Bargain Bride: The Billionaire’s Forced Wife

TWO SEEMINGLY loving couple went out of their mansion, for the first time in months. They were holding each others hands while walking towards the car that’s parking on the wide space in front of their home.

From a far, the two seemed to be drowing in love with each other. Just the nonexistent space between them is an enough proof to know how close they are.

However, upon closer look, the man is stiff. His whole body is just going with the flow on what Chiara is doing, following her movements.

“Relax, ” Chiara told Victor when they are near the car they will use to go to the office.

Victor cleared his throat, feeling uneasy. “I’m starting to question my decisions, signora, ” he responded without moving his mouth too much.

On the outside, Victor who is posing as Ezio looked calm and collected, like the latter. However, chaos is moving inside of him.

“I don’t think signor will agree to this idea, ” he added while imagining the rampage that will happen once his signor found out what they are doing.

Victor felt like he is cheating behind his signor’s back by being intimate with his signor’s wife – by posing as him and holding her hand. If not because of Chiara’s encouragement, Luigi’s persuasion, and care for Ezio, he wouldn’t do something like this.

“I think of that, too, ” Chiara confessed. “But it can’t be helped. It’s been months. People are starting to wonder where my husband is. We need to have a substitute until my husband wakes up. ”

When they reached the car, Victor opened the car door for Chiara. He was very careful not to forget everything that Luigi told him. From how Ezio act in public, to how Ezio act with Chiara. He memorized everything to avoid any lapses.

As his body entered the car, Victor blew a sigh of relief. He didn’t anticipate that pretending to be someone is this exhausting.

“I’m sorry I have to drag you to this situation, ” Chiara spoke to him with a gentle tone. “I cannot think of anything to lessen people’s questions about my husband’s welfare. I just hope he will wake up as soon as possible so that we can return to normal. ”

“There is no need to apologize, signora, ” he said while giving him a smile – the smile that Victor gives as Victor and not a smile as Ezio. “I agreed to this for the sake of signor. Besides, I have a strong feeling that he will woke up anytime now. Let’s hope for the best. ”

Chiata nodded with a smile. She admired Victor’s positive personality. She just pity him for he has to pretend for most time of the day.

On the day she fired the spy in their company, it was also the first day Victor posed as Ezio in public. Her heart was thumping so loud that day, fearing that people will notice that the Ezio with him is a fake one.

Fortunately, people bought their show. The questions about Ezio’s situation gradually lessened until the word of Ezio’s return scattered across the business circle.

The “pretend play” that day lasted for just a few minutes, but Chiara noticed how exhausted Victor was after that.

“By the way, are there any updates about Giovanni? I haven’t heard about him these past few days, ” Chiara asked him while chatting with Luigi who was left in their safe house with her parents and Ezio.

“Luigi told me that he kept a low profile. However, ” he gave her a picture that was given by Dante a few days ago. “our former auditing head was seen with him a few days ago. It wasn’t clear what they were really talking about, but someone heard that Caterina talked about pregnancy before Giovanni shoved him away.”

That information piqued Chiara’s interest. It doesn’t take a genuis to knwo what happened between the two. Since it was confirmed that Giovanni and Caterina has a romantic relationship, it is not impossible for them to be intimate.

She guessed that Caterina might have gotten pregnant and Giovanni wants to throw her away. Besides, that pregnancy is a threat to Giovanni’s falling marriage.

“Where is she now?” she asked, pertaining to Caterina.

“According to the last update we gathered about her, she was last seen in her late grandmother’s home, ” he answered before giving the exact address.

Chiara nodded. “Accompany me in her house.”

Victor’s eyes widened at her reponsed. “Pardon, signora?”

“Accompany me in her house,” she repeated. Chiara thought deeply of what her plan will be. She has to utilized everything that is within her reach, and that includes Caterina.

“Apologies for asking but, why? You already fired her for being a traitor. I can’t see anything as a reason for you to talk to her again, signora. Your ties are already cut off, ” he explained while trying to decipher what Chiara thinks.

Chiara gave a meaningful smile. “I’ll try to convert her to our side. The fact that Giovanni sent her away means that she now hold a grudge against him. We can use that hate to make her work for us, ” she stated. “Traitors do not have a permanent side, afterall. They work on the side where they will benefit more.”

Hearing his signora’s plan, Victor had an aha-moment. Sometimes, he forgets how cunning Chiara is. He was too focused on the good nature that Chiara showed to them that he denied the fact that she can use people to work for what they want.

He understand what Chiara is trying to do. If Giovanni can put spies in their territory, then they do it too. Maybe they can put more spies in his own comforr zone.

“Then I’ll accompany you, signora. Do I have to act as Signor Ezio in that visit? Or just be myself?” he asked to prepare himself.

