MAFIA LOVE SCANDAL

Laura and Anne confidently walked into one of the well-known boutiques located in the heart of downtown London. Behind the women, Kaivan trailed lazily, quite certain that today’s fitting session would take a considerable amount of time.

It had become a habit for women to spend a long time shopping, whether it was for clothing, makeup, or other necessities. However, since they had made a commitment and this activity needed to be done, Kaivan reluctantly agreed.

“Kai, just go ahead and choose which suit you want to wear for the wedding event,” Laura said, pointing her right hand towards a dedicated room showcasing men’s collections. “Let Mom take care of your future bride. Mom wants Anne to look as beautiful as possible during the reception.”

Kaivan simply nodded. Without saying much, he followed the boutique assistant who guided him to the special gallery for groom attire. Meanwhile, Laura, the middle-aged woman, began her actions. She carefully selected the dress that would be fitting for Anne to wear. With Kaivan and Anne’s wedding day just around the corner, there was no time left for custom-made dresses like most brides usually get. That’s why Laura took the initiative to have them choose from the available wedding dresses or ones that were ready to wear.

“What color do you like?” Laura asked Anne, who was busy looking at each bridal gown collection in the boutique.

“For the wedding, of course, I prefer white, Aunt.”ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

Laura nodded then motioned for the boutique attendant to come closer.

“Please show me the best and most expensive gown here.”

The attendant nodded.

“Sure, Madam. You can follow me to the premium gallery. There, we have many limited edition collections that are usually worn by royal families or famous artists.”

Laura smiled. She then invited Anne to follow along as the boutique attendant led them.

“Here, Madam. You can choose according to your taste.” The attendant pointed to a cabinet filled with limited collection dresses of various shapes and styles. With enthusiasm in her eyes, Laura eagerly picked dresses for her future daughter-in-law. Meanwhile, Anne was tasked with trying on each dress that was given to her.

“How does it look, Aunt?” Anne asked while wearing the dress that had been chosen by her future mother-in-law.

Laura scanned Anne’s appearance from head to toe. She seemed to be assessing whether the dress suited her taste or not.

“It seems a bit ordinary. I want you to look glamorous and elegant. Let’s find a dress with a more glamorous style. I want my future daughter-in-law to be the center of attention,” she instructed.

Quickly, they followed her command. It didn’t take long for the requested dress to be given to Anne to try on.

“How about this one, Mom?”

Once again, Laura focused her gaze and then made a soft sigh.

“I admit, this dress makes you look glamorous while showing an elegant side. But, something seems missing.”

Anne furrowed her brows in confusion. Laura turned out to be quite the perfectionist when it came to appearances.

“In your opinion, Aunt, what’s missing from this dress?”

Laura stepped forward, walking around where Anne was standing as she continued to think.

“Ah!” she suddenly exclaimed. “I know what’s missing from this dress.”

“What, Aunt?” Anne asked curiously. She had tried on many outfits, and none of them seemed to match her future mother-in-law’s taste.

“You lack sexiness, dear.”

Anne let out a soft breath and nodded.

“Alright then, this time I’ll choose a dress myself. Later, it will be up to you to decide whether it’s suitable for me to wear or not.”

Anne immediately went to the wardrobe where the limited edition dresses were displayed. Her eyes roamed, searching for the model of dress that might be suitable for her to wear. Anne spent a long time searching before finally settling on one choice. With the assistance of the boutique attendant, she took the dress to the fitting room, tried it on, and eagerly showed it to Laura.

“What do you think now, Aunt?”

Laura, who was sitting on the sofa waiting, stood up. A satisfied smile was clearly visible on her lips. “Perfect. You look glamorous… elegant… and well, sexy yet still classy. Oh my God, Anne, you’re truly beautiful.” The middle-aged woman then waved her hand to the boutique assistant. “We’ll take this dress. Please prepare it,” she requested.

A few minutes after Anne’s dress was packed, Kaivan appeared. He seemed to have just finished choosing his suit for the wedding event.

“Are you both done?” he asked.

