THE MAFIA’S MISTAKEN BRIDE

Andre’s POV

A sardonic smile lifts up the man’s face making him look more handsome in the glorious illumination of the nightclub.

It makes me smile too beneath my mask.

He has been coming for days now. I have noticed him just like how I got his attention the very first day he got here.

He reminds me of him. He reminds me of that monster, Xavier because of his goddamn handsomeness and I am being careful not to fall into a trap again like the last time Xavier almost caught me.

I’m been laid back now because I haven’t received any call from mother yet. No warning calls.

She usually calls whenever she has information about his men being around and what I do is to disappear into thin air.

The game of hide and seek so far with Xavier is exhilarating. It makes my head swell so much with pride and makes me enjoy the game all the more. The more frustrated he is, the more happy I become. It makes me feel fulfilled and I am ready to keep up with this for as long as it can lasts.

But one thing is definitely sure.

I won’t let him get me.

No matter what. I won’t give him the privilege of having the last laugh. I know how devilish he can be and what punishment awaits me when I get back home but I don’t care. I am not going back home anytime soon. I am going to enjoy this new life, this new freedom and this adventurous lifestyle for as long as I can.

I will go back home when I want. Xavier won’t get me.

For a week now, I have been able to attract the attention of every single man in this club with my mask and red hair, making me wonder just what they would do when I eventually decide to show my face.

I am beautiful, no doubt and I take pride in that but I am masked for a purpose.

I enjoy stripping in this club and I might stay in London longer than expected. To ensure that I don’t have to leave stripping, I result in masking for my shows.

This way, Xavier won’t find me easily and I don’t have to move soon again.

With my right leg hanging up the pole and my revealing eyes fixated on the strange-handsome dude, I twist around the pole exchanging my leg with the other and finally pushing my butts down slowly.

Claps and laughter arise in the dark room, making me smile at the result. There are about eight girls in the room right now strip-dancing but I know I have 80% of the attention of the men in the room.

The strange man is sitting alone just like he has been doing for days now. He has a smug smile on his face now, making him look more attractive than ever.

Stroking my exposed thighs, I lean upward in the same slow movement, finally taking my eyes off him and closing them to enjoy the moment.

This is what I enjoy most about strip dancing. It reminds me of my rebellious days in college when I go to clubs every weekend. I was living a crazy lifestyle and I knew it.

My father hated it which was why he didn’t think twice about having me married to that devil. I wanted to defy him but he got me by feigning sadness about having to lose his company, and then I pretended to agree to his terms.

Xavier does not deserve to have a woman like me. I would have gone along with the so-called wedding and ended up making his life miserable but I thought it best not to have anything to do with the idiot.

I hate him with passion. I can’t bear to stay in the same room with him. I couldn’t even bear the thought of becoming his wife so I did the only thing I was good at.

Rebellious.

I stood him up on our wedding day but I miss not seeing how hard his face would have been that morning when the realization dawned on him that he had been jilted.

The thought filled me with so much laughter and now that I think of it again, I can’t help the smile spreading across my face.

I curl up on one side as the music comes to a slow stop, earning a round of applause from the audience. Without wasting much time, I step down from the podium, finding my wall to the dressing room.

I may be reckless but I am careful when I need to be. Xavier is someone I can’t predict. I need to make a call with Mom to be sure my suspicions are wrong.

There is just something about that stranger that seems vaguely familiar. Like I know him or I have seen him somewhere before now. How he manages to remind me of Xavier Ravarivelo is another thing I can’t seem to point out.

Unlike the rest of the girls, I find my way to the second dressing room. Most of them stay back to get a man for the night but I am not interested in that.

Mother barely sends me money so I need to make a living by doing something I love which is why I am settling in London for now.

Father doesn’t know my whereabouts and I don’t intend to let him know anytime soon. He is pretty loyal to Xavier and I’m sure in just a few hours of knowing, I will be whisked back to New York City only to be married off the next morning to Xavier.

Tossing my mask aside, I grab my phone from my bag as soon as I get to the small table attached to the large mirror.Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

I dial my mom’s number and it rings for a while before she picks up in a low tone.

“Andre?”

