Bargain Bride: The Billionaire’s Forced Wife

THEIR MOOD suddenly went down because of their encounter with Ezio’s mother. Chiara can see that her husband became quiet and stiff while they were walking.

“Ezio,” she called him and slightly tapped his bicep. “Are you okay?”

Ezio, who is lost in his thoughts, went back to his senses when he heard his wife. “Ah, yeah.”

Chiara pouted at him. “You don’t look fine. Is it because of your mother?” she asked before leaning her head to his arms. “Don’t mind her. Let’s just enjoy our date.”

Hearing that made Ezio pleased. She’s right. He should not let his mother ruin their special moment.

Although a bit skeptical, Ezio smiled at her and touched her waist as they entered the restaurant. His mind is present in the moment but a portion of it is still looking back on his mother’s words.

Elisa reminded them about the divorce, yet Chiara dismissed it and hasn’t talked about it until now.

He’s starting to think that Dante was right. Chiara must does not like going through the divorce.

Just thinking about that makes him smile, which didn’t escape Chiara’s eyes.

“Why are you smiling like an idiot?” Chiara asked while they were sitting on their table.

Ezio shook his head and tried to hide his smile. “Nothing. I just remembered something.”

Although Chiara really does not believe that, she didn’t think much about it. She is hungry and just wants to satisfy her stomach.

“I want to have this,” Chiara said to the waiter while pointing something on the menu. “And this one,” she pointed another food. “And this one, too.”

The waiter nodded before writing doen the orders. He looked at Ezio before asking. “How for you, signor?”

Ezio just ordered one type of food. He knew that Chiara couldn’t finish eating the foods she ordered. On their past dates, Chiara would order a lot of food when she’s hungry. But when it’s time to eat she can’t even finish half of it.

There are times she will just smile at Ezio and exchange her looks between him and the foods. And that is already a signal for him. A signal that says “I can’t finish my food. Eat it for me.”

They were quiet while eating their lunch. Of course, Ezio doesn’t want to interrupt his wife while eating. He knew how hungry she is right now.

“Ezio,” she called him while picking up a slice of bacon pizza. “Can I ask something?”

He nodded his head before swallowing his food. “Sure. Fire away, cara.”

Chiara gave him an innocent smile. “My question is too personal. I don’t think I should ask it but I really want to know the answer.”

Ezio reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. “I’m your husband. You have the right to know everything about me.”

With that, she became comfortable asking the question that she really wanted to ask her husband after their wedding.

“I noticed that your mother is mad at you. What happened?” she asked while looking straight into his mismatched eyes.

“It’s just bizarre for me. I grew up in an environment where parents love their children. So, seeing your mother insulting you is weird. It makes me so annoyed,” she added. “Did something happen between the two of you? Or is she really like that since before?”

Ezio already expected that his wife will ask that question, so it’s not a shock for him. However, giving the answer makes him nervous inside. But he knew that he didn’t do anything wrong, and his wife must know everything about him, just like how he knew everything about her.

“It’s because of my father,” Ezio responded with a low voice.

Chiara was suddenly shocked. She hasn’t seen his father once, and when she asked Fara about it, she told her that Ezio’s father died many years ago.

She hasn’t seen him in pictures. She hasn’t even see any family pictures of the Vitali. All of the pictures inside their mansion is either Ezio’s, Chiara’s, or their wedding pictures.

Ezio took a deep breath before looking at the past and telling it to his wife. “Since I was little, my father was training to become the successor of our business. It’s already given because I am an only child.”

Chiara knew the feeling. She also went through the same thing. However, she will inherit no company because it’s already bankrupt.

“He started teaching me about the art of negotiation, how to expand my connections, how to get what I want. He even brought me to his companies everyday and show me how he works. I can still remember him giving me my first business task when I was only ten,” he added.

Chiara can see happiness in his eyes. That’s when she knew how happy Ezio is with his father. Teaching a child about business at such young age might be unacceptable for some, but she knew that Ezio didn’t take it at that way. She knew that her husband appreciates what gus father did for him.

