THE MAFIA’S MISTAKEN BRIDE

Jasmine’s POV

A new feeling engulfs me, twisting my heart into a painful lump as I stare into space, thinking about what happened a few minutes ago; the sight of Vicenzo on that torture chair in the next building and the way Xavier slammed his lips onto mine.

Unconsciously, my fingers go to my lips and I trace them, wondering what made him do that.

Is he attracted to me? Were my lips calling to him? Was he able to read my mind when I was thinking of how his lips would feel on mine?

A sudden wave of cold engulfs me, reminding me of who he truly is. I was about to leave because of my fear for him but here I am, still stuck simply because he commanded me not to move an inch.

Why the hell should I obey him? He doesn’t respect me a bit and now he thinks a kiss will solve everything?

Of course not. I am not a fool. I might not be as courageous as Andre but I won’t let him make a fool of me.

Stubbornly, I drop the jacket in my hand and move to the bed to grab my phone. Just like I have been doing for days, I began to search through Google and Facebook simultaneously for the name, Andre Moore.

So far, I haven’t been able to come up with anything but I don’t play on giving up yet. If I don’t get anything today, then I need to see Mr. Moore. I need his help.

The names and pictures of completely different girls that I saw yesterday are the same today too. There is no Andre Moore like me on all the platforms.

After a few minutes of searching with no luck, I finally give up, letting out a sigh and I throw the phone to the bed, bowing my head.

Where the hell is Andre? When will I be free from all of these?

Remembering the kiss from earlier, my lips tingle making my face go red as I bit my lips in regret.

This shouldn’t be happening. I shouldn’t allow myself to get involved in Xavier’s businesses or even let myself get attracted to him.

This is what this is all about. If I was attracted to him, I wouldn’t enjoy the kiss the way I did. I would have pushed him away the moment he took my lips by surprise.

“Shit!” I rise abruptly from the bed as more questions begin to pop into my head as to why he kissed me.

Is he also attracted to me?

Just because I am his wife doesn’t mean he is attracted to me. Maybe this is just his way of showing his authority as a husband.

Without thinking and wanting to escape from my thoughts, I storm to the door. I throw it open to come eye to eye with two guards standing at alert.

I ignore them and walk out. They do not stop me like I am thinking they will. They quietly follow me behind until I start to move towards the exit.

One of the guards rushes to block me from going out. I halt, glaring at him coldly. “You are not allowed out of the house, ma’am.”

Despite the respect, he is maintaining eye contact with me, making me wonder just how many men and guards are at Xavier’s beck and call. These guards are not the same ones I used to see.

This damn man is indeed into the Mafia business. Everything points towards this direction and I really do not know why I still find it hard to believe.

With gritted teeth, I answer him. “I am not going out of the house.”

With that, I push him out of my way effortlessly before moving out. I know I am just being lucky. If they don’t want me out of the house, I won’t be out.

I just want to be out of that damn bedroom of ours. He isn’t letting me go back to my former room and it is pissing me off, scaring the shit out of me of the imagination running through my head of what this man is really capable of.

Mafias are bad people. They kill people. They engage in bad business.

Who the hell is this man I got myself married to?

As I storm outside without a particular destination in mind, a new thought sinks into my head wanting to comfort me a little about being the devil’s bride.

In reality, I am not his real bride. I am just a replacement for the woman who left him at the altar. As soon as he gets his hands on her, I will be free from his grip. Free to go back home to Chicago.

But on second thought, going back home to Chicago makes a cold shiver run down my spine.

Will life remain the same way it was before he came to sweep me off to New York? What about Vicenzo?

I know I asked him not to hurt him anymore but now that I so desperately wish to go back home before things get out of hand, the remembrance of how deadly Vicenzo can be makes me go still with my heart pounding twice its normal rate.

Confused, I close my eyes.

I don’t really know what I want right now.

First, I don’t want to be here because I feel like I don’t know Xavier well enough and secondly, I don’t want to go back to Chicago for fear of Vicenzo or one of his men setting a trap for me as soon as I land there.

My hands suddenly begin to shake as I look around. As I take a step back, wondering what the hell is wrong with me, I bump into a hard wall from behind, startling me back to life.

I turn round to see the same guard I pushed away a minute ago.

Suddenly, intense rage fills my insides and I find myself snapping at him. “I am not running away. I am just going to be here so please stop following me around like a puppet!”

With that, I turn around sharply and begin to walk away again, just like I did a minute ago, uncaring about how he must feel for my outburst and not bothering to see if he is threatened a little.

My breathing is ragged just like that of a person who just did a marathon race. It is nothing but as a result of my anger.

I have never been so angry like this with Xavier or anyone in my entire life. Crossing paths with him only made me sad because I felt like a victim of circumstance but right now, I am damn mad at everyone here.

As I continue to stalk to nowhere in particular, my eyes catch sight of a pool. I stop walking, staring at the beautiful oval-shaped pool wondering why I never came across this since I got here.

Then I realize I haven’t really been out of that damn bedroom so much. I haven’t really explored this gigantic mansion of his.

Like a miracle, the sight of it reminds me of nature. I love nature and it calms my nerves.

Letting out a puff of air to release the steam of anger, I find myself walking towards the pool. Realizing that the guard was no longer following me as I ordered, I let out another sigh of relief.