Bargain Bride: The Billionaire’s Forced Wife

AS SOON AS CHIARA HEARD the ambush which targeted Victor, she hurriedly ordered Luigi to change direction and go to their mansion instead to the safe house.

“Signora, ” Luigi asked with a confused voice while looking at Chiara on the rearview mirror. “Did something happen?”

Chiara clenched her jaw while calming herself. “Victor was ambushed.”

The assistant’s eyes widened as he stepped on the accelerator. “He is doing fine, right?”

“I think so, ” she replied while dialing a number. “Fara said that he is now receiving treatment. Good thing that he was only shot in his arm.”

Luigi was relieved to hear that. After all, Victor became his best friend since he entered the Vitali empire. They were on every task, occassion, and partnerships that the company has.

He considered him as a brother that he never had. If something bad will happen to him, Luigi will go lengths to find the culprit.

On the backseat, Chiara dialed the head of Ezio’s security, Gabriel. After just one ring, the call was answered.

She didn’t give him a chance to greet her. Chiara immediately went straight to her point. “What happened? How did Victor get shot?”

“A car trailed him while on the way home, signora, ” Gabriel spoke with a voice full of respect. “The men are about to follow them when another two cars went over to us. We have to take care of them first. Unfortunately, Sir Victor was shot while changing cars.”

“The fault is on me, signora. I should have been more careful, ” he added after his explanation. “I will make sure to do better next time. ”

Chiara released a sigh. “We were lucky this time that Victor wasn’t shot in a sensitive area, ” she replied. “I am sure that something like this, or maybe worse, will happen again in the future. Make sure to keep an eye on him. ”

“I understand, signora, ” Gabriel responded. “I have a news, too. ”

“Spill it out, ” she said.

From the background, a screaming man’s voice can be heard. Chiara was about to ask who it is when Gabriel answered her.

“We were able to capture one of the suspects, ” he started as he walked towards the man kneeling on the floor with his hands tied behind his body. “Unfortunately, the gunman and the others died. Only the driver that trailed Sir Victor was alive. He is currently in our base. Would like me to send him to the mansion?”

Chiara nodded her head. “Bring him to the mansion’s basement. I will be the one interrogating him. Make sure that he will live.”

As the call ended, Chiara rested her back to the soft chair while massaging her temple. Too much things happened that day and more problems kept on arising.

She closed her eyes, thinking why Victor was ambushed. She wants to think of another reason, but she cannot deny the fact that Victor experienced that because he was disguising as Ezio.

Her husband is the target. It’s just been a few weeks since they announced “Ezio’s recovery” but the enemy is already moving to knock him out again.

The happening just convinced Chiara more not to tell anybody about Ezio’s real situation. It will be safer for him if he is hidden. She planned to let him go out again after he has fully recovered- until he has the capacity to fight again.

After a few minutes, the car entered the mansion. The maids and men are already waiting for their arrival. Standing in the middle of the pathway is Gabriel in his military uniform.

“Signora, ” they greeted her as soon as she stepped outside of the car.

Chiara greeted them back before looking at Gabriel. “Show me that bastard, ” she spoke.

They walked down to the basement. Actually, this basement was supposed to be just a storage room for those things that they are not using anymore. As far as Chiara knows, Ezio planned to make the basement a mini version of the mansion so that they will have somewhere safe to stay during calamities. The basement is too tough to be destroyed.

When her right foot landed on the last part of the stair, she saw a man wearing a black shirt top and pants. His back is bleeding while his wrists are starting to be wounded because of the tight rope.

“State your name, ” Chiara ordered him as soon as she was near his pathetic body.

The man didn’t speak, instead, he just looked up to Chiara before spitting at her. Fortunately, the spit didn’t reached Chiara and it ended up on the ground.

Furious, Chiara raised her hand and slapped the man. The sound echoed inside the room. Chiara knows that she slapped him too hard. His face has a red handprint and her palm is aching after that blow.

“I will ask you again. Another question this time” Chiara spoke while looking down at him. “Who ordered you to ambush my husband?”

“I won’t tell you, ” the man spoke with a voice that sounded so weak. Chiara didn’t have more time to play games with him, and she’s now irritated.

Her head moved sideways while calming herself. “I am willing to compromise to you, ” she said. “If you will tell me who is behind this, then I will give you anything you want as an exchange. Money? Name your price. Protection? Give me names. Power? Just tell me and I’ll do that rest.”

The man became silent. He just kept his head low, looking at the ground that’s starting to be tainted with his blood.

