The Mafioso's Corpse Bride

chapter 16

THE SOUND of the gun continued to murmur throughout the outskirts of the forest. Israel continued to fire his weapon over and over as though he had been drilling bullets into a person's head.

The nearby animals are nowhere to be seen, fleeing from the place where the gunshots occurred.

"Jefe," a man called out.

He, who was unfazed, just fired his weapon one more time before he lowered it through the ground.

"Don't waste my time if it's not important," he remarked immediately. He didn't even bother to look at his subordinate and just aimed right at a figure in the distance.

"It's about the madam, Jefe," the man continued.

Israel aimed his gun back at the target and pulled the trigger. "Continue," he ordered.

"The doctor has finally finished checking up on her and said that she just suffered from shock that day. She had a slight fever since it was raining hard but will recover if given plenty of rest," the man reported before the sound of the gunshot echoed through the place again.

"About David?" he asked afterwards.

The constant sound of the gun could make a person's ears ring, but for someone like them who had been used to the battlefield, it was like a child's play.

"It was confirmed with the others that he had been eyeing the madam for quite some time now," the man said, as though he were reading a paper with biodata.

"Kill all those "others" and get Natasha Samuelson and bring her to me," Israel coldly stated.

It seems that he had a lot of people to dispose of, seeing how they were able to act without him in the household.

His face scrunched into an ominous smile.

"Carlo," he called. His right hand immediately walked in his direction. "You know what to do; leave no evidence," he continued, which just made the man nod his head in response.

Carlo has never thought that in this lifetime he would ever see that grim look on his boss's face. He knew that he valued his wife a lot, but not to the extent of turning the Sibal residence upside down for what merely happened.

It was unlike his first wife, whom he completely neglected after marriage.

Now that he thinks of it, David mentioned something that Carlo couldn't fathom. He didn't think that he was the only one to hear those whispers every time he saw the boss's wife.

However, he ignored it, thinking it was nothing.

He drew his thoughts back to what the jefe was doing, and this whole afternoon, the man just continued to fire off on the corpse's body as though they were target practices.

***

WHEN Althea woke up from a deep sleep, the first thing she felt was her rabid breathing and her eyes roaming around to look at the place.

She found herself laying in the same bed with the same ceiling that was flashing through her eyes.

"Madam!" a woman suddenly exclaimed, which made her turn her head in her direction. It was none other than Linda.

She had a bruise on her lip, as though she had been punched not too long ago.

"I'm glad that you're finally awake!" the woman said with a worried tone. It looked like she stayed up all night just serving her.

Althea tried to get up from her bed, but she felt as though all of her strength was gone.

"What happened?" she uttered after a short while. Her body immediately started to throb all over as though she had been beaten.

Beaten . . .  yes, she was beaten.

When the thought finally crossed her mind, she froze for a second. She suddenly remembered the eyes of the man who wanted to kill her for a second, resulting in her trembling again.

"Madam," Linda called, trying to calm her down. The woman immediately noticed her flinching, which is why she had a worried look plastered on her face.

Althea just smiled bitterly. "Could you please leave me for a moment?" she said weakly.

She wanted to be alone for the time being so that she could think for herself.

Once the door closed, she stared at the window right across her bed. It was still sunny based on the light radiating outside.

She just stared there aimlessly as she let herself drown in her thinking.

It has been exactly 1 month, 4 hours, 12 minutes, and 25 seconds since she was wedded to that monster, and every day was like a battlefield for her.

That woman named Natasha was right. She was not aiming to become the proper wife of the mafioso in this mansion. She was just a meek woman on the sideline where Israel plays.

She hadn't visited any other places in this household and just aimlessly went from the bedroom to the drawing room and the dining area.

Nevertheless, it was not even her idea to be married to him. He was the one who forced the idea, amidst her refusal.

Tears rolled down her eyes. She doesn't even know if life would welcome her if she came out of this hellhole.

All she knows is that this place is hell and everyone is her enemy.

Her thoughts were only interrupted when the door suddenly swung open, revealing a man dressed in a button-up shirt and black pants.

His hair was brushed towards the other side of his head while his brows arched in a frown.

"Amor." That same baritone voice called out to her in a sweet endearment that made her lift her head.

The moment her eyes met his, she glared. "What do you want from me?" she asked him.

Israel stopped in front of her and reached for a few of her disheveled locks.

"I wanted to see my wife," he mumbled in a gentle tone.

Althea gritted her teeth. She will never believe the words of this man. She knew that it was all the opposite—a hoax to deceive her.

"Just drop dead already," she said sharply. She doesn't even have the strength to grab something by the bedside and throw it across him.

"I will never believe a single word you say. Do you understand me?" she continued while staring at those dark brown orbs.

She couldn't tell what he was thinking, but the man just touched her hair with his lips.

"Yes, Amor," he replied. He was unfazed by what she said before the man knelt down on the ground.

"However, do believe me when I say that I didn't know rats were infiltrating us," Israel mentioned, which made her yank her hair away from him.

"I thought that it would have been your chance to escape, and yet . . . something like that occured—"

"Bullshit!" Althea shouted, cussing at the man in front of her. She lifted his collar with all her anger as she stared into those orbs.

She feared him a lot; so much that even until now, her hands are trembling, just looking at his whole face.

It was like staring into death.

She gritted her teeth.

"I don't even want to look at you," she coldly said before she pushed him away. "Get out," she mumbled.

"Alright." Israel didn't even seem to be bothered when the woman kicked her out of their bedroom. He just stared at the woman's face all this time before a smile drew on his face.

"Jefe," Hugo interrupted. There was fear looming in his eyes, as though he had witnessed something he didn't want to see at all.

The man just sneered in annoyance as he gestured "stop" to his subordinate.

Every time he remembers her face scrunching into a fearful look, desperate and distraught, he can't help but be excited.

"Qué bonito, mi amor." [How lovely, my love.]