,” I admit. “And where is that exactly?”I move closer to the wall when a young nurse walks past with an elderly woman. They both smile at me as they walk past and I do the same. “At a retirement home. Do you have any idea why I might be in one?”Boris sucks in a breath. I know that he knows about all of this, and technically, he lied to me too, but I don’t hold him responsible the way I do Igor, and that’s because he
Last Updated : 2023-11-29The Ruthless Mafia’s Contracted Bride 74. Interlude I
Igor I sit in my office, stroking my chin while trying to keep myself calm. Everyone keeps telling me that exploding isn’t going to get her back, but it’s been a week since Clara disappeared, so I think it’s right to say that this is the perfect time for me to freak out. A week. Seven whole days. We should have been married five days ago.I keep thinking back to that day. In the morning, things between us were perfect. I’ve been in a shitty mood for a while now, and it all started when things between Clara and I got serious.Every moment I spent with her made me feel incredibly guilty, and that was because I knew I was lying to her. About everything. Initially, she was just a solution to a long-standing problem I’d had since my father died, and that was covering my uncle’s debts. We were slowly sinking and no amount of hard work was helping us resurface. And then, the idea of her came along. Our marriage was supposed to bring us together, and what that meant for me was money. It
Last Updated : 2023-11-30The Ruthless Mafia’s Contracted Bride 75. Freedom
I pack the groceries in the paper bag and hand it to Mrs. Agatha. "Thank you, dear," she says to me, smiling. "Will you come to the festival tonight? They’re saying it’s going to be absolutely marvelous.”I wipe my sweaty hands on my jeans. “I’m not sure. I didn’t plan for it, actually. I might show up. I’ll have to see.”“Do make an effort,” she says encouragingly just as she walks out of the store. With a wink, she adds, “It’s not a festival just for adults, you know.”I can’t help but mirror her smile. I wasn’t lying—I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it. There’s so much to do and the work at home keeps piling up. In my defense, I never had any experience with housework and chores. I grew up in a place where these things were done for me. I would’ve benefited from knowing, that’s for sure. Then again, I would never have guessed that I would end up here, in this position. But even though I’m completely overwhelmed with work and grew up with privileges, I’m a hundred times happ
Last Updated : 2023-11-30The Ruthless Mafia’s Contracted Bride 76. The Festival
Finding out I was pregnant was the craziest thing that ever happened to me. And yes, it was crazier than finding out that I wasn’t actually a Morelli, and that I was stolen by the man I thought was my father, a man who had murdered my biological family in cold blood in hopes to inherit their billions through me. It was a few weeks after I’d left New York. I had just gotten here and was still making arrangements to buy a house. It was the one thing I wanted in order to feel settled. I knew I’d need a home. I had my eye on something smaller, but when I found out I was pregnant, everything changed. It all started with nausea, of course. I was always tired and all I wanted to do was stay in bed. I hadn’t realized that my period was late because I was so distracted by everything else, and I blamed my lethargy on my inherent sadness. I’d just had my heart broken by a man who’d rocked my world. He was someone I thought had saved me from my cruel parents. It turned out that he just claime
Last Updated : 2023-11-30The Ruthless Mafia’s Contracted Bride 77. Watching Eyes
The feeling of being watched started a few hours ago, and now I can’t seem to shake it off. It has to be paranoia because it doesn’t make sense. I was fine and now I’m constantly looking over my shoulder and wondering if there’s someone behind me. I guess it has to do with the fact that I feel so exposed with the boys. We’ve never been out here this long, much less in a densely populated place. I look around and see faces I don’t recognize—it’s unnerving. But they’re having a great time panting around with the other kids, and I don’t want to spoil their fun on account of my paranoia. Besides, it’s been years. I’m pretty sure that he’s given up by now. Why would he find me here, all the way in Alaska? The whole point was to move around and the first winter I spent here reinforced this idea. It was bitterly cold and nothing could be done. It was like I was living in a ghost town. But when the ice thawed and nature reemerged, my opinion changed and I decided to stay permanently. I
Last Updated : 2023-12-03The Ruthless Mafia’s Contracted Bride 78. Doorbell
I look around frantically, my heart racing in my chest. Luke comes up behind me and places a hand on my shoulder. “Calm down, Claire. I’m sure we’re going to find him. He couldn’t have gone far.”I can’t hear a word he’s saying. I’m too nervous and my heart is beating rapidly in my chest. I start walking around, my head turning in one direction and then another with no pause. I’m walking aimlessly through the crowd, hoping to spot him. This can’t be happening to me. I only looked away for a second. “Claire,” Luke says. When he realizes that I’m not paying any attention to him, he starts calling out Dimitri’s name. My worst nightmare has come to life. I can’t believe that I was so negligent. I should have trusted my instincts and never taken my eyes off them. Better yet, I should never have come here when it was so crowded. “Dimitri!” I call. People all around me are looking. I don’t care if I look and sound like a madwoman right now—this is my five year old son we’re talking ab
