LUCIANO
I could not concentrate on a single thing after Jade told me to leave her alone. A day had completely passed since we had that brief outburst of anger and all I just wanted to do was to grab her towards me at that moment and kiss her so passionately so she could understand that my emotions were intertwined with hers.
I could never leave her alone. Not even if she begged for it or a gun was pointed at my head.
I will not say I love her because love is a foreign word to me. I do not think I will be able to love anyone. My mother loved my father dearly but it did not fix their broken marraige. Her love was just not enough to do it.
But I do care for Jade alot. I cared for her more than I cared for myself.
I cared for her the moment I was told that I would be her husband. It was initially going to be Raffaele who would marry her but the man could not just keep his dick within his pants. He had gotten Aurora pregnant out of wedlock then so my father on his deathbed instructed that I marry her to seal both our families.
I swore in my heart to be the husband that my father never was to my mother, to Jade; a dutiful and loyal husband.
At first, I was not interested in even getting married but I did it all to please my father. I thought he would love me for that but our relationship still remained the same.
My parents marraige never ended well and my mother died of heartbreak.
I did not want to suffer that same fate. I did not want to be weak because of love. My father also never loved me the way he loved my younger step brothers. And he never loved my mother the way he loved Gabriella.
She was his true love but his father forced him to get married to my innocent mother who became a victim of their failed marraige.
It made me think my existence itself was a mistake. Because father never wanted my mother from the beginning.
I watched my mother beg my father to love her and treat her the way he did with Gabriella but my father just never loved her even after bearing a son for him.
She died of a broken heart and in less than a year, my father got married to Gabriella and they had two sons whom father cherished more than anything else.
My uncle Giovanni and Tommasso were never in support of my father’s decision to get married to Gabriella. They saw her as the third wheel in the marraige.
But they learnt to accept her and so did I. What choice did I have?
She was a good step mother to me but in some cases, I could see the dislike she had for me.
Truly, nothing can take away my mother’s place in my life. Not even Gabriella.
I am struggling and trying to fight away my inner demons so I can be a better husband for Jade but I feel she does not see it.
To my capos and underbosses, I am a man of no heart. A man who kills ruthlessly and deals with all his enemies but in my marraige, I am just a helpless husband trying to make my wife happy.
No matter how many times I try to explain this to Jade, I doubt she would understand me or see my point.
I need to atleast try and get her to understand me. She has a deflected view of my intentions and personality.
Standing up, I took in a deep breath before exhaling out. Sauntering out of my study room, I ambled towards Jade’s private bed chamber. I am guessing she would be there.
She stays there alot these days.
On approaching the door to her private bed room, I could hear feminine giggles and chatterings in the room.
I guess I was right.
I pushed open the door, catching the attention and stares of both Jade and her maids.
Two of her maids sat at her feet, painting her toe nails whislt one styled her hair with beautiful hair pins.
She looked mesmerising and breathtaking. I stood by the door, drinking in her body like a man starved of water.
Staring at her, I realised how much of a natural beauty she was. “Luciano, good morning. I was not expecting you to come here. Do you need anything?” She asked.
I walked in and all her maids stood at once, bowing their heads at me as a sign of respect.
“Buongiorno, maestro Luciano” they all sang in unison.
“Potete tutti andare via” I declared. One by one they left to Jade’s astonishment.
“Hey where are they all going?” She inquired.
“I sent them away Jade”
She wrinkled her brows at me. “Why? They were not yet done helping me”
“I sent them away because I want to speak to you. Privately” I responded.
“Oh..” was all she could say. “Very well let’s talk. Seat with me”
I held back my chuckle at her authoritative tone.
“Look Jade…” I began once we both had sat on the bed, facing each other.
“I am really sorry for everything that transpired between us in the last few days Jade. Honestly it was not my intention to cause any discord between us. Can we just forget it all and move on?” I asked with an apologetic look.
Jade drew in her breath and I watched as her fingers gradually reached for mine.
Grasping hold of my fingers, Jade softly caressed it with a beam on her face before suddenly smacking it taking me off guard.
“Ouch!” I exclaimed, retreating my fingers from hers. “What the fuck! Why would you do that!?”
“Do you think this is a movie or a book where the male lead wrongs the female lead and just goes and tells her he is sorry and then she forgives him stupidly without calling him to account for his actions!?” She fumed.
What the hell! I am not someone who enjoyed apologising but here I was trying to do it and Jade was not even making it easy for me.
What more does she want me to say to her if not that I am sorry?!
Women! Nothing ever satisfies them.
“What is wrong with you? I hardly apologise but I am swallowing my ego and doing it to you yet you do not want to swallow yours and make things easier for me” I spoke up in a state of disbelief at her actions.
“My point is, you can not just wipe everything away by coming into my room, giving me lustful dreamy eyes and saying you are a sorry. Life is not a novel or a movie. Act. Show you are sorry through your actions. Pledge to be a better and a more understanding husband to me because you lack that!” She snapped at me.
Wow. What did I get married to?
Mother was always so submissive.
“Oh and you do not lack any of the good qualities you want me to show you?” I retorted back at her.
“Yes I do not Luciano. If I did I would not have gone to look for you that night you rained fire and brimstones at me”
The hell. This is quite harder than I thought.
I massaged my temples in frustration listening to Jade pour out her mind.
“Look Luciano…” she breathed out deeply accompanied by a sigh. “I was really hurt by your actions honestly. I did not expect you to lash at me like that. My emotions were hurt and I felt so misunderstood. I felt alone and at that point, I just wanted to go back to my home. I thought we could be friends even though we were both thrown into this arranged alliance…”
“And we can be friends Jade” I butted in at once. “We can be best of friends Jade. I am really sorry for my outburst. I just did not like the fact that you sought help from my brother”
“Why? What happened between you and your brothers that makes you so cold towards them and vice versa?” She was as curious as a cat. Well she was a feisty cat. A pussy cat, I smirked to myself.
“It is personal Jade” I simply stated.
“But I am your wife and…” she stoped herself noticing that my features had changed.
“I am sorry for trying to force you to speak. But I need you to communicate with me please. Do not yell at me and keep me in the dark”
“I promise I will try and communicate more with you. I promise to be a better husband to you Jade” I assured her.
A smile broke on her lips and she extended a hand to me for a hand shake. I took it with a grin on my face.
“So friends?” I asked still unsure.
“Yes. We are friends again” Jade laughed.
At that minute, a knock was heard causing us to incline our heads at the door.
“Come in” Jade ordered.
A guard walked in and bowed his head at both of us.
“Speak. Any issue?” I asked.
“La moglie del boss, Gabriela, ha chiesto di voi due.” He announced before retreating out of the room.
“What did he say? Can you all speak English for once here?” Jade grumbled.
“My step mother needs us, wife” I smiled at her, standing to my feet and extending a hand for her to stand on hers.
“Thank you” she blushed.
“Why does she want to see us?”
I shrugged my shoulders at her. “We shall see when we get there”
“Hopefully it will not be anything serious” Jade whispered.
Hopefully.