Bound by Betrayal (The Mafia King Captive Bride)

Damien

“Hello, sir,” As soon as I answered the phone, I heard Michael’s voice on the other end.

With a hint of annoyance in my voice, I responded, ‘Yeah,” as I furrowed my brow and continued to scroll through the laptop in front of me on my desk. The screen illuminated my determined expression as I searched for the information I needed.

“Your friends are here to see you,” he stammered, his voice trembling with uncertainty.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

I paused for a moment, my thoughts swirling as I slowly swiveled my chair, facing the expansive glass window in my office. With a deliberate motion, I turned my attention back to the phone, my expression becoming icy and resolute before I let out a deep sigh, my frustration palpable as I spoke, issuing a stern warning “This is a task for my personal assistant, who happens to be my wife, not you.” I emphasized the word “wife” to ensure he understood the gravity of the situation.

“I… I mean, I’m sorry, sir,” he quickly apologized, his voice filled with remorse. “I understand, it’s just that… she just started today and she’s still getting familiar with everything, especially how the company operates,” he explained, stumbling over his words towards the end.

“You don’t understand a thing, Mr. Michael,” I snapped, my voice laced with frustration. “I specifically tasked you with guiding her on what needs to be done. Either get her up to speed or face the consequences,” I warned, my tone firm and unwavering. With that, I swiveled my chair back towards my laptop, proceeding to focus on the task at hand.

“Let my friends in,” I commanded, my voice filled with authority.

I could hear his heavy breathing as he quickly stammered, “Ye… yes, sir,” his words barely audible. With a dismissive wave of my hand, I abruptly ended the call. Tossing the phone to the other side of my desk, I pushed my chair forward and continued with what I was doing earlier.

It didn’t take more than a minute before I abruptly ended the call, and in that instant, the door to my office swung open, revealing Eros and Pasito standing there.

“Hey, bro!” Eros exclaimed, his voice filled with excitement as he greeted me with a firm handshake. And with a wide grin on his face, he plopped down on the couch, casually crossing his legs.

“What’s up?” Pasito chimed in, extending his hand for a friendly handshake. After exchanging greetings, he pulled out a nearby chair and settled himself down.

“Did you see the news?” Eros was quick to ask, piquing my curiosity as I spared a quick glance at him. “What’s the news?” I inquired, focusing back on what I was doing.

“I think your plan worked out, the whole internet is buzzing with the love you and your wife displayed at the party last night,” Pasito chuckled, but I couldn’t help but deepen my forehead in disgust.

“It was only an act, nothing like love,” I quickly defended, my tone filled with conviction.

“The main thing remains, you both seemed all loved up, and she seems incredibly gorgeous,” he said, winking at me before grinning like an idiot.

“Eros!” I spat out in disgust, shooting him a fierce glance that quickly shut him up.

“Do you think Alexander seemed convinced?” Pasito was smart enough to change the topic because their disgusting teasing is slowly pissing me off and getting on my nerves.

“I don’t need him to believe… It’s his choice,” I smirked, continuing to scroll through my laptop.

“What do you intend to gain from this with her? I mean your wife….. I think it is about having Alexander believing that you two are together,” Pasito questioned, earning a sharp glance from me. I sighed and gave him a long look before refocusing on what I was doing.

“Why not just kill him instead of going through all these corners… You know, ending him is small for you, bro,” Eros groaned, sounding fed up.

“Alexander is smart and hideous, remember,” Pasito muttered, reminding Eros. “So it won’t be that easy to track him down,” he added.

“We can track him down and end him if Damien wants to,” Eros protested.

“You sound off now, Eros… That dude has a lot of alliances. It will be damn hard. We just need a strategic plan,” Pasito insisted, emphasizing his idea.

And honestly, he’s right about the alliances… That chicken head knows that if I see him, I’ll fuck him up, and he might end up dead. So he went as far as forming an alliance with a lot of other mafias. Gotta admit, he’s a bit smart and strategic but that doesn’t mean I still don’t get my eyes on every one of his movements.

Letting out a weary sigh, I can’t help but roll my eyes at their endless banter. “You know, he may be smart in some ways, but when it comes to women, especially mine, he’s clueless. It’s like he can’t resist trying to take what’s already claimed,” I finally interject, my voice filled with a mix of cocky and pride.

