Love Slave to the Mafia Boss's Passion

[WARNING: MATURE CONTENT] "Each time you break a rule; I'll claim a part of your body as mine"

Forced to marry the heir of the largest mafia syndicate to pay for her parent's debt and her grandmother's hospital bills. "Live with my son for 30 days, if you don't fall in love with him, I'll cancel this contract."

Can Malissa live with the handsome, hot and dominating Hayden for 30 days without falling for his charms? However, there are rules to living with this lusty monster and as Malissa breaks then, she learns of pleasures that she never knew existed.

As his touches set her on fire, her heart starts to melt. But does the two have a future together when Hayden is in love with someone else and Malissa cannot get over her ex-boyfriend? READ NOW to find out!

Groomless Wedding

“Poor bride. She’s been standing there for hours waiting for the groom,” I heard a woman’s whispering voice.

“It’s truly so sad. I can’t imagine how sad she’s feeling,” Another woman replied in a hushed tone.

“Do you think the groom has ditched her?” A man whispered in a low voice.

“That would be too sad. Please don’t say that…” Another woman replied with what seemed to be genuine sadness in her voice.

I stood silently in front of the altar in a white wedding dress that was far too elegant for my tastes and far too heavy for my comfort. The overly high-heel shoes that I was wearing was starting to hurt my feet and my legs were starting to feel sore from standing still for too long. I clenched and then unclenched my hands together for the hundredth time, or something along those lines since I had already lost count.

The sequined lace fabric of the dress that covered my arms in a long sleeve was itchy, not that anyone cared. I didn’t choose this dress. I have never met my groom. I was in love with another man. Most of all, I didn’t want to get married.

Yes. Me, Malissa Maxford is being forced into a contract marriage with the heir of the largest global mafia syndicate.

It was cold inside the white marble church; however, I was sweating in discomfort. I don’t know how long I’ve been standing here just waiting for my future husband to arrive. It must have been at least a couple of hours and everyone else have gotten restless and anxious.

If this had been a wedding that I wanted, I would have felt so worried that the groom has not shown up. However, the truth is, I didn’t care if he never shows up. Actually, it would be for the better for us all if he never showed up. Then the wedding would be called off and my grandmother and I can return to our normal and peaceful life.

I glanced sideway to see my frail and very sick granny sitting in a wheelchair with a nurse standing close behind her. I wish this wedding or whatever would be over quickly so that she can return to rest at the hospital. My grandmother was very old, and recently, I had discovered that she was very sick. The doctors couldn’t tell me how much longer she had left but even my untrained eye could tell that it wasn’t very long.

“Where’s the groom?” a man asked in a hush voice.

“Good questions. We’ve been waiting for almost three hours already…” another man replied before yawning.

“Shhhh…be quiet. The boss will kill you if he hears,” another man hissed to the other two.

“Has someone found him yet?” another voice asked seriously.

“I sent a bunch of men from my squad already. It shouldn’t take much longer…” someone else replied but I couldn’t sense much conviction from his voice.

“Don’t stare at the boss. He’ll kill you if he sees you staring…” one of the men hissed.

“That’s right. He’s definitely not in a good mood,” another one said with a sigh.

“What is that damn son of his doing?” the other said in a very soft whisper.

“Exactly, it’s his wedding and he’s not even here…” another man replied in agreement.

“That kid is supposed to take over after this father? What a rotten joke…” an old man spoke up.

“Not so loud, the boss will hear you…” the man next to him said in a hurry.

“If only his brother was still alive…” the old man continued without much care.

“Let’s discuss this later. I hope he turns up soon…this church is fucking cold,” one of the men said and I couldn’t agree more. At least they were wearing suits, my arms were covered only with thin and see-through lace.

The old priest standing in front of me looked pale and stressed with what was going on. Poor old man, I wonder what he did to deserve this. He’s been standing still for as long as I have, and his legs must be killing him at his age.

“Umm…perhaps we should postpone…” the old priest suggested hesitantly in a small voice.

“Shut up old man! I’ll shoot you in the face!” the mastermind behind this whole wedding ordeal shouted at the top of his lungs.

Oh My God…is that a gun? It’s a gun, right? It’s real right?

My eyes widened in shock, and I wished that I could just disappear from this place. I must be stuck in a bad dream, I tried to convince myself as I closed my eyes. My body shook in fear. I looked over at my granny. Thankfully she had not died from a heart attack from the shock.

I opened my eyes, and my worst nightmare was confirmed. This was really happening, and I was not in a dream. The reality was that the most influential mafia boss was pointing a gun at the old priest. The mafia boss who had forced me into this contract marriage was red in the face and has resorted to threatening the priest with a gun.

The Torex mafia gang was bad news. When the boss told me Hayden’s first name, I didn’t need to ask for his last name. If he was heir to the Torex gang then his last name is simply: Torex.

The rumor has it that the man who established the Torex family changed in last name to Torex and name the gang the same way. All members of the Torex family and their members are supposed to have a wolf tattoo somewhere on their body. Once again, I didn’t know if this rumor was true or not.

