Forced Marriage to the Mafia Billionaire

Chapter 34

The glare of the sun on her face stirred her up from her sleep. Slowly opening her eyes she found her husband smiling down at her, "Morning!" She gleamed at the sight of him. 

"Good morning, or rather good afternoon," he whispered while gently tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear.

She suddenly sat up, alarmed. "Is it noon already?" She hadn't realized she had slept so long. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"It's okay, you slept late waiting for me last night, and you were sleeping so soundly that I didn't want to disturb you," he reassured her, taking her hand in his. "Besides, it gave me time to prepare a surprise for you."

"A surprise?" Her eyebrows shot up with curiosity.

"Come," he urged, helping her up from the bed. Leading her through the hall, he stopped in front of the room next to hers. She looked at him, questioning his intentions. Instead of answering, he gestured for her to open the door. Curiosity piqued, she turned the knob, and upon entering, she was truly amazed.

"This..." The words trailed off from her mouth as she entered, taking the full view of the room. It was meticulously organized with a worktable at the center of the room with stacks of pins and needles, Mannequins lined up at the side of the room, with a sketching area commanding its own space in the corner with a sketch pad and a drawing tablet. Nearby, a sewing machine sat ready for use, surrounded by ample storage space, from floor-to-ceiling shelves to drawers and cabinets stocked with fabric materials.

"This is amazing," she exclaimed, overwhelmed by his thoughtful gesture.

"You can decorate it to your liking, and I'll arrange for someone to help reorganize everything," he said, wrapping his arms around her from behind, enveloping her in a warm hug.

"And I'm sorry that you've been just trapped inside this mansion, I'll see that you have your freedom soon," he promised, planting a reassuring kiss on her head. "Till then you can have your own space here, and I'll see if I can fetch some clients for you." 

"Thank you so much; I love it," she replied, smiling warmly and rubbing his arm to show her appreciation.

He smiled back and then said, "Speaking of which, I'd like to take you somewhere with me."

********

She sighed for what felt like the thousandth time, staring out of the window, waiting for her husband's car to come into view. Before, she used to think Mikhail used to disappear because he wanted to avoid her, but now, it was apparent that he was simply swamped with work. Since the day he surprised her with the room, she had seen less and less of him. He rarely came home, and when he did, it was always past midnight and he'd be gone in the morning, leaving her to wake up alone. Their meals together, lunch or dinner, were often cut short due to his demanding work. 

While she had thrown herself into designing and making clothes for the house staff and the high-profile clients Mikhail had introduced to her, she couldn't help but miss him. Her eyes constantly scanned the driveway for any sign of his arrival, and each time, she sighed in disappointment.

A knock on her door disrupted her thoughts. "Yes?" she replied lazily. 

She could hear the sound of the door opening, and a voice chimed in, "Hey," the voice of the very person she had been missing the entire time.

"When did you get in?" She turned towards the door, a wide grin spreading across her face as she eagerly greeted him. "I didn't see your car arrive." 

"Uh-huh? I didn't know you were keeping track," he teased, leaning against the door with his arms crossed. 

"Is that a problem?" She closed the gap between them, taking long strides. He chuckled and pulled her into a warm hug, saying, "I didn't say it was. In fact, I rather like it."

As she embraced her husband, she felt a sense of warmth and comfort that had been missing during his frequent absences.  "I've missed you," she confessed, her words muffled by his chest. He gently stroked her hair and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "I've missed you too," he admitted, his voice sincere. 

"I know I haven't been around lately but I'm here to make up for that," He smiled down at her, "Would you like to accompany me somewhere?" He asked. 

"Gladly," She replied with a smile.

*** 

He had mentioned a polo match they were going to watch, so she chose to wear a cute baby blue off-shoulder dress, a straw hat, and stylish sandals to complete her outfit.

Upon arriving at the venue, they were greeted by numerous sophisticated-looking people. She awkwardly smiled as they passed through the crowd, guided by her husband to their central seating. As she sat in the stands, she scanned the empty seats around and in front of her, making her feel like a VIP.  As she settled into the stands, she surveyed the empty seats around and in front of her, making her feel like a VIP. However, her excitement turned to confusion when she realized her husband was missing.

She turned to the bodyguards seated nearby and asked, "Where did Mikhail disappear to?"

She searched the area for her husband when the announcement rang out, and the polo players entered the field mounting their horses. Her gaze fixed on a particular player who rode towards her and stopped right in front. "No way!" She was stunned, her mouth hanging open. She turned to the bodyguards, asking in disbelief, "That's not him, right?" 

Her husband winked playfully at her, a mischievous glint in his eye, before rejoining the game. Dressed in his polo attire, he looked like an entirely different person. She watched the game unfold and marveled at how skillfully he seemed to understand and enjoy the sport. Watching him in action, she felt a surge of pride and admiration. It was a side of him she had never seen before, and she couldn't help but be surprised. Her husband was full of surprises. 

As the match concluded with her husband's team emerging victorious, she waited for him at the exit ground. He rode towards her on his horse, radiating confidence and skill. He dismounted and asked with a childish grin on his face, "How was that?"

"Marvelous," She complimented him with a wide smile on her face. 

Later, as he went to get changed, she mingled with some high-profile people, including her clients. One of them wore the dress she had designed for this occasion, and during their conversations, she learned a significant piece of information. Outside of the mafia world, Mikhail was a white-collar businessman, a revelation that surprised her. 

On their way home, she surfed the internet on her phone but found almost no information about her husband online, except for details about his company. She couldn't find anything about the CEO or any of the executive members, and there was little information about the event they had attended. 

"What's with the frown?" Mikhail asked, noticing her deep in thought.

"Look," she showed him her screen, "You're a famous figure, but I can't find anything about you on Google. How is that possible?" she asked, genuinely curious. 

He looked at her with a wry smile. "I've always maintained a low profile in my public life," he explained. She begged to disagree, nothing about him was low profile and the event they just attended surely wasn't.

"I only make rare appearances, and no media appearances, we control the amount of information we give away, and also control the amount of information that is published in public, which is why you didn't find much information online. In my world, discretion is key." He explained.

She remembered her interaction with the police officer back then, the officer who had tried to trick her into bringing information on him, every piece of information was classified, from his white-collar professional life to his Mafia world dealings. Even though people know what and who is he, there wasn't anything precisely on paper.

She nodded, beginning to understand the complexity of his life inside and outside of the mafia world. It was clear that there were many layers to the man she had married.