Xahari_Aria 

After the death of his first  wife, Matteo Marino, a wealthy CEO and powerful mafia boss behind the scenes,  he was forced to remarry the daughter of one of his father's most trusted friend. Aria Barone, a young girl who witnessed her beloved mother murdered and burned alive by one of her father's rivals during her childhood and has been horrified since then. Forced to marry the man her father wanted, will she uncover Matteo’s darkest secret, or  will she fall in love with him?

Forced Vows, Hidden Shadows

 Ever since that evening when Mrs. Fletcher saw Matteo and I in an intimate moment. She had been treating me with a coldness that I couldn't help but notice. It was as if she was pretending I wasn't even in the room. Her demeanor towards me had turned completely indifferent. 


I reached out to grab Mrs. Fletcher's arm as she was about to serve Matteo's plate. She froze, and her wrinkled eyes turned to look at me. I felt like a deer in headlights, and my heart was pounding in my chest as I reached over and took the plate from her hands. 


My voice cracked a bit as I said, "I'll take care of it." Mrs. Fletcher's eyes lingered on me for a moment, but she let go of the plate, and I carried it over to Matteo. These past few days had been torture, avoiding Matteo every chance I got. He seemed to like spending time with me, but I had been keeping my distance, probably coming off as cold or uncaring. But I knew it was for the best, or at least that’s what I kept telling myself. 


34. Fears