The Torex gang is world-famous and lived their lives above the law. Their business and evil deeds are common knowledge even to a normal person like me who had nothing to do with the mafia. Their business network spanned multiple continents and countries and involved businesses in many industries. Some of their businesses were ran outwardly as a legal and successful conglomerate while others were completely underground.

I didn’t know everything about their business, obviously, but what I, or the average person with eyes and ears, would know was that they had businesses in tourism, healthcare, and entertainment. Plus, all the other shady and illegal things that a mafia gang is supposed to be involved in such as human trafficking, drugs, casinos, arms trade, etc.

To be fair, no proof has ever been found of their illegal activities but that’s probably the way they live above the law: by paying the law keepers.

Regardless of whether rumors were true or not, the Torex and all their members were bad news. As it happens, I’m about to marry one right now and non-other than the next heir to the Torex family. I didn’t know where life would take me but never in my wildest dreams imagine that it would take me here.

Well, that is if the groom in question ever turns up which I pray that he never would…

--To be continued…

The Groom Arrives

The priest recoiled in shock as he put both hands up above his head in surrender. I hoped he didn’t piss his pants. Actually, I couldn’t tell if he had, but I could tell that he had started openly crying in fear. I better shut up and wait until this event ends if I want to keep my head in one piece and on my neck and shoulders.

“Where is my son? Where’s Hayden?” the boss screamed at the top of his lungs.

Great, so his name is Hayden. Not only have I never met my husband-to-be before, I didn’t even know his name. I also haven’t seen a photo of him and so I didn’t know what he looked like. Not that I was interested. If I had no choice but to marry him anyways, what difference does it make whether he’s as handsome as a prince or as ugly as a beast.

The boss turned around and started waving his gun at the rows upon rows upon rows of men dressed head to toe in back suits, the standard uniform of the mafia it seems.

It was a rare sight to see men of various ages shift uncomfortably in their seats just like little kids who have been caught doing something mischievous as they looked anxiously at each other. It was obvious that no one wanted to deliver bad news to the boss.

“Umm…I’m sure that Hayden is on the way boss. You don’t need to worry…” a man who I assumed was one of the boss’s trusted men said as he tried to reassure the boss.

“I don’t need to be worried? Hayden is late!” the boss screamed, his face getting redder from anger.

“He’s on the way boss. Please wait just a little longer,” the man quickly said.

“Do you know where he is? Have you found him?! Answer me!!” the boss continued to scream as he grabbed the man by his collar and started pulling hard on it.

The men looked at each other while they thought about how to deal with the boss and his violent temper. I could tell that Hayden hadn’t been found. To be honest, I don’t blame him for not turning up. I imagined that he felt the same way that I did. Who in their right mind would want to marry a woman he has never met or heard of before? Just like I didn’t want to marry him, he clearly doesn’t want to marry me.

Thank you, Hayden or whoever you are. Thank you for not turning up.

If this marriage fails because he didn’t turn up, then it won’t be my fault. I prayed so desperately like I have never prayed before. I wasn’t a religious person and I hardly believed in God. However, if God is real, please just let me return to my old peaceful life back in the quiet countryside.

“Master Hayden has arrived!”

What?!

“Perfect! My Hayden is finally here!” the boss shouted happily, a smile blooming on his face.

I, on the other hand, felt like I was doomed for all eternity. Why did he have to turn up now? Did he change in mind about this marriage?

I whirled around as fast as I could in my heavy and overly puffy wedding dress to face the direction of the church’s entry. The large wooden door slowly opened, so dramatically slowly like we were really caught up in a movie.

I held my breath as I waited for my husband-to-be to walk through the door. I wondered what he would look like. If his father had to go so far as to arrange a marriage for him, then he’s probably old, ugly, and unable to find his own girlfriend despite the wealth that he seemed to possess.

“Hayden!” the boss cried out in excitement as he clapped his hand joyfully as he saw his son entering the church.

I wasn’t quite sure what I was expecting but what I saw was out of this world. Forget what Hayden looked like, I couldn’t even see his face clearly. Hayden didn’t walk in on his own. To be exact, it seemed that he couldn’t walk on his own or support his own weight at that moment. Two tall men, dressed entirely in black with sunglasses on, supported Hayden on both sides by draping his arms on their shoulders.

Oh, great. Hayden seems to be…unconscious?

As far as I could tell Hayden was being dragged into the church by two men. He seemed unconscious and unaware of his surrounding and what was going on. As the men walked further into the church, I could see Hayden closer and clearer.

Although his face was not clearly visible because his body was bent forward with his head hanging low, I could tell that he wasn’t old and ugly. Hayden was tall…very tall. The two men in black supporting him were much larger and taller than standard men but the hunched-over Hayden was taller. He had light blond hair and wasn’t dressed for the role of the groom. That’s for sure.

When the two men walked him down the aisle, or more like dragged him, I finally understood why and so did most guests in the church. The unpleasant stench of alcohol was so intense that I was sure that everyone could smell it. My nose twitched at the smell, and I instinctively started fanning the air in front of my nose by waving my hand.

Hayden was dead drunk.

