Becoming Mrs Ashbourne

Nineteen

Cairus carries the toddler and his cute giggles are the only things that fill the apartment.

"What're you doing here?" The woman asks him and he doesn't mind her but walks towards one of the luxurious looking couches.

She notices me and smiles widely.  "Hi,I'm Rina. I'm Cairus' sister. It's nice to meet you." She says but unlike Cairus,she doesn't have an accent.
"I'm Mya." I say simply.

The toddler walks up to me and smiles, exposing a set of tiny teeth.

"Hi little guy,what's your name?" I smile and pinch his cute chubby cheeks. He giggles again but he doesn't talk.
"He's Elvis." She smiles and carries him, placing him on her hip.

"Why are you here? You rarely visit." She turns back at Cairus.

That's sad.

"Well if you must know,I've been busy with work. And you know that. I wanted to introduce to..." He snaps his fingers at me.

"Mya." I answer. I'm still standing by the door and it seem like they haven't noticed it yet.

"Oh,where are manners? Please sit." Rina smiles. I nod and sit beside Cairus to annoy him.

"This is my fiancee." Cairus says and I can see the clear shock on Rina's face.

"What...when...what about Lisa?" She asks. Levi tugs at her hair and she glares at him.

"Um...she doesn't know...yet." He says and she looks at me.

"That's why I'm here. I want you to accommodate Lisa for a while."

"No."

"Why?"

"I don't like her."

"Do it for your little brother." He teases and she rolls her eyes.

"Fine." She groans and gives an ultimatum.

"If she hurts my son,she's out." She says and points at the door.

"Deal." He smiles and carries Elvis for the last time before we leave.

When we get out of the apartment,he has this emotionless expression on his face and he keeps looking at his phone.

"I have somewhere to be. The driver will take you to my place. I'll get your stuff later. Remember,don't touch my stuff." He warns and I roll my eyes and enter the car. He doesn't and I couldn't care less.

"Hi." I wave at the driver and he seems scared of me. I wonder the warning he was given.

"I am commanded to have no relations with you Miss."  He says and I shrug.

ಠ⁠‿⁠ಠ

"Its an honour to finally meet you, Cairus. I've heard so much about you" the middle aged man says with a suspicious smile. It disgusts me when he extends his hand for a shake but who am I to judge. When it comes to issues of the underworld, we're all slimy fucks.

"It's an honour, Arista." I know addressing him by his surname will piss him off but I could care less. It's father that wants this contract. Not me.

"Shall we get down to business?" He quirks an eyebrow and I nod. My secretary leads us to the conference room in my company headquarters.
As we settle into the plush leather chairs around the polished mahogany table, the tension in the room is palpable. Arista's gaze flickers around the room, taking in every detail with a calculating eye. I can sense the underlying currents of greed and ambition swirling beneath the surface of our polite exchanges.

I pour myself a glass of whiskey, the amber liquid swirling hypnotically in the crystal glass. "Let's not waste any time," I say, my voice low and measured. "You know why we're here."

Arista nods, his expression carefully neutral. "Indeed, Cairus," he replies smoothly. "We've made you a generous offer for a share of your company. It's a lucrative opportunity for both parties involved."

I lean back in my chair, studying him with a cool detachment. "And yet, we have no intention of selling," I state firmly. "Ashbourne Enterprises is not for sale."

Arista's facade cracks, a flicker of anger flashing across his features before he quickly regains his composure. "You're making a mistake, Cairus," he warns, his voice tinged with menace. "You don't want to be on the wrong side of this deal."

I raise an eyebrow, unimpressed by his thinly veiled threats. "Is that a threat, Arista?" I ask, my tone deceptively calm. "Because if it is, you should know that threats don't sit well with us."

Before he can respond, the sound of gunfire echoes through the room, shattering the facade of civility that had hung over our meeting. Bullets fly in all directions as chaos erupts, the air thick with the stench of gunpowder and fear.

In the midst of the mayhem, I find myself reaching for the gun hidden beneath my suit jacket, my instincts taking over as survival becomes my only priority. The meeting room transforms into a battleground, the lines between friend and foe blurred in the haze of violence.

Despite the potential consequences for the company, I make a split-second decision to retaliate. With a calm demeanor masking the storm raging within me, I give a subtle nod to my loyal associates, signaling our next move.

In a swift and coordinated effort, we unleash a barrage of counterattacks, catching Arista and his men off guard. The element of surprise is on our side as we turn the tables, pushing back against the onslaught with calculated precision.

As the chaos intensifies, I can feel the weight of my decision bearing down on me, but I push aside any doubts or hesitation. In this world of cutthroat alliances and deadly betrayals, survival depends on one's ability to seize control of the situation, no matter the cost.

With each bullet fired and each adversary defeated, I reaffirm my commitment to protecting the interests of the Ashbourne family, even if it means waging war against powerful adversaries like Venetio and his allies. In the world of the mafia, loyalty to one's own is paramount, and I will stop at nothing to ensure our continued dominance in the underworld.