After a few moments, he spoke. “More of us will come after you and your husband. Boss won’t stop until you’re both dead, ” he looked up and gave Chiara a mocking smile. “Just give up, Mrs. Vitali and join your husband to death.”

He is already getting on Chiara’s nerves. She was about to slap him again when the man suddenly threw himself to the ground, making his body fall with his chest touching the ground first.

At first, Chiara didn’t think much about it and ask her men to sit him up again. However, when they got him up, they noticed a piece of glass piercing his chest and a suspicious green liquid dripping.

“Check his body!” she ordered and the men removed the man’s shirt.

Gabriel touched the end of the glass piercing the man’s body, and immediately noticed a thing that looked like a necklace with a broken glass.

The man’s body started convulsing. His body shook as foams and blood spilled from his mouth. His eyes rolled back to it’s sockets and he is creating an uncomfortable gurgling sound.

Three men helped him by laying him on his side and putting a soft thing under his head. However, just as before they could look for a medicak professional, the man’s body stopped moving.

Gabriel went back beside him and checked his pulse. “He’s gone, ” he spoke while still looking for a beating pulse and heart. “He’s gone, signora.”

They burried the body on a nearby cemetery. It was a quick task because they cannot have the attention other people. Chiara was still shocked for it is the first time someone died in front of her.

“Did you have the lab to check that green liquid?” she asked Luigi who just came back to the safe house.

He nodded. “Yes, signora. I also asked three more laboratories to be sure, just like what you said.”

After hearing that, Chiara went back to their bedroom to take a rest. She still has a long day tomorrow.

She wants to sleep, but the thought of the dying man keeps replaying on her mind. She can’t believe that the man will choose to die rather than to cooperate with them.

It just lead her to wonder: what were in Giovanni’s sleeves that he pull something like that?

THE NEXT DAY, the whole Vitali Empire was shocked by the massive firing of workers and staffs. Most of the people fired where from higher positions – five of them being heads and three were co-heads.

The news spread quickly inside their corporate office. Several staffs started to feel worried, wondering if they will be next. The happenings was too sudden. Various people were called to the owner’s office and they will found out that they are already fired.

The reason is still unknown to most, but for the people involved, it was clear that they have been caught.

“What’s with the sudden meeting and mass firing?” Rocco, the old man who tried to humiliate Chiara before asked as soon as Chiara entered the conference room. He didn’t even bother greeting her.

Chiara looked at him with dead eyes. “Since you’re very eager to know the reason why, then I’ll just announce it right now, ” she spoke before throwing a piece of folder with papers to him.

“You’re only a shareholder yet you tried to sell off Vitali Empire’s proposals, ” she spoke. “Now I know why you’re always here even if you’re not needed. At first I thought you were a leech, turns out you’re a traitor.”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Rocco flipped the pages that contains the evidences of his stealing files of proposals and selling it to the rival company. His eyes widened for a short time before turning to Chiara.

“This is nonsense!” he exclaimed. “How dare you accuse me of doing something like this!”

He was about to grab Chiara when Gabriel and his men pulled him away. He kept on resisting but an old man like him doesn’t have the strength to bring down three bulky men.

The folder that contains the evidence fell in the floor and one of the board members picked it up, until it was being passed on to all participants of the meeting.

“No! That’s not true!” Rocco shouted as the officials scanned through the files. “Don’t look at that!”

The board members and huge share holders murmured their thoughts and disgust to Rocco’s betrayal.

Thanks to the list given by Caterina, she was able to focus her attention on finding evidences about the spies. One of them is Rocco. He was stealing various proposals before selling them to Giovanni. Caterina is the one giving the money to him and the other spies.

“Let’s just meet each other in jail, ” Chiara spoke. “You as prisoner and me as a visitor. Have fun in your new home.”

The men pulled the screamimg Rocco out of the conference room. When they can’t hear his screams anymore, Chiara looked back to the remaining members.

“It has come to my mind that the company was infiltrated by Mr. Giordano’s underlings, ” the first sentence is enough to get reaction from them.

“I was able to fire and sue those people today, and one of them is Rocco Ossani. Now, ” she stopped before sitting down on her chair. “I would like to have your full cooperation. We need to fill the positions left by those traitors, and most are heads of departments. Also, I would like this day to serve as a warning for those who would dare to betray our company.”

Chiara’s firm words echoed in the room, and the people who heard that know that she is not bluffing. Chiara is not afriad of losing high-ranking staffs, and she will not hesitate to do it again, as long as it will keep her husband’s company safe.