From the way he was dressed, I could surmise that the two men dressed him while he was unconscious. Hayden didn’t have a shirt on, but someone did put white pants, a white blazer suit and a black leather pair of shoes on him. His well-defined chest muscles and the six-pack of his stomach was clearly visible through the opening of his white unbuttoned blazer.

So…this is my husband-to-be. To be honest, he didn’t look as bad as I imagined he would be. He seemed young, around my age if I had to guess, and he was tall, well-built and I guess good looking. That, however, did not stir my heart at all. No matter what, I did not want to marry this man.

I wanted to ask if we could go ahead with the wedding ceremony with the groom clearly unconscious, but I was afraid his father would blow my brains out, literally, with his gun. I kept silent instead as I waited to see what would happen next.

The guests, which consisted mostly of the mafia gang members, started whispering to each other in low hushed voiced. I couldn’t catch what they were saying but I had a good guess. I could surmise from what I’ve heard before that this Hayden guy had a little bit of a mixed popularity pole amongst his fellow mafia gang members.

“Umm…is the groom even conscious?” the old priest whispered so softly that I almost couldn’t hear him.

Exactly…thank you for pointing that out, priest!

--To be continued…

Rejection

“Does it matter?” the boss answered with a booming voice as he stood in front of his son.

“Well…the wedding vow…” the priest whispered hesitantly, his nervous pale blue eyes darting off in random directions.

You tell him priest! Tell him that we can’t get married if the groom is not conscious and cannot say his wedding vows. I mean, does he even know what is going on? Would it even count if he doesn’t know what he’s getting himself into?

“Oh…I see,” The boss said, nodding in understanding.

I watched, surprised at the unexpectedly understanding reaction of the mafia boss as he continued to nod his head.

“He needs to say his wedding vows…I see…I see,” the boss continued to mutter to himself as if in thought.

Hayden was still as unconscious as the dead. I bet if the two men stopped supporting him, he would just fall flat on the floor.

*Smack!*

I loud smacking sound rang out echoing around the enclosed space of the marble church. I gasped in shock along with the rest of the crowd as we watched the scene unfolding in front of us. Without warning, the boss suddenly whacked his son’s temple with the base of his gun. Hard.

Did that kill him? Shit…he’s bleeding…

My eyes widened as my mouth dropped open in shock. Hayden’s temple is bleeding, his blood spilling out from his wound and trickling down the side of his face.

“Wake up, son!” the boss shouted at the top of his lungs.

His voice was so loud that I had to cover both my ears with my hands. This man is crazy. He just hit his son to wake him up?! I bet everyone here is crazy!

“…hmmm…”

Unbelievably, Hayden began to stir and was making slurring sounds. I watched in astonishment as Hayden suddenly lifted his hanging head upwards into an upright position. Did he just wake up? He woke up…just like that?

“Hayden! Wake up son!” the boss continued shouting loudly directly next to Hayden’s ear.

Hayden suddenly opened his eyes and looked around drowsily. I could imagine that he was confused as to why he was in a church and with so many people. Suddenly, his eyes landed on me before our eyes met. I gasped slightly in astonishment as our eyes finally met for the first time.

I found myself locking gaze with a pair of very beautiful blue eyes as we stared at each other. Me in shock; him in slight confusion. After a while, Hayden cocked his head to the side in confusion as he tried to figure out what was going on.

Slowly, Hayden shrugged off the two men who were supporting him as he stood up straight. He was still clearly drunk and in a daze as he tried his best to stand steadily on his own two feet.

“Hands off…” Hayden murmured in a low voice, his blond brows knitting together in annoyance.

The two men dutifully let go of Hayden and the boss quickly came to his side to check on his son. Hayden lifted a hand and felt the wound on his temple which was still bleeding. I was shocked as to why no one had given him any medical attention at this point. He looked at the blood on his hand in confusion after he felt the wound on his head.

“Did I hit my head?” Hayden asked his father directly.

“No. I hit you on the head with a gun to wake you up! You need to get married right now. This is no time to be drunk!” His father replied, screaming loudly at his son.

Speaking in a calm and collected manner was clearly not the boss’s strong fort.

“Well…fuck…” Hayden cursed as he wiped his blood on his white blazer, staining it red.

“Proceed with the ceremony. We haven’t got all day!” the boss shouted at the priest who quivered in fear.

This can’t be happening. We’re going ahead with the ceremony? I really have to marry that guy? I felt cold sweat on my body and realized how panicked I felt at that moment. If I marry him, my life is really over. I’ll be stuck with these crazy mafias for the rest of my life. No…this can’t be true.

The impatient boss grabbed his son’s arm and yanked him forward. I watched as Hayden staggered a little forward at the force of his father’s pull. However, suddenly Hayden stopped in his track as if his mind had just thought of something.

“…who is she?” Hayden asked as he pointed a finger at me.

I’m the girl you’re supposed to be marrying but I guess you don’t realize that or anything else because you are dead drunk, I screamed inside my own head.

“That is your bride, Hayden!” the boss screamed, clearly losing whatever little patient that he had.

“…she’s not my bride,” Hayden stated firmly.

Oh…wow. What a turn of events. I was sure that no bride standing at the alter expected or wanted to be rejected by her groom-to-be, but I was thrilled at what I was hearing. Please break off this stupid engagement so I can go home with my grandma. Please!

