His Mafia Bride

CRYSTAL

“What! You did all that just to get a day off from school!?”I asked in high pitch, my brows pulled up in total astonishment at Leonardo’s tale.

He chortled and gave me a sly smirk. “Ofcourse.”

“C’mon don’t act surprised. You know me and you know my character” he added sharply.

I blinked severally, almost laughing. Leonardo was a whole box of weird.

“You burnt your school books and began smoking in class so as to get suspended! That’s insane”I screeched.

Leonardo laughed it off. “I’m insane baby girl. I know”

“Now tell me” he requested, pouring himself another glass of whiskey.

“Did you engage in any sort of mischief while you were in high school?”

I shook my head, pouting my lips a little. My eyes locked with his and I almost giggled at his quirky look.

“I was an obedient student. Teachers pet you might even say” I chirped.

“Unlike some people I know that almost made their teachers run mad”I taunted Leonardo.

He ruffled up my hair which made me jerk in my seat.

“Leonardo now my hair is scattered”I whined trying to comb down the bed nest Leonardo had turned my hair into with my hands.

Leonardo gave a smug smile. “Good for you”

I gasped shockingly. “You are a beast”

I stared at his unfazed facial expression which made me chuckle.

I know I usually called him a beast but this time it was more of teasing than actually meaning it.

“Crystal if I perhaps am a beast then what are you?”Leonardo suddenly asked sounding serious.

I got thrown aback and for a moment I actually felt he was angry by my remark.

“Well, i-i am beauty”I replied trying to sound brave.

He gave me a cocky brow and that was when I realised he was also teasing me.

“Yes. I am beauty and you are a beast”I persisted sounding more brave now.

“What’s that?”he asked, his tone carrying hints of confusion as he adjusted himself in his seat to intensely stare at me.

“Beauty and the beast?”I questioned.

He nodded.

“Don’t you know it? It’s a Disney fairy tale”I replied.

Leonardo gave me a shake of his head. “I didn’t watch all those”

I had my mouth parted at his confession. “Are you serious!” my shrill voice rang out.

He nodded with a soft smile. “Do you like the fairy tale?”

This was so absurd. He didn’t watch all these nostalgic Disney fairy tales.

How was his childhood really like?Text © 2024 NôvelDrama.Org.

I couldn’t help but wonder.

“Ofcourse I do. The female protagonist Belle basically reminds me of myself”

He cocked another brow, this time seeming very interested. “Why do you say so?”

“She loves her family so much and she will do any thing for her family. Her only family is her father. She is brave and she looks beyond the superficial qualities of human. That was how she was able to save her father from the beast” I explained

He nodded his head for me to go on.

“You see the beast was once a charming young prince but he was very proud. As a result of his proud, vain attitude, he was cursed. Him and everyone in his castle. He was turned into a scary, huge, lion like beast”

“Wow. That’s scary. No way out for the curse to be broken?”Leonardo asked concerned.

I observed his facial features. He seemed really interested in knowing the story. His blue eyes shimmered like a child given candy.

“He was given a rose and when the last petal from the rose falls without him finding true love and getting a true love kiss , then the curse is permanent. The prince knew it was nearly impossible for anyone to love him as a beast. He accepted his fate as a beast and became more cruel and cold”

I stoped to stare at Leonardo once again. He was seriously paying rapt attention.

“What about belle? The heroine?”he asked.

I gave him a soft smile. “As the story progressed, Belle’s  father was imprisoned by the beast for trespassing into his castle. So Belle had to go save her father. In exchange for her father’s freedom, the beast demanded that belle stayed with him in his castle. She loved her father so much. She had no other option but to take her father’s place”

I noticed the look in his eyes. It seemed like a sorry, pitiful, apologetic look. I guess it must have dawned on him that what belle did is what I’m currently doing in exchange for my sister’s safety.

“She really agreed to live with the beast?”he further asked.

I nodded with a broad smile. “That’s why I love her. Her ability to put others before her. Her life didn’t matter to her when her father’s life got threatened. She beseeched for his life and was willing to take his place to live with that cold, fearsome beast”

Leonardo seemed stunned but all the same he nodded his head.

“How was their relationship like?”

I tilted my head, my eyes squinting slightly. “It started off as very um… scary and awkward. You would expect her to normally be scared of the beast. But as time went on so did her stay in his castle. She got to know the real beast–the one in his heart. She figured out that this cold wall he is putting up isn’t the real him. She got very close to him but their love wasn’t without any hurdles”

“What sort of hurdles?”he inquired, taking a sip of his whiskey.

“A man named Gaston, self centred and selfish incited the villagers to go kill the beast. He was in love with belle– well that was what he thought. But he was more in love with himself. The reason he just wanted Belle was for his ego. Belle had rejected him countless times and he couldn’t deal with the rejection so he wanted to get her by hook or by crook. When he learnt of Belle’s stay in the beast castle, he caused an uproar within the villagers to go kill the beast”

Leonardo looked somewhat scared.

“What happened? Did he succeed?”He asked hyper, gripping on to my arm.

“The villagers did attack the beast’s castle and the process of trying to save Belle, the beast was stabbed in the back by Gaston”

Leonardo gave out a shock gasp.

