All Chapters of The Don's bargain : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Stefano stayed quiet during the process of removing the bullet although I could see the stress lines on his forehead. He still hasn't changed over the years, he hated showing any hint of vulnerability. "Okay, so we're done here," I said to another man who had been pacing around the room when I finished bandaging Stefano's arm."Thank the heavens." He breathed out and moved closer. "I'm glad you're fine, I swear I could have blown off his head if you hadn't asked me to stop." They were dangerous men, I thought. I stood up from my kneeling position. The man quickly dipped his hand in his pocket and handed me a wad of cash. "Here.""Thank you," My eyes lit up before making my way to leave but I turned back. "Make sure you give him some antibiotics."I was leaving Stefano again, and my stomach was twisting into a painful knot. I was weak and needed to rest. "Matteo," I heard Stefano's firm voice, "Tell the nurse to stay. Leave now, you have to fill in the gap."On hearing that, I paus

In the next weeks that followed, money plagued my mind. With the job applications being unsuccessful, I was beginning to panic. Although I didn't relent, I plunged myself deeper into a more frenzied search. I had no choice; the bills were piling up by the day: house rent, father's debt, and his hospital bills. As I typed away on my laptop, I got a call from the hospital my father was admitted to.The nurse in charge of the case was on the line.I knew why she was calling, so I almost didn't want to take the call, but I did anyways."Hey Bella, I'm calling from St. Thomas's hospital." She introduced herself in a professional tone."Yeah, I can tell.""I'm wondering if you could visit the hospital; we need to have an important discussion concerning your father."My heart picked up an irregular pace. "Yeah, sure," I stuttered. "What's it about?""Kindly visit the hospital for further inquiries."I hissed the moment I ended the call. Did it even make sense to her to disrupt my daily act

I was beginning to think it would be impossible to work as a nurse. With each application that got declined, my faith weakened. I had enough money to cater for my needs for the next five months but I couldn't find joy around me. I needed more to be happy, I needed my job back as a nurse. Apart from the fact I obviously loved working at the hospital, part of Father's incurred debt was due to catering for my schooling expenses so I couldn't let him down by just accepting menial jobs without seeking for more. Later that day, I was informed of a party happening in the evening. Before I could text Katrina with the intent of malingering, she beat me to the game. The thought of having to conquer another unknown experience made my heart beat faster and I had not fully recovered from my experience with Stefano. Heck, I didn't even want to think about what happened that night. A sigh escaped my lips as my fingers hovered on the screen of my phone. I decided against not viewing the message an

I suddenly lost my ability to speak. Why does Stefano have this effect on me?"Uhm…yay." I stuttered, tucking a lone strand of my hair behind my ears and looked away."Had a good meal?" He asked, putting away the cigarette.I nodded because my mouth chose to be silent on its accord. Stefano acknowledged my answer with a nod and he started walking up the stairs. I ran towards the direction and he halted, looking down at me and raising his eyebrows as if saying yes?"What about the party?" I asked, my voice low. "Isn't that why I'm here?""Guess?" He winked at me. Typical Stefano was at it again with his antics.I sighed and glared at him. I shook my head as if to shove the thought away. I was beginning to think that he had brought me here for another reason."What do you mean?" I asked, my brows furrowed."I said take a random guess."I shook my head. "Nah, you're not going to do this right now." With the mischievous glint in his eyes, it looked like he was taking me for a fool. I mea

"Marry me." Stefano demanded, catching me off guard.My face scrunched, trying to understand. "Why?""Marry me and you'll be compensated handsomely while I give you a job at my charity owned hospital." Stefano proposed, no hint of playfulness in his tone. I thought of his words for a minute, my heart pounding. "And what do you stand to gain?""My father's happiness, and maybe his respect. He's been on my neck to get a wife and the marriage could be my ticket to a position I've been vying for." Stefano shrugged, the buzziness of the city filtrating into my ears. I hoped we could get to the venue soon. There was no escaping this conversation, I had to give him an answer soon."Are you offering me a contract marriage?" I enquired, the words feeling foreign in my mouth.Stefano paused for a minute, as if considering my words. "You could call it that. Our marriage is expected to last for two years and after which, we'll go our separate ways."This seemed like a deal I could handle. I didn