Last Updated : 2023-12-04The Ruthless Mafia’s Contracted Bride 79. Interlude II
Igor I tip my head back and down the glass of whiskey. It burns all the way down, but it’s a burn that I’ve gotten used to, perhaps a little too much, over the years. We’re going on six years since Clara disappeared on me. I haven’t heard a single thing about her since she left. Sometimes, I catch myself wondering if she was ever in my life. Perhaps the time I spent with her was merely a figment of my imagination. Maybe she was never there. This fantasy comes to an abrupt end when I take a good look around me. When she left, we were in shambles. I’d invested the last of my family’s fortune in buying her, and I was counting on the money from her inheritance after our marriage to turn things around. When she left, everything changed. Even so, I’ve managed to keep everything afloat and now, I can gladly say that we’ve built everything we have from nothing, and at the end of the day, we didn’t really need her money. Our luck changed when she left. But that doesn’t mean that it no
Last Updated : 2023-12-05
Latest chapter
The Ruthless Mafia’s Contracted Bride Epilogue
I watch the waves crash into the shore while the ocean breeze rustles my hair. I take a deep breath, drawing the salty air into my lungs and holding it in hopes that it’ll become a part of me. There’s nothing as therapeutic as this. The sun is deliciously warm today. Most days, it’s burning hot, but today, it’s just perfect. I’m lounging in the hammock in the porch of our beach house. I do this every morning as soon as I wake up because it helps me dispel my troubled thoughts. Whenever I think about all those traumatic events of the last couple of months, I feel like I’ll never truly move on from them, but when I come out here, my hope is renewed. Things will get better at some point. As long as I’m seeking help and am surrounded by my loved ones, I’ll be perfectly fine. I close my eyes, take another deep breath, and then reopen them when I hear someone approaching. I turn my head to look at the door and see Igor leaning against the door with a cup of tea in his hand. It’s for me
The Ruthless Mafia’s Contracted Bride 106. Interlude V
IgorGetting home is my only priority at the moment, and as soon as I step through the elevator, I feel relieved. The first person I see is Anastasia. She rushes toward me with tear stained cheeks. “Igor. For the love of God. Don’t do anything stupid.”“Where is she?” I demand. “Where’s Clara?”“You can’t kill Leo,” she says, following me all the way up the stairs. “Remember the promise your father made you make. You’re supposed to stick together no matter what. You’re supposed to forgive each other.”I ignore her and start opening doors while calling her name desperately. I have to see her. Fuck, I have to hold her. I have to make sure she’s okay before I go looking for that traitorous fucker. “Igor!” Anastasia exclaims, trying to get my attention. A door on the other end of the corridor opens, and she peers out. I race toward her, and when she sees me, she rushes toward me. I drop my bag and gather her in my arms. “Clara,” I say her name. Like a prayer. “My love.”She’s sobbing.
The Ruthless Mafia’s Contracted Bride 105. Sacrifice
There were more endless hours of waiting. At this point, I've started losing hope. I've already cried and screamed, and now there's nothing left of me to pour out into the world.I’m missing Alex and Dimitri like crazy. I fear I’ll never see them again. I’m starting to actually acknowledge the fact that I’ve been beyond stupid for not having told anyone in the family about my suspicions. Yes, Boris knows, but has news of my disappearance gotten out yet?What’s even going on out there? What’s being said?It’s impossible to know what Leo made up. He could’ve said that he never saw me, and then I’d be screwed. I didn’t encounter anyone when I reached the penthouse; it was just him. I’m hungry and thirsty. My back is killing me, and the pain behind my eyes hasn’t subsided yet. I close my eyes for a few minutes each time, but I open them when I feel myself falling asleep. I don’t want to be caught off guard. I want to see whatever it is that he’ll do to me. The door opens, and I sit upr
The Ruthless Mafia’s Contracted Bride 104. Interlude IV
IgorI grip my phone tightly in my fist. “What do you mean she’s gone? Gone where?”“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Ivan replies, flustered. “Ivan,” I say through my teeth. “You’re not making any sense here. You’re telling me that the driver dropped her off in the garage, and she went up. But nobody saw her in the apartment. And it’s like she’s vanished into thin air?”“Yes, that’s about it.”I sag against the couch, then decide that there’s no way I can sit when this is happening. I run my fingers through my hair, feeling more frustrated than ever. “Is it possible that she stepped out for a bit without telling anyone?”This is reminding me of when she first went missing all those years ago. I was so lost, and hopeful, too. I kept imagining her walking through the door, saying that she just went shopping or something. I had no idea that she’d already found out about everything and left me, feeling betrayed. This is reminding me of that day, that’s for sure, but this time,
