Chapter 227
Marcel had to admit, she was way smarter than he gave her credit for. If he needed to get her that quickly, he would need to employ the help of a hacker seeing how she efficiently dodged most cameras.
But no, he could recognize her in one glance even if she wore that blonde wig or that ridiculous glasses – he knew everything about her. Yeah, he was that taken by her.
Marcel couldn’t make a big deal out of it either by sending word on the street that he needed her. Elijah was still in the shadows, he can’t make a big deal out of it, or else he gets wind of Arianna’s disappearance and gets to her first. Even thinking about the possibility of that happening sent anger rushing through him.
Arianna was his.
Marcel has done his research and came to find out that he met her before Elijah did, so he had the right to her. Hence her old lover had to move out of the picture and he – Marcel – cleans his household before he could properly chase after her. Arianna deserved the very best.
It was quite unfortunate that he would hurt her on the way but the end result was all that matters. She would be mad at him now but when she settled into their lifestyle properly, she’d understand how lenient he has been with her.
So he tracked her down the good old way. Although it took him time, that was the fun of it! His heart pounded with the thrill vibrating through his body, what he would do once he found her. He couldn’t wait to see her reaction – he takes satisfaction from that.
Arianna probably didn’t know that he let her run all this while on purpose. But all of it was to prove a point, she could never escape him. Not unless he wanted it. And their destiny must be deeply intertwined because she ran back to him without him doing much.
.....
The hotel that she decided to spend the night in was owned by their family, to be precise, Victor’s mother. Arianna probably thought all his family did was illegal transactions. If only she knew they use a lot of legitimate business as their front and stifle snooping noses.
He wondered what Arianna had been thinking walking into that hotel looking like an escapee. Perhaps, in other hotels, her dressing might seem normal – and none of their business. But not in a hotel owned by a Mafioso with staff that had keen senses.
They had sensed Arianna was on the run, but from who? They had no idea. So they looked her up and sent her information to her boss, Carmine aka Victor’s mother. With their underworld business, they had to be careful about the kind of people they let into the hotel so as not to cause trouble and draw attention to themselves because certain
“Businesses” were conducted in secret there as well.
Hence, one could tell how stunned Marcel was when his aunt called to inform him to come and extract his “business” from her hotel quietly. The woman must have done her homework and realized the girl was the real reason for the family meeting the other day.
“I don’t understand young people these days,” His aunt showed her disapproval the moment he arrived at her office, “You hold onto one woman and can’t let go of the other,” She hinted at him being engaged to Clara.
“That’s quite hypocritical coming from you, aunt, considering you kidnapped Victor’s father on the day of his wedding to his ex,” He sassed back.
“You arrogant sc*m!” And that got him kicked out of her office – but not without the keycard to her room. He couldn’t break into her room like that except he wanted to scale the walls, his aunt ensured the best of security.
And yeah, what he said to Victor’s mother was completely true. His aunt Carmine fell for Victor’s father sheepishly, but the problem? They both were polar opposites. The man couldn’t fit in the life she lived, the Mafia.
So he broke her heart in every way possible just so she could let him go but all that did was make her love him the more. The last straw that broke the camel’s back was his decision to marry his girlfriend – he broke off things with Carmine after he found out her background.
That was when his aunt knew she had to step in. She kidnapped him on the day of his wedding and that caused quite a racket both in their organization and the outside world because the ms. in question was the son of a politician – a senator’s son to be precise.
Marcel was not born when it happened but it had been quite a sensational event that he learned everything in detail as he grew. Everyone in the family concluded that Carmine wanted to ruin them, especially his father, Daniel, who claimed this was her revenge for Albine.
But then while the world was up in flames, his aunt and her love interest were on a private island where she took him. There, they had a crazy agreement to marry for a year and divorce afterward – just to satisfy her obsession with him.
Victor’s father was sure their marriage would be a disaster before six months was up. But then, a year passed, then two years, five, six, twenty years, and ongoing, they were still together.
If there was anything Marcel understood about the Mafia, though they might seem brutal and heartless in people’s perspective, they mate for life. Once together, they can’t divorce until death separates them due to the information both parties hold over the other. It was too lethal.
Hence they took marriage seriously. They don’t know the word “love” but when their perfectly honed instincts tell them this is the one? They go after their mate with everything they have.
Marcel just couldn’t help but wonder if his father, Daniel, had someone like that. Because if he did, that should explain why his mother lived so miserably. He wanted to see the woman.