Chapter Four
“I don’t want to marry you Mr Maldov.” “Why??” Olivia was sure this man was dropped on the head as a child, “You seriously can’t be asking me that question.” Alex moved closer and she took a step back, “Relax,” he murmured in a low tone as he brushed a strand of hair away from her face, his eyes gazing upon her as he whispered, “Perfect.” She cleared her throat nervously, brushing her hair slightly further away, “Mr Mal— “You really don’t have much of a choice here Olivia.” In a more firm tone that almost made her tremble, “Your father owes me a lot. I saved your family from ruin, I saved him from going to prison.” “Prison??” She gasped. Alex chuckled again, “Charles Camden isn’t the man you think he is. He owes me his life and twenty million”, placing a hand on her shoulder which made her freeze, he bent close whispering into her ear, “..but I’m willing to let it all slide, by having you instead as my wife.” Olivia pushed him off gently, “You’re a liar!” “I’m a lot of things beautiful..a liar isn’t one of them.” “I don’t want to marry you. I’d rather die than be part of whatever you are. You’re a monster!!” She cussed out, spitting on the ground. His demeanor changed as his darkened , he grabbed her arm and pinned her to the wall. She winced in pain with a nudge hitting her spine and he let go of her instantly, “Don’t test me Olivia. I don’t enjoy being tested.” “Leave me alone.” She pleaded as balls of tears started to form, glassing her blue eyes—He’d never wanted a woman this much even more. “I can’t…I won’t,” He answered with no hit of play in his voice, “Your father is in my debt and he already handed you over to me. So it’s your decision to make.” “My answer is— “Think carefully,” he warned, “I already have someone at your house right now. It’s only a phone call away Olivia.” “You’re a monster!!!” She screamed, slowly reeling to the ground she sobbed, “Let me father go Maldov! He just made a mistake..a mistake of being in your—.” “Marco??” He called out and the guard from earlier appeared out of nowhere, “Escort Miss Olivia to the guest room please.” She scrambled to her feet, “Guest room??” Alex turned, “You’re not leaving Olivia.” “That’s kidnapping!!” “No,” He replied, “You’re a collateral. I can’t afford to lose you.” The tears flowed even more as she veered closer with both hands clasped tightly in a stance of plea, “Please Mr Maldov?? Please let me go.” He shook his head, “I wish I could, but a man wants what a man wants Olivia. What I want is you as my wife…and I always get what I want.” *^^^^*^ Olivia was ushered into a small but receptive room with nothing but a bed and a simple couch close to it. There was a small night light that reminded her of her old reading lamp when she was in college, still it didn’t take away from the fact that she was being held a prisoner. Her eyes were puffy, these past few hours were nothing but torture and she felt nothing short of contrition as her fathers words crossed her mind—she should’ve stayed away and this would’ve never happened, meeting Alex Maldov has been the worst mistake of her life. “There are some feminine products in the bathroom if you want to take a shower.” Marco announced from the doorway. She turned around, sniffling lightly, “How- how long does he plan on keeping me here?” “Till you agree on marrying him ma’am,” He answered, “Mr Maldov wouldn’t force you to do something against your will ma’am.” She rolled her eyes at the pure irony, “Yeah but he can keep me hostage till I agree to marry him. Well played with the analogy.” Marco chuckled softly, “You should think yourself as lucky Miss Olivia. Our organization doesn’t take lightly to debtors, Mr Maldov is doing this because he wants you. Twenty million isn’t a penny to let go of so easily.” “Please let me go sir,” She pleaded seeing if to make headway with the guard, “I’ll give you whatever.” Marco laughed even more, “Unlike Big C, I have an allegiance to my boss Miss Olivia. Wash up and make a decision, his patience runs thin when he’s in a bad mood.” Olivia felt hopeless as he left the room. She quickly rushed towards the door, pushing down the handle vigorously but it wouldn’t pry open. She cursed out loud, scurried into the toilet as she tried to find a way out.. This wasn’t a tall building and she was good at climbing—she needed to get out of here stat. There was a small opening thankfully and the window was unlocked, gently she propped herself over the bathroom sink, peering her head out as she scoped for any signs of a being. The coast was clear and it wasn’t a staggering height to jump down from, shes said a short prayer as she lifted herself gently using the window sill as a lever to push herself out. “Where do you think you’re going??” She heard his voice—his damned voice. It was now or never, she thought as she ignored him and pushed herself out not even sparing him a glance. She landed on her back, a sharp exhale escaped her as she groaned in pain, pretty sure one of her spleen was bound to be injured and gently rose to her feet….the main gate was only a few walks away and she bolted striaght for the exit. Alex Maldov was amused, endeared even that a woman would go through such rash lengths to get away from him. Olivia Camden intrigued him even more—she was no longer a want, she was a need. He walked out of the bathroom and to Marco he muttered, “Please learn to shut the windows correctly next time.” The gate was locked and Olivia ran out of options, it was so high and steep that a great climber as herself couldn’t find a away around it. She started to cry again, wanting nothing but the comfort for her father at this dire moment—regardless of his lies and deception putting her in such a dilemma in the first place. It was weird no one was coming to get her, she thought as she glanced around with not a soul in sight. Alex Maldov probably deemed her so incompetent that he knew she wouldn’t get out, it was all over now, she thought as she turned back in retreat. He was right on the couch close to her bed when she got back to her room, his legs crossed and her eyes darted towards the red dress placed nicely close to him. “I see you’ve finally came to your senses,” He said with no expression on his face, “Will you