The Mafia Boss's Bride

Chapter 95 : The Positive Side

"Love?" Ava spat, the word a bitter pill on her tongue. "What love? Can you prove it? Can you leave your illegal businesses? Can you walk away from all that darkness? Can you?"

The question pierced him like a bullet, its truth a bitter pill he was forced to swallow. Though it wasn't the first time Ava asked this question but this time Ibrahim could see the seriousness in her eyes. 

"Why aren't you answering, Ibrahim?" Ava asked, "Don't you say you love me?"

Ibrahim gripped her hand tightly, "I do, Ava," he rasped, "every sunrise, every beating of my heart whispers your name. But leaving…" he swallowed, "Leaving my businesses.....it's not that simple."

Ava's eyes narrowed, "Why not, Ibrahim? Is it really impossible?" Her eyes were full with tears. 

Ibrahim sighed, the weight of the world settling on his broad shoulders. He knew her words came from a place of hurt and fear, but they still cut deep. He wasn't just a ruthless businessman, a mafia boss. He was also a protector, a provider for hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of lives intertwined with his work.

"My world, Ava," he started, his voice soft but firm, "it's not just about me. It's about hundreds of lives that depend on me, on what I do. The men who work for me, they feed their families, they send their children to school, all from the fruits of our... endeavors."

Ava blinked back tears, a war raging within her. She saw, for a fleeting moment, the other side of the coin – the lives built by the very things she condemned.

"They're not criminals," Ibrahim continued, his voice pleading for understanding. "They're fathers, sons, brothers. They work hard, they take risks, just like anyone else. Just because the law deems it wrong doesn't mean it's devoid of human cost, of human stories."

He paused, his eyes searching hers for understanding. "It's not a world of darkness, Ava. It's not simply black and white. There are shades of grey, shades of survival, shades of desperate hope that drive men to do things they wouldn't otherwise..... It's a world of survival, of opportunity. I provide jobs, I feed families, I keep a roof over heads that would otherwise be lost in the storm."

Ibrahim gestured towards the window, where the rain lashed against the pane and Ava looked towards the window. 

"Think, Ava about them who doesn't have a home tonight? Who doesn't have a roof over their heads as this rain lashes down? .... Think of those Ava ..... think of those.....who shiver in the rain, with no place to call home." he pleaded, his voice growing urgent. "Who do you think finds shelter from storms like this? Who provides food for hungry mouths, medicine for ailing bodies? Not the law, not some politician," he emphasized, his voice laced with bitterness. "It's us, Ava, people like me, who operate in the shadows, but light the way for those forgotten by the sun."

Ava remained silent, her heart battered by his words, her gaze fixed on the rain-streaked window. Ibrahim saw the conflict raging within her, the battle between her idealistic dreams and the harsh reality he painted.

Ibrahim cupped her face with two hands and continued, "I provide shelter to those who need it, Ava.... I build schools and hospitals where there were none. I give opportunities to those who have been ostracized by society, a chance to rise above the circumstances they were born into."

Ava's eyes were still fixed on the window glasses. She saw not just the darkness of his world, but the flickering embers of humanity that still burned within it.

"Do you think it's easy to walk away from that? To turn my back on the people who rely on me, who see me not as a monster, but as their savior?" Leaving my businesses wasn't as simple as walking away from a job." Ibrahim told.

Ava looked at Ibrahim with her red eyes. She remembered her own childhood with Elara, the nights spent hungry and cold, couldn't deny the truth in his words. She knew the sting of not having a place to call home, the despair that gnawed at your soul during storms like this. Ibrahim, for all his darkness, offered a sanctuary to those who had nowhere else to go.

"But…" Ava began, her voice trembling, "what about the violence, the fear? How can you justify taking lives, Ibrahim? How can you build a world on foundations of blood and pain?"

"Violence" Ibrahim started to say, looking at her eyes, "is the language understood by those who prey on the weak, those who exploit and steal from the very people I protect. My rules, harsh as they may seem, are the walls that keep the darkness at bay, the shield that protects the innocent."

He pulled her closer in a hug, "In this kingdom I've built, Ava, I make sure justice prevails. Those who cross the line, who hurt the ones I protect, they face the consequences. It's the only way to maintain order, to ensure that the light within shines brighter than the shadows that linger."

Ibrahim's word painted a portrait of his world that she could not easily categorize as good or evil. It was a world of stark realities, a world where darkness and light danced a complex tango, a world where hope bloomed amidst the thorns of desperation.

Tears streamed down Ava's face, wetting his shirt as she buried her head in his chest. The guilt of judging him, of seeing only the darkness, gnawed at her conscience. In his embrace, she felt the weight of his responsibility, the burden of a thousand lives resting on his shoulders. Ibrahim wasn't bad.... But..

"So why me, Ibrahim?" Ava whispered, her voice muffled against his shirt. "Why drag me into this… this darkness? Couldn't you have left me alone, found someone who understood your world?"

His hands on her back, patting her gently. "Because I'm selfish, Ava," he admitted, his voice rough with emotion. "When I saw you, so pure, so innocent, so breathtakingly beautiful, I couldn't help myself. I fell in love, completely and irrevocably. I wanted you in my life, even if it meant bringing you into this world. I hoped, foolishly perhaps, that you could understand, that you could find your own light within my shadows."

Ibrahim looked down, his thumbs brushing away the tears that stained her cheeks. "I'm not asking you to love my world, Ava," he whispered, "I'm asking you to love me. To see the man behind the facade, the man who loves you more than his own life. I know you love me too. I see it in your eyes, in your touch. And I'm willing to wait, Ava, until you're ready to confess it."

Ava's sobs echoed in the room. Her fingers, previously clenched in defiance, now clutched at Ibrahim's shirt. This time, Ibrahim didn't try to stop her tears. He understood that the deluge needed to run its course before the rainbow could appear.

His large hands gently ran through her hair and smoothed away the tangled strands. He felt the tremors wracking her body, the raw pain bubbling to the surface, and he held her tighter. 

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the sobs subsided, replaced by a shuddering silence. "Baby girl," he murmured, "you haven't eaten since yesterday's lunch. Come, let's go eat. Tasha will be starving waiting for her breakfast too."

Ava pulled away from the embrace. He face strained with tears and her eyes, swollen but still glistening. "Bad man.... You're such a bad man, I can't fight. You have every answers to my question. I hate you.... I really hate you." she whispered. Her voice was raw but oddly peaceful.

Ibrahim smiled, "I love you too, Baby Girl. And yeah. I'm bad man." He brushed his nose against hers, a playful gesture that brought a faint flicker of watery smile to Ava's lips. 

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