ONE NIGHT STAND WITH THE RUTHLESS MAFIA

"Who are you, and what are you doing on my bed?" Anna screamed after finding a young man lying beside her. "Easy," Adrian said calmly. Anna pulled the duvet over herself to cover her exposed body properly. "Did we…?" Anna stammered, gesturing towards Adrian with trembling fingers. Adrian turned over on the bed, still feeling sleepy. "Answer me!" Anna mumbled, hitting the pillow against his naked chest. Adrian turned towards her, his eyes now wide open. "If you're talking about s*x, then yes, we had s*x," Adrian replied calmly. Anna held her breath. "What?" she exclaimed, sitting upright. "Adrian…" "Why are you making it sound so difficult? That's your regular M.O.," Adrian replied, turning to face the other side of the room while remaining flat on the bed. Silence stretched between them for a moment. "Today is my wedding!" Anna yelled, hitting him hard with the pillow once more. Adrian sat up. "Easy, young lady," he said, attempting to take the pillow from her hands. "You jerk! You r***d me! Why would you r**e me?" Anna cried, her voice trembling. Adrian stood up. "Listen to me, young lady. I did not r**e you," he said firmly. Anna's eyes filled with tears. Adrian was wearing only a pair of shorts. "Then what are you doing in my room?" Anna demanded. "This is Room 911, stranger," he replied, pointing towards the room number displayed on the door. Anna's eyes followed his finger. "How did I get here?" she whispered to herself, although her voice was loud enough for him to hear. "That's for you to figure out," he replied sarcastically. A soft knock sounded at the door. Adrian walked towards it, then turned to look at Anna before opening it. "Mr. Wilson, I hope everything is okay," the hotel manager said, looking visibly tired. "Yes, sure. Why the worry?" Adrian replied. "We heard some noise coming from your room," the manager explained. "No need to worry. Everything is fine," Adrian assured him. "Okay, Mr. Wilson. I'll take my leave," the manager said, turning around. "Wait. I have a quick question," Adrian called. The manager turned back towards him. "The lady I asked you to bring to my room—was she available?" "No. She knocked, but when you didn't open the door, she left. Is there a problem?" the manager asked. "No. I just wanted to confirm something. You may leave," Adrian replied. The manager nodded and walked away. Anna was already fully dressed and preparing to leave. "You're quick," Adrian remarked. "More than you," Anna replied with a frown. "You r****t! Do you think this is funny?" she snapped. "Hey, listen carefully. I'm the innocent one here. I don't know how you got into my room, but I won't tolerate being called that without knowing what happened," Adrian said calmly. Anna cleared her throat and picked up her heels. "You will regret this," she threatened as she walked towards the door. "Really?" Adrian replied with a chuckle. Anna turned back and stared at him coldly for a moment before opening the door. To her horror, she found Celeste standing at the doorstep. "Hey, honey," she greeted him, trying to conceal the fear and awkwardness she felt. Celeste stared at her quietly. His expression was calm, but there was something dangerous in his eyes. Adrian moved forward. "Just close the damn door," he said shortly after seeing Celeste. Celeste's gaze shifted towards him. "Who is he?" he asked, disappointment evident in his voice. His eyes darkened, and his jaw tightened. "Celeste, I can explain. It's not what you think," Anna said, lowering her eyes. Celeste suddenly threw a punch at Adrian's face, knocking him to the ground. The two men immediately began fighting, exchanging blows as they struggled across the floor. "Stop!" Anna screamed, trying to pull them apart. Celeste's guards rushed forward to separate them. Adrian had a cut on his lip, while Celeste had a cut on his forehead. "How dare you f*****g sleep with my wife?" Celeste roared angrily. "Your wife? Oh, s**t! Shut the f**k up. I could have killed you if your guards hadn't stopped you from getting close to me anyway," Adrian replied sarcastically. Celeste was about to throw another punch at Adrian's face when one of his guards caught his arm. Celeste clenched his fist in frustration. "Take her away," he ordered. One of Celeste's guards grabbed Anna and carried her away despite her protests, leaving Adrian behind. Although