“Yes.” Laura immediately replied. A continuous smile adorned her lips. She was quite content after finding what she was looking for. “I’m sure you’ll be amazed when you see Anne wearing her dress at your wedding party. She looks absolutely stunning.”

Kaivan nodded. He glanced briefly at Anna Maria before responding to his mother’s words.

“Yes, it seems that way. We both know that Mom’s future daughter-in-law is naturally beautiful.”

Anne could clearly sense that what Kaivan had just said was merely a casual comment. There was no way he genuinely praised her. Like that would ever happen.

Such a bragger. Don’t blame me if you end up admiring me and eventually falling for me.

After packing the purchased dress and making the payment, Kaivan immediately guided his mother towards the car. But before they could step out, the Korean-blooded woman paused for a moment.

“Kai, it looks like Mom won’t be going home with you. I want to invite Anne for tea and a chat at home.”

Kaivan nodded in understanding. He had no objections to his mother’s wishes. He was also confident that Anne would handle whatever needed to be done.

“In that case, I’ll take Mom home and pick her up once I’ve finished all my work.”

Laura agreed to Kaivan’s offer. The three of them then got into the car. They were ready to head to the Maximilian family’s residence.

****

“Kaivan is quite stubborn. Very different from Kenzie. I was so stressed when he suddenly ran away from home.”

Anne chose to listen to the woman across from her as she talked. Occasionally, she gazed in awe at how beautiful and graceful Laura looked, even though she was over fifty years old. They were currently on the porch of the house, conversing and sipping chamomile tea while accompanied by the evening sky.

“If I may ask, what issue did Kaivan have that made him run away from home?”

Laura let out a soft sigh. She recalled memories from several years ago.

“Back then, Kaivan was arranged to be married. And the woman who was supposed to be his wife was Alma, who is now Kenzie’s wife. Maybe because he disagreed, he suddenly left home and chose to live with his grandmother in York.”

“Oh my… ” Anne murmured softly. “Seems like he was quite rebellious. But perhaps he just didn’t like the woman he was supposed to marry, Aunt.”

Laura smiled and nodded, confirming her future daughter-in-law’s words. Federich Maximilian’s eldest son had indeed been known for his mischief since childhood. Kenzie even considered him an enemy because his older brother had caused Alma accidents several times, leading her to the hospital.

“Yes, you’re right. Kaivan claimed he didn’t like our choice. I even had a hard time dealing with it. Luckily, Kenzie was dependable. He took Kaivan’s place and eventually could be with Alma up to this day,” Laura explained. “From a young age, there was nothing else Kaivan could do besides fighting or making us all worry. Thank God he has changed for the better now. But there’s one thing that still puzzles me to this day.”

Anne raised her eyebrows. “What is it, Aunt?”

“It’s about Kaivan finally bringing a woman to marry,” Laura said, taking a deep breath. “Just so you know, before this, my son was constantly changing partners. And he never introduced any of them to the extended family. Honestly, I’m happy that he’s finally found the right choice. Especially since you fit so well with my taste.”

Anne blushed, feeling flattered. While she was well aware that the upcoming wedding was all part of Kaivan’s plan. He deliberately orchestrated this to avoid scandals that could tarnish his reputation.

“I also didn’t expect to become the future wife of Kaivan Maximilian,” Anne praised. In her heart, she couldn’t believe she was becoming the fiancée of a man she hadn’t known before.

Laura smiled in return. She reached for Anne’s wrist and gently held it.

“Kaivan is the lucky one to have a future wife like you. You’re so beautiful, polite, and socially adept. Even I felt a connection when we first talked at the birthday party the other day.”

Anne’s cheeks turned red again. She was the type of woman who easily blushed when she was excessively complimented like this.

“You’re exaggerating, Aunt. I’ve just been myself all along.”

“No, dear. You are special indeed.”

A heavy voice interrupted. Laura and Anne reflexively turned towards the source of the voice. Kaivan had already approached and was walking towards them. Once he arrived, he didn’t hesitate to give Anne a brief peck on the top of her head. It startled her, and she murmured in her heart.

