Chapter Nine

Alexander’s POV

I stood in the living room, adjusting my cuff links and inhaling deeply as I braced myself for the evening ahead because I would be introducing Maya as my wife to be. I turned around and there she was at the edge of the stairs.

I was thrown off by how beautiful and captivating Maya appeared in the dress she was wearing. I had felt the same way earlier when we were shopping but I had just put it off but now looking at her look so… I don’t even know was just overwhelming. She looked elegant but at the same time alluring and eatable and for reasons I could not fathom, I was bothered by how beautiful she looked and how she was making me feel all sort of things. 

I had drawn back from kissing her when I had gone to tell her about the dinner we were attending tonight. It had been so hard to pull myself away from her but I had to stay focused and keep my distance from her. 

She walked to where I was and I held her hand and led her out to the car that was waiting for her so we could get to my mother’s birthday dinner. 

“You look beautiful,” I said to her as we settled inside the car. I didn’t know why I told her that but I could not just help but let it out. 

She looked taken aback and I could see a blush making it way to her face and I just shook my head slightly before I turned away from her and towards the window. 

“Th… thank you,” she finally said after a few seconds but I didn’t reply. I didn’t know what to and just like that, the room fell into a thick silence that was filled with tension. 

After minutes of suffocating silence that felt like hours, we finally arrived at the hotel. I got out of the car and walked to Maya’s side before I opened the door, helped her out of the car and then placed my hand on the small of her back. 

She tensed up but soon quickly relaxed into my touch. We entered the crowded ballroom, my senses heightened, and my instincts turned protective. Without meaning to, I stayed closer to her than necessary, my arm brushing hers as we moved through the room. Heads turned, whispers followed, and I felt an instinctive urge to shield her from the scrutiny, something I had never felt before.

Maya, however, surprised me. She held herself with a calm confidence, her shoulders back and her head high. Despite the judgmental stares of those around us, she moved with a grace that defied the whispers. I had underestimated her strength, her ability to stand tall amidst the wolves. A quiet pride flickered inside me as I glanced at her, though I tried to bury it.

When we finally made our way toward my parents, I felt her grip on my arm tighten, and I turned to find her eyes tinged with apprehension. I leaned down, murmuring low enough so only she could hear.

“You can do this,” I whispered into her ear and I felt her body tense up again before she relaxed. 

She turned to me, her face blank of any emotion before she spoke up. “Thank you.”

It was just a show of gratitude but it did things to me that I had no idea of but I brushed it aside and refused to show it as I gave her a curt nod. 

“Mom. Dad,” I greeted them as a   smile made its way to my face and I made to hug my mom. “I’d like you to meet Maya. She’s the one I’ve been telling you about.”

His parents turned towards me, their expressions lighting up with genuine delight as they took in my presence. “Maya, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” my father said as he extended his hand to shake her.

“Thank you for having me,” Maya said to them in a gentle yet respectful manner.

“I’ve heard so much about you,” my mother squealed as she made to hug Maya and I rolled my eyes at her.

Maya seemed surprised and she shot me a look but hugged my mother back and they both started discussing something that I paid no attention to but I could tell my mother already liked her. 

My father gestured for us to excuse them and even if I didn’t want to leave Maya’s side, I had no other choice because we needed to discuss and I wanted to be introduced to the new clients we were thinking of doing business with. 

After a while, I saw my mother walk up to the middle of the room. When she got there, she beckoned to a waiter who brought her a knife, she raised her cup that was filled with champagne up and clinked the knife against it which caught everyone’s attention.  

“Now that you all are now focused on me, I would like to announce something,” she said excitedly as every eyes turned to her. “My son here, Alexander would like to share with us a good news.”

I groaned internally, this was not part of our conversation. She said she was going to announce it but now she has put it all on me. 

With my usual air of confidence, I walked to the middle of the room as my mother walked aside. 

“Good evening everyone,” I started, my voice firm and cold but loud enough for everyone to hear me. “I would like to thank you all for coming to my mother’s birthday dinner and I would also like to use this medium to introduce you to my new wife.”

As my words came out of my mouth, I heard a collective gasp from the crowd but I didn’t care about any of their thoughts. 

I turned to where Maya was standing and beckoned on her, she hesitated for a bit but made her way to me. 

“This here, is Maya. She is my wife and also the mafia queen, you would give to her the same respect you give to me,” I let out in a stern tone and I could see everyone exchanging weird glances. Maya beside me was tense but I gently squeezed her hand to calm her down. 

“Do you all understand me?” I asked in a cold tone and they all nodded. “Good.”

We walked away from the center and they all went back to their discussion, some talking about my announcements but I didn’t care about any of their concerns. 

“Congratulations,” one said to me as we wearied away and I just nodded at him. My mother waved at Maya and she walked to meet my mother.