“Mom, is Xavier on my trail again?” I burst out, almost yelling because the last time we had a conversation, she told me he was getting married to my look-alike.

I didn’t care about who she was. What I cared about was my little freedom which is why I have resulted to settling down in London.

“On your trail?” she seems genuinely surprised like I am. “Is he?”

Mother and I barely make calls unless when necessary. Most times, we text each other.

“I’m not sure. I’m just having this strange feeling that he is. Isn’t he married yet?”

Silence fills the air. I am about to ask her again when she answers. “He is.”

She goes silent again. “When are you coming home, Andre?”

If there is any best time to go home, then now is the time. Now that he is married to someone who is assumed to be my look-alike but if he is still on my trail, then it is impossible. Besides, I love my new work. I haven’t gotten enough of this freedom. The freedom of being away from my parents and having to do whatever I want without being called rebellious or having to defy my dad.

All I want is for Xavier to give up on finding me. Then after getting tired of all this running, I can go home.

“Not now, Mom. Can we talk later?” I say into the phone. This isn’t the first time she is asking me when I will come back home and definitely not the last. I know that.

I am not ready.

When she isn’t saying anything, I disconnect the call and dump my phone back into the bag when I hear a sound behind me. Alert, I dig my hand into my bag to bring out my weapon-pepper spray when I hear his voice.

“La tua bellezza mi lascia senza fiato”, his baritone voice sounds like music to my ears. Deep and thick with his Italian accent.

I understand Italian and I know what he means. He just told me how my beauty steals his breath away, making me feel like a woman once again in more than eleven months since I have been on the run.

I know I shouldn’t feel this way but I can’t help it.

I am supposed to make sure he is not a spy sent by Xavier but I guess I have to find out by getting close to him. By being careful and not reckless this time or letting emotions get in the way.

My mask is far away from me and he is still approaching. Left with no other choice, I turn around slowly to meet his intense gaze.

His stares make me feel even more beautiful as he mouths so many words. As our eyes interlock, I try to figure out where I must have seen him before now. I am sure I have seen him somewhere before which is why I find him familiar.

“Who the hell are you?!” I snap, as he looks taken aback instantly.

His face is filled with amusement as he stops approaching, cock his head to one side and answer. “You don’t remember me?”

Do I know you? I almost ask out loud, keeping a straight face.

Obviously, I don’t.

He nods, as though hearing my thoughts. “I figured you must have forgotten where you know me from.”

He beams, showcasing his perfectly set of teeth and his clean moustaches shining brightly.

Alertness stirs in me again when he begins to approach and I bring out the bottle of pepper spray. “One more step and you will have yourself to blame.”

He halts, amused and surprised at my reaction. Raising his hands up in surrender, he steps back in laughter. “I mean no harm. I just thought moving a little closer to you would remind you of who I am.”

“Do I look like I care who you are?” I bark at him, regretting why I didn’t use my mask. If he is sent by Xavier, then showing him my real face is a damn mistake. I shouldn’t have.

Anger fills me up instantly and I yell. “Get out!”

“What?!” The amusement is gone now. It is replaced with surprise and extreme shock.

“You heard me, get out!” I step towards him threateningly but he doesn’t look threatened a bit. The amusement is back as he backs away, shaking his head as he takes the exit out.

A mixture of relief and a sense of loss wash through me.

I’m relieved because I still can’t say if he is a spy or not and I am at a loss because he is goddamn handsome.

As soon as I whirl around to return to the table, grab my bag and leave for home, I hear the sound of footsteps again, making me grin at his persistence.

I turn back sharply to continue with my pretense of being offended by his intrusion when my eyes fall on two familiar faces.

Andrew and Mathew.

My jaws drop open with shivers running down my spine. Before I can turn back to get the spray, one of the men grabs me from behind, clamping his large hands over my mouth to stop me from screaming.

I struggle with him, wanting to grab my sole weapon to fight them off and run, just like I have been doing but they are more powerful than I am.

This is the first time they are so close. But I won’t let them have me whisked back to New York. I will do all it takes to escape again.

Despite my resolve, I find my body growing weak against my will as soon as the other man presses a hankie to my nose.

My body goes weak suddenly and my hand stretching towards my bag for the weapon becomes numb as I drop to the floor with a thud.