“What on earth are you saying?! We went over this. If I say that she’s your bride, then she IS your bride!” the boss shouted in his son’s face.

I winced at the aggressive scene in front of me. The other gang members and the guests remained glued to their seat as they watched on in complete silence. I wanted to go home, the church was cold, and I could see from the corner of my eye that my grandma looked paler by the minute. She wasn’t feeling well, I could tell.

“What is…your name?” Hayden asked me directly, speaking as slowly and as clearly as he could in his state.

I was shocked that he actually spoke to me. I felt his eyes on my face and I felt my words stuck in my throat. Hayden continued staring at me with squinted eyes as he waited for my answer.

“…Malissa. My name is Malissa Maxford,” I finally managed to say, although my voice sounded shaky and dry.

“Amelia. I will not marry anyone besides Amelia. She is not my bride,” Hayden stated firmly as he pointed in my direction. He shook off his father’s arm and turned to leave.

“What are you saying! Amelia…Arghhh! Men, hold him down now!” the boss ordered as he pointed his finger at his son’s back.

The men got up from their seat and started restraining Hayden’s arms and legs until he was forced to kneel on the ground at his father’s feet.

What now? Apparently, Hayden has someone he is in love with and intends to marry that person. I too have someone I was madly in love with, although, he never wished to marry someone like me…

What happened after that was complete mayhem as the gang members struggled to restrain Hayden and the boss continued shouting at this son. Sometime later, Hayden lapsed back into his unconscious state, and no one could rouse him.

In the end, to my utmost relief, the wedding ceremony couldn’t proceed forward. That didn’t mean that I was immediately free from the mafia but at least, I had avoided my marriage for one more day. The men in black escorted my grandmother and I back to her hospital room after I had changed out of my wedding dress.

I never saw Hayden again that day.

--To be continued…

As Fate Would Have It

**Sometime before**

I’m late! This can’t be happening to me! The supermarket promotional sale starts in ten minutes, and I am going to be late for it. I looked down at the grocery shopping list that my granny had carefully prepared and sighed. If I miss the sale and they run out of stuff, we’re not going to be able to get everything within our budget.

I have to hurry. I ran at full speed along the sidewalk leading to the supermarket. I dodged around people, couples holding hands, children on their tricycles, an uncle walking his dog and so many more. However, I had to come to a sudden halt when I almost ran into a slightly plump old man. He must be in his fifties and was dressed in fine clothes like he was from the big city. I mean, no one at his age dresses this well around here.

“I’m so sorry, Sir. Did I run into you? Are you hurt?” I apologized and fired off my questions at him rapidly.

I think I stopped in time before running into him, but I had to ask to make sure. He seemed shocked to see me apologizing profusely to him. However, in the next instant, he started smiling at me.

“I’m fine, young miss. There’s no need for you to worry. I may look old and a little on the fat side, but I assure you that I am strong and very fit!” the old man replied in a booming voice before laughing loudly.

“Oh…I’m so glad to hear it. Well, then…” I replied happily as I smiled back at him. However, I was very aware of the fact that I was running late. I couldn’t stand here and chat with him forever even if I wanted to.

“Wait miss!” the old man called out to me as I turned to leave.

“What is it? Do you need help with something?” I asked.

“Do you…happen to know someone called Jack Witman?” the old man asked, his eyes narrowing at me.

Umm…I don’t think I’ve ever heard of someone with that name before.

“Sorry, sir. I haven’t heard of that name before. Sorry, I couldn’t be of help here,” I replied truthfully as I smiled sadly at him.

“Hmm…I see,” the old man replied softly.

“Are you looking for that man? Does he live in this town?” I asked in case I could help.

“Yes. He’s…an old friend of mine. We had a couple of fights when we were younger and I haven’t seen him for many years but now that I’m getting old, you know…I kinda want to see him…” he said a little sadly.

“This is a small town but…I’ve never heard of him. I’m so sorry…” I replied regretfully.

“Oh…nevermind. That’s ok,” the man said with a small smile.

“Well then, I have a place I have to be. So…have a good day, Sir! I hope you find your friend!” I said as cheerfully as I could.

I said before bowing respectfully to him and running off towards the supermarket. I definitely won’t make it on time but if I hurried, I was sure that I could still get some promotional items that granny wanted.

“See you again soon, little miss,” the old man muttered to himself as he watched the young woman run further and further away from him until she disappeared in the crowd.

…

I trudged along the sidewalk with bags full of groceries in both hands. These are the result of my effort in grabbing items on sale. Although I arrived a little late, luckily, I was able to buy most of the items on grandma’s grocery shopping list. She should be please with my achievement.

However, I did not imagine that it would be so heavy. I guess if I set some money aside and start saving up, I could purchase a bicycle or a small trolley of some kind that I could use to transport these heavy bags of groceries. It’s just a thought for now though, we didn’t have that kind of money to spare, unfortunately.

I wasn’t born into a poor family. I lived the first sixteen years of my life as part of an average-income family with an average standard of living. We had a house; a car and I went to a private school where I had many good friends. My parents owned their own company, and everything was normal and fine until that fateful day.

