Angela King

It is said that people are usually the opposite of their names but not for Angela. The woman like her aunt was the definition of innocence. Well, maybe not as innocent as her aunt as Angela had a mischievous streak too but nothing evil. She was innocent in a way that she believed love can heal broken hearts. Call it her innocence or stupidity, she still swore by this quote which she had read in some cheesy romantic novel in her teenage. 

“Madam, you didn’t have to trouble yourself,” Alvira smiled awkwardly at Angela as her mistress entered the room. The maid had just birthed a healthy baby boy yesterday and was now resting in the hospital. 

Angela’s driver pushed her wheelchair towards the bed.  

“I get it. You were planning on gobbling down these muffins all by yourself. How greedy,” Angela narrowed her eyes playfully at the lying woman. Her driver chuckled at her comment and so did Alvira. Their madam has a way of making people feel comfortable around her. Despite her high status she was unassuming to a fault. She wasn’t just the queen of the German mafia but also the owner of “Alma” a successful jewelry brand which she had built from scratch with the help of her uncle. Women like her are not expected to be modest but Angela was different.       

“I know you have made them for me. Stella told me,” Alvira replied feeling grateful for having her as her madam. Angela was the one who had given her shelter and food when she was wandering the street with a bulging belly and no home. 

“So, how is it?” Angela asked, her doe eyes grew in curiosity

“As always delicious,” Alvira remarked, smiling. Angela gave her a tight-lipped smile remembering something. Pain flickered in her eyes.  

The maid also couldn’t help but feel bad for her madam. She could see the pain hiding behind her bright smile. Her madam had many qualities but her best quality was mending others while being broken herself. She was a broken angel spreading smiles everywhere while hurting from inside.  

“He is so cute,” Angela caressed the newborn’s cheek and smiled fondly. 

“What are you going to name him?” Angela asked while stroking the baby. 

“If it’s not too much to ask I wanted you to name him,” Alvira confided hesitantly. Angela looked up at her with mild surprise. She asked her if she was sure about it. Alvira nodded in affirmation. Angela had come into her life like an angel and she wanted her boy to get blessings from this angel. If not for her she would be long dead. Angela lowered her gaze to the baby. 

“Niel,” her voice thick with emotions when she pronounced the name. There was a hint of longing in her tone as she caressed the baby. Alvira knew why. Her baby would be in her arms today if she had not miscarried some months ago. 

The miscarriage had widened the chasm between her and her husband. Nikaulas never said this but it was clear he blamed her for the miscarriage. She had hoped he would stay a little longer with her and mourn the loss of their child together but the man didn’t have more than a day to spend on her. He had left the very next day without even saying goodbye like always. 

That was the first time her resolve to melt his cold heart had wavered. 

Her eyes moistened but she hastily wiped away her eyes and pasted a smile on her face. 

“You don’t have to worry about your son’s future, Alvira. I am taking his responsibility till he stands on his feet and makes you a proud mama,” Angela flashed an angelic smile to Alvira. The maid’s eyes welled up with tears of gratitude.           

The dog ran towards her with his tail wagging and tongue hanging out the moment he saw Angela entering the mansion. He stood up on his hind legs and slobbered all over her face. Angela laughed as she felt ticklish.

“Who is a good boy?” she kissed his snout and scratched behind his ear. Ollie barked, claiming he was the good boy. 

Angela had adopted this golden retriever about a year ago. The terrible loneliness and loss of their child had almost pushed her over the edge. During one of the conversations, her doctor had advised her to adopt a pup. She was glad she listened to her doctor. 

Nobody knew that Angela King and Nikaulas King didn’t live together. They both lived in different cities. Nikaulas would visit her only once during the time of her ovulation to produce an heir or when someone important visited like someone from his family or hers. Although Angela was young Nikaulas was already in his thirties and his parents were pressuring him for an heir. His dad had already given him an ultimatum. If he fails to give him an heir within this year, he will be disinherited. 

Their marriage was just like any other mafia arrangements. A marriage of convenience what they call. It was arranged from his side but from hers it was love. She had fallen for him the moment she had seen him in her childhood and so when one day when Killian came home cursing Christoph-the then mafia don- for proposing an arranged marriage between his son and Angela, the girl’s happiness knew no bound. She didn’t know why Killian was against it but she really wanted to marry Nikaulas, after all he was her first love. She didn’t have courage to face Killian so she confided in Ara about her feelings and nagged her to persuade Killian. The Spanish don was too besotted by his wife to deny her commands. 

Upon their first meeting, she fell all over again when he took her in his arms bridal style and carried her to their table. Chivalry had never looked this attractive. But what followed next had her heart shattering into pieces. He told her to break off their engagement as he was in love with someone else. 

She asked him why he didn’t marry the woman he loved to which he smirked ruefully and told her that she was already married. Angela felt terrible. She was heartbroken but she felt worse for him. He must be heartbroken too. The urge to soothe his pain bit her.  She couldn’t even imagine him marrying someone else and he saw her exchanging vows to someone else. It must have crushed his heart. 

He must be feeling so lonely. In the world of mafia, no one is lonelier than the mafia king. She had witnessed it with her own eyes. Killian would have been lonely if not for Ara who eliminated his darkness with her light. Her love had changed him into a happy man.Taking inspiration from their love she decided something. The naive woman didn’t know that Killian had made Ara burn through hell before losing his heart to her. But Nikaulas didn’t have a heart to give. It was already taken.     

She decided she would marry him. He was broken and needed someone who could help him piece his heart together. She will be that someone for him. She will love him so much that he will forget all about his pain. She will fill his life with her light. After all there is nothing love can’t mend including a broken heart. She thought she didn’t want to hurt her, that's why he was refusing to marry her. Naive.  

One more reason was that their marriage will strengthen German and Spanish ties. She owed this much to Ara and Killian. 

The marriage proposal was like a God sign for her. What were the odds that Christoph would choose a cripple orphan like her for his son? The God up there must be pulling the strings and she was a devotee just like Ara.  

Honestly, these all reasons were just an excuse. The truth was she wanted to marry him because she loved him. Loved him a little too much.

“Madam, Sir Nikaulas is arriving tonight,” Mrs. Muller, the head maid, informed her in an inanimate tone breaking her chain of thoughts. Angela nodded expecting this and instructed her to remove all the orchids from the house. Her husband was allergic to orchids.