Arosio De Luca
Similar to everyday for the past few years, sleep seemed to avoid me throughout the whole night. My body has gotten used to only a few hours of rest every day but for some reason, last night I was not able to get even one minute of rest.
Each time my eyes closed, her beautiful fiery red hair appeared in front of me with the image of her fainting in my arms at the hospital. When she whispered 'please' before succumbing to darkness, I felt a tug at my cold heart. I couldn't understand why she felt like a stranger in my arms.
Granted, I never held my wife throughout our two years of marriage. Hell, we only met less than five times, one of the times being at the courthouse to register our 'marriage' and then we went our separate ways.
But, the woman who laid helplessly in my arms, seemed so foreign to me. As a Mafia boss, my instincts and recognition skills are well above average. Maybe that's why I keep questioning her real identity. Alejandro ridiculed me after we left the hospital, saying that I was delusional and that she looked identical to Isabella, apart from her fiery hair which my father-in-law explained she had dyed in Paris.
"Mr. De Luca, they have arrived," my personal mansion's head butler, Frederick, informed me as I went downstairs for breakfast.
"Alright," I replied stoically before heading outside, which made the staff confused since I never skipped breakfast. Everything done in my house held a strict routine, something my family instilled into me as a child.
But right now, I couldn't care less about following my routine.For some reason, I was itching to see her again. The thought of eating breakfast while Alejandro escorted her inside my home didn't sit well with me.
What the fuck? Since when was I possessive of her?
Exiting the front door, I saw Alejandro pulling up my long driveway with a confused expression on his face. I narrowed my eyes at him as he parked and exited the car before looking at the back window and noticing her sleeping.
Alejandro was about to open the door but I pushed him aside and did it myself. He looked at me surprised but I simply ignored him before gathering the woman into my arms. She snuggled closer into my chest, making a small smile appear on my face. This seemed to confuse Alejandro even more as he opened his mouth to say something but I sent him a glare, effectively shutting him up. I didn't want him to wake her up.
Wait, since when did I give a fuck about her?
Shaking my head, I began to take a couple steps towards the front door but froze when I felt her stirring awake. Bending down, I whispered into her ear to go back to sleep and smirked when she obediently nodded her sleepy head before snuggling into my warmth.
"What the hell..." Alejandro mumbled as he followed us into my bedroom where I laid her down to rest. I had never allowed any woman into my bedroom so I could understand his confusion. But I couldn't help it, I was so drawn to this mysterious woman and wanted her to lay down on my bed.
My hand subconsciously caressed the top of her soft hair and frowned when I felt a swollen bump on the back of her head. It didn't seem like a bump from a car accident like her father insisted but rather, it seems as though someone smashed a gun at the back of her head.
"Let's go," I stated coldly towards Alejandro and he seemed to notice the shift in my mood since he quietly followed me out of the room and towards my office.
"Report," I ordered without looking at Alejandro. I sat in my chair and he stood in front of my desk as he began to inform me of every single detail he noticed throughout the car ride. Giovanni, my third in command and best friend, entered the room as well and began to listen to our conversation.
I listened to every detail and furrowed my brows in confusion as the behaviors that woman displayed in the car ride was far from the typical behavior of that whore.
"Did you trace the number she called?" I questioned after a long moment of pause but already knew the answer. Alejandro may be terrified of blood but he has one of the highest IQ's in America, making him more than useful and deserving of his title in my Mafia.
"Of course, who do you take me for? I traced it but it was even more weird. I thought she had called the Dale elders, but she seemed to have called her maternal grandparents. The Avery elders," Alejandro replied with furrowed brows as even I was confused. As far as I knew, the Dale family kept no ties with the Avery family after the death of their daughter-in-law. Why would my wife call them?
"Don't you think something is off? She just seems too..." Alejandro trailed off when he noticed my silence.
"Too innocent? Too sweet? Nothing like that whore Isabella Dale?" I finished as he smirked at my reply, if he was one of the smartest men in America then I wasn't any less intelligent than him.
"Exactly! Think about it, Aro. She apologized and thanked me. Me, who she always called a bitch and slave. And then, she called her grandparents and began to cry and beg them to wait for her return. She didn't even call one of her boyfriends from the entertainment industry," Alejandro voiced my exact suspicions as well while I remained silent and took in his words. The more I thought about it, the more I became convinced that she was not Isabella Dale. Sure, she supposedly suffers from memory loss after the accident, but no one can change a person's innate evil nature.
Trust me, I would know. I'm the most coldblooded, merciless man anyone would have the misfortune of meeting.
"But her appearance and features are exactly like that bitch. Even her blue eyes are the characteristic traits of the Dale family..." Alejandro continued but was suddenly interrupted by Giovanni who chose to break his silence on the matter.
"Did the Dale family have two heiresses?" Giovanni muttered in confusion as all of our eyes widened in realization.
A dark laugh escaped my lips while I began to plan every possible way to murder the Dale family. They dared to deceive me, the Italian Mafia boss and have someone else pose as my wife? I will ruin them.
Alejandro and Giovanni shuddered when a cold smirk played on my lips and took a step away from my desk. Taking my cellphone out, I dialed the hospital in which the Dale's family doctor works in and demanded to see him there in half an hour. The poor man was trembling on the phone as he promised to wait for us.
"Let's go. It's time to confirm a few things," I stated coldly as the three of us made our way to the hospital.