Around six years ago, my parents died in a car accident when a transport truck crashed into their car. The investigations later revealed that the truck driver was drunk from a party he had attended the previous night and had a hangover when he came to work in the morning. Regardless of the reason, I lost both my parents on that day.

The accident was featured in the news with clear photographs of their whole car burning up in flames before it exploded. A few other people who were at the scene were hurt. The truck driver was seriously injured but survived the crash.

My parents always drove me to school in the morning before they went to work. It was just wild luck that I wasn’t in the car with them on the day of the accident. Since I had a sleepover party at one of my girl friend’s house the night before, I was on my way to school with her when the accident occurred. I always thought back to that twist of fate. If I didn’t join the sleepover back then, I would have probably died along with my parents in the crash.

Who knows…perhaps that would have been the better option?

My life changed drastically after the passing of my parents. For one, I learnt that not everyone who seemed to mean well actually meant well. Right after the funeral for my parents, I found out that their so-called business partner had taken over the company and that there was nothing left of it to be passed down to me. Basically, I was somehow scammed out of my stake in my parent’s business. Everything that they have built all went to waste over a night.

Matters went from bad to worse when I was told that my parents had debts with the banks, and they demanded to take away the collateral: our house. After settling the debt and all was said and done, I had lost the house, the car and almost all of my parent’s life savings. I walked away from the whole thing with less than three hundred dollars to my name.

--To be continued…

Losing Everything

Obviously, since I didn’t have any money and had no way to earn any either, I had to quit school. I didn’t have a place to live anymore, so I had to move in with my only surviving relative: my grandmother. With just one small luggage of clothes and necessities, I took a train to a nameless town in the countryside where my grandmother was living.

By the time that I left the capital city, I was already prepared for the worst. When I first stood in front of the address that was supposed to be where my grandmother lived, the reality wasn’t too far from my expectation. My grandmother, as I was told, ran a small confectionary and cake shop in a very small town. The description was spot on.

‘Sweet Time’ was the name on the faded white and pink sign of the small shop owned by my grandmother. It was clear that the sign had faded from white and red to its current state of pink. The shop was located on the first floor and our living quarters were on the second floor.

Life with my grandmother was like a return to the basic of everything. We were poor but happy. Our house and shop were small, but it was enough for two small girls like us. I went to a local public high school to continue my education and was granted a scholarship to further help with my expenses. I did everything that I could to support my grandmother just so that we could survive and keep the shop afloat.

That meant that I worked every single hour of the day that I was free. I rarely went out with friends because I had to work at the store. I focused on my study so that I would get a scholarship to university. It went without saying that we didn’t have enough money to send me to university.

Life was tough but it was simple enough. Throughout it all, my grandmother was always there for me. Not once did she complain even as she got older and that meant that I didn’t have any valid reason to complain either. At the end of my highschool life, I got a full scholarship to study arts and design at a nearby university. That meant that I had to move out and live at the university dorm, but I still made sure to travel the short distance home to visit my grandmother and help out at the store.

It was during my freshmen year at university that I met my first and only boyfriend. Life was all well and good until…those men turned up.

One day, when I arrived at the store from one of my grocery shopping trips, I could immediately sense that something was wrong. The whole neighborhood was quiet, too quiet. It was like no one was living or breathing there at all. No one walked the street, no car passed by and there were just no signs of life.

My heart skipped a beat as my eyes focused on a large black limousine that was parked in front of my home. I have never seen a limousine in real life before, only in the movies. It was obvious that in this small and poor town where few people owned cars, no one owned a flashy black limousine. What I couldn’t wrap my head around, as the shock of all this took over, was why was there a limousine parked right outside my house?

Once my body had recovered from its initial shock, I found myself dropping the grocery bag out front and running as fast as I could towards the store. The sight of smashed windows, broken signs and flowerpots tipped over spilling black soil everywhere stunned me to the core as I gasped in shock.

What happened here while I was gone?

The next thought that entered my head was…grandma! Where is she? Is she ok?

“Grandma!!” I shouted at the top of my lungs.

I ran through the ajar door into the store. The inside of the store was also a mess just like the outside. Everything that could practically be destroyed was destroyed and there, kneeling on hands and knees in the middle of the floor, was my poor grandmother.

“Grandma!” I cried out as I ran to her side, bending down to support her frail body.

“Lisa…” my grandmother called my nickname softly in between her upset sobs.

The sight of her crying and how her body shook from shock and fear broke my heart into a million pieces. What did we do to deserve something this cruel?

“You’re finally back,”

A man’s low and emotionless voice said, making me realize for the first time that my grandmother and I were not the only ones in the room. Slowly, I looked up in the direction of the voice. There, not so far from where we were crouched down on the floor, were three very tall and big men. All dressed in black.

I couldn’t make out their faces because they all wore black sunglasses that hid their eyes from view. Their black suit, pants and shiny leather shoes seemed pristine and perfect even after all the havoc that they have wrecked in my home. These men seemed like they appeared straight out from a movie…a mafia mob movie.

So, this…was the mafia…

“Dear sir, I apologize if we have offended you in anyway but…I’m sure all of this has to be some sort of misunderstanding…” I said in a shaky voice as I slowly got up to my feet.

