Chapter 41 Mafia

Chapter 41 Mafia
KAITLYN

I gasp loudly, my eyes widening like saucers.

My legs are shaking, and my hands as well. I can't seem to digest what he just said, and the fear bubbling in me is enough to take my consciousness away.

“Don't worry, I'm not that evil to hurt that pretty-looking lady full of dreams. She has dreams, doesn't she?” He whispers.

“Is she okay?” someone asks in a voice filled with concern.

The smirk on Nikolai’s face fades, and he pulls me up to my feet, his hands wrapped around my waist as my legs shake.

“Yes, she wasn't feeling well earlier,” he lies and hands my purse to me.

“Oh dear,” the woman whispers and rubs my face with pity in her eyes.

She looks up at the devil beside me.

“Do you want to take her home?”

“No!” I snap, and her head jerks towards me in confusion.

I gulp hard and force a smile on my face.

“You don't have to worry, I am fine,” I mutter.

She sighs and smiles to cover up the concern and suspicion in her eyes.

“We were coming to meet you,” Nikolai says.

Servants rush towards us with cleaning equipment, and Nikolai leads me away from that spot.

“You seem to have changed a lot, Don Nikolai. This is unlike you,” she says, and Nikolai chuckles.

“I can't seem to understand, Mrs Dela Cruz,” he replies.

“Meeting the host before disappearing into thin air,” she replies.

Nikolai chuckles and pulls me closer.

“Should I say it's all thanks to her?” he mumbles as he stares down at me, a sinister glee in his eyes.

I narrow my eyes and turn to face the woman instead. Why does it seem like the smile on her face has faded?

“Seems you made the right choice then,” she mumbles. The happiness in her voice is gone.

“Am I interrupting?” a deep voice speaks up, and we turn towards the speaker. 

I dim my eyes, recognizing the man as the one we met in that dreadful hallway of that fucking club. The one who talked about my father. I will make sure he tells me whatever he knows.

“No, not at all, honey,”  the woman replies and walks towards the man, then stands on her toes and kisses him on the lips.

Is she his wife? I wonder if she knows of the kind of places her husband goes to.

The man smiles and stares at her with eyes full of sparkle before looking up.

“Are you alright, dear? I saw you fall,” he says in concern.

“Yes,” I reply, even though I am not fine.

“You care about her a lot,” the man says as he squeezes Nikolai’s shoulder, pride in his eyes.

“Of course, he should. She is his wife!” another woman cuts in as she joins us.

The forced smile on the face of the man beside her fades as he glances at the lady. She must have shaded him with those words. 

“What's her name?” The woman asks. 

“Kaitlyn Peterson,” the hostess beats Nikolai in answering.

I grip my dress, trying so hard not to look nervous in the midst of these dangerous people. 

I look up and dart my eyes around the people surrounding me. More people are around now. 

“You married Peterson's daughter? Wasn't she meant to marry your younger brother? The weak rider,” The blonde woman who was standing beside Regina speaks up, and my heart clenches. 

I feel like pouring my anger on her right now. But I have to behave like a good bride, like Nikolai wants. 

“Well, he doesn't deserve her. So she's better off with me,” Nikolai replies while giving the lady a deathly glare.

I am trying so hard to stop myself from scoffing loudly. 

The people around laugh, but I can tell their laughter is fake. They must be feeling the same way I'm feeling right now. This devil deserves no one, absolutely no one. 

“You are our main guest, Nikolai. Do you mind me giving a toast to your marriage?” Ellios asks. 

“I will give the toast,” a raven-haired man who seems to be the same age as Nikolai steps in. 

“You?” Nikolai scoffs.

The man grins widely at his remark.

“Why? Are you scared that your marriage will end within a year like that of everyone else that I’ve made a toast for?” the man says, and everyone bursts into laughter.

My smile, wishing that he would be the one to give the toast.

“Alright then,” the host says, and waiters rush forward with trays full of glasses of wine.

Everyone lifts a glass of wine from the tray and begins to advance to the centre of the hall. Nikolai slips away from my side and goes to walk with the men, conversing in low tones with them while constantly glancing at me.

Why do I feel like there is no difference between Nikolai and these people? Why do I feel like they are just the same sets of people committing the same heinous crimes from different places under hidden masks? I am pretty sure they all work together. Everyone has this dark, intimidating aura that Nikolai has, and somehow, I feel like Regina also has it now. 

Why the fuck did I never notice? 

The slow music suddenly stops, and the attention of everyone turns towards the host. The man pulls Nikolai by the arm and draws him close to me, then raises the glass of wine in his hand. 

“I would like to begin by saying thank you to everyone who made out time to attend my 30th anniversary as a Capo,” he begins, and a loud ovation fills the room. 

Capo? Isn't that a mafia term? This is not what I think it is, is it? 

My eyes widen, and I dart my eyes and head around the hall, staring at everyone. 

The black dresses, dark auras, false smiles, murders, hidden secrets, organizations, powerful connections, and unbelievable wealth. 

How can this be normal? This is what I have always thought it was from the beginning. 

They are mafia members, and so was Nikolai! 

That means I have been beefing with a mafia girl all my life.

My eyes lock with those of Regina, and she smirks. 

This is why she has always been one of the best students in school, even when she always flops in class tests. This is crazy! 

“And most of my gratitude goes to Don Nikolai Rider. It is shocking to find him here. He barely likes to be in gatherings like this, am I wrong, Nikolai?” the man says, and the people in the hall break into laughter. 

Nikolai's lips barely move at the tease. 

“I would also love to make a toast to him for finally joining the association of the taken Capos…”

My trembling hand reaches into my purse, and I pull out my phone, then tap the recorder app.

I am going to catch them all this time around.

“I will make the toast for Nikolai!” A sharp voice breaks out in the crowd, and the smiles on everyone's face fade. The man's hand withdraws as his head jerks to the side. I can sense tension set in. 

Everywhere is as silent as a graveyard, and all eyes are fixed in one direction. 

Suddenly, sounds of a stiletto hitting the marble floor fill the room, and so does a choking perfume. 

Who is she?

I swerve my head in the direction everyone is looking at, and just right before me, a few distances away, is a woman with an unexplainable beauty dressed in a red dress with dark, sharp eyes and a smile that could cause one's heart to leap.

“You want to celebrate your marriage without me, Nikolai?” the woman says, and I feel Nikolai stiffen.