“But….”I began, wanting to calm his nerves. “Belle kissed him at that moment”

I watched his eyes sparkle with hope.

“Yeah he got his true love kiss right before the last petal from the rose fell off. The curse was broken and he turned to a charming prince”

“What about Gaston?”

“Oh Gaston died. He fell down from the castle in the heat of the moment. You could say he planned his own death” I laughed

Leonardo felt satisfied and sculled down the entire glass of whiskey.

“So belle looked above his superficial qualities and saw that he was a good person deep down. She stood with him in face of difficulties and never let Gaston selfish aim rule…”

I listened to Leonardo who began narrating the lessons he learnt from the story like a little child.

Wow. He was a good listener and a sharp learner.

“Belle seems just like you”he admitted giving me a boyish grin.

I nodded. “I’ve always envisioned myself as her. What she did was so daring”

An exhale left my lips as I turned my eyes to the square shaped window next to my seat.

I yawned lazily and felt my eyes becoming heavy.

I could sense Leonardo staring intently at me but I didn’t really feel scared.

My eyelids closed slowly and I let out a sigh.

LEONARDO

I watched Crystal sleep gently. She had been asleep for more than thirty minutes now.

A strand of her blonde hair dangled across her face and her full, plump lips were parted.

I tucked it in gently behind her ear making sure not to wake her up. It took every self restraining cell in me not to suck on her lips. They looked so tempting.

Staring at her got me wondering how she tasted.

Sweet ofcourse. I was a creep, I know.

Lines of laughter had completely been erased from her face. She was just a gentle soul that was fast asleep right now–not having any single worry in the world.

The only movement in her body was the slow rise and fall of her engorged breasts.

She looked so enthralling.

I had been watching Crystal ever since I brought her in to stay with me.

From the very moment I set my eyes on her at the strip club, her innocence enthralled me.

From the way she danced and her body language, I could easily decipher that she didn’t want to be there.

Other strippers would usually go very close to the audience letting those crazy men touch them but she left as soon as the music stopped.

I never thought I would meet Travis price’s daughter in one of my strip clubs. I was eager to see her again so I called for her privately and her innocence pulled me more into her.

I very well knew she hated me. At first I thought I didn’t care. I felt as long as she just stayed in my house and having her submit to me was enough. But gradually I realised that I didn’t want her to hate me.

When she rejected to have dinner with me, for the first time I had been turned down by a girl and it irked me.

I was completely overwhelmed with anger that I littered her body with strokes from my belt.

I truly am a beast. Whenever I think of the mean things I did to her, I feel so ashamed of myself. I feel like stabbing myself repeatedly.

I never knew fear.

“In the mafia you don’t fall inlove. You show no emotions” my father would yell at me.

I never felt fear until the day I saw her and chase kiss.

I felt angry, a grenade had exploded in my head and at the same time I felt so scared of loosing her to chase.

It felt like my heart had been ripped out and crushed to dust right before my eyes.

Jealousy gripped me. She was never at ease with me. She would always get a fright whenever she was with me but reverse was the case for chase.

She completely surrendered herself to his kiss and at that moment I felt nothing but to kill chase.

I needed her to know that I was the only one meant to touch her.

I never knew my reaction to the kiss that transpired between her and chase would make her fall sick.

I never expected that.

Like the beast in the narration of her fairy tale, I had built a cold wall over the years to keep myself away from any sort of emotions that could render me weak.

But Crystal somehow managed to tear down those walls in just a day.

My heart sank to my deepest abyss of fears the moment I spotted her lying unconscious under the cold waters of her shower.

I was scared, trepadised, horror struck–any word to describe how fearful I had become.

I wish I never made her feel so worthless and caged because now I would have to work alot to win her trust. I kept on denying my love for her until the day she fell ill.

I couldn’t deny it any longer. I totally shut all work activities to cater for her and here I am taking her on a trip to Italy.

I loved this woman.

I wanted her to know how much I loved her, I wanted to know the real Crystal also– not the fearful one that hated Leonardo.

I wanted to also know if she felt something for me. Over the days she had been opening up to me. She was becoming less scared of me and more relaxed. It was a good progress.

I was getting ready to actually profess my love to her. Hearing myself sound like a teenager in love got a smile plastered on my face.

But I know what I feel for her is real and true.

Whenever she is in my arms, I feel so happy, so excited. It is literally the best feeling ever.

Spending so much time with her got me to feel things I never thought I could feel. She was purity, innocence and I was the opposite.

I needed her to actually love me for me, and although I was willing to change for her sake, I was desperate for her love also.

I am acting like a total simp right now and I don’t care. I needed to have Crystal. I am very well aware of the fact that she probably still hates me.

I knew it will be challenge to get her to want me and love me as much as I do for her but I was ever willing to work for it.

I was loosing my mind but I loved it. I felt like a creep but I didn’t care.

I kept on staring at her enticing facial features, my eyes were literally exploring all part of her body.

I wished I could touch her whilst my eyes fed on her looks but I had to control myself.

I didn’t want to scare her. Scaring her would push her away and that was the last thing I wanted to happen.

I loved, wanted and needed Crystal. And I’ll make sure I get her even if it’s the last thing I have to do.