My Husband is a Mafia Boss

CHAPTER FIVE

I had just gotten my order from my favorite coffee shop, the warm cup of latte comforting in my hands, when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out to see a message from Lily:

“Prof. Richards is here early! Hurry!”

“Crap,” I muttered under my breath, shoving my phone back into my pocket. I bolted out of the coffee shop and sprinted across campus, the cold morning air stinging my cheeks. My bag bounced against my side, and I clutched my coffee cup tightly, praying it wouldn’t spill.

As I rounded the corner near the business administration building, my momentum carried me straight into someone. My coffee cup flew out of my hand, and the warm liquid splattered across a white shirt.

And it wasn’t my white shirt.

I gasped in shock, my heart sinking. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry!” I exclaimed, my face flushing with embarrassment. “Why does this always happen to me?”

The guy I’d collided with clenched his jaw, his eyes narrowing. He wore an armband that marked him as part of the Student Government. “It’s probably because you’re such a klutz. You know, brain is a good thing. You should have one,” he said and raised an eyebrow in disdain.

I blinked, taken aback by his bluntness. He was still looking at me like I was the most stupid creature on earth. And at that moment, I did feel like I was so I didn’t bother replying to his retort.

“I’m really, really sorry,” I repeated, fumbling to open my wallet. “Here, let me pay for your shirt.”

He flicked my hand away, making me drop the money I’d pulled out. “Don’t bother,” he snapped.

I bent down, scooping up the bills, feeling a mix of anger and humiliation. “What is your problem?” I yelled, furious now. This was his fault too—he could have moved out of the way since he clearly saw me bounding for him.

His expression darkened. “My problem? You’re the one who spilled coffee on me!”

“You know what? This is childish.”

“Well, I’m dealing with a child.”

“Excuse me?!”

“Oh, don’t talk out loud. You lower the IQ of the entire building. And that’s saying a lot considering there’s about a thousand of us.”

Before our argument could have the chance to escalate, a professor appeared, glaring at us both. “What’s going on here?”

The guy grabbed my wrist, pulling me along before I could protest. “We’re going to the campus shop,” he said through gritted teeth, dragging me towards the building that sold university merchandise.

I yanked my hand from his grip, glaring at him. “I can walk on my own, thanks,” I muttered. This was getting worse by the second. I was most definitely not making it to class now.

He led me into the shop and went straight to the clothing section. Without hesitation, he picked out the most expensive shirt on the rack, a smug look on his face.

I stared at the price tag, my jaw dropping. “Are you serious? Two hundred dollars for a shirt?”

He just smirked, crossing his arms. “If you’re going to ruin my clothes, you can at least replace them with something decent.”

Biting back a retort, I snatched the shirt from him and walked to the cashier, my hands trembling with frustration. I handed over my credit card, watching helplessly as the amount was charged.

Was that shirt made of gold or something?

The cashier handed me the bag, and I thrust it towards him. “Here, your precious shirt.”

He took it, his expression still infuriatingly smug. “Thank you. Try to be more careful next time.”

I clenched my fists, fighting the urge to scream. “Whatever,” I muttered, turning on my heel and storming out of the shop.

As I walked away, I could still feel his eyes on me, a mix of irritation and amusement. My mind was a whirlwind of anger and embarrassment. What a horrible start to my day. Now I had to explain to my professor why I was late, with no decent excuse, and with my pride bruised.

Could this day get any worse?

...

It was late afternoon and the heat of the sun had just begun to die down, casting a warm glow over the bustling campus as Lily and I ate our first real meal of the day. The air was filled with the familiar buzz of students hurrying to their respective destinations, their voices blending into a chorus of excitement.

As we ate, Lily practically squealed with excitement as I spilled everything that happened about Giovanni and the Student Government guy. But while she was thrilled, I felt the complete opposite. Just a week ago, I was moping about being single, and now, suddenly, I had not one but two guys literally messing up my life. It should've been great news, right?

Well, it wasn't.

On paper, it sounded like a dream come true, the kind of scenario you'd find in a cheesy rom-com. But reality had a way of throwing curveballs, and this sudden onset of attention left me feeling more conflicted than ever.

As Lily continued to gush about how happy she was for me, I couldn't shake the nagging sense of discomfort that lingered in the pit of my stomach. With each word that came out of her mouth, I felt the weight of my own hesitations grow heavier.

"It would've been nice if they were fighting for my attention now, wouldn't it? The problem is, they weren't. They were fighting with me," I interjected, hoping to convey the complexity of the situation that seemed lost on Lily's ecstatic demeanor.

But she merely nodded, her attention already drifting back to the details of what I had just told her.

"But I have to ask," she continued, her voice laced with playful curiosity, "was Giovanni's kiss that good and was the Student Government guy's hand that soft?"

I blinked. “Did you even listen to me?”

“Oh, yeah! Every word.” She beamed at me, leaning closer. I swear if she had a tail, she’d be wagging it right about now.

I just gave a resigned sigh and continued stuffing my face with buttercream cake.

As I sat staring out at the open field, lost in my thoughts, Lily's voice snapped me back to reality. I blinked, my gaze drifting from my half-eaten buttercream cake to my friend's concerned expression. With a resigned sigh, I pushed my plate away, not really feeling that the sweetness was helping with any of this.

"You don't want to be late again," Lily reminded my gently, breaking the silence that hung between us.

As we made our way towards our next class, my mood was noticeably subdued. I had been dealing with a string of setbacks lately – maxing out my credit cards, not talking to any of my family members since that day they tried to set me up in an arranged marriage without even telling me, and then missing first period with that terror professor who managed to give me a grade that kicked me out of the honor roll last semester.

I sighed, my footsteps heavy. Turning a corner, I — once again — collided with a solid mass, the familiar scent of expensive cologne assaulting my senses. With an inward roll of my eyes, I looked up to meet the stern gaze of the Supreme Student Government president.

"I'm glad this time you don't have coffee on you," he remarked dryly, his amusement evident in his tone.

My expression darkened, a scowl forming on my features. "Do you do this often? Is this your way of scamming people into buying you expensive shirts?" I retorted, my voice laced with sarcasm.

"Excuse me?" he snapped, bristling at my accusation.

I sneered, my patience wearing thin. "Oh, you're excused," I replied curtly, brushing past him with an annoyed expression.

But before I could even successfully walk away, his hand caught my wrist and whirled me around, forcing me to face him. He had on a confused look, his eyes scanning my face like he was trying to read me. Lily, who was just watching us from the corner of the hall, was now giggling and filming us with her phone.

I tried to snatch my hand away but he just caught it again.

“What the hell is your problem?” he asked, and I rolled my eyes.

“You?”

“Wait. You hate me?”

“I thought I made myself clear the first time.”

He scoffed, finally letting go of my hand, and brushed his fingers through his blond locks. I just stared at him like he’s the most annoying creature in this planet while he tried to get that information through his thick skull.

“Do you need help understanding what I just said?” I snapped at him, and he turned to me with an offended expression.

“I’m not as dumb as you look,” he retorted, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

“You’re one insult away from starting a war.”

“Hey, you insulted me first!”

“Really? When?”

“You just said you hate me. I mean, what’s not to like?”

“Everything?”

His eyebrows furrowed and he took a step closer to me. He was about to say something to my face when he noticed Lily filming from one corner. He held up one hand, covering his face, and leaned against my ear to whisper.

I caught my breath and blinked, swallowing hard. He’s so close I could smell his minty breath. But before I could even start fantasizing about how it feels like to be crushed under his weight, the sound of his words immediately cut through that thought.

“You’re dead to me.”