“Present yourself as Victor, ” Chiara responded before giving him a key to one of Ezio’s cars. “At 11 AM, we will go down to the lobby. You’ll pretend to visit one of your business partners, ” she stated the name of the person she paid to scatter the news about “Ezio’s business visit” to him.

“I will accompany you to the parking lot. Afterwards, drive to this address, ” she gave him a piece of paper where an address is written. “Ezio’s men and Fara will be waiting for you. Change your clothes and appearance before driving back to the office. Use the car that Fara will provide to you.”

Victor nodded and noted everything in his mind. When the car stopped in the building’s parking lot, Victor shifted his face to the one that is similar to Ezio.

A poker face with eyes that could kill. He sealed his lips together to remind him not to speak and let Chiara do all the talking. He fixed his posture and made his stance more masculine like Ezio.

As they walked out of the car, workers started greeting them. Although they have seen Ezio on the past days, they still can’t believe that their boss is now back at work. Moreover, they were shocked to know that their boss is still letting his wife do all work.

It actually made the people question why Chiara is still working knowing that her husband is now back. Their answer: Ezio wanted his workers to see that his wife is as capable as he is.

People bought that excuse and the issue subsided after a short time.

Like earlier, the two posed as a sweet couple. Chiara was greeting everyone back with her face that’s beaming with a wide smile. Victor who is posing as Ezio on the other hand, just kept her poker face and nodded slowly to those who greeted him.

Victor, as a welcoming and solicitous person, stopped himseld from greeting back and smiling to those people. The most difficult part of pretending as his signor is that they have opposite personality. Victor is the kind of man who will smile at you when you smiled at him. Meanwhile, Ezio is the kind of mind who will just ignore you even if you greeted him with the most polite and lively tone you have.

However, just before Victor could click the elevator button, someone barged in to the building, screaming Chiara’s name.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

The two looked at their back. There, they saw Simone pushing the guards out of his way. His eyes were focused on Chiara, until it went down to her hand. His eyes trailes the manly arm connected to his ex-girlfriend’s.

Simone’s eyes darkened as he saw Ezio standing beside Chiara. The anger in his eyes is too evident that the people nearby didn’t missed it.

Chiara signaled the guards to let him go. Hearing that, Simone smiled. In his mind, he thinks that Chiara still cares for him. Because if she doesn’t, she would have shoo him away immediately.

“Chi-”

“What are you doing here?” Chiara cut of his words before he could finished it. Annoyance is too obvious in her tone that Victor cannot help but to give her a small sideeye.

Simone shrugged off her tone and kept his smile. “I’m here to take you back, baby, ” he extended his arms to reach for her but Chiara took a step back, hiding half of her body behind Victor.

“Take me back?” she asked before giving it a short laugh. “Mr. Russo, I am happily married with my husband. Besides, aren’t you married, too? Does your wife knew about this?”

Simone ignored her words and continued on reaching for her hand. Suddenly, Victor used his body as a shield to hide Chiara from this man.

Although this is the first time he saw him, Victor is aware of Simone’s identity. Chiara was able to inform him about Simone and his wife beforehand.

Simone glared at him, but Victor glared harder. “Move away. I have to talk to Chiara, ” he spoke with a firm voice, trying to intimidate Victor.

Following Chiara’s reminders to him, Victor didn’t speak. He just looked down at Simone without uttering a word.

People watching them think that Ezio is too mighty to be exchanging words with an unimportant person like Simone. Besides, they know that Ezio can send someone off just by looking at them.

Chiara, who still has a matter to attend to, couldn’t wait for Simone to just leave. Impatiently, she picked her phone from her purse and dialed Alessandra’s number which she got from Dante.

“Since you won’t answer me, then I’ll just call your wife to inform her that you’re here, making a scene in our building,” she threatened and was about to touch the call button when Simone spoke.

“Okay, okay, ” he said while slowly walking backwards, admitting defeat. “I’ll leave now, but I will talk to you some other day.”

Chiara smiled inwardly. It just confirmed her suspicion that Alessandra doesn’t know what her husband is doing. She can use this information later to put Simone in a checkmate.

She made a deep breathe before walking out of Victor’s shadow. She signalled the guard to put Simone away, where the latter didn’t bother fighting back. He already admitted defeat. There is no need to cause more scene. Besides, the number of people watching them increased. He cannot embarrass himseld more.

“There is noting to talk about between us, ” she answered. “Maybe, instead of making a scene here, you should just focus your attention to your pregnant wife. Pregnant women are sensitive. You should be with her at all times.”

The guards escorted Simone out of the building. The people watching earlier also left the scene one by one. Chiara knew they will spread the news to other people and what happened might be a part of the talk of the town, but it doesn’t bother her, even for a little bit.

They won, for now, but Chiara knows that Simone will approach her again at any time he will have the opportunity to do so.