Mafia's Forced Love

Chapter 1: Disappearance

Cora’s Point of View

Things can’t be any better! Val is doing more than okay, and Liam is also happy with Daniel. We all have graduated. I even have found a job at Malesa’s Boutique as a fashion designer. But that wasn’t all! Val becomes a mom and I have a goddaughter now. Gosh! I can hardly believe myself. It has been three years of their marriage. Time flies.

“Mom, I’m leaving,” I shout out, wearing my shoes.

“Take care, sweetie,” Mom replies with her usual warm tone.

It's Saturday and hence a day off. I take the transit and head directly to the café. Someone is waiting there for me. Someone precious. I smile at my thought. I check on my make-up once in the small mirror of my purse before walking inside the mall. Not bad, Cora! I stop by the little flower shop to buy lilies and then enter the little coffee shop. My eyes scan the cozy little café and soon they find her.

She waves at me with a bright smile. I wave back, making my move. She is early, as usual.

“Hey,” she greets me with a hug.

“Hey,” I return the gesture, “here, Lilies for my beautiful Lily.”

“Thank you,” she takes the flowers with a giggle.

We know each other for ages now, maybe when we were five or six. She has always been close to me during high school, but I never think of her romantically, until that night. The day two of my best friends got married to the Rodriguez brothers. My worst nightmare! Lorenzo Bernardi.

My mind travels back three years ago. A charming, intimidating billionaire was stepping towards me. He won my heart. He was the one and only man I’ve ever fallen for. How foolish of me! I thought he was the one. I thought he would always be there for me, he would cherish me, love me. I still laugh at my thoughts. It took him only a fraction of a second to break my heart. He left me alone to deal with those broken pieces without even a goodbye. I was devastated at the beginning. I've started to hate everything, every man I've ever come across. And that was the moment I ran into Lily.  

She helped me to get over him, and slowly we have fallen for each other. She understands me better than anyone else. And to be truthful, we are compatible in every way possible. I design clothes; she designs jewelry. We are planning to open our small boutique one day. Our dreams are similar, so are we.

“One hot chocolate, with two sugar cubes and an extra shot of chocolate syrup and one shot of milk. And a chicken sandwich. Please cut it into squares, not triangles. And one latte for me with a muffin.” Lily orders our food, gaining my attention. She always remembers what I like.

“You’re the best,” I compliment her.

“Anything for you, gorgeous,” she winks. She looks so cute, especially with the twin bun and the oversized crop.

“So, what’s the plan for tomorrow?” She asks again. I know what she means. It is my god daughter’s first birthday, and it will be a big event in the city.

“Well, I have to be there since morning. Else Valerie is gonna eat me up alive,” I giggle, remembering how Valerie is these days. Always complaining about her weight and everything! Hormones, I guess.

“You’re coming for the evening, right?” I ask her.

“Well, I have to keep an eye on my little girlfriend!” Lily chuckles.

After spending almost a few hours together, we leave the café. It’s dark outside already. Time flies with her. We both walk silently towards the bus stop. She will be going towards the east part of the city whereas I will be heading to the north.

While waiting for the bus, Lily suddenly wraps her arms around me and pulls me into a side hug, “Cora, let’s get married.” She whispers. Her soft breath touches my ears.

“Are you sure?” I am taken aback by her sudden proposal. It isn’t like I have never thought about it. I love her and I know the feeling is mutual. Above all, she will never leave my side. She means the world to me.

She pulls away and searches for something inside her bag. A little velvet box shows up. I gasp, trying to digest the moment.

With a giggle, she opens it, holding it in front of me. A ring! Little stones are attached to it making a shape of a flower and a beautiful emerald is shining in the middle. She must have designed it.

“I know the timing is odd and not romantic at all, but I'm trying to do it for quite a while now. So, Cora Fletcher,” slowly she kneels, “will you marry me?”

“Oh, Lily!” I don’t know what to say.  

“You are giving me I-don’t-know-what-to-say look!” She points it out.

