The Mafia’s Wanted Desires

ASHLEY

“So, you have fixed everything now?” I asked Riley, a little smile playing on my lips as I descended the staircase. I tucked my hand in the pocket of my shorts, grinning from ear to ear.

“Yes, ma’am. We got another editor to replace her.” She answered, trails of relief hanging in her voice. I mouthed a ‘yes’ fist pumping the air. Dahlia was a talented writer and I have been dying to publish her work since I went through it. I didn’t want her to think we were unserious or that we didn’t share in her happiness about publishing her first book. She was an asset, one I would do anything to keep.

No kidding, but the girl’s got magic in her hands.

“Now that’s what I am talking about!” I chirped, skipping off the stairs.

“Have you spoken to Dahlia?” I asked.

“Yes, ma’am. I called her this morning to let her know we have started working on her book and her presence would be needed at the firm.” She told me and I nodded my head vigorously, as though she could see me.

“Thank you so much, Riley…” My voice trailed off and I heard her sigh in the background. I squeezed my eyes shut, taking a deep breath and trying to control how racked I was with guilt.

“I am so sorry for snapping at you, Riley. I just hated that you kept something that huge away from me. I didn’t mean to speak to you the way I did. Will you forgive me?” I pouted.

“It’s alright, ma’am.” She chuckled and I groaned, brushing my hair backwards.

“God, Riley! Get rid of the ma’am and call me Ashley.” I uttered dismissively.

“But__” She tried to protest.

“No, but, Riley. It’s Ashley.” I said sternly and she exhaled.

“Alright…Ashley… I have to go now. Dahlia will be here soon. We miss you so much and we can’t wait to have you back at work.” She said with contagious enthusiasm which caused me to start grinning from ear to ear.

“Aww. Thank you, Riley.” I smiled as though she could see me, warmth coursing through my veins at her words. She murmured some words before hanging up and I chortled softly, tucking my phone into the pocket of my shorts.

“Good morning, Mrs Gray.” The maids chirped and I swung my head in their direction, irritated that they were still calling me Mrs Gray instead of Ashley, but I tried not to give it off, plastering a wide smile on my face.

“Good morning, girls!” I chirped.

Their words of affirmation flowed into my ears as I made my way to the kitchen, desperate to have a cup of steaming tea to soothe my dry throat. I pushed the door open, stepped into the kitchen, and shut the door behind me. I whirled around, my heart dropping to the pit of my stomach at the sight of the familiar dark-haired woman by the cooker. My chest constricted in pain on impulse, my face contorting into an expression of utter confusion.

My eyes darted to Zelda’s stunning frame that was clad in a red dress, which seemed to be the right spark my memory needed because it brought back the memories of the other night that I walked in on her and Duncan. The picture tormented me, gnawing at my guts and gutted me out. It was a total taint to the image I have always had of her and no matter how hard I tried to convince myself that this was my Zelda, that this was the girl I knew and loved, but it just didn’t work.

It didn’t wash away that memory.

No, I didn’t hate her. Not one bit. I couldn’t even bring myself to. I am just…disoriented and knowing the circumstances that surrounded what I saw that night didn’t make me feel any better. Instead, I felt worse.

Her violet eyes scanned my appearance and I could see the glow, warmth, and raw happiness behind those eyes. It did make my heart leap up in excitement like it always does whenever I saw that look in her eyes. Rather, it crushed my soul. It gutted out every ounce of happiness I had left in me, almost moving me to tears because I knew it was false.

It was calm before the storm.

“Ash!”

Her loud squeal tore through my thoughts and I blinked, not prepared for the impact of her bone-crushing hug. She chuckled softly and I wrapped my arms around her, patting her back gently. I knew I had to get my act together and that was exactly what I did. A warm smile spread across my face and I giggled, pulling away lightly. I pressed a warm kiss on her cheek and beheld her glittering orbs.

She was so happy.

I felt something prick the corner of my eyes but I tried my hardest to hold back the burning sensation.

“Hey, gorgeous!” I grinned.

“God, I have been dying to speak with you. You are always indoors with Mr. Gray.” Her tone gave off not even the slightest bit of teasing, but it made my cheek heat up warmly. She caught on to it and waggled her brow teasingly at me. I rolled my eyes and shifted my gaze to her. Her green eyes looked like they were determined to drill holes into my body. Her words came rushing back to the surface, pricking my heart not-so-subtly.

Her stiff lips twitched in a small smile. My eyes scanned her figure and I picked up on the occasional tapping of her manicured fingers on the surface of the counter, alongside the shifting of her feet.

She was nervous.

“Zelda, give us a moment. Would you?” I turned to Zelda, who nodded with a smile, sauntering out of the kitchen and leaving us all alone. A deafening silence ensued for a while, rendering an air of toxicity in the kitchen. I puffed out some air through my cheeks, tucking my hands into my back pocket, in a bid to calm my nerves.

“Hey,” She said slowly and I flashed her an encouraging smile. She exhaled, gathering the courage to strut forward and she took my hand in hers. Relief washed over her face instantaneously when she saw that I didn’t reel from her touch. She blinked softly and her tears came pouring.Content provided by NôvelDrama.Org.

“I am so sorry.”

“I didn’t mean everything I said to you. I was just so angry at him and I couldn’t control it. I am so sorry.” She apologized and I drew her in for a warm hug. It felt like that was what she needed because she broke down in my arms, sobbing profusely while I patted her back gently.

“It’s okay. I didn’t hold it against you.” I assured her, moving my arms soothingly across her back.

“I am so sorry.” She murmured before pulling away.

“You do know you are family, right?” She asked me, her green eyes shimmering with tears under the lights. I chuckled through my tears and nodded, squeezing her hands softly.

“It’s all__”

“There you are!” The soothing voice of Arden filled the kitchen and I felt Maria’s hands go cold in mine. Her face grew pale. I spun around to see him heading my way after he shut the door. He had a wide grin plastered on his face and a grin that mirrored his broke out on my face when he pulled me in for a soft long kiss.

“Hey,” I breathed, smiling at him.

I stared at him for a while, soaking in the sight of him, and then I noticed something. He was staring directly at me. He wasn’t looking anywhere else. It wasn’t hard putting two and two together so that he was avoiding Maria. He didn’t want to look at her and I couldn’t have been more right when she stormed out of the kitchen, slamming the door behind her.

“Baby__”

“I don’t want to talk about her.” His tone was cold and dismissive. If there was anything I knew, it was to always tread carefully whenever he got like this. Probing him won’t work. It will only keep him on edge.

“Okay,” I agreed, throwing my arms around his neck and he pulled me closer by my waist, his firm hands holding me possessively.

“Good girl.” He whispered, burying his head in the crook of my neck. I tucked my lips in, suppressing a moan at his words, but the wanton sound tore through my lips when he grabbed a fistful of my ass.

“Always so responsive.” He murmured, sniffing me. He pulled me out of my lust-filled haze when he planted a chaste kiss on my lips and beheld my gaze.

“Have dinner with me tonight,” he voiced out, his eyes fixated on me.

“Real smooth, Mr. Gray,” I smirked.

“Where are you taking me?” I grinned.

“It’s a surprise.”

His tone was low and suggestive, earning a subtle bite of my lip from me. I chuckled softly and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around me, tightening his grip around me as he deepened the kiss.