***
"I just can't believe it. How could they be so coldblooded? That poor girl," Alejandro continued to grumble as the three of us returned to my mansion after visiting the hospital.
It took longer than expected since the Dale's family doctor refused to show us the birth documents of the Dale family. After threatening him in his office and allowing Giovanni, who is well known as a torturing master, play a few rounds with the man, he began to sing like a mockingbird.
We learnt that the woman who was presently sleeping in my bed was not Isabella Dale. She is Isabella's younger twin sister, Katerina Dale, or rather Katerina Avery. Their mother died during childbirth and the Dale family blamed it on Katerina before dumping her on the Avery families' doorstep. She was forced to live in the countryside with her maternal grandparents and had not met her birth family until recently.
That would explain why Samuel Dale was so cold to her at the hospital. It quickly became obvious to the three of us that the Dale family had threatened the girl to pretend to act as Isabella until they locate that whore.
Just thinking about it made my blood begin to boil. I want to murder every single one of the Dale family members for trying to make a fool out of me and for dragging an innocent girl into this mess.
"Yeah. No wonder she seemed much more kinder and innocent than that whore," Giovanni stated and we could feel the sympathy he felt for Katerina. Which was shocking since he was almost as coldblooded and emotionless as me.
The three of us made our way to the kitchen but froze when we heard a commotion occuring. I recognized my son, Elijah's small voice, a maid who was one of Isabella's lackeys during Isabella's rare visits to my mansion to get more money from me, and Katerina's soft voice. The three of us stood at the entrance of the kitchen and observed them in silence.
"Young Master, how many times have we told you to stay away from our Mistress? How dare filth like you pester our Mistress? You are nothing but a curse who killed Master's sister during childbirth. You are lucky Master insisted on raising you as his own but now you are trying to claim our Mistress as your mother?" the maid stated, making me seethe in anger as I reached for my gun from my back pocket before Alejandro took it away from my hand.
I sent a murderous glare towards him but he simply pointed towards Katerina as if telling me to watch her reaction. I watched in surprise when her shocked eyes traveled to the maid standing beside the kitchen island before she began to glare fiercely towards the maid.
It was the most fucking adorable thing I have ever seen. To think the innocent pure bunny could make such an expression on her gentle face.
"Let go of him! How dare you harm my child?" Katerina screamed in anger before pushing the maid away and carrying a frightened Elijah into her arms.
"Are you alright, baby? Does your arm hurt? Tell mommy, I will rub medicine onto it for you," Katerina began to fret over Elijah before he stared at her in surprise and began to cry loudly while wrapping his tiny arms around her neck and burying his small head into her chest.
I watched in surprise and admiration as she rubbed his back up and down soothingly in a motherly manner before her cold gaze snapped up to the maid again.
"But...Mistress...you paid us to keep Elijah away from you...you said he was a curse" the maid mumbled in confusion and we saw Katerina's eyes widened in realization. She seemed to be cursing her evil twin sister in her heart and we all felt the same as well.
"Mommy...you don't want me? Am I a curse?" Elijah looked up at her and whispered through tears. The three of us looked at him in pure shock since he never spoke so many words to anyone other than my family and Alejandro and Giovanni. Even with us, he simply nodded his and barely spoke. I brought him to many doctors but nobody was able to cure him. Yet here he was, willingly speaking to her.
Katerina shook her head as tears began to pool in her eyes before she gently kissed his tears away and hugged him against her chest tightly.
"No, of course not. Mommy was wrong, mommy was very wrong. My little Elijah is the sweetest boy in the whole wide world. Mommy was not in her right state of mind before, please forgive mommy. I promise I will never allow anyone to hurt you ever again, my little Eli. Mommy is so sorry," she whispered through tears and continued to hug him to her body tightly.
I saw pain flash across her trembling eyes, making my heart clench in pain as well. We could all tell that she was probably remembering her own past and how her own family had thrown her aside and labelled her a curse.
Elijah slowly pulled himself away from her neck before lifting his small hands to wipe the tears away from her eyes, making her let out a soft, angelic laugh. He held her face in between his two hands before kissing both of her flushed cheeks.
"Don't cry, mommy. I will always love you the most, don't worry," he whispered back and tried to hide his blush by burying his face into the crook of her neck. A huge smile graced Katerina's sweet lips as she hugged him and kissed the top of his head.
"Thank you, sweetie. Mommy will cherish you forever, I promise," she whispered back and adjusted him on her hip before turning to address the maid.
I felt immense pride and happiness when I saw her embracing Elijah as her own. My feelings for her began to grow by each second that went by. The desire to hold her and my son in my arms and never let them go began to take over every thought in my mind.
She was just about to speak to the maid when she finally noticed the three of us standing at the entrance of the kitchen, all of whom were looking at her in pure shock and admiration. I gazed at her innocent expression with her lips slightly parted in confusion before smirking when her whole body froze in terror.
The whole room stiffened and silence ensued as I began to stalk towards her. There were many emotions swirling in her big eyes, many of which were fear, terror, nervousness. I could feel Alejandro and Giovanni reaching out to try to stop me but I evaded their hands and went in front of her.
My next words and action shocked all of us, making her jaw instantly drop in shock. Yet, they were the most sincere words I've ever spoken in my whole life. She made the promise, and I am planning to hold her to it forever.
"You heard that, Elijah? Mommy will cherish us both forever," I stated before leaning down and placing a lingering kiss on her soft lips.
***
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