“Is that why you are using her?” Pasito muttered. “It is risky, bro,”

“Enough with the questions, Pasito!” I groan, feeling a mix of annoyance and frustration.

“Besides, his career is slowly going down a bit. I’ve been keeping an eye on it,” we both turned our heads, glancing over at Eros who seemed engrossed in his phone. “Looks like things might not be going so well for him after all.” He added.

“The whole world is bashing him, huh? Saying that he called assassins to attack your wife at the party,” Eros suddenly said, confusion evident in his voice. His words earn a sharp glance from both Pasito and me. We exchange a knowing look confused at the turn of events.

“How?” I asked, my voice filled with confusion.

“This is all so confusing. And the news is from an unknown source, Cipher?” I furrowed my brow, trying to make sense of it all immediately the word left Eros’s lips. He looked just as perplexed as he raised his head to meet our gaze. The uncertainty in his eyes mirrored my own confusion.

“Cipher… Who is Cipher?” I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me. I turned my gaze back to Eros, hoping he had some answers.

“The blogger,” he answered back.

“Oh, the blogger,” I replied, nodding in understanding. “The one who spreads all those rumors and gossip. It’s crazy how much influence they now have, isn’t it?” I couldn’t help but shake my head in disbelief.

“But from the look on Alexander’s face last night, he seems clueless about those men,” Pasito said before looking back at us.

“If he did, then where could those assassins have come from?” I pondered aloud, tapping my finger thoughtfully on the desk. “You know, Alexander is cunny and manipulative. He can do anything just to grab attention from the public but still tell Lucas to gather the CCTV recordings of the party and any footage available. It might give us some clues,” I instructed, staring into the thin air, lost in my thoughts.

“Alright, got it,” Eros replied, his fingers swiftly dialing a number that I assumed belonged to Lucas.

I remained silent for a moment, lost in my own thoughts, before letting out a sigh. I returned to what I was doing earlier, trying to focus on my tasks. Just as I was getting back into the groove, Pasito’s voice interrupted my concentration. “How’s the work going?” he asked, giving me a curious look as he eyed me up and down.

Sighing, I switched off my laptop and leaned back to face them. “Not much, really. Just casually scrolling through their transaction history,” I shrugged, trying to downplay the significance of my actions.

“Wow! Right into the transaction history, huh?” Pasito exclaimed. “You’re definitely not here to waste any time,” he added, both of them laughing. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes playfully at their teasing.

“I’m sure Mr. Harlow has managed the company well, so it’s not going bankrupt anytime soon,” Eros teased. But at that moment, something clicked in my mind. Ignoring their jest, I quickly picked up my phone and dialed Michael’s number.

He was obedient enough to pick up at the first ring. “Drag your ass here in two seconds,” I snarled before ending the call and tossing my phone away. Hissing, I tilted my head away, ignoring their curious glances.

“Damien,” that was Pasito, “Any issue?” His question had barely left his lips when suddenly there was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” I announced. Michael opened the door, breathing heavily like he just run a marathon. Beads of sweat glistened on his face as he gently walked inside towards me. “You called, sir,” he said, catching his breath.

Eros and Pasito curiously glanced at him before focusing back on me. “Yeah,” I replied while tapping thoughtfully on my desk.

“Look,” I said, turning to face him with a blank expression. “I think it’s time for you to announce me as the new owner of Powertech Innovation Company.” I dropped the bombshell, earning a loud gasp from Eros and Pasito, which only left the clueless Michael confused.

“Okay, sir,” he nodded with a bow, clearly aware of my new ownership but unaware of the details or how I went about it.

“Damien,” Pasito called, his voice a bit shaky. But before Michael could walk out of the office, an idea suddenly flashed through my mind, brightening my face and deepening my dimples.

“Wait, Michael,” I called, making him halt in his steps. “Call in my personal assistant… The announcement isn’t your job either.”

“Personal assistant,” the two blurted, but they just earned a twitching eyebrow from me. “Fast!” I turned to Michael and shrieked at him, causing him to hurriedly scramble out of the office.

“You have a personal assistant?” Eros asked, but I just shrugged without saying a word.

“But, Damien,” Pasito hesitated, his voice tinged with concern. “I thought you made a promise to Mr. Harlow that you wouldn’t let the public know it was yours. What exactly are you up to this time around?”