The Mafia’s Wanted Desires

ASHLEY

“What do you mean by the editor called in sick?!” I shrieked, slamming shut the drawer that contained my undies. My eyes widened in sheer horror, nearly bulging out of their sockets. My lips were ajar as I tried to analyze the weight of the information that was dumped on me all at once.

“Yes, Mrs Gray. It happened three days ag__” I totally lost it with her because I didn’t allow her to complete her sentence.

“What? Riley, are you being serious right now?!” My voice rose a notch but I was way past keeping my anger in check. Someone needed to put her in her place and that person was me.

“Mrs__”

“Don’t Mrs. Gray me! Riley, what the hell?” I screamed into the phone, cutting her off.

“You mean one of my editors has been sick and you didn’t think to tell me? You didn’t think I deserve to be informed about it? I should be notified of things like this!” I snapped, getting aggravated.

“I am sorry, boss.” She apologized quietly.

“I don’t need your apology!”

“Get an editor to review those works as soon as possible!” I fired into the phone and hung up on her. I groaned, palming my head and digging my fingers into my hair. I don’t understand. I leave work for a while to look after my family and she messes things up so badly? What kind of an assistant is she?

I don’t know…

Was I overreacting?

Okay, maybe I did but I hated being kept in the dark regarding things that overly concerns me. I get that she feels like she had it all under control and didn’t want to disturb me but then, it was my company. I suddenly felt a truckload of guilt starting to crush me and I exhaled, squeezing my eyes shut. I considered calling her back and apologizing to her but the time was far gone. I didn’t want to keep Maria and Aunt Caroline waiting.

I hissed through my teeth, pulling the drawer open. I picked the first panties I could lay my hands on, sliding them on. I grabbed the mini black body con dress and shrugged it on, throwing my hair in a messy ponytail. I was going to walk out of the room but I paused mid-way, going over to his side of the closet. I took his cologne and mildly sprayed it around the necessary parts of my body.

It might be comforting for him, for me to smell like him. I smiled softly and sauntered out of the room. The smile on my face slowly dissolved when I saw his rigid frame by the see-through glass in our room. I sighed and walked over to meet him, as quietly as I could.

I wrapped my arms around his torso, placing my head on his back and I felt his taut muscles relax at my touch, bringing a smile to my face. On cue, he spun around and supported my stance with his arm around my waist, pecking my lips softly.

“I’m terrified,” He spoke up, expressing how he felt. It brought a smile to my face and warmed my heart so that he could tell me how he truly feels. I loved that he did want to hide anything from me.

“I will be right there with you. All the way.” I whispered, assuring him and he nodded, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead. He exhaled, staring at me, and then he nodded his head, signaling to me that he was ready. We were about to leave but he suddenly held on to me and I furrowed my brows at him.

“You should know something…” He trailed off, his voice sounding so small.

“What’s that, baby?” I queried, my eyes fixated on him.

“Aunt Caroline is my mom’s twin.” He dropped the bombshell on me and my eyes went wide, threatening to bulge out of their socket. I opened my mouth like a gaping fish in the water, my words dying at the tip of my tongue. I was at a loss for words. I didn’t know what to say or how to react to what he just said.

He stared at me with pleading eyes, urging me to say something about what he just dropped on me.

“I…”

“God, you are not mad at me for not telling you, are you?” He asked in a whisper.

“No!” I countered him quickly.

“No! What? No! I am not mad at you. It’s yours to tell and you chose to tell me at the right time, so it’s okay,”

“That’s really beautiful by the way because, in a way, you still get to have a part of your mom around you.” I comforted him with a warm smile on my face. He stared at me for a while and his lips slowly curved in a smile, relief breaking out on his face before he pulled me into a hug.

“Thank you.” He said quietly and I beamed as though he could see me.

And with that, I led him out of our room. As we headed down the staircase, his hand grew so cold in mine but I tried my hardest to hold on to him, assuring him in my own way that we were in this together.

“Ashley!” Maria nearly screamed my ears off. She jolted upright from the couch she was sitting on with her husband and snuggled up against him. She lunged at me and I let my hand out of Arden’s, throwing my head back in laughter as she clung to me so tightly.

“Okay, Hulk, your grip is getting so tight,” I spoke up, patting her back and she giggled. She let me out of her death grip, grinning at me before she pecked my cheeks and walked past me to go say hello to her brother.This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

Aunt Caroline met my gaze, warmth swirling in her eyes. It hit differently to stare at her, knowing she was a twin to my husband’s mom. I couldn’t conceal my shock and I could tell she picked up on it, so she got up from her seat and approached me, engulfing me in a hug. Her fresh scent wafted into my nostrils and I sighed, easing into the comfort of her hug.

“How are you?” She said into my ears and my lips curved in a smile, a chuckle emitting from me.

“I am fine, Aunty,” I responded and she pulled away lightly, gazing at me with adoration swimming in her eyes.

“You are glowing,” She stated with a teasing smirk and I grew red in the face.

“Hey, Ash!” Andrew’s loud voice echoed in the room and I turned my body away from Aunt Caroline, my eyes darting to his frame that was coming from somewhere in the large living room with his phone in his hands. I squealed and walked away from the older woman, strutting over to Andrew, who pulled me in a casual hug, kissing my cheek.