marry me Miss Olivia??” Her fists clenched as her teeth gritted, she felt nothing but pure disdain and hatred for this man, “Do I have a choice?” “No,” he smiled as he got up and moved closer, “…but I would love a response.” She was crying again now, “I want my father there.” “He will be.” “I don’t want to wear that stupid dress.” She demanded. He brushed her tear with his thumb, bringing the salty liquid to his to his mouth and brushed it over his lips—then he licked it, “You can’t fight your way out of that my lovely wife. I would die to see you in red.”Chapter Thirty-two “A million??” “In a case of identity— “There’s no identity fraud there,” Alex chuckled softly, “It’s just my wife toying with me.” The banker stared at the man in front of him in disbelief, “Mr Maldov. A million is a terrible lot of money.” “I know,” Alex murmured, already bored of the conversation, “Like I said….it’s just my wife.” “Mr Maldov you need to tell your wife to keep her spending on a low. The tax commission—- “Mr James??” Alex cut him off, his eyes carrying a slither of warning as he spotted the name tag on his breast pocket, “Are you saying my wife should spend her husband’s money less?? Despite her same husband not caring about it??” Terrified he might have crossed a line, the banker took a step backward, shaking his head vigorously as he stuttered, “N—no sir. All I’m saying is—- “Mr James??” Alex cut him off again, “It’s just a million dollars. If my woman wants to buy a property
Chapter Thirty- One “There’s no way I can avoid it?” “No ma’am.” “What if you told them I was sick instead?” “They’ll think you’re weak.” “I am weak.” “Then you need to do a better job concealing so,” Sheila murmured as she ushered her madam into her silk robe, “These woman are like vipers Mrs Maldov. They’ll spite, bite, chew and spit you out like garbage. You need to show them you’re not to be trampled with.” It was a scary thought, meeting with the wives of other bosses in the mafia was bound to send an innocent woman like herself spiraling. Her fear knew no bounds. She took a deep breath, “You’re really sure I have to do this?” “You’re part of the mafia now Mrs Maldov. Whether you like it or not.” Olivia stared at the platinum card in her hands and back at Sheila, a devious idea popped into her head which made her smile, “So you’re saying I can do whatever I want with this?” Sheila, understanding the signal
Chapter Thirty Charles Camden was gone. Vanished into thin air, from his holding in Michigan. Alex, unaware of this dashing plot placed his trust on his men, and after getting into Jude Bedlam’s head only did he find out the truth about Charles Camden’s escape. Apparently he was in New Mexico, working with a powerful group whose identity remained unknown at the moment. He almost went into a tirade last night, wanting to unleash the brunt of his rage on Jude Bedlam and Gianni. Lucky for them, he was a man who knew how to remain calm even in the face of adversity. Morning came and he yawned loudly, turning around to Olivia sleeping soundly next to him. He propped his head with one arm, hoping to stare for more than a minute before she wake up. God she was even more beautiful when she slept, he thought, who would’ve known the father of the woman next to him was causing so much turmoil. It was worth it at the end of the day, brushing a stray strand of hair from her
Chapter Twenty-Nine “Shall we?” Olivia turned around sharply to her husband standing right behind her. She couldn’t quite place her finger on it, but there was something uncanny about his demeanor. “Where have you been?” Alex’s brow perked up in question, a lewd smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, “Did you miss me?” “Over my dead body.” He was silent, too quiet for her taste. She could feel her stomach churning from his intense stare towards her, like she was the cause of a plague or something, “Stop looking at me like that.” “Why?” He asked as he took her hands in his, bringing it to his lips where he placed a soft kiss inside her palm, “My wife is the most beautiful woman in the room, and I want to sleep with her.” Olivia yanked her hands away from his grasp in annoyance, of course he was crude and less tact with his words. She could sense something afoot, with his abrupt disappearance and now his return w
Chapter Twenty-Eight Silence, nothing but utmost silence welcomed Alex after he asked the question. Typical, he thought. They were brave when it came to throwing sublininals against him, now they acted like the frail cowards they were thinking he wouldn’t attend the party tonight. Jokes on them, he thought, he was about to put on the best show of his life. “You know I’ve always protected what belongs to me,” He muttered signaling the waiter for another round of scotch by dangling his empty glass in the air, “I go about my business and I make my profits, all without bothering anybody. Sad to see I can’t say the same for the rest of you.” Signaling Marco, the other henchmen who were strategically placed in all corner of the rooms as bodyguards started to close in on the group. Jude Bedlam glanced around, eyes sporadically everywhere as he searched for his men who were conveniently nowhere to be found in the room. He was trapped. Alex smirked, Jude’s frantic
Chapter Twenty-Seven The room was filled with members of prominent mafia families, Olivia presumed. They were all dressed in the finest attires and bit of silks, with all the men wearing pristine tailored tuxedos and the women adorned with jewelry complimenting their evening gowns. She could hear the sound of clinking glasses and polite laughter, different from the ambience she expected. They looked like normal people, humans in the upper echelon of society and yet despite the polished facade, she could easily smell the undercurrent of power struggles and hidden agenda. The mafia families were known for their ruthlessness, she didn’t think they were that real but she heard stories. Tonight’s elegant event was just a ruse, a thinly veiled attempt to mask the true nature of their business. Olivia wasn’t the smartest woman on the planet but she could see through the sheer vanity immediately. “Here,” Alex handed her a glass of champagne and leaned closer