I admit, Kaivan, you would make a great actor. You’re so skilled at acting to create impressions on others.

“Is your chat finished?” he asked. Then he pulled a chair and took a seat right next to Anne. “From a distance, I saw that Mom and Anne were having such a great time. I even got curious about what you two were discussing.”

Laura chuckled softly. She finished the remaining tea in her cup first before responding to her son’s statement.

“Basically, Mom is delighted to have a long conversation with your future wife this afternoon. Truly, you made the right choice.”

Kaivan nodded. He also felt glad that his usually chatty mother easily accepted Anne. It was a far cry from the first time Kenzi Maximilian brought Tita, the woman he had been dating for a while, home. Laura had openly expressed her dislike and even forbade her son from continuing the relationship.

“Thank goodness my choice matched your taste. It means I don’t have to go to great lengths to win Mom’s heart.”

Laura laughed again, agreeing with her eldest son’s words.

“If the chat is over, I give permission for Anne to return to the hotel,” Kaivan stated.

“Don’t you both want to have dinner together first? I’ve asked the staff to prepare a big dinner.”

Kaivan didn’t immediately respond. Instead, he fixed his gaze on Anne, who was sitting beside him.

“Of course, we’d love to, Mom.” He then stood up, extending his hand to invite Anne to rise. “We’ll have dinner first and then head home.”

****

Upon arriving at the hotel, Anne chose to head straight to her room. After taking a shower and changing into comfortable clothes, she sat in front of the vanity table. She began applying her skincare routine one by one before deciding to go to bed.

Lost in her own world while applying creams to her face, Anne suddenly looked up and noticed Kaivan standing. He leaned his sturdy back against the room’s wall, folding his arms in front of his chest.

“I want to talk to you.”

“Just talk. No one’s stopping you,” Anne responded nonchalantly. She continued to focus on the mirror in front of her.

Kaivan walked closer, choosing to sit on the edge of the bed as he observed Anne’s activities in front of the vanity table.

“It’s about our wedding that’s just a few days away.”

“Hmm…” Anne yawned before replying. “What about our wedding? Do you want to cancel it?”

Kaivan snorted. “Of course not. I’m not that foolish to embarrass myself.”

“Who knows, maybe you want to switch positions with me.” Anne retorted openly. “So, what do you want to discuss?”

From the mirror, Anne saw Kaivan take a slow breath.

“I just want to clarify the boundaries between us when we officially become husband and wife.”

“Fine, just state your terms.”

“Remember, our marriage is nothing more than a formality. Although it’s official in the eyes of God and the state, you’re still not allowed to meddle in any of my affairs. Likewise, I will never invade your privacy.”

Anne turned her seated position to directly face Kaivan.

“That’s it? Or is there more?”

“I hope you can cooperate. I mean, please don’t act in a way that could raise suspicions among many people. Behave like a proper wife when in front of others, especially my parents,” he instructed. “Never involve feelings in this marriage. Lastly, if you become pregnant and the child isn’t proven to be mine, we must get a divorce as soon as possible.”

“Such a demanding person!” Anne pouted. She rose and approached Kaivan. “Are you sure about all these requests you’re throwing at me?”

“Absolutely,” Kaivan replied confidently. “Why? Are you afraid?”

Anne immediately shook her head.

“Just so you know, there’s nothing in this world that I’m afraid of.”

This time, Kaivan stood up. He took a few steps closer and stopped right in front of Anne.

“In that case, I assume you understand and agree with what I’ve commanded. And you, is there something you’d like to ask of me?”

Anne shook her head. The next moment, she extended her hand, inviting Kaivan to shake hands.

“Don’t worry. I’m not the type of woman who asks for a lot. I’ll follow all your requests. I hope, in the future, you won’t be the one breaking your own rules.”

Kaivan took a step forward. He lowered his head slightly and murmured.

“I won’t ever go back on my word.”

This time, Anne nodded. She leaned slightly closer to Kaivan and whispered, “Let’s just prove that in the future.”