Will You Marry My Groom?

57

Heavily thrusting my fists against the door, I muttered cuss words, also convincing myself that I wasn't here because I was scared; I was here to give them a piece of my mind and get this over with immediately.

The moment a click vibrated from the other end of the door, my heart began throbbing harshly and my breath became unstable. The door flung open and Aunt Mandy's unpleasant figure stood there, a cigarette dangling from her lips.

She scanned me from head to toe, a smirk on her lips. "I knew you'd show up." She chortled. Nodding her head inwards, she pulled the door open wider.

I walked in, feigning a confident look despite my heart racing as wild as ever. On the living room couch, Giovanni sat there, gulping down a beer. The living room was filled with nasty trash and the smell made my eyebrows scrunch up.

"Look who's here," Giovanni smirked, rising to his feet.

He towered over me; he had very bulky muscles that made him too intimidating despite his old age. I had to lift my head to catch his gaze an exhaled deeply. Being this close to him was smothering.

"Oh, baby, don't be afraid." He smirked, his eyes running a nasty inspection of my entire body, a very inappropriate stare that brought back memories of my time with him.

I gulped. No, I had to remain strong. Giovanni feasted on fear, and he wasn't going to get that from me.

"What do you want?" I spat.

He let out a throaty chuckle. "You are trying to sound scary? It's very satisfying."

"I'm not here for chit chats. Speak." I ordered, ripping the smirk off his face.

"Don't you dare talk to me like that," he warned.

"You called me here. Speak now; I have important things to do." My tone held no adjustments and that clearly pissed him off.

"Your deadline is almost up. You still owe me."

"I don't. My father does."

That made his face rumple even more and turn red. "I don't like this attitude. That bastard is dead, and his debt is yours. You thought you could have your way by ending me? I thought you and Tiffany were smarter than that. Now, listen up. You escaped, but you're still my pet and I want you back. Now that you're with that dumbass, it'll be perfect. You'll not just leave him, but you'd also rip him of his wealth. I have made my research, and his family has some hidden stock and properties worth over Forty billion dollars. Get your hands on that for me; I don't care how you'll do it."

I chuckled. "You are a fool."

"Darn, you whore." He yelled and slapped me really hard across the face.

My hand went to my cheek and his slap made me have an immediate headache. I could feel the heat of his hit. "How dare you hit me?' my tone betrayed my confidence as tears were hugging the back of my throat.

"I've watched that stupid attitude of yours for far too long already. I was trying to pamper you, but you're still an idiot. Listen up, you will come back to me, take your husband's money; however way possible. You know what I can do if you disobey."

"Hazel, don't be stubborn." Aunt Mandy spoke for the first time. "You have been married to that dude for a long time now, yet nothing. If you don't heed to Giovanni's warning, I'll make sure to expose all your deeds to that pretty husband of yours."

"What have I ever done to deserve this from you?" tears started streaming down my face. A pang occurred in my heart. I knew she didn't like me, but at the expense of working with the monster that tormented my whole life?

"I am not interested in childish games." Gio interrupted. "I can end that stupid man's life in less than a minute, and you know it. Your deadline is fast approaching, so you better start acting." He forcefully grabbed my chin, arching my neck to lock my gaze with his. "Stop with these tears; I need that pretty face in good condition." He leaned down to kiss me, but I pushed him really hard. He didn't budge, but at least he stopped. "Stupid." He chuckled and let go of me. "I'll see you again." He walked past me and roughly nudged my shoulder to make me fall to the couch.

Once the door clicked shut, I finally burst into tears, panting loudly. I didn't even realise how much my breath had disappeared.

"I'm having so much fun watching this." Mandy stated and walked away.

***

I staggered into the room.

"Where were you?" Tristan asked, his stone expressing his annoyance.

He stormed towards me. "You said you were going to be back as soon as the meeting ended. Sherri has returned for a few hours now, and you weren't even answering your phone. WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU, Hazel?" He continued yelling.

I slowly lifted my gaze to him and all the tears I had been holding suddenly came pouring down.

The anger in his forest green eyes immediately transformed to concern. "Gosh, Hazel. What happened?" His tone was filled with worry.

I tried to speak but instead burst into another round of tears.

He wrapped his arms around me, stroking me hair. "It's okay. It's okay. I'm sorry for yelling."

I shook my head. "It's not you." I pulled away.

"What happ—" A frown suddenly appeared on his face and he held my chin, gently turning face to the side. "Who the hell hit you?" he growled, his face turning hot red.

"It's nothing." I wanted to brush it off.

"Hazel, who hit you?" His tone laced in authority at this point.

"I said it's fine." I tried to sound assertive but my racing heart affected my tone.

"I'm not dealing with that nonsense today. We are discussing this right here, right now. Tell me what bastard dared to lay his hand on my wife." His face contorted even more; it scared me. I had never seen him look this mad before. "Also, I know you're still hiding something from me, From Katie."

"Yes, I am!" I yelled.

"Just tell me," he yelled back, looking fed up. "I love you and I'm willing to help you walk out of your past, but if you insist on being stubborn, no progress is going to be made. I have tolerated your silence far too long, but not anymore. If your past is now intertwining with your present, and you are even getting physically harmed, then I won't remain quiet. I have been patient, and I am getting fed up."

"Tristan, I'm scared." I admitted, tears choking my throat.

"That's totally fine, but I'm here with you." His tone was finally calmer and he held my arms with care. His hold was so gentle; it made me feel...safe.

"I couldn't tell Katie everything. What if I get in trouble?"

"For what?"

I peered into his eyes, my heart pounding faster than normal. His green eyes sprang with nothing but acceptance. He looked like he was willing to take whatever I had and I knew it. Also, his life was on the line, and I would rather die in Giovanni's hands than let him kill my Tristan.

"Tristan, I was... no... I am a criminal. How am I supposed to tell that to a therapist? She'll get me arrested."

"What do you mean?" His tone was still surprisingly calm. "What type of criminal?"

"A horrible one."

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad." He held my hands, giving them a slight squeeze.

"I..." My heart beat rate spiked up at every second that hit the clock. Shutting my eyes, the words spilled: "The type of crimes that involved ending people's lives..." I finally admitted. 

A/N:  Hi, guys. Thank you so much for your comments on the last chapter. I appreciate you so much. 

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