“Do you know Simon and Marianne Maxford?” one of the men dressed in black asked sternly.

“Yes…they were my parents…” I replied softly. What did the mafia have to do with my parents? It’s been around six years since they’ve passed away…

“Then there is no mistake. We’ve finally found you,” the man continued in a leveled voice.

“What do you mean?” I asked, confused.

“Take a look at this,” the man said as he held out a few sheets of paper towards me.

Hesitantly, I took the papers from him while noticing that my hands were shaking badly. What could these papers be?

Before I had the opportunity to read the content of the paper, the man began speaking again as if answering my unasked question.

“This is a loan contract that your parents made with our boss when they took out a five-hundred-million-dollar loan,” the man stated factually.

“…What?!” I exclaimed in shock.

Five hundred million dollars?!

--To be continued…

Debt Contract

That’s impossible. My parents never mentioned taking out any debt from the mafia and definitely not five hundred million dollars. What would they even need that much money for anyways? We lived a normal life. We didn’t have any crazy money to spend like that.

I turned to look behind me at my sobbing grandmother who had a look of absolute shock on her face. I knew it, this is probably also my grandmother’s first-time hearing about all this. I was worried about my grandmother. She looked so pale like she could pass out at any moment and her silent sobbing cries had gotten louder as the situation worsened around us.

“It’s just as the contract states. Your parents borrowed five hundred million dollars from our boss and we’re here to get it back. Simple,” the man continued in a passionless voice.

Simple. My foot.

I looked down at the contract that I clutched tightly in my trembling hand. Scanning it, I could see the words and figures of five hundred million dollars. The signature of both of my parents were on the document. Did they really take out this ridiculous loan? Why?

“But…my parents passed away many years ago…” I whispered, still unable to come to terms with this.

I was in no position to pay off any debt. We could barely afford to get by. We had no money to spare, let alone the five hundred million dollars that the man was talking about.

“Exactly. That’s why we’ve been looking high and low for you, their only daughter. Since your parents are dead, you’ll have to pay the boss back,” the man said while nodding his head.

“But…I don’t have any money…” I said, completely at a loss.

“Well, that’s not exactly my problem. However, the boss wants his money back. So, you’re coming with us,” the man said.

Before I could react, the man’s hand had reached forward in astonishing speed and was gripping my wrist tightly in his large hand. He didn’t hold me too tightly and it didn’t hurt but no matter how much I struggled against him, his grip wouldn’t loosen.

“Let go! What do you think you’re doing?” I cried out loudly as I continued to struggle vainly against his grip.

“Stop struggling. You’re making this unnecessarily hard for both of us. My boss has ordered me to bring you to him if you don’t have any money to pay him back with,” the man said as he dealt with my struggling effortlessly.

“No! I refuse!” I shouted.

“Well, I’m just doing my job. Hurting women and old grannies isn’t my thing. I suggest you stop struggling now and come with me willingly,” the man said sternly.

“Lisa!” I heard my grandmother call out my name repeated in a strained and broken voice when she witnessed the physical struggle between the man and I.

However, soon after my grandmother was silent. I turned around to see that she had fainted. Oh…what do I do now?

“Let go! Can’t you see my grandma has fainted! This is all because of you…” I shouted at the man, tears stinging my eyes. This is the worst; I can’t start crying now. I need to help grandma first…

“Yo…you stay behind. Call the ambulance and get dear granny there to the closest hospital. Girl, you’re coming with me,” the man instructed one of his teammates while pointing a finger at my grandma.

The next thing I knew, my body was being lifted off the floor. The man carries me up and threw me across his shoulder effortlessly. I cried out in surprise at what was going on before I started beating my firsts on his shoulders and kicking my legs wildly.

“Grandma! Grandma!” I called out as loudly as I could as I continued to struggle.

I watched my grandmother’s unresponsive form as she laid on the floor and I felt tears running down my face. Is she going to be, ok? I don’t have anybody left…I can’t lose her too.

…

Everything that happened once I entered the black limousine was like a scene from the movies where the young woman was kidnaped by the mafia, stuffed into a car with her hands and feet bounded and a black bag placed over her head to stop her from struggling and to make sure that she didn’t know where she was being taken.

Just like in a movie, once I was inside the car I wouldn’t stop struggling and yelling at the top of my lungs. The men restrained me to the seat at first with their hands before they looked at each other and decided that more needed to be done to restrain me.

“Listen, Miss. I’ve been ordered to treat you kindly and with respect. I’m not allowed to use violence but if I deem that you will do less damage to yourself if you were restrained then I will restrain you. Do you get it?” the same man from before explained with a tired sigh.

“I don’t care!” I shouted in his face.

Seeing that I wouldn’t cease screaming and struggling, the man nodded to his men and one man started bounding my hands together while the other bounded my feet. I screamed at the top of my lungs and cursed at them all the way until they taped my mouth shut, literally.

“This is for your own good, miss. I can’t let you arrive in front of the boss in a damaged condition. Bear with us for a while…” the man said with a chuckle as he took out his mobile phone.

