I want My Wife back

Chapter six

The aftermath of a targeted strike is always the quietest part.

​I stood in the center of my new walk in closet, surrounded by racks of designer clothes. Yet, my mind wasn't on the silk or the diamonds. It was across the city, inside the crumbling walls of the Northern syndicate's headquarters.

​"You're thinking about his reaction," a deep, smooth voice murmured from the doorway.

​I didn't need to turn around to know it was Alexander. He was leaning against the doorframe, a glass of bourbon held loosely in his hand.

​"I'm wondering if he's actually going to show up," I admitted, turning to face him. "Xavier is arrogant, but he isn't entirely stupid. He knows walking into your territory for a wedding is a death trap."

​"He won't be able to help himself," Alexander chuckled darkly, taking a slow sip of his drink. He walked into the room, his towering presence instantly making the spacious closet feel intimate. "A man like Xavier Vance doesn't possess things, Elena. He projects his entire worth onto them. When I took his territory, he managed to sleep at night. But taking you? Putting my name next to yours on a public stage? That is a public execution of his manhood. He will come, even if it means bringing an army to my gates."

​A cold, satisfied smile touched my lips. "Good. Let him bring whatever he has left. I want him to watch."

​Alexander stopped just inches away from me. The playful, mocking smirk he usually wore faded, replaced by that intense burning gaze. His touch was warm, sending an electric jolt through my body.

​"You've changed in a week, love," he whispered, his thumb lightly tracing the line of my jaw. "The girl I found shivering in the rain wouldn't have looked so bloodthirsty."

​"The girl you found in the rain was a fool who believed in loyalty," I replied, my voice steady despite the way my heart was hammering against my ribs. "This version of me learned from the best."

​Alexander’s eyes darkened, dropping down to my lips for a fraction of a second. "The media coverage is already fully secured. Every major underworld faction and legitimate high-society elite has confirmed their attendance. The Southern syndicate doesn't do things quietly. If we are putting a crown on your head, Elena, we are going to make sure the entire world bows."

​"And the ceremony itself?" I asked, trying to shake off the lingering warmth of his touch. "We still need to look like a couple deeply in love. If there's a single doubt, the press will tear it apart, and Xavier will see right through the bluff."

​Alexander’s wicked smirk returned, sharp and terrifyingly handsome. "Oh, don't worry about that, love. When I hold you at that altar, there won't be a single person in that room who doubts you belong to me."

The Northern syndicate:

​Meanwhile, across the city, the atmosphere inside the Northern syndicate headquarters was nothing short of a slaughterhouse.

​Xavier sat in his darkened office, the heavy stench of spilled alcohol and stale smoke hanging thick in the air.

​"Boss..." his right.hand man, Marco, whispered from the doorway, his voice trembling as he kept a safe distance from the desk. "The captains are getting restless. Sterling’s men have intercepted three of our major supply shipments in the docks. They're saying we need to retaliate immediately, or we lose the eastern route entirely."

​"Shut up!" Xavier roared, slamming his fist onto the mahogany wood so hard the structure groaned. He stood up, his eyes bloodshot and wild with a dangerous, unstable rage. "Let them take the docks! Let them take everything! I don't give a damn about the shipments!"

​"But Boss..."

​"I said shut up!" Xavier threw an empty crystal glass straight at Marco’s head. It shattered against the wall into a thousand glittering pieces, a razor-sharp shard grazing Marco’s cheek, but the soldier didn't dare flinch.

​Xavier paced behind his desk like a caged predator, ripping at his hair as the suffocating weight of regret pressed down on his chest. She had looked so radiant, so completely out of his reach, protected by the steel grip of his fiercest rival.

​"She’s mine," Xavier whispered to the empty room, his voice dropping into a raspy, demonic growl. He snatched the crumpled invitation, smoothing it out with trembling, frantic hands. "She loved me all these years. She doesn't know him. She’s doing this to hurt me. She wants me to come get her."

​He looked up at Marco, his expression twisting into a cold, volatile mask of pure mafia ruthlessness.

​"Assemble the heavy artillery," Xavier commanded, his voice dead and emotionless. "Every single loyal soldier we have left. We are going to that wedding."

​"Boss, that’s suicide," Marco pleaded, his face pale. "Sterling’s mansion is a fortress. If we attack a high society event, the entire council will turn against us."

​"I don't care about the council," Xavier spat, a lethal spark of madness igniting in his eyes as he stared at Elena's scripted name. "I want my wife back. And if I have to burn the entire Southern syndicate to the ground to drag her out of Sterling's castle, then let it burn."

**********

​Back at the Sterling estate, the final night before the grand ceremony had arrived.

​The mansion grounds were completely alive with activity. Heavily armed guards patrolled the perimeter every ten meters, while elite decorators finalized the massive, glass ceiling pavilion in the courtyard. Millions of dollars worth of white roses and dark orchids lined the aisle, creating a beautiful, hauntingly gothic atmosphere.

​I stood on the second-floor balcony, watching the flashing lights of the security details below. Tomorrow was the day. The day I would face the public, face the elite, and potentially face the monster from my past.

​A heavy, warm weight settled over my shoulders. I looked down to see Alexander coming towards me.

​"Nervous?" he asked quietly.

​"A little," I admitted, wrapping my hands tighter around myself. "It feels like we're standing on the edge of a cliff."

​"We are," Alexander agreed, turning his head to look at me in the moonlight. "But the fall only hurts if you drop alone. I told you before, Elena,you're in my castle now. My men will die before anyone touches a hair on your head. And as for Xavier..." He reached out, his hand sliding smoothly around my waist, pulling me flush against his side. "If he tries to do anything inside my territory tomorrow, I will personally show him what happens to boys who try to touch things that belong to a Don."

​Looking up into his dark, unwavering eyes, the lingering fear in my chest completely dissolved, replaced by a fierce, intoxicating rush of adrenaline.

​The trap was set. The stage was beautiful. And tomorrow, the underworld would watch us pull the trigger.

****************

I looked at myself in the mirror looking at the wedding dress as Alexander walked in "You look beautiful love" he said.

"You know it's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding right?" I told him

"Not if it's a fake wedding or you want to marry me for real?" He asked me chuckling

"Ehhhm... Of course not" I told him

"You sure?"he asked but before I could answer we were interrupted by his right hand man Constantino"Everything is ready Don,the guests have arrived" he said looking at me as though he was admiring me.

"I like you Constantino,you're more than a partner, you're my friend but if you look at her one more time, I'II rip your arm from its socket" he told him and he bowed his head"Sorry Don" he said"You look beautiful Donna" He told me and I smiled at him"Are the men from the Northern syndicate present?" Alexander asked "No Boss,but we expect them soon,our men are on the standby" He said bowing before leaving.

"What was that about?" I told him smiling

"Well I'm very possessive love" he said "Ready to work down the aisle?" He asked and I smirked looking at myself in the mirror one more time.

"I was born ready "