"What if I can't give you an heir?" I asked, my voice trembling. Maximus's eyes darkened even further. "Then you will be of no use to me," he said, his tone dismissive. I could feel the tears starting to prick at the corners of my eyes. I had always known that my life would be hard, but never had i imagined myself in this position. *** Sold into a forced marriage, Felicity believes her fate is sealed. But when she realizes the cruel and dominating alpha king is her mate, everything changes. She gives him a son, hoping for her freedom, but instead learns she's nothing but a breeder to him. Heartbroken, she flees with her unborn child. Now a single mommy pursued by many alphas, will the alpha king recognize his true feelings and chase her back? Or will her be forever haunted by a love that was never meant to be?
View MoreMarrying into the Lombardo family was her destiny. Their parents had arranged the union since they were in Junior High School.
Armand's dreamy eyes, silky black hair, and a smile to die for had caught her eyes even when he was only 14 years old at the time. She could still remember when they were introduced at The Lombardo's summer home in Gastonburry. She was this shy 12-year-old girl who was about to enroll in the best Junior High School in the city.
Her family and The Lombardos had been friends for generations, and they enrolled their children at the same school. Her dad practically entrusted her to The Lombardos so she could get the best treatment at the school because The Lombardos were well known for their generosity to the school.
The Lombardos were well known for many other things that the kids weren't aware of at the time. All they knew, they had always got royal treatment wherever they went.
It wasn't love at first sight for Armand. The boy was a ladies' man even from a very young age. He knew his way into the heart of teenage girls who were always competing for his attention.
Armand Lombardo, the only son of Cosimo Lombardo, the heir of the Lombardo family legacy.
It was at the same summer home that Armand finally proposed to her at the age of 28, and Ariana 26. He had just graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Gastonburry, snatched a double master's degree. He would've been the most eligible bachelor in the country if his parent's businesses were all legal.
The Lombardos led a life on the other side of the light, they were smuggling weapons and drugs, they were well connected with the most powerful people around the world to ensure the business was running smoothly and people disappear all the time if they cross the Lombardo family.
But Ariana wasn’t completely aware of that, she was mostly kept in the dark about what her family and the Lombardos actually do for a living. She was smitten by the dazzling young man and they started dating when he entered college, and she was still in high school.
The wedding day was nothing short of extravagant. The wedding organizer had transformed their summer home into a magical palace where a prince and his princess would live, it was all covered in white flowers and heavily decorated with the best of everything that money could buy.
Cosimo Lombardo had instructed the wedding to be known as the wedding of the century to let his rivals know who was on top of the hierarchy. Cosimo had worked up the ladder of the mafia families for decades, it was almost time for his retirement, and handed over his legacy to his son, Armand.
Everyone who was somebody was invited to the wedding. Mostly business partners and rivals of the Lombardos and the Monteneros. Two of the most well-known mafia families in the country were about to merge their wealth and power into their bloodline. The two families were about to take on the world in a whole new level of power and money. Ariana being the only child of the Montenero was bound to marry into another powerful family if they wanted their legacy to continue, it was something her parents had calculated since she was a child.
The heartwarming ceremony brought everyone to tears when they said their vows of love. She looked into the eyes of the man she loved with all her heart and soul and promised him that she will devote her life to him in sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer until death does them part.
The emotional ritual was soon followed by singing, dancing, loud music, and feasting. The endless supply of food and drinks was served on silver platters, the party was set to last for three days and three nights. Television reporters were invited to cover the story so the world can witness the most powerful merge as it happens right there in the city of Gastonburry.
"Have you seen Armand?" she asked her parents.
"No, sweetie, he was here a while ago talking to his friends ... maybe he went to the restroom," her mom replied with champagne in her hand.
"It's almost time to cut the cake ... I think I'm gonna go change and look for him," she said and left the hall full of guests.
They have cleared all the furniture in the family room and turned it into a hall, the room was large enough to be used as a dance floor with rows of long tables on each side for food and beverages display.