“Yes…you can tell the boss that we’re on the way. Yes, the girl is with us,” the man reported to whoever was on the other end of the line.

The phone call was short and succinct unlike the journey that I was on. Since they didn’t blindfold me, probably because they thought that it was unnecessary, I was still able to see the scenery outside of the car’s windows. I couldn’t tell where they were taking me, but it was clear from the direction that we were going that we were headed to the capital city.

I haven’t been back to the buzzling and busy city since I moved to the countryside to live with my grandmother. I wondered if that place has changed at all?

“Wake up, little miss. We’ve arrived,”

--To be continued…

We Meet Again

I heard a low voice call out to me before a hand reached out and shook my right shoulder. I woke up with a small jump. When did I fall asleep? I must have dozed off during the multi-hour ride to the city. I guess I was tired, I didn’t realize when I had fallen asleep at all.

Where am I?

The car had come to a complete stop and looking out of the window I could see that we have arrived at a gigantic mansion decorated in the baroque European style. This building is massive! Are we at a luxury hotel?

I could see the beautifully decorated garden outside with its cupid water fountain and flowers of various types and colors. If the circumstances of my arrival here had been any different, then I’m sure that I would have enjoyed the view and would have felt super excited to be in such a nice place. However, the only thing I felt right now was anxiety, fear, and stress.

The men wordlessly unbounded my hands and feet before carefully peeling off the tape from my mouth. I cleared my throat nervously before trying to make a sound. I didn’t know how I would sound after being unable to speak for such a long time.

“Umm…where are we?” I asked the moment I got my voice to function.

“This is the boss’s mansion. I warn you; the boss is…a very serious man. Watch what you do and say if you want to live to see the light of dawn,” the man said as he offered me a hand and pulled me out of the limousine.

The boss is a very serious man…

Suddenly, the reality that my life could be at risk was starting to sink in. I bet the man wasn’t joking. If I said or did the wrong thing, I could get myself killed. If this was a nightmare, now’s the time to wake up, Malissa!

I wondered for a brief moment what type of man the boss of a mafia gang was like. Then, I realized that it was better if I didn’t have to find out…

I was lost in thought and fear as the man dragged me by the arm after him. The other men flanked both my sides, preventing my escape. To be honest, the thought of escape never crossed my mind. There was no way I could outrun these men no matter how hard I tried. If I wanted to escape, I had to come up with a cleverer plan than just plain running away…

I was right, the mansion was huge. I’ve been walking through the mansion’s numerous hallways for a while now and the boss’s room, wherever that was, wasn’t in sight. I was shocked at how luxurious the mansion was. The decoration of rich velvety red color mixed with gold was everywhere. Marble sculptures, large paintings that looked extremely expensive, baroque style furniture and finely patterned marble floor were sights that I was not used to seeing.

I knew from the movies that mafias were supposed to be filthy rich; however, I never thought I would get to see what filthy rich really meant. Despite the luxurious decoration, the mansion was freezing cold inside, and I shivered all the way during the long walk.

“Wait here,” the man said as he came to an abrupt stop. I almost walked right into his broad back when he suddenly stopped walking. Have we finally arrived?

I nodded my head slowly in acknowledgement. The man disappeared behind a pair of very tall and large dark wooden door, leaving me behind along with the other two men who stood close by my side. I swallowed nervously as I waited for what was to come.

After a short while, the man reappeared from behind the wooden doors and beckoned me inside. Unlike the darker hallways, the golden light inside the room I had just entered was blinding. The crystal chandelier hanging from the room’s ceiling was too big to be real and blindingly bright. The room was large, so large that I couldn’t see that there was a person inside the room at first.

“The boss is this way,” the man murmured under his breath at me. Was he nervous?

Following the man’s gaze, I could finally see a man standing at the end of the room behind a large wooden table. He wasn’t looking our way as he stared outside through the glass that spanned the entire height of the wall from floor to ceiling. His aura was intimidating, and he must be the mafia boss.

The man behind me nudged me forward towards his boss. I felt my body froze in panic, and I didn’t know what to do or how to react. He didn’t think I should just waltz in to see the boss now, right?

“Come in,”

A booming voice commanded from the other end of the room. The voice held so much authority that I found myself obeying without a second thought. I had no doubt in that moment that I would be killed if I didn’t do exactly as that voice commanded.

I walked forward on shaky legs until I reached a large set of burgundy sofas, organized around a marble coffee table.

“Have a seat, Malissa,” the older man said as he turned towards me for the first time. His large hand gestured towards the sofa where he wanted me to sit.

I quickly approached that sofa and sat down without uttering a sound. I watched as the older man, dressed in a grey suit approach me, and sat down on the sofa opposite where I was seated.

“Well, it’s certainly nice to meet you again,” the old man said smiling brightly at me.

I had a strange feeling like I had seen him before but for the life of me I couldn’t figure out where and when. I mean, you don’t just bump into the mafia boss randomly on the street, especially if you lived in a poor old town like I did…

Wait…a second…

“You are…” I gasped in shock as I realized that I have indeed met this man before.

It’s him. There’s no doubt about it now. He’s the uncle I met while I was running to the supermarket on my shopping errand. He told me that he was looking for his friend and…

He’s the mafia boss?!