Celeste had been betrothed to Anna since they were children, a part of her loved him. Anna had never hidden the fact that their wedding was intended to keep both families—the Hales and the Blackwoods—together. Her father, Mr. Hale, and Mr. Blackwood had been childhood friends. Their friendship had eventually led to the decision that their children would marry. Anna was taken to Celeste's room after the incident. She knew Celeste could be sweet sometimes, but beneath that sweetness lay a bitter, dangerous, and cruel side. The thought of the wedding being cancelled crossed her mind. Her father would do anything extreme to protect the family name. That was one of the reasons she had been betrothed to Celeste. The door suddenly swung open. Celeste walked in confidently, his expression firm and composed. A chill ran through Anna the moment he entered. "Celeste!" she called, as though he were standing far away from her. He gazed at her coldly. "Get up and freshen up," Celeste ordered. "Why?" Anna asked. He looked at her briefly. "Are you questioning my orders, Anna?" he asked, using the same intimidating tone he had used on her when they were children. "No, Celeste. I just want to know why," Anna replied indignantly. His gaze swept across her before he finally spoke. "The maids are coming to help you get ready. So get dressed for the wedding," he said before walking out. Anna hesitated for a moment before going to freshen up. The maids arrived shortly afterwards, just as Celeste had said they would. ANNA'S POV So, here I was, walking down the stairs as the guests clapped happily for me. Conversations filled the air as I approached where my parents stood. Mum brought out a rectangular box and opened it, revealing a huge, heart-shaped diamond pendant necklace. "Oh, wear this, my princess," she said, putting it around my neck. She welcomed me with her arms wide open, and Dad did the same. "Mum, I love the necklace," I said sincerely. Celeste stood with his parents, looking in my direction. I looked away as several people came forward to greet me. Dad stepped onto the stage and spoke into the microphone to get everyone's attention. "Ladies and gentlemen, as you all know, today is the engagement ceremony of my daughter and Celeste Blackwood!" Everyone clapped, except me. Dad called us both onto the stage, and the guests cheered. As we stood beside our parents, Mum brought out a ring box while Celeste's mother, Mrs. Blackwood, presented the other ring. The ring was beautiful, with a large diamond set into it. After we exchanged rings, the guests applauded. It was supposed to be one of the happiest days of my life, but it didn't feel that way. I felt gloomy and dull, as though something terrible were about to happen. The party was in full swing after Celeste and I cut the velvet cake. Mum and Mrs. Blackwood took me around, introducing me to countless guests from different places. Then I spotted my best friend, Evelyn. "Wow! The newest bride in town is here!" she screamed happily as we hugged. She noticed the expression on my face. "What?" she asked, her face filling with curiosity. "Nothing," I lied. "Girl, why are you nervous? No lies. Don't forget, besties always tell each other the truth." We said the last part together, as we had done countless times before. "You've got me, right?" I asked. "Yes, I've got you," she replied with a chuckle. "I did the craziest thing ever yesterday evening. I slept with a f*****g stranger," I whispered. Evelyn's eyes widened, but a smile soon spread across her face. Evelyn had always been cheerful, and I was used to her shenanigans. "Seriously?" I asked, disappointed by her reaction. "Yes, seriously! Just answer the damn question," she said with a chuckle. "Yes, it's true. But Celeste found out this morning when he came looking for me." "Oh my God! I wish I could have seen the look on his face!" Evelyn exclaimed with a mischievous smile. Suddenly, we heard a cold voice behind us. "Hey." Celeste had finally joined us. "Congratulations, bro!" Evelyn said, shaking his hand. Celeste chuckled. It was the first time he had laughed all day. "I'll leave you two alone," Evelyn said before walking away. "I need some air," I said, not wanting to look directly into Celeste's eyes. He grabbed my wrist just as I was about to leave. "Where are you going?" he asked coldly. "I just need some air," I replied. "Who is he?"