The Mafia & The Billionaire

Serene’s POV

I shook my head, reminiscing about that sparring session with Alex. He was capable of being such a tease, and I was perplexed as to why I reacted like a teenage lovesick. I shouldn’t feel anything for him because I planned to leave him once my scheme with Lorenzo was complete, and I was sure I was pregnant with his child. I needed a child, and even though my grandparents wanted me to get married, I didn’t know if I could trust a man. Well, I trusted my men, but Alex and they were different.

My mom had trusted Lorenzo, too, and where did that lead her? She was used and disrespected by that evil man, who even brought his bastard and mistress into our house as soon as she passed away. Yes, Alex was Alex, but that didn’t guarantee he wouldn’t turn into my father. I had to do something about these feelings.

“Arghh…” I screamed, realizing it had been over a week since that sparring session, and I was still thinking about it.

“Boss, is there a problem?” Enzo asked. We were in the penthouse, and I had invited him and Patt to join me for a meeting. Alex was in his office, and we had privacy to talk.

“Nothing; I just remembered something,” I replied. “So, what did Grandma say?”

“She wanted to meet your husband,” Patt said, and I glared at both of them. I had explicitly instructed them to ensure that news didn’t reach the mansion, and I don’t think they followed my orders.

“Did you sell me out to Grandma?” I asked, and they both looked at me with wide eyes. I chuckled. “You both did, huh?” I said. I knew it was because they couldn’t lie to me. I knew them very well and could tell whether they were lying just by looking at their faces.

“Grandma is not rushing you. She wants you to take your time and get to know your husband first. Nonetheless, she wanted to meet him,” Enzo replied, which earned him a glare from me.

“Mr. McGregor is a good man, and I can guarantee that he will never become like Lorenzo,” Patt said, and I looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

“Do you like him now?” I asked sarcastically, and he looked down as well. “I didn’t know your loyalty still lay with Grandma. Should I send you back to Portico?” I asked them, and they both looked at me again.

“No, Grandma will surely kill us both. You know her; even Grandpa couldn’t say a word when she was talking, and she always had the final word,” Enzo said immediately. I was sure that they would rather deal with me than Grandma.

“How are they?” My grandparents were two of the people I cared about the most. Patt, Enzo, and the men working for me were all important to me. They were all loyal, and I appreciated that about them. I understood Enzo and Patt’s loyalty to Grandma because she raised them like her grandchildren.

“They are both fine and healthy. Princess is taking care of them now, and she’s only waiting for a new nurse to replace her. “Grandpa’s orders,” Patt said, and I let out a heavy sigh.

“It would be better if she were there to look after them,” I said.

“Princess made sure to find a nurse to replace her. She was worried about them but couldn’t say no to them either,” Enzo said, and I nodded in agreement.

They told me how Princess had screened the staff and had yet to be in a hurry to find a replacement for herself. She wanted to make sure that she knew everyone who would be looking after our old man and woman.

I was about to ask them to leave because Alex would join us soon when Enzo said, “Grandma wanted me to remind you about her great-grandchild.” I rolled my eyes and was startled when someone spoke behind me.

“Whose great-grandchild?” asked Alex. He must have used his key because we didn’t hear him enter with the password.

“No one,” I replied as he sat beside me. He looked at both Enzo and Patt, waiting for their replies.

“I believe that boss will be able to explain that to you,” Enzo said.

“We will take our leave now,” Patt added, and the two of them stood up and left. Alex and I were alone in the living room, and I saw him staring at me.

“What?” I asked.

“Are you not going to answer my question?” he asked, his face very close to mine.

“As far as I know, you were asking Enzo and Patt, not me,” I replied and tried to get up, but he pulled me back into my seat.

“Aren’t you the mother of the great-grandchild?”

“I don’t know,” I replied, trying to appear innocent. I didn’t want him to know that my grandparents were urging me to have a child with him so soon.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

“I don’t like keeping secrets, Serene.”

“I am not keeping one,” I replied, looking into his eyes. If there was one thing I was good at, it was lying. However, it didn’t work with my grandparents, especially Grandma. Grandpa could only agree with her. I didn’t know if Alex could tell when I was lying, because he was different. He was brilliant and always seemed to think ahead of everyone.

“Liar,” he said, and he got up. “What have you been up to the whole time?” he asked, looking down at me.

“What do you mean?”

“You were here by yourself. What did you do?”

“Enzo and Patt were here too. I am not alone,” I replied, and he nodded. “We only talked about the company,” I added, as he was still looking at me.

“Do you always look like that when talking to your men?” he asked. “No, with your people, rather,” he said, rephrasing his question.

“They are my men,” I informed him. “And what’s wrong with how I look?” I asked curiously.

“I am your only man and no one else. When it comes to my woman and what’s mine, I am very territorial,” he said, which made my eyes widen. “As for how you look, you can wear pants and long sleeves when you’re with them,” he added.

“What’s wrong with my clothes? Isn’t this what men like their women to wear?” I asked, and his forehead wrinkled.

“Where did you get that idea?”

“Internet?”

“I want my woman to wear something like that only when we are together. You let Enzo and Patt see that side of you,” he replied.

“They have seen me naked,” I told him. “What’s wrong if they see me in my sleeveless dress? This is even a turtleneck that goes down to my knees,” I added.

“They have seen you naked? Did I hear that correctly?” he asked. They did see me naked when I went to save some women from human traffickers. The criminals caught and drugged me, which made me unable to fight, and they were about to do something to me. Luckily, Enzo and the rest of the team arrived just in time to rescue me.

“Yes,” I replied, and I saw him sigh exasperatedly. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Are you okay with other women seeing me naked?” he asked.

“That depends on the situation,” I replied.

He yelled, “No matter the situation, no man other than me can see you naked!”

I stood up and faced him. “Why are you yelling? It was before I met you, and you don’t even know what happened that time,” I replied, giving him a sharp glare. I didn’t want to get yelled at. No one yelled at me except Grandma and Grandpa.

He looked at me with his face closer to mine, but I didn’t move. I would not back down, and I would fight him if needed. Our eyes locked, and our lips almost touched when he said, “You are my wife now, and I don’t care if you have people working for you. I already told you I am very territorial, so don’t cross that line.”

We stood staring at each other before he left me standing there. I was curious to know what his problem was. I didn’t do anything that sparked his anger. I went back to my seat and calmed myself down. Then I remembered the dress I was wearing that had started our argument. What was wrong with my clothes? It was decent for me, and Enzo and Patt had helped me buy it, thinking he would appreciate it.

I had asked Patt to investigate Alex because I wanted to know what he liked and how he worked. Even though our marriage had started under unusual circumstances, I still wanted to do my part because he would be my child’s father. It was only fair to make an effort for him, as he was doing me a great favor, too. My efforts were in vain.

“Argh…” Stupid Alex! Wait, was he jealous that Enzo and Patt had seen me naked? Oh, no! I shouldn’t have told him that, should I?