--To be continued…

Marry My Heir

“So, you do remember me. Excellent!” the boss said with a warm smile that showed off the wrinkles around the corners of his eyes.

I have to say that I did not expect the kind-hearted uncle to be a mafia boss. In other words, I did not expect the mafia boss to be a smiley uncle figure.

“Yeah…umm…hello…once again, I guess,” I stammered when I finally found my tongue.

“Have a drink, dear. You look a little tired from the trip. It must have been a long one…” the boss said as he gestured to a glass or water that was placed on the coffee table.

“Thank you…” I whispered as I reached for the glass.

“Did my men treat you roughly? I did order them to be gentle with you…as gentle as handling a feather,” the boss asked, suddenly his gaze was serious.

For some reason, I figured that I shouldn’t tell him that they bounded my hands and feet and taped my mouth shut.

“I’m fine…thank you. More importantly, why…am I here?” I asked in confusion. I mean, there’s the matter of my parent’s debt but…

“Five hundred million dollars,” The boss began speaking.

“If it’s the money. I don’t have it right now, but I swear, I’ll work or do whatever it takes, and I’ll pay you back. Please!” I cut in desperately.

“Oh…you’d do anything, huh?” the old man said, his eyes twinkling.

“Umm…anything…not illegal, I guess…” I said my voice trailing off.

“Hahaha! You’re such a good girl and I like that so much. I knew you were such a good girl the first time we ran into each other,” the boss said after laughing out loud at my words.

“Umm…so about the debt…” I began saying hesitantly.

“About the money, I don’t want it back,” the boss said bluntly as he waved his hand like it was nothing.

“Really?!” I asked in surprise, but I could feel the sense of relief flooding through my body. I mean, let’s be realistic, I probably won’t earn even close to that amount in my lifetime.

“Of course. Instead, I want you to marry my son,” the boss stated, his tone suddenly very serious.

“WHAT?!” I shouted in shock before choking on the water that I had been drinking.

**cough cough cough**

“Are you…ok?” the boss said as he watched me cough and choke on the water.

“…yeah…” I whispered between ragged breath as my coughing started to subsize.

“So, I was saying…that I want you to marry my son,” the boss said seriously as he smiled with satisfaction.

“Is this some sort of bad joke?!” I exclaimed in shock.

‘…the boss is…a very serious man. Watch what you do and say if you want to live to see the light of dawn,’

I heard the stern voice of the man in black from before and I felt goosebumps on my whole body. Shit, did I just say the wrong thing just now?

“You did just say that you would do anything,” the boss reminded me with a grin.

“But marrying your son is…” I began protesting.

“I can understand why you might think I’m joking; however, I am dead serious. I want you to marry my son,” the boss repeated, his eyes never leaving my face as he continued to observe my every reaction.

I felt exposed. I felt like he could read me like an open book…

“But I…I’m very sorry but I can’t imagine marrying someone I don’t even know…I don’t even love…” I began explaining the best that I could. Not to mention, above all else, I could never marry a mafia.

“I totally understand. That won’t be a problem at all. You’ll definitely fall in love with my son,” the boss said with confidence as he waved his hand as if brushing away from concern.

“No…I…I can’t marry your son, I’m sorry but…is there something else that I can do to repay the debt instead?” I said with a clear plead in my voice.

“Perhaps we could cut you apart and sell all of your organs in the black market. I don’t know, maybe even then you won’t amount to five hundred million dollars…” the boss said as he looked me up and down as if appraising my worth.

“Please let me go home. I have a very old grandmother and we don’t have anyone else apart from each other. I need to be there to take care of her…” I pleaded with him.

“If you marry into this family, you will have it all. Power, wealth, fame and whatever it is that you need. I only have one son and he will take over as my heir,” the boss said passionately.

Marry his son?! That is crazy. I have only thought of marriage once before but…I guess, things just didn’t work out…

Anyways, if I ever get married, I don’t want to marry the heir of a mafia gang!

“What happens…if I refuse?” I asked in a small hesitant voice.

“Hahaha! Seriously, honey dear, what makes you think that you can refuse? I didn’t bring you all the way to my base just so you can turn down my offer and waltz right out. Only the mafia top members know where this place is, I can’t let you leave now that you’ve been here, you know…” the boss said sweetly as he continued to smile gently at me.

However, his actions couldn’t be more of a stark contrast to his words when he slowly placed a black object onto the coffee table. I realized to my utter shock that it was a gun.

“You’re going to marry my son just as the contract says,” the old man said firmly.

“The contract?” I asked in confusion. There’s something about this ridiculous arrangement in the contract?

“Exactly. See the terms for yourself,” the boss said as he gestured towards the papers of the contract.

“What the…” I muttered to myself as my eyes scanned the terms of the document.

On the very last page, the term states that ‘in the event that the debt cannot be repaid, debtors agree to let their daughter, Miss Malissa Maxford, marry a member of the lender’s family based on the lender’s choice without exception.’

What kind of out-of-this-world term is that? How can my parents sign such a thing? Were they so sure that they would be able to pay back the debt no matter what?

--To be continued…