The Ruthless Mafia’s Contracted Bride 103. Taken
To my immense surprise, a smile curves Leo’s lips instead of the opposite. He’s supposed to be terrified that I know his secret, but instead, he’s smiling at me. “Have you lost your mind?” he asks in the most unconvincing voice that I’ve ever heard in all my life. “Is that it?”“You won’t fool me,” I announce. “I know it’s you. You’re behind every single bad thing that’s happened to this family for some time now. You’re not a friend, Leo. You’re a foe. You’re an enemy. You’re the one who ordered someone to hit Igor’s car, and then, you shot Luke in hopes to clean your tracks. And then, when Igor survived the crash, you paid that shooter. And just when we were going to look into, he shows up dead in his apartment. How’s all of this supposed to be a coincidence?”There’s that smile again. Honestly, it scares me. I know what he’s capable of. There’s no reason why I shouldn’t be afraid. “Those are some really filthy accusations, Clara. I’ve sacrificed a lot for this family. I’ve risked
The Ruthless Mafia’s Contracted Bride 102. Unanticipated Confrontation
I exit Boris’ building with my heart in my throat. The situation is getting out of control. If Leo truly is behind all of this, then I have my work cut out for me. I’m supposed to be working with him (and Ivan, of course) to find out who is behind all of this. Now, I’ll have to work against him. The five security guards are all around me, forming a half-moon shape. Technically, I’m protected from anyone who might want to attack me, but I don’t feel safe. How can I, when I’m living in the same house as the person who wants to destroy Igor? It’s him who’s behind all of this, and the faster I come to terms with this, the more sense everything makes. We’re just stepping outside when a car screeches to a halt in front of the building. Before I can even register what’s happening, they’re pushing me back, trying to shield me from what’s happening. They draw their weapons, and I realize that my head is spinning, and things are happening in slow motion right before my eyes. “Take her bac
The Ruthless Mafia’s Contracted Bride 101. No More Doubts
“I wouldn’t recommend seeing him,” Ivan tells me. “He’s bad news, and we all know what his intentions with you are. He’ll probably ask you to marry him.”“He’d receive no for an answer,” I state firmly. “He says he might have some information for us. Wouldn’t it be wise to hear him out?”“‘Might’ isn’t a good enough word. He ‘might’ve have nothing valuable to tell us.”“But what if he does?” I ask. “I know he would never hurt me.”“You’re the Head now,” he says with a sigh. “You’re free to make whatever decision you please. For us, that’s sacred, and we don’t take it for granted. Not going is only my advice, but if you wish to go, you’re free to do so.”I sit back, and put my fork down. I think deeply of what he’s saying. Should I go? Would Boris be helpful? I think he will, so I say, “I think I’ll go.”“I’ll arrange a car and a group of security to accompany you, then,” he concedes. “In the meantime, I’m going to start looking into—”We hear the elevator, and soon enough, Leo joins u
The Ruthless Mafia’s Contracted Bride 100. Suspicious Conversation
I wake up in the middle of the night, sweating, and with Luke’s voice echoing in my ears. This is the first time I’ve dreamt of him since that thing happened. I keep hearing the gunshot, too, and it echoes in my mind. I wipe my eyes, and then sit up. My mouth is parched, so I have to get some water. I don’t have any in the room. I should probably bring a bottle with me from the kitchen so that I don’t have to go downstairs again. I open the door as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake anyone up. Before I head downstairs, I check on the boys first. They’re just next door, so it’s easier for me to keep an eye on them. They’re both sleeping peacefully, so I close the door carefully and then creep downstairs. I step into the kitchen and open the fridge. After finding a glass, I pour water in it, and tip my head back as I down all of it. I immediately feel better; more refreshed and awake. The noise in my head is a lot less, and I feel I can sleep again if I tried. It’s only two in
The Ruthless Mafia’s Contracted Bride 99. Function
The boys love Hubert. Then again, if I have to be completely honest, I don’t know who wouldn’t. He’s the most caring person in the world. I’ve told him that I don’t want the boys to know about Igor’s ‘death’ just yet. He isn’t dead, so to tell them something and then have to admit to them that it had all been a lie would be too much. They’re only five years old. This is a matter that would have even adults spiraling. Hubert doesn’t know the truth yet, though. I really feel bad. I can tell that he’s having a hard time coping, but he’s too much of a professional to ever let it show. After dinner, the boys were filled with restless energy, and they were curious about this new place that we would call home. Hubert showed them around, and told them everything he felt they needed to know about the place. It was just the four of us, along with the cook and the maid, both whom I hadn’t seen yet. That was last night. This morning, it’s honestly pretty much the same; the only difference is
