THE REVENGE OF THE SCORNED BRIDE

The Mafia Lord

“How the hell am I supposed to even fight back against a crime lord?” Vivian asked, her brows furrowed in confusion.. She closed her eyes tightly and took in a deep breath.

“That's where I come in.” Marcus answered with a smirk.

Vivian sighed and closed her eyes as she allowed herself to rest her back on the park bench, “None of this makes sense.” She muttered under her breath.

In just a few hours, her entire life had changed, from being betrayed by the people she loved the most on the planet to now being hunted by one of the most powerful people in the world. She was still struggling to accept that this was all real.

Vivian turned towards Marcus and asked what had always been on her mind, “Who the hell are you?” Her voice came out in a whisper.

The more time Vivian spent with the smiling man sitting beside her, the more she realized that he was vastly different from the man he portrayed when they first met.

He was obviously not a private investigator like he said he was. In fact, she was beginning to suspect that his real name was not even Marcus.

With the cigarette still expertly held between his fingers, Marcus turned towards Vivian and smiled. “Do you really want to know?” He asked,

“Of course, I want to know.” Vivian replied, “I literally just learned that my life is in danger, forgive me if I am not being too trusting right now. Is your name even Marcus?”

Marcus chuckled at her question. He looked into her eyes and saw the strength that she was trying very hard to project. He could tell that she was far more shaken than she allowed herself to show.

“Yes, my real name is Marcus.” He replied, smirking,

“Is that all you are going to say?” Vivian asked through gritted teeth. "That was just one of my questions, Marcus. Who the hell are you?” She stood up the moment she asked that question, with wary distrustful eyes, she began to back away from him.

“Sit down Vivian,” Marcus ordered, his tone low, his eyes narrowed as he looked deep into Vivian’s eyes.

Shock ran through Vivian's spine the moment she heard his order, with panicked eyes and shaky steps, she walked back towards him and sat down. The sheer force of his heavy gaze pressing upon her made her shiver. Whoever Marcus really was, she could tell he was not one to be disobeyed.

Marcus raised his cigarette to his lips, took a long drawn-out puff and then released the smoke in a circle. He waited for the smoke to dissipate before he answered Vivian. “Have you ever heard of the drug lord, Smoke?”

“Yes,” Vivian answered, nodding, “Of course I have.”

Smoke was one of the most notorious crime lords in the world. He was also the most mysterious. There were no images of him, no record of his voice or anything like that. In fact, to most of the world, he was nothing more than a myth.

“Wait, you are him?” Vivian asked, shocked, as realization hit her. “You are the drug lord Smoke?”

“Good, you are not as slow as I thought you were,” Marcus answered.

“That's impossible,” Vivian said as she shook her head. “I have watched the news reports about Smoke, even the police are saying that he could be nothing more than a myth.”

Marcus leaned forward and Vivian leaned backwards in shock. The surrounding atmosphere had immediately cooled down the moment she called him a myth.

“Do I look like a myth to you?” he asked, his voice was calm and cool.

Vivian gulped. She was beginning to realize that this man in front of her was not one that she could question.

The immense weight of his words shocked her, the realization that she was sitting across from one of the most dangerous and mysterious men in the world was enough to spook her.

With her mind racing and her fists clenched, Vivian tried to calm down,

“Why me?” Vivian stuttered,

It was only then that Marcus seemed to realize that he was spooking her. He smiled and leaned away from Vivian, finally giving her the space and time she needed to breathe.

“To be honest with you, Vivian, you were never on my radar, and I would be shocked if you were ever on Lucien's radar too,” Marcus answered,

“So how the hell was I dragged into this mess?” Vivian snapped back. She was mad, not just at her husband, or at her twin sister and all the mafia lords who were suddenly interested in her. No, Vivian was mad at herself. She had always prided herself on being strong-willed and calm. She was tired of acting weak,

Shocked by her new-found strength and confidence, Marcus smiled. “Interesting,” he muttered under his breath.

“Whether you like it or not, Vivian, the actions of your husband and your twin sister have dragged you into our world. It might not be your fault, but Lucien Drake is not going to stop no matter how much you tell him that it was all a misunderstanding.”

“What about you then, Marcus? What is your play?” Vivian asked through gritted teeth. As much as she wanted to dispute Marcus' claim, she knew that he was right.

“Finally, you are asking the right questions,” Marcus' expression did not change, but his eyes narrowed, “Lucien Drake is my enemy, and you are an asset that my enemy needs, that makes you leverage.”

“Leverage?” Vivian asked in shock, “For what?”

“You'll find out soon enough,” Marcus replied,

“No, I won't,” Vivian said as she stood up. “I am tired of these games. I don't care if you are really Smoke or the freaking Governor. I don't care anymore. My mom and I are going to leave, and you will not stop us.” Vivian could not tell where her strength was coming from but she was tired and scared, but above all, she was pissed.

“Good,” Marcus said with a look of pride on his face,

His response shocked Vivian. She had been expecting a different response, but he was looking at her with both a curious look and an impressed gaze.

“Good?” Vivian stuttered,

“Good,” Marcus said again as he stood up and took a step towards Vivian.

It was only then that Vivian realized that she had always seen Marcus seated. This was the first time she had ever seen him stand up, and he was somehow taller than she imagined. Marcus was about a foot taller than her, so when he stood in front of her, Vivian had to take a couple of steps back in shock.

“You have proven that you have the heart for exactly what I need you for,” Marcus said as he allowed himself a rare genuine smile.

“Tell me Vivian Hart, do you want to be my business partner?”