She walked across the room still in her wedding gown, fully embroidered and sprinkled with diamonds. She lifted the heavy cloak as she walked gracefully towards the corridor leading up to the master bedroom where she will spend her first night as Armand Lombardo's wife. Her hair was lifted with strands of her curls falling over her bare shoulders, the diamond necklace around her neck was said to weigh almost 1 Kg as a gift from her in-laws. It all made her feel like a real princess but they have worn her out throughout the day.
When she passed the last table in the corner of the room, there was a tall man in a dark suit who stood alone, away from the crowd. The man lifted his glass towards her, she responded with a smile. She had never seen that man before, she would surely remember him if she had because the man was strikingly handsome, clean-shaven, with dark hair, dark eyes. She rested her eyes on the man for longer than she should then she looked away. She took another glance at him only to find that he was still staring at her intensely and then she went to the other side of the wall into the corridor.
That part of the house was clear from guests. The security protocol was strict given the kind of guests they were having and they didn't want guests to stray away from the party and ended up in various rooms of the house.
She could hear her footsteps echoing between the walls of the long corridor, as pretty as the dress was, she couldn't wait to get out of it. When she came closer to the main bedroom, she could hear vague noises. At first, she couldn't tell where the sound was coming from. The house was riddled like a maze, corridors after corridors crossed at junctions. She looked around but there was no one else but her.
Then she realized the noise was coming from inside her bedroom. She approached cautiously, it was baffling, who could've got into the house and went to her bedroom. She pressed her ear against the door, her heart raced, the noise was the sound of a woman panting. Someone was having sex in her bedroom, someone was using her newlywed bed before she did. The thought annoyed her, she grabbed the door handle and entered the room. Whoever it was in there was going to be in a lot of trouble with the security.
She stormed inside in full anticipation to see the faces of the culprits. Her heart sank to the floor when she saw Armand's face. A full-blown naked woman was bending over by the post of the bed with her naked husband at her back. Her face turned white, words have left her. Her head was light and she felt her insides were turning like they were ready to jump out of her. On her wedding day, still in her wedding dress, she covered her mouth with the back of her hand.
"Ariana ... Ariana ..." Armand was saying something to her but she couldn't hear what he said.
Her vision was blurry, all she could see was the naked woman bending over in front of her beloved husband and was panting and whimpering. The noises were so much louder in her head now. She covered her ears. She was dazed, she bumped on the wardrobe, she was losing her way.
Armand was trying to talk to her, he came over to her without a shred of clothes on, but she couldn't even see him anymore.
She made her way out of the room, everything was blending in her head like a nightmare. She was wobbling on the corridor back to where she came from, she didn't know where else to go.
She was running now, almost tripped in her dress but she didn't care anymore. The dress was ripped, she hit tables and furniture along the way. She wondered if her mind had played tricks on her, but it wasn't. Armand was fucking another woman in her bedroom on her wedding day.
What is happening to her? How could this be happening?
She started to sob, tears came flooding, she wiped the tears with her hands and smudged her eyeliner all over her face. She was a walking mess. She tried to organize her mind but it was impossible. Her head felt lighter, she was giving up, she wanted to fall unconscious and maybe ... just maybe ... when she wakes up ... it was all just a very bad dream.
