Bound by Betrayal (The Mafia King Captive Bride)

I took a sip of my coffee, the warmth of the cup comforting me as I gazed out of the window. The city’s rhythm felt distant, overshadowed by the weight of the tension around us. Memories flooded back, a mix of sweetness and pain, as I stole glances at him. His eyes held a familiar longing, a desire that once ignited a fire between us but right now, the space between us feels suffocating to me.

Sighing, I tighten my grip around my coffee cup and look away. From the corner of my eyes, I could clearly see his eyes fixed on the wedding ring on my fourth finger. My heart races as I notice his blank expression, making it hard to decipher what’s going on in his mind.

And just then Damien’s face flashes through my mind… Damn! How could I forget? I quickly glance at my wristwatch.

Damn! It’s already 1:30 pm… My eyes widened as I realized I left the office around 9 a. m.

More reason for Damien to pull off my head, bringing the cup closer to my lips, I gulped down the coffee in one go and quickly stood to leave.

“What happened?” Mason asked, slowly sipping his coffee. “Where are you rushing to?” His gaze trails down to my handbag on my hold.

“Home,”

“We are not yet done with our coffee,” he points back to the chair. “We just arrived,”

I sighed, feeling a bit flustered at the time slipping away.

Clenching my jaw, I swallowed hard to hide my framing nerves. “I have stayed out long and besides I am done with my coffee. I need to head back home,” I explained, hoping my excuses were at least enough. But he just smiled and leaned back, shrugging his shoulders.

“We came here to mend our broken bonds,” he swirls the cup around, staring down at the liquid. “By having a cup of coffee,” he adds.

“I have finished mine and……

“But I haven’t finished mine,” he quickly snapped. But seeing the look on my face, he quickly cleared his throat before looking back at me. “It’s just a cup of coffee, you have stubbornly made the payment, then at least let me finish mine.”

“Mason, the thing is….” I had barely finished before he waved his right hand dismissively in the air, interrupting me. “Yes, you’re married and of course shouldn’t be seen with your ex, huh?” He sarcastically blurted out, giving me a mocking grin which only added to my nervousness.

“Mason the thing is….”

“A cup of coffee,” he smiled, raising his cup, “It won’t take hours,” he said, leaning back to sip his drink.

I wronged him and I need to fix up things. And the most important thing, my Father is in his care right now.

Swallowing, I let out a rueful smile. “Hmm, fine,” with that said, I sat back on the chair, looking outside the window, ignoring his burning stares.

Tick… Seconds passed… Minutes, and he’s still on the same cup of coffee with no intention of finishing it. I’ve even lost count of how many times I’ve glanced at my wristwatch. Sighing, I gave up and leaned back, sulking. I can see the satisfactory glint in his eyes… The same smile whenever he’s enjoying a particular thing.

Ugh! I shake off the memories and fold my arms across my chest, looking away. And just then, out of nowhere, absentminded, I felt a minty breath fan my face, twinkling my skin. But before I could turn, I felt a finger trace along my earlobe, flinching me.

Holy fuck!

“W- Mason, what are you doing?” I stuttered, my gaze widened at the closeness between us. I gulped hard as he gently smiled at me. I noticed the camera flash like before, but before I could react, he tugged the strand of my hair behind my ear and pecked my forehead before leaning back on his chair, leaving me puzzled.

Did he…. Did he? I mean did he just peck me right NOW?!

“What? You just pecked my…” Still, in a state of shock, I point directly at my forehead.

Shrugging while suppressing his smile, he muttered, “For friendship, nothing much,” he blurted like it was the normal thing in the world.

“Hhmmm,” I sputtered, my finger still pointing at my face. Laughing, he pulled them down, looking at me. “Is nothing much, stop acting up,”

“Yes, for friendship,” I immediately jolted back to reality, forcing out a smile to ease the sudden anxiety in my fraying nerves.