“Years passed and he told me that I’m all ready to enter the business world. He told me that I already have the skills to run our companies. He even believed that I will put our companies on top because I’m a good businessman,” Ezio continued telling his story.

“As you know, there are a lot of quarrels inside the business world. We have a lot of rival companies,” he said before giving a deep breath, as if a bad news is going to be announced.

“I’m not like my father who tries to communicate with his rivals and go find for a win-win situation. I like to stick on what I do and what I want. My mindset is ‘if anyone disagrees, they must be removed out of the way’. I do not like negotiating with my rivals. If they want to bump on me, I will step on them,” Ezio spoke, fury is evident in his eyes.

Chiara just stared at him and waited for him to tell her more. She knew that the reason why his relationship with his mother turned out luke that will be revealed soon.

“Until one time, I got on an argument with a business rival. He was a huge business tycoon. Our fight was too intense that a lot of retaliation happened. Both of us lost millions of euros because of that,” he added before looking on the glass wall of the restaurant.

“Little did I know, he sent a gunman to go after me. Just a month after my 20th birthday, the gunman tried to kill me,” his eyes suddenly turned cold but sadness is still seen on it. “My father use his body as a shield to protect me. He was shot several times. The gunman didn’t stop shooting him. Maybe he is thinking that his bullet can reach me even if my father’s shielding me.”

Ezio closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “We tried saving him, but a lot of bullets hit my father’s head and heart. He didn’t survive.”

Chiara can feel the sadness that her husband is currently feeling. She wants to console him, hug him, and tell him that everything’s alright.

“After my father’s burial, my mother became different. She started to resent me, insulting me, and telling me that I am a bad news,” he shook his head. “I’m still grieving because of the lost of my father, yet, I felt like I also lost my mother.”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“She never looked at me lovingly after that. We lived on the same house but she never talked to me. She even leaves the table when I’m eating. She didn’t attend my graduation. She never stood beside me on my failures and successes.”

Ezio looked at the food in front of him. “My mother said that I do not deserve to get anything from my father, because I am the cause of his death,” he added. “She’s right, so I left the house and started living from scratch. I used everyone my father thought me to build my own company, to survive.”

“Maybe I’m just lucky because my father left me with bunch of money. That’s why I was able to support myself. But it’s still difficult. I failed a lot of times, it cost me so much, but I don’t want to fail my father again,” he stopped talking for a moment before speaking again. “Sometimes, I’m thinking that maybe things will be better if it’s me who died that day. I am the target, but my dad paid with his life just to save me.”

Hearing that, Chiara stood up and sat beside her husband. “Don’t say that. I’m sure that your father didn’t regret saving you. He protected you because he loves you and he knows that you have a great future ahead. You’re previous to him,” she said while caressing his back.

Ezio didn’t answer. His mind is still flying on the day his father dies in his eyes. He can still see the blood and how his father fought for him.

Seeing her husband lost in his thoughts, Chiara touched Ezio’s cheeks and made him look at her.

She gave him the most heartwarming smile she has. “You’re father is proud of you, because you didn’t give up. You used his teachings to improve your life. That is his legacy. So don’t ever think that his death went to waste, okay?”

Ezio slowly nodded. Chiara gave him a peck of kiss in his forehead, catching him off guard. She gave him a hug while caressing his back.

“If it’s you who died that day, we wouldn’t be here right now. We wouldn’t get married. We wouldn’t experimenting this,” Chiara spoke before looking up at him. “We’re together because of your father, so I better thank him for that.”

That was a harmless statement from Chiara, but for Ezio who is head over heel for her, those words meant a lot. Hearing that makes him think that his wife is slowly letting him in her heart.

He hugged her back and kissed her hair. “Thank you, cara.”

He closed his eyes as they cuddled, not minding the eyes of other people. All that they care right now is each other’s embrace, and cherishing a precious moment they hope that will last forever.