“Hey, Andrew!” I chirped.

“Where is Xyra?” I requested, my eyes wandering around the living room, in search of the little sunshine that had me wrapped around her fingers.

“Oh, she’s asleep.” He grinned.

I chuckled and left his side, grabbing Arden’s hands and leading him to a couch. The whole family grew quiet, staring at us with eager smiles and I heard him release a breath beside me. I spared him a cursory glance, urging him on with my eyes and I squeezed his fingers in reassurance.

“Uh…” He began, his voice lacking the usual confidence it always held and I could tell it scared him also.

“Yeah…uh…”

“I have something to tell you all,” He began, sighing. My hand found one of his and I slipped my fingers into his fingers, squeezing them in reassurance. The trio stared at us, the warm, easy smile on their faces slowly morphed into a serious expression as they could tell how serious the whole thing was.

“I have been having nightmares,”

“Nightmares about the accident. I have been having them since a few weeks after the accident till date. Watching them die was so traumatic and I didn’t know how to deal with the pain, so I channeled it into work and trying to take of Maria__

__It’s the reason Allegra left because the nightmares wouldn’t stop recurring. She got tired of putting up with me and broke off the engagement__

It made me so withdrawn, and emotionless and I started recoiling deeper into my shell. I didn’t know how to tell you all, so I just kept it to myself and decided to deal with the pain. It was easier over the years because it became numb, rendering me unable to feel…” He trailed off, his voice thick with sadness, and then he spared me a glance, sending me a tight-lipped smile.

“Until she came into the picture.” He concluded and I smiled at him in return. I didn’t have to say it, he could see it all over my face, how proud I was of him.

A deafening silence echoed in the vast living room and it caused my heartbeat to pick up a much faster pace. My palms suddenly grew sweaty and I shifted in my seat, hating the silence that reigned in the air. I tried to study their features but the pounding of blood in my ears made it so hard for me to do.

Aunt Caroline had tears building up in her eyes and with how her lips were quivering, I knew she was trying to hold them back. Andrew looked so appalled but somewhere beneath the shock that hung in his eyes, I could decipher a hint of understanding in them, like he was finally piecing a puzzle together.

But then, Maria was eerily quiet. Her green eyes were so cold as she assessed her brother, shoulders completely stiff. My heart lurched to my throat and I knew that within those stormy grew eyes was a brewing fury and I couldn’t have been more right when she finally spoke up.

“Wow…” She trailed off.

“Wow,”

“Wow, Jaxon. Wow.” She chuckled mirthlessly.

“So, you have been struggling with PTSD for over ten years and you didn’t for once, not even a second deem it fit to speak to me about it. You didn’t think it was okay for me to know what was going on with you,” Her voice was dangerously low, and then she stood up, slowly approaching him.

“Maria__”

“I don’t want to hear it, Aunty.” She said coldly, shunning her Aunt.

“But boom!” She snapped her fingers to punctuate her words.

“She waltzed into your life and within months of knowing her, you were so quick to confide in her!” Maria yelled, tears streaming down her face.

“You barely even know her!” She screamed and those words pierced through my heart, gutting my intestines out in the process. They cut through every inch of my body, shattering me into pieces and I couldn’t control the hot tears that burned in my eyes.

“MARIA!” Arden bellowed, snatching his hand out of mine and rising to his feet. He marched forward, stopping right in front of her and if it were me, I would be intimidated by the deadly look on his face but Maria didn’t even bat an eyelid.

“Don’t do that,” He warned her, his tone holding a searing edge to it.

“What? I shouldn’t do what? I shouldn’t speak my truth about the fact that she’s not even family! She’s just a girl you picked up on the streets and you decided to soil the reputable name of the Gray family by getting involved with her!” She shouted at him and the tears I was struggling to hold back poured heavily, my heart constricting in pain. I tried to keep my eyes open but I couldn’t, my breaths were starting to come out harshly.

“You can get mad at me all you want but I won’t stand here and watch you degrade my wife simply because she tried to help!” Arden’s strident voice thundered murderously, echoing throughout the vast room.

“Don’t__”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP, MARIA!” He commanded her and through my hazy vision, I watched her veer backwards at her brother’s tone.

“I wouldn’t be standing right in front of you all, opening up to you if it weren’t for her!”

“Do you know how many times she has had to cry her eyes out, every night, watching me struggle between illusions and reality? Do you know how many times I hurt her in the process of jolting back awake? Do you know how many times she has had sleepless nights just so she could make sure I go to bed without any hassle?”

“NO, YOU DON’T!” He fired.

“She has been my anchor!” He shouted.

“I am done having this conversation and in all honesty, I regret opening up to you about this.” His sharp voice was now drawn to a whisper, cracking heavily and without saying another word, he spun on his heels and stormed upstairs.

Maria cast me a disdainful stare, her eyes filled with so much hate before dashing out of the house in tears with Aunt Caroline and her husband trailing after her.

I just sat there, motionless, trying to wrap my head around what just happened. I tried to stand up from where I sat, but when I did, my legs gave me away and I collapsed to the floor, breaking down into heavy tears.

I couldn’t control my sobs.

I shattered into a thousand pieces.