THE MAFIA'S KING RELUCTANT BRIDE

Chapter 11: The gunshot

Two days had passed, and Sofia was still in her room.

She hadn't eaten anything during those two days, and now she was starving. She had missed her class yesterday, but she honestly didn't care.

Today was different.

She had a class she needed to attend because she had to submit her assignment.

With a tired sigh, Sofia lazily got out of bed and picked up her phone.

9:00 a.m.

Her eyes widened.

She had to be in school by ten.

"Great."

She dragged herself into the bathroom, took her bath, and wore something simple.

When she came out, she stood in front of the mirror. Beside her was a simple, flexible scarf.

She picked it up and carefully tied it around her neck, making sure it covered the mark there.

Thankfully, the scarf went perfectly with her dress. It looked like part of the design, so no one would suspect anything.

Sofia applied some lip gloss and tried to smile at herself.

She couldn't.

The smile disappeared almost immediately.

She grabbed her shoes, picked up her bag—which she had packed earlier—and headed downstairs.

Breakfast had already been served.

Sofia sat down and ate quietly. She hadn't realized just how hungry she was until she started eating.

When she finished, she stood up to leave.

That was when Matteo came downstairs.

He was dressed in a black shirt and well-ironed black pants. His wristwatch sat neatly around his wrist, and his hair was perfectly styled.

And, honestly, he looked handsome.

Sofia pretended she hadn't noticed him.

She walked straight toward the door.

He didn't deserve to be seen.

As soon as she stepped outside, she stopped.

Two cars were waiting behind the main car.

And there were guards inside.

Sofia stared at the convoy.

"What is all this?"

She looked at the cars following hers.

"All because of one picture?"

This was ridiculous.

All these guards were following her because of one picture.

This wasn't protection anymore.

It was punishment.

Real punishment.

Sofia got into one of the cars, and moments later, it started moving.

The two cars behind followed closely.

She leaned back against the seat and sighed.

Her life was becoming a prison.

Sofia eventually arrived at school.

She opened the car door and stepped out.

The guards remained nearby as she walked inside.

Sofia already knew what had happened.

One of the guards must have shown the picture to Matteo.

She shook her head and continued walking.

The hall where she needed to submit her assignment was quite far from the school gate. By the time she got there, she was already tired.

She submitted the assignment and left immediately.

She didn't want to stay around people.

Instead, she headed to one of the music classrooms.

The place was usually quiet. The music students hardly used it because they had a much bigger classroom elsewhere.

Sofia entered and sat on one of the chairs.

She put her earbuds in and played some music.

Then she rested her head on the table, turning her face toward the window where the sunlight was coming through.

She closed her eyes.

She just wanted to be alone.

The door opened quietly.

Noah stepped inside.

He liked this classroom. It was one of his favorite places to come because it was always quiet, and the music students hardly used it.

But the moment he entered, he stopped.

There she was.

The girl from the basketball court.

And the girl he had given an umbrella to in the rain.

Sofia.

Noah stared at her for a moment.

He still couldn't believe she had married Matteo De Santis.

He walked closer.

For a moment, he almost reached out to touch her hair, but he stopped himself.

Instead, he walked toward the window and closed the curtains so the sunlight wouldn't disturb her.

Sofia opened her eyes.

She blinked.

And there he was.

Noah.

He looked familiar enough that she knew she wasn't imagining him.

For a second, she thought she was dreaming, so she closed her eyes again.

Then she opened them.

He was still there.

Definitely not a dream.

Sofia lifted her head from the desk and sat upright, quickly fixing her hair.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I should ask you the same thing."

Noah stood near the window, his arms crossed.

"As you can see, I came to rest my head."

"Oh, but the nurse's office is there. You could as well just go there."

Sofia gave him a look.

"Oh, the one you made me go to last time?"

Noah laughed.

Sofia stared at him.

She wondered what was so funny.

"You know, I thought you were dumb," Noah said.

Sofia's eyebrows shot up.

"What?"

"No, no." He quickly shook his head. "I didn't mean it as an insult. I mean—uhm..."

He paused.

"S—"

"Sofia," she completed for him.

"Yeah, Sofia."

He smiled.

"You've always been quiet, considering the few times I've seen you."

"Few times?"

Sofia narrowed her eyes.

"Have you been stalking me?"

"Nah."

Noah smiled.

"I'm not a stalker."

"Uhm."

Sofia cleared her throat.

"Thanks for the other time."

"The umbrella stuff?"

"Yeah."

"You're welcome."

Silence filled the room.

Neither of them said anything.

It was a little awkward.

They simply stared at each other before Noah finally cleared his throat.

"I, uhm... guess I have to go then."

"Yeah. I would still be here because I, uhmm... I don't think I'm going home now."

"Okay, then."

Noah took a step toward the door before stopping.

"By the way, there's a basketball game coming up. Our school is playing against Blackwood. Ever heard of them?"

"I might not be coming to the game, but I know Blackwood."

They both smiled.

"Sure you do."

Noah smiled.

"So I don't want you to miss this game, especially when I'm playing."

He looked at her playfully.

Sofia raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, look who's all flattered."

Noah laughed.

"I guess that's it then. Bye, Sofia."

"Bye."

Noah left.

The moment the door closed behind him, Sofia realized she was smiling.

She quickly shook herself out of it.

"He is a nice guy, Sofia."

Her smile faded.

"But you're caged, not married."

She had to remind herself of that.

Sofia stayed in the music classroom for another hour, listening to music through her earbuds before finally leaving.

The guards were already waiting for her.

She got into the car, and they took her home.

When Sofia got home, she went straight to her room.

She dropped her bag beside the bed and sat down.

She hadn't even closed her eyes when—

BANG!

A gunshot echoed through the mansion.

Sofia froze.