Epilogue:Eight years later, The room erupted in applause as Maximus announced the newly voted members of League of Justice. I couldn't help but feel proud of him as he confidently named each member.After the ceremony, Ava and Kim approached me, their cheeks were flushed with excitement and their smiles wide."Ava, tell me, how did Maximus do?" I asked, eager to hear their thoughts."He did an amazing job!" Ava answered, her voice brimming with enthusiasm. "I'm so proud of him.""I agree," added Kim. "He really isn't a dictator like some people thought he would be. He's smart, he chose to only have 50% of the power as king and left the other 50% to the League of Justice."Maximus really had outdone himself, building a new center for LOJ and bringing all the territories of the other alphas and his own together in one, calling it Bloodwood MaFe. As Ava left to attend to her fiancé Kyle, whom she had been through a lot with but still remained by his side, two years engaged and five ye
109Maximus POV.I stood there, adrenaline pumping through my veins as I stared at Melezo and Felicity lying on the bed. Melezo, the man who had almost killed me, and Felicity, the woman he had taken from me by force.Indeed I was not dead, have you ever seen the main actor die in his own film? No isn't it? So why was I dead? Marcus had the idea that I lie about my death, that I fake it , after the explosion, I had been seriously injured and Marcus had treated me alone , all this , so that i'll be able to kill Melezo, the real one and not a copy as usual. We had stubbornly left the coffin empty, Marcus had taken care of everything, no one had to know for the plan to work well, not even Felicity .I approached closer to the bed and I watched as Felicity's eyes widened in shock at the sight of me, clearly thinking I was dead. I gestured for her to be quiet, not wanting to alert Melezo to my presence just yet.As I moved closer, I could see the fear in Melezo's eyes when he finally rea
108Felicity POV.One week later,We were staying at the Melezo's apartment. He had me called by his guards." What do you want?" I asked my voice frozen like an iceberg. " It's all thanks to you that I spared your friends."I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?""Don't play ignorant with me," he said.I pretended not to know what he was talking about. "What are you saying?""Don't play ignorant with me," he said, his voice low. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. Remember when I asked you to be my wife?"I shrugged, pretending not to understand. "I'm sorry, I don't recall. Could you remind me?"He let out a frustrated sigh. "Stop playing games with me. You said no. And despite the death of Maximus," he paused, glancing away for a moment before meeting my eyes once again. "Give me your answer now!."I felt a lump form in my throat and my heart raced in my chest. "Maximus is dead because of you," I said, my voice shaking. "And no matter what you say, my answer is still no."He
107Felicity POV."I can't see anything clearly, everything is blurry," I said in a muffled voice."Can you hear me?" a distant voice asked.I strained to listen, but it was too faint.Suddenly, my mother appeared in front of me. "Mom!" I cried out with relief.She turned around, and as I laid eyes on her, I was overwhelmed by her beauty. She was dressed in a light flowery dress, barefoot, and her blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders. "M-mom?" I called out, my voice shaky."You're doing great, just hang in there," a distant voice said.I started running towards my mother.But as I got closer, she said, "Stop walking, don't follow me."My mom whispered.But I couldn't help myself. I wanted to touch her, to feel her presence.Tears streamed down my face as I desperately pleaded, "But I want to touch you, I've missed you so much!"As I ran towards her again, the distant voices became louder and more urgent and my mother faded away."Can you hear us?" They called out.I blinked, and su
106Felicity POV.One week later,As I sat in front of the mirror, Ava carefully applied my make-up, and we chatted about her relationship with my brother Kyle. "I just don't know what to do," she said, her voice heavy with emotion. "I love him so much, but I don't know where I stand with him."I reached out to take her hand. "Ava, Kyle loves you. I'm sure of it. And I'm going to talk to him tonight and make sure he knows he needs to step up."Ava wiped her tears and gave me a small smile. "Thank you, Feli. I don't know how you always manage to make things better."I winked at her. "It's what friends are for."As Ava finished up my make-up, I surveyed myself in the mirror. It was a stunning transformation - she had somehow managed to make me look even more beautiful. My hair was carefully styled, and my dress was magnificent.It was a flowing, white gown, with intricate lace detailing and a stunning train. It made me feel like a queen. As Ava helped me into the dress, I couldn't help
105Maximus POV.As we walked back to our camp in silence, all dismayed by this death, felicity was the most affected, and I had to be there for her. Despite our past differences and our rivalry, Adrian was my comrade.When we arrived at the camp, the others rushed towards us. "What happened?" one of them asked, looking at Adrian's lifeless body."He's gone," Kyle said, his voice heavy. "We need to bury him."There was a moment of stunned silence before everyone sprang into action, gathering supplies and digging a grave. As we lowered Adrian into the ground, I felt a sense of closure, but also a deep sorrow for the loss of someone so young and full of promise. "Rest in peace, Adrian," I whispered, as we said our final goodbyes. I couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt wash over me. Adrian had been my enemy, but he had also been a fighter, a warrior just like me. And in that moment, I realized that perhaps if things had been different, he could have been a true ally, a friend maybe.
Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.
Comments