“I really don’t,” I am overwhelmed. My heart is pounding.

“How about a little yes?” She smiles again.

“Not a little… a big one,” I nod my head. 

She stood up instantly, putting the ring on my finger. I hug her tightly. Yes, this is what I wanted. Her! And then my lips land on hers.

“I love you, Cora, more than anything else.” She whispers.

“I love you too, Lily,” I reply.

A sudden bright light drags our attention.

“I guess that’s my ride,” Lily speaks with a sad smile. I know she hates this part, so do I.

“Be safe,” I caress her face once before she leaves.

“You too,” she pecks my lips again quickly before leaving.

 This is the best day of my life. My ride will be here soon. I look at the watch once. Almost eight. The stores have started to shut. Soon this area will be deserted. I look here and there. Suddenly two cars stop in front of me. They are expensive ones. Is that Val or Liam? I curiously peek.

The door gets open and four muscular boy guard-type men get down. Something is telling me they are up to no good.

“Miss Fletcher, please come with us,” one of them speaks politely, with an unfamiliar accent.

“And… who are you?” I mumble, taking a step backward.

“Please don’t make it difficult for us. Our boss is waiting for you,” he replies. Boss! Definitely not Val or Liam! He moves his jacket a little, showing me a real GUN!

Cora, these guys are up to no good. Stay calm! I can outrun them. There are only four. They look like foreigners. You have grown up in this city and you can easily lose them.

That man steps forward, and I take the chance. I throw a kick in between his leg, and two punches rapidly. He kneels, holding his stomach, groaning in pain. That’s right, sucker. I am not some defenseless girl. I am practicing martial arts since I was six. I work with my instinct and run as fast as I can even before they can realize my intentions.

The only mistake I have made in the whole thing is to run in the wrong direction. Instead of going towards the mall, I rushed towards the alley. I can hear their footsteps. I keep taking turns and then hide behind a garbage bin. The area is dark, and they won’t find out until I make a noise. I search for my phone! Gosh! Must have dropped it somewhere.

That’s alright, Cora. There are only four of them. You have injured one, so three left. Just stay calm. The steps become evident. I try to concentrate. That is the first thing I’ve been taught. There’s only one guy. I peek once to confirm. Indeed, just one. If I sneakily attack him, I can take him down and maybe get his phone and call the police. I calculated his moves and mine, and when he approaches the bin, I launch at him.

I throw a haymaker punch, and a double fist, followed by a kick. He tries to block but fails with my speed and the sudden movements.

“No wonder he couldn’t forget,” a calm voice stabs me from behind.

I turn instantly. A guy in some expensive suit is standing right there. I am tired of all this running, but that’s the only way out from here. I make my move, trying to take him down, but he is quick. Only one move and his hand is wrapped around my neck, pressing my back to his chest.

“Oh, believe me, cara mia, you really don’t want to fight me,” he chuckles. “They didn’t fight back because they were told not to lay a finger on you. But I’m different.”

“What… what do you want?” I ask, trying to wiggle out.

“I’m taking you to someone,” with his word I feel him pushing something on my skin. A syringe? Drug! He is drugging me.

He loosens his hold. My eyes meet his mischievous ones. Everything becomes blurry and slowly I lose my senses. I feel his arm carrying me somewhere. I try to fight. His last words keep ringing in my ears, “some you’ll love to meet again.”

---

Hi guys,

Note for His Perfect Wife: I really don't know what went wrong with Epilogue 1. I posted it on the 27th of March. Some told me they could read it. Some of you definitely can't. I have also sent an email to Dreame. Sorry for the mess!! Please let me know if you can read that. 

Update Schedule: I will update every Tuesday & Friday, 7 am UTC. If I can write more chapters, I will update more often. 

Please, please read the author's note so that I can communicate well with you all. If there are any changes in the schedule, I will update that on my i.n.s.t.a as well as under the author's note. 

Thank you for reading this book. Love you all <3 <3

--- Gratsiya