MAFIA'S BRIDE 🥺😚

Today was my eighteenth birthday. Which, according to every book I’d ever secretly read under my blanket, was supposed to be magical. Life-changing. The beginning of something beautiful. Instead, I got… evicted. At exactly 10:00 PM. “The Lord has a plan for you, child,” Sister Agne said, handing me a slightly crushed cardboard suitcase like it contained my bright future instead of two dresses and a pair of socks with holes. “Of course He does,” I said, smiling lip tight sweetly. “I just wish He’d shared it with me.” She didn’t laugh. None of them did. The iron gates shut behind me with a loud clang. And just like that—eighteen years of shelter, rules, and scheduled meals were over. No home. No plan. And, unfortunately, no Cinderella shoes built for dramatic life transitions. The night air hit me immediately, cold and unforgiving. My white lace dress—the one “special occasion” outfit I owned—fluttered around me like it thought this was some kind of romantic movie scene. I decided to lean into that. I lifted my chin, adjusted my imaginary crown, and took a step forward. Independent woman energy, I told myself. You’ve got this. Two steps later, I nearly tripped on a crack in the pavement. …Still got this. “Hey, sweetheart. You lost?” I froze. Okay. Maybe I wasn't expecting that. I turned slowly toward the voice. Three men stepped out of a nearby alley, and I immediately noticed three important things: First - They looked like they hadn’t slept in years. Second- They were definitely looking at me. Third- This was probably not how kind strangers behaved. “I, um…” I cleared my throat. “Yes? But in a temporary, character-building way.” They laughed. Not comforting. And definitely not reassuring. More like' you should start running laughter' My brain, which had been raised almost entirely on cautionary and imaginary tales and zero real-world experience, came to a very logical conclusion: Ghosts. Obviously. Because what else could pale, creepy men appearing out of nowhere in the dark possibly be? Definitely not regular human danger.The threat like r**e and kidnapping were too far away for my complex brain because no one ever told me those threats except " the kindness of people". Thus, I concluded . They are definitely not humans. Nope. Supernatural. Final answer. “I rebuke you!” I blurted, pointing at them with all the authority of someone who had no idea what she was doing. They blinked. I didn’t wait for a response. I turned—and ran. Running, it turns out, is much harder when: You are wearing slippers The road is uneven You are 90% panic and 10% poor decisions I lost one slipper almost immediately. Then the other. At that point, I was just committed. “Please don’t follow me, please don’t follow me, please don’t follow me—” I muttered, sprinting blindly forward. I didn’t look where I was going. Which, in hindsight, was a mistake. Because right at that moment— A car appeared. --- Somewhere Between Very Expensive and Extremely Bad Timing Kai Maatvei was having a perfectly normal evening. Which, for him, meant handling business deals worth more than most people’s lifetimes while driving a car that cost more than entire buildings. “The dock workers are threatening a strike, sir,” a voice said through his earpiece. “Handle it,” Kai replied calmly. “If the union leader refuses—” THUD. Kai hit the brakes. Hard. The car stopped with a sharp screech, smooth and controlled despite the suddenness. There was a pause. “…Sir?” the voice on the line asked. Kai didn’t answer. He was staring at his windshield. Because a girl had just... flown across it. --- He stepped out of the car, closing the door with quiet precision. The street was mostly empty now. Too empty. He walked around to the front of the car—and there she was. Curled slightly on the ground. Wearing white lace. Looking like she had personally declared war on his evening. --- I opened my eyes. Bad idea. Everything hurts. There was a man standing over me. Tall. Well-dressed. Annoyingly composed. For a second, I just stared at him. Then, very weakly, I reached out and grabbed the hem of his trousers tugging at it with what strength was left to breathe. “Hi...” I said barely above a whisper while bleeding . He looked down at me, expression unreadable. “I think..” I continued, because apparently I had lost all survival instincts along with my slippers, “I just got hit by your car..” A pause. “Yes,” he said. I nodded faintly. “Just checking..” Another pause. “Are you planning to die?” he asked, as if confirming a schedule. “Not today,” I murmured. “It’s my birthday..” That seemed to… confuse him. Good. At least one of us was having an unusual night. “Can you,” I added, blinking up at him, “help me up and at least pretend you feel bad..?” His jaw tightened slightly. Not offended. More like… inconvenienced. Interesting. --- Kai stared at the girl. She was injured. Clearly. Possibly concussed. Definitely talking too much for someone in her condition. “…many many happy returns of the day.” he said with a mock smile. She fainted. He pressed the earpiece once . "Sir, everything alright?" said Dimitri from the other side . "Yes. " "Cancel the board meeting tomorrow morning and come to the penthouse by six in the morning ." said into the air . "And inform Zar to make someone prepare the medical wing of the penthouse .. We have a guest visiting us... " without a word more or less he ended the call . He exhaled quietly. Then, without another word, he bent down and picked her up. He didn’t call an ambulance. He didn’t call the police. He just carried her to his car and placed her inside. Because for the first time in a long while— Something unexpected had happened. And he wasn’t entirely sure why… …but this looked like a trouble he was willingly taking up upon himself . And he knew it.