My Husband is a Mafia Boss

CHAPTER SIX

GIOVANNI CARUSO’S POV

I sat in my office, staring blankly into space, and clicked on my pen repeatedly. Each click seemed to echo louder, getting more annoying by the minute as the seconds ticked by. My mind raced, fixating on one thing: Ava. It had been four days, and I still hadn’t heard a single word from her. This wasn’t the usual reaction I got from girls. Normally, they’d be the ones calling nonstop after I gave them even the slightest bit of attention. But Ava? She hadn’t even bothered to text.

Which was annoying. Because why the hell was I even bothered by the fact that my fiancée kissed me that night and then ditched me the next morning? I even followed her towards the elevator. ME! The Giovanni Caruso that all of Massachusetts worshiped. Who the hell even is she to do this?

Frustration gnawed at me as I grabbed my phone from the desk and tapped mercilessly on the screen, pulling up Ava's i********: account. She already has a new post: a photo of her coffee and bagel with a selfie of her and her friend. How sweet. And she still hasn’t bothered to text me.

Annoyed, my finger hovered over the message button. I guess if she isn’t gonna make a move, then maybe I will. But was it really worth swallowing my pride just to get a response from her?

"I guess," I whispered to myself and shrugged, throwing away what little was left of my dignity.

But just as I was about to press the button, a knock startled me, and I nearly jumped out of my chair. The door to my office swung open, and John, my secretary, walked in with a thick folder filled with documents under one arm.

"Sir, here are the documents that need signing," he said, his voice steady and professional.

I nodded and turned my phone off, setting it aside. I could deal with Ava later. It’s not like she’s on the other side of the city waiting for me to call her anyway. As I started signing the documents, barely listening as John explained what each one was for, a thought struck me.

"John," I said suddenly, looking up from the papers, "you have a girlfriend, right?"

John seemed taken aback by the question. "Uh, yes, sir. Why do you ask?"

I shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant. "Do you know what it means when a girl keeps running away from you?"

John's brow furrowed as he tried to find the right words. "Well, sir, it could mean a lot of things. Maybe she's not interested, or maybe she's playing hard to get. It just really depends on the situation."

I sighed, feeling even more frustrated. "I've been seeing this girl—no, not seeing, more like ... bumping into occasionally.” I frowned at this but continued. “Anyway, this girl has been dodging me. We kissed and then she just ran away. She didn’t even text or call. Tell me, is she stupid or something?"

John made a nervous laugh, clearly aware that he needed to tread carefully because I was in no mood to accommodate a joke. "Maybe she's just not into you?"

I stopped signing halfway and lifted my gaze to look at John, whose eyes had now gone wide as saucers. "She’s not into me?" I repeated, my eyes narrowing. "I'm the richest bachelor in this city—and that's saying a lot considering we live in Massachusetts—and you’re telling me that the girl I just kissed isn’t into me?!"

John swallowed. “It could be that she didn’t know.”

“How could she not know? She’s my fiancée for f**k’s sake. Her parents are my father’s business partners.”

“Wait, wait. Did you just say that she’s your fiancée?”

I blinked at John. “Are you deaf?”

He blinked back, swallowing as he gave another nervous laugh. “Well, you know, if she’s your fiancée then that means she likes you. Why else would she say yes to your proposal—”

“Don’t be stupid, John. It’s an arranged marriage.” I flipped through the pages and signed my name. “We just met that day.”

My secretary went silent for a whole minute. “Maybe she doesn’t want to be in an arranged marriage.”

“With me?”

“No, not in particular. Just ... you know, generally.”

I breezed through the remaining documents, muttering under my breath about how foolish Ava must be not to want someone like me as her fiancé. John just stood there like a statue, clearly uncomfortable as he waited for me to finish with the documents.

When I finally finished signing the documents, he scurried away like a wounded deer, eager to escape. I grabbed my phone from the desk and opened it, intending to stare at Ava's i********: account again. I was about to lean back in my chair when I noticed something different. I had hit the follow button on her account. My eyes went wide and I could feel the panic sinking in.

Startled, I hastily unfollowed her and tossed my phone across the room, feeling a wave of embarrassment as I curled into a ball on my chair. At this point, maybe it would be for the better if I just let the floor swallow me whole. It wasn’t too late, right? She probably hasn’t seen it yet, right?

Sitting back, I ran a hand through my hair, trying to calm the swirling thoughts in my mind. Why did this girl get under my skin so much? What is it about her that made me think too much about every little interaction?

“It’s probably just because she ignored me,” I said to myself. After all, I wasn’t used to getting ignored. It’s usually the other way around.

I nodded at this, agreeing with myself. She’s probably into me. She just knows how to get under my skin that’s why she’s doing all of this. She’s purposefully ignoring me.

Yes, that’s it.

My phone vibrated from the floor, and I stared at it like it was a bomb about to explode. Every nerve in my body tensed as I approached it carefully. When I finally managed to pick it up, my heart nearly stopped at the sight of Ava's name in the notifications. I dropped my phone again, and a wild grin threatened to spread across my face.

I couldn't let myself get too excited. Not yet.

I began pacing the room, trying to stifle the smile that insisted on forming. After a few moments, I snatched the phone off the floor once more and took a deep breath before opening the message. The first one was a photo. My stomach tightened as I tapped to view it. It was a screenshot of a notification with the words Giovanni_Caruso started following you. Her second message read: "Caught you."

My eyes went wide, and this time, I hurled my phone across the room again, feeling a mix of embarrassment and panic. I ran a hand through my hair, trying to calm down. I’ve already unfollowed her. Why the hell does i********: still send notifications? Now she knows I was watching her. She knows I’m interested.

What the hell am I gonna do?

I paced back and forth, my mind racing. What was I supposed to do now? Should I reply? Should I pretend I hadn't seen the messages? Ignoring her wasn't an option; it would only make things worse. But responding meant admitting she had the upper hand.

I couldn't stop thinking about the smug look she must have on her face right now, knowing she had caught me in the act. It was infuriating and thrilling at the same time. I needed to respond, but I had to play it cool.

Taking a deep breath, I walked over to where my phone lay and picked it up again. The screen was still lit with her message. I stared at it for a moment, then began typing.

"Well, you got me," I wrote. "But does that mean you're finally ready to talk?"

I hit send before I could overthink it and tossed the phone onto the desk, feeling my heart pound in my chest. Now all I could do was wait for her response.

Minutes felt like hours as I sat there, trying to distract myself with work. But every time my phone vibrated, my heart skipped a beat. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, my phone buzzed with a new message from Ava.

"In your dreams, big boy," she replied, and a huge frown started forming on my face.

John knocked on the door again, bringing me another set of documents that needed signing. I held a hand up before he could take another step closer to me. I typed in a really long message. It was seething, that was one thing I knew for sure, then hit send. I waited for a minute. I finally saw her typing.

When I saw her response, I nearly flipped out. She just reacted a laughing emoji to my message. A bloody laughing emoji!