“We should start going, I am done,” he stood up, stretching out his hand for me to take. Nodding, I stood up as well but instead held my handbag with my two hands.

Seeing my reaction, he smiled, disappointment flashing through his eyes. “Thanks, I had a great time,” he commented as we strolled outside. Suddenly, a distant camera flash caught my attention, causing me to swiftly turn towards him.

“Did you notice anything?” His eyebrow twitched up in confusion as he looked at me. “Notice what?” he asked.

Clearing my throat, I fearfully glanced around before looking back at him. “A light…. Sorry, I mean a camera flash?”

Giving me a long thoughtful look, he burst into laughter as if I had suddenly lost my mind. “The sun is blazing today, we better get going,”

“Mason,” I wanted to call him back, but I immediately stopped midway. A question flashed through my mind… Is Damien spying on me?

I know I saw a flash countless times!

“You are not coming,” noticing my absence, he halted in his tracks, spun around, and found me standing just a few meters away, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Letting out a nervous cough, I pushed away the thoughts and strolled over to him. “Go ahead and get into your car, I want to watch you leave,” he grinned, his eyes sparkling with affection as he joined me by my side.

“Huh,” I uncomfortably nodded and began walking away abruptly, but he called out right away, making me turn back. “Thank you!” He said.

Nodding, I forced out a smile at him and immediately made my way back to my car. As I entered, I observed him still standing in the parking space, patiently waiting for me to leave.

Hmmm…. This is creepy! He has never acted this way before.

Frustrated with how much time I had wasted, I ignored him and inserted my car key into the ignition to start the engine, but to my dismay, the car sputtered and refused to start. I attempted multiple times, but the result was always the same.

Argh…! I glanced out and caught Mason staring in my direction with curiosity. Frustrated, I swung open the door and stepped out to pop the car bonnet. As I peered at the engine, a sigh escaped me… Everything just lay there, and I felt lost on where to begin. Uncertain of my next move, I caught Mason approaching from the corner of my eye, causing me to dash back to the car in a hurry.

And that’s when my gaze fell on the car dashboard, and the fuel gauge showed that the fuel tank was completely empty.

Damn!!! I furiously hit the steering.

How come I didn’t check the fuel level before driving out?

Oh God! I should have checked the fuel level before hitting the road. Panic started creeping in when I noticed there were no gas stations around the vicinity. The setting sun painted the road with a long yellow hue….. Is already 3:30 pm right now.

“What seems to be the problem, Ash?” Mason tapped gently on the locked window.

Fuck!

My heart was pounding as I thought about my next step right now. I can’t spill the beans; otherwise, he’ll want to stick around, and I’m not certain I can handle another minute in his company.

Rolling down the window, I gave him a big nervous grin. “The car is overheated, so I’m just waiting for it to cool down, but that’s not an issue. You can leave.”

“Oh, I see,” he nodded. “Well, I’ll hang around until it cools down. You shouldn’t be here alone.”

“Huh,” I instantly snapped my head towards him.

“Is there a problem?” He raised his brow.

“No, but you might be needed at your hospital,” I replied, hoping he would just leave so I could look for help.

“Don’t worry,” he smiled, but then his phone beeped. Answering the call, I saw his expression change to a frown. After ending the call, he glanced at me apologetically. “There’s an emergency at the hospital.”

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“Oh, okay, you can leave,” I smiled as he nodded at me and turned around to leave.

Once I was certain he had left, I hurried out of the car, eager to find help, perhaps reaching out to my driver. Suddenly, a car pulled up beside me, but I paid it no mind, and focused on scrolling through my phone, looking for the driver’s contact number.

“Hi, sister-in-law,”

I immediately spun around in disbelief, my voice trembling, “Sebastian,” I managed to whisper, a mix of shock and confusion enveloping me in that moment.

Assessing the situation and then turning his gaze back to me, he flashed a broad grin. “Looks like you could need a ride,”