My Husband is a Mafia Boss

CHAPTER NINE

“So you're basically gonna be his slave?” Lily’s incredulous question hung in the air as she glanced at me, setting her books down with a thump. Her stack included the one I’d snagged for free from Percival. I asked her to switch books with me because I refuse to touch anything that douche has touched.

Viruses can be contagious, you know?

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not gonna be anyone’s slave, alright? I’m just gonna get him coffee for two weeks. That’s it.”

We both settled into our seats, waiting for Mrs. Lewis, our finance professor, to show up. Lily’s skepticism was almost intense, but I had bigger concerns. The idea of being Percival’s “coffee runner” wasn't thrilling, but it wasn’t a lifetime commitment either. And besides, it’s not like he’s gonna run around campus telling everyone I’m his slave.

Although if he does, I’ll make sure to put poison on his coffee.

As we waited, I noticed Christopher, Lily's cousin, saunter into the room. His shoulders were slumped, and he looked utterly defeated. He collapsed into the empty seat in front of me, burying his head in his arms, clearly trying to sleep.

“Hey, is everything okay with you? What’s wrong?” I asked, my curiosity and concern piqued.

Christopher turned to face us with the slow, deliberate motion of someone who looked like they’re carrying the weight of the world. “She broke up with me.”

Lily practically beamed. “Finally.”

I shot her a disapproving look, but Christopher’s expression just grew even more miserable, if that was even possible at this point.

“Why’d she break up with you?” I reached out to touch his back, hoping to offer some comfort.

Christopher started sobbing. “She fell in love with her boss.”

Lily and I exchanged shocked glances. Lily tried to stifle a chuckle, but it bubbled out anyway. “You know, this is why you shouldn’t date older women. Besides, she looked like she’d be the kind of girl who would date a balding middle-aged man with a wife just to get ahead in life. Ooh, that rhymes.”

“Are you calling my girlfriend a gold digger?” Christopher’s voice cracked with pain.

“Correction: ex,” Lily shot back, her tone brutally honest.

Christopher began to cry again, and I glared at Lily. “Listen, Chris. She’s probably not worth it if she’s just gonna trade you over some man she just met. I mean, what does he have that you don’t?”

“He’s the CEO of a huge company, Ava. He has everything that I don’t.”

Lily laughed outright this time. “Look on the bright side. At least you still have all your hair.”

I shook my head at her insensitivity, but I knew it came from a place of blunt honesty rather than malice. “Chris, it’s going to hurt for a while, but you’ll move on. You’re better off without someone who can’t see your worth anyway.”

“Yeah, she’s bossy as hell.”

Christopher gave a small, sad nod, still not lifting his head from his arms. Just then, Mrs. Lewis walked in, her presence commanding immediate silence and attention.

“Good morning, class. I hope everyone’s ready to dive into today’s lecture on corporate finance,” she said, setting her materials down on the desk at the front of the room.

As the lecture began, I couldn’t help but glance at Christopher from time to time. His pain was palpable, and it tugged at my heartstrings. Breakups were always tough, but getting dumped for someone supposedly “better” could be a brutal hit to one’s self-esteem. Maybe I should help him. But how?

During a break in the lecture, I leaned forward and whispered, “Chris, if you need to talk later, just let us know, okay?”

He lifted his head slightly, just enough to nod. “Thanks, Ava.”

I offered a small smile before turning my attention back to Mrs. Lewis. I couldn’t shake the feeling of helplessness. The ache in Christopher’s voice reminded me of my own past heartbreak, the nights spent crying over someone who seemed like the center of my universe, only to realize later they weren’t worth the tears.

The rest of the class dragged on, and by the time Mrs. Lewis wrapped up, I was more than ready to leave. As we packed up our things, Lily gave me a nudge. “Hey, you coming to the café later? We could use some caffeine after this depressing end to the day.”

“Yeah, sure,” I replied, my mind still on Christopher.

I walked out of the classroom, Lily joining me as I headed down the hallway. “You know, Ava, you’re too nice sometimes,” Lily said, shaking her head.

“What do you mean?” I asked, confused.

“Christopher needs to toughen up. It’s a harsh world out there, and if he doesn’t learn to deal with it, he’s going to keep getting hurt,” she explained.

“Maybe, but everyone needs support, especially when they’re down,” I countered.

Lily shrugged. “I suppose. Just don’t let it drag you down too. You’ve got your own stuff to deal with, remember?”

She was right. I did have my own issues, like this whole coffee-fetching deal with Percival and that avoiding game I’m playing with Giovanni. But helping Christopher, even just a little, felt like the right thing to do. We walked to the café in silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts.

At the café, we found a cozy corner and settled in with our drinks. The warm, rich aroma of coffee and the quiet hum of conversation around us created a comforting atmosphere.

“So, Percival, huh?” Lily asked, taking a sip of her latte.

I sighed. “You seriously want to talk about him right now? I thought we were supposed to relax.”

“No, I mean, come on. It’s a classic trick in the book. If you’ve read romance novels enough, you’d know that what he’s doing right now with you is just so you’d spend more time with him.”

“You’re really a hopeless romantic, aren’t you? Emphasis on the hopeless.”

Lily smirked. “Bet you’ll be an expert at making coffee by the end of it.”

“Probably,” I replied, rolling my eyes but smiling nonetheless.

Our conversation drifted to lighter topics, and I felt the tension from the morning start to ease. Even Christopher managed a small smile when he joined us, still looking a bit worse for wear but slightly more at ease in our company.

And then something clicked. I had the perfect idea to lighten Christopher's mood. I leaned over and whispered my plan to Lily. Her eyes lit up, and she instantly agreed—no need to even convince her when it comes to things like this. Christopher, lost in his own thoughts, had no idea what we were up to.

"So, where did you say your ex-girlfriend works again?" I asked, my tone casual, making it appear like I have no ulterior motives whatsoever.

He blinked, curiosity flickering across his face. "Uh ... she works at that big holding company downtown, you know, next to the old cinema."

We wasted no time. Within minutes, we were in a taxi, heading straight to her office. Christopher was still puzzled since we didn’t exactly tell him about our plan, but he didn’t protest as we dragged him along. When we got off the taxi, our plan began to unfold.

We entered a small convenience store adjacent to the office building and bought dozens of eggs. The cashier gave us a curious look, but we just smiled and paid quickly. Back outside, we moved stealthily towards the parking lot.

“Do you know which one of these cars is the CEO’s?” I asked Christopher as we surveyed the rows of vehicles lined up at the back of their building.

His eyes widened as he realized our intentions. “Are you planning to egg his car?”

Lily turned to him with a mirthless smile. “If not that then do you plan to make him an omelet? Because that could work too. You and your ex-girlfriend could both be his side chicks. Your call.”

I wanted to laugh at Lily’s words but I didn’t really want to encourage her. I was just about to open my mouth to tell her off when Christopher grabbed four eggs from my tray and threw it straight at the car’s windshields, setting off its alarm. We didn’t care. Both Lily and I beamed as we started making it rain with eggs.

Even Christopher started giggling at this, too.

But our celebration was short-lived. A bunch of security personnel started going after us and I dumped the rest of the egg on the Ferrari’s hood, bolting out of the parking lot. As we rounded a corner, I caught sight of a very familiar face that I almost stopped in my tracks.

“Ava?” Giovanni called after me, squinting in the dark, and I covered my face with a hand, determined to run away.

“What the hell is he doing here?!” I hissed at both Lily and Christopher as we ran and he looked from over his shoulder.

“Who? Him?” Chris asked.

“Yeah.”

“He’s the CEO I’ve been telling you about. The one my girlfriend left me for?”