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66: I’ll miss you
Camilla blinked. Maksim held her gaze, watching to be sure he didn’t miss any sign. He must have missed something. No one was ever this nice without ulterior objectives. Kidnap might not be the right word to use, but he uprooted her out of her seemingly happy life and forced her into a marriage with him. Yet here she was, being the sweetest thing he had ever encountered.
“Nothing,” his wife finally said. Shaking her head, she tried unsuccessfully to smile. Her finger jutted out as if to poke him, but she stopped and fisted her hand. “I just… People can be nice, you know? They can be nice while expecting nothing in return.”
“No. No one is ever that nice, Cam. They might not collect immediately, but they will.”
“Well, I don’t want anything from you,” she stated. Then what was all this? This was not a date. “I just… this is not how I envisioned my married life to be. But we
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Alek was gone. Camilla was missing him, maybe more than she had missed any of her siblings since she came here. Training had happened normally at dawn, followed by a quick breakfast with both of them.Loneliness hit her hard, but going to the hammock without Alek felt wrong. So now she was in their room, skimming through the notes she had taken during her Russian classes with Doris. It was always random because of the housekeeper’s schedule.A sigh escaped her. She tossed the book to the bed and tugged her dress down her shoulder to reveal skin. Pictures were one of her favourite pastimes, and she had taken none since she got here. Settling on the seat before the mirror, she placed her phone against it and leaned in for a pose.Camilla’s cell beeped, and she chortled. Her husband had texted her. She dragged the notification bar to view the message.Alek: Just arrived. How are you?She didn’t reply instantly. Biti
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 68: Camilla's Library (I)
Camilla followed behind Doris to another section of the house. The building was too big for one family. Even with the maids and guards living with them, the size still overwhelmed her. Alek had warned her off certain areas of the house. Papa’s quarters. The guards section. Training arena.She had listened to him, but Doris seemed to be taking her to one of those prohibited areas. They passed the dining room and a few more doors before Doris opened one of them. She took a step inside and staggered. Men in suits were inside. Of the three men attaching the rolling ladder to the empty bookshelves, she only recognised Yaro.“Ta-da,” Doris stated.A weight dropped on Camilla’s chest. She took a cautious step inside and paused. The room was massive, and every inch of the wall was covered with white shelves. Books stood beside one section in a heap.Where did all those books come from?The lights lining the e
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 69: Camilla’s Library (II)
“Because you too have something to lose,” Doris said, her smile too big. Camilla had no doubts the woman loved Alek. But she was uncomfortable discussing poisons, death, and sex with her. “You really like the boy.”Camilla blushed. “I don’t think so.”“Don’t worry. He likes you too.”“Not true.”She asked him then, and he never replied.Doris spread her hand around the room with a sneer. “You think he build this for fancy? Mr Mak build it because he like you too.”Leaning back against the couch, she folded her arms on her chest. “He’s just being nice.”“You call him Alek, Madam Camilla,” the housekeeper reminded her. Because the man requested it. “Only you call him Alek.”“That’s what he told me to call him,” Camilla grumbled. “It’s nothin
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 70: A Thousand Splendid Suns
Maksim wanted to go home to his wife. An assignment had never annoyed him as much as this one. Even processing the information he had received so far was slow. What he needed were the pictures, and he would be on the jet back home.He glared at the novel in his hand, annoyed at himself for stooping this low. Pleasing his wife meant trying to share some of her interests, but he didn’t expect to be pages deep into a story about some Afghans and their wars.This was not a romance story.He shut the copy of A Thousand Splendid Suns. He only enjoyed her mafia romance novels when he was reading them to her, or he would have started with those. They contained lots of misinformation about the mafia, but Camilla cared more for the main leads happy ever afters so he kept shut. Maybe that was why she liked the books. They were a respite from her mafia reality.The long-awaited call came in. His phone buzzed on the hotel bed, and he tossed the
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 71: Home
Maksim hid his disappointment a tad too late. Camilla had already seen it. Her face fell, and she smiled sadly. “It’s not good.”“No,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s fine.”“Don’t lie. Your face says it all.” He took another spoonful to show her he was fine, but that only helped him identify the issue. Salt. The problem was with the salt. “You really don’t have to pretend, Alek.”“Cam, I mean it. It’s good…”“But?”“It’s a bit salty,” he admitted.“Salty?” Camilla asked. He nodded. She scooped some from his plate, and her face wrinkled as she forced it down her throat. “Oh God. This isn’t a little salty. It’s a lot salty. Fuck. I forgot I added salt the first time.” Rising, she tried to pack his plate, but he stopped her. “You don&r
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 72: He liked her
Camilla didn’t tell Alek the exact details of the conversation with Papa because she hadn’t decided what to do. Leaving Alek should make her happy. It was her end goal. Her attempts at pregnancy was in line with it. Papa had given her a better option, a glorious alternative. Yet she didn’t want to take it.What if she told Alek about Papa’s proposal, and he asked her to leave? No, he wouldn’t. The man liked her. That much was true. But she wasn’t sure he liked her enough to want her to stay here with him. What about her? What did she feel?Her fingers wove through his hair. Very rarely did she wake up before him, but today was an exception. He was a quiet sleeper, a quiet man, who seemed to grow talkative around her. She liked it, but she wanted more from him. His secrets. His fears. Many, many things about him.Alek moaned, and her nipples roused. She was naked from yesterday’s attempted sex. When she felt h
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 73: Bible, Cam (I)
Maksim spied the time. Today was going too slow. He had a date with Camilla. A sadistic chuckle almost escaped him. Fine, he called it a date. So what? She was his wife, not a random girl he was fucking.The knob jiggled, and his office door opened. Vanya entered. Their relationship had moved from I want to murder you, Vanya, to, what the fuck do you want, since Camilla’s arrival. He had only been nice to his half-brother for Camilla’s sake, but that had become easier to do in the last days. Not enough to want Vanya around him but enough to tolerate and not kick him out of his office for not knocking first.“What’s up?”Vanya offered him a smile that lacked its usual exuberance. Another patient of his had better not died because Maksim still was unable to offer any sympathies.“I’m leaving. I have to return to work.”Maksim leaned back in his chair, his fingertips touching. He
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 74: Bible, Cam (II)
“Uh-oh,” came from the other end of the phone.“Yeah. Because Cam lost the baby,” Maksim said. Christian muttered apologies he ignored as soon as they came. He should have trusted his friend enough to tell him there was no child, but it had already happened. No use bringing it up now. “If I tell her, she might want to leave. She likes me, but does she like me enough to stay?”“Then get her pregnant. You’re the man.”Maksim groaned. “Look, that wasn’t why I called you. I’m going to do something silly very soon. When that happens, you might need to watch her for me. I trust only you.”Christian whistled. “I’m up for it, bro.”“Thanks. I’ll let you know when I have more info.” Closing his eyes, Maksim said, “Hopefully it never gets to that point.”His friend re-echoed his sentiments, and the call ended. He hadn’t d
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