The Mafia King's Bride

The Best Way To A Man's Heart.

Boisterous laughter filled the kitchen as a group of people walked in and silence returned at the sight of her working in front of the stove.

"Uh, hello." Someone greeted but Pearl was too busy making sure what she was stirring did not burn, to respond.

"Excuse me, miss," another voice called out, this one sounding younger and childlike which was enough to get her attention.

She turned to look at the group with a tense frown, eyebrows squeezed in concentration and her eyes landed on the youngest of them who appeared to be no older than twelve.

"Yes, sweetheart?" She asked, her expression and voice softening.

Pearl had always had a soft spot for children, most especially the children who called Aurora their home and were exposed to so much violence and destruction from a tender age.

No matter how frustrated she was about the sauce not looking perfect and Everest being more than an hour late, she could never take it out on an innocent, curious child.

"What the f**k are you doing in here?" The little boy interrogated with a sneer and Pearl could not stop the hysterical laughter that spilled past her lips.

They stared at her like she had lost her mind but the absurdity of almost being killed twice and being sworn at by such an innocent-looking child, all in one day, was enough to rid her of her few remaining brain cells.

"Are all McCarthy's b*tches this crazy or are you just the exception?" Asked someone in the group as Pearl's laughter slowly died down.

"Choke on a cactus," she retorted without any heat and turned back to the sauce she had now given up on making perfect.

"Do any of you happen to know what's kept Everest busy this long, and would you be kind enough to tell me?" She asked as she turned off the stove and examined her handwork.

"Mr Stone's business is none of yours and you'll do well to remember that," recited the young boy and she glanced back at the group still standing with hostile looks on their faces.

Pearl noticed for the first time that they all had guns on them and scoffed when she saw the way their hands rested on the weapons as if waiting for a reason to shoot her or hoping they could get away with murdering her while she was under Everest's protection.

The redhead had grown up surrounded by hostility and tension, like many people in Aurora, because of her father's debts and less than pleasant company so she was no stranger to ignoring danger until she heard the pull of a trigger.

If they wanted to play their little intimidation game, they would have to do it alone because she was not in the mood to play the scared, helpless victim.

She plated her food, careful not to take too much to avoid wastage because of her poor appetite, and took a seat on one of the stools by the island, all while they watched her with narrowed eyes.

It took a few minutes of silently watching her eat for their bellies to remind them of what they had come for and their eyes strayed over to the pots producing that heavenly aroma that had drawn them here.

"I am not eating food prepared by a McCarthy b*tch," declared a member of the group with a disgusted scrunch of her nose and Pearl stared at her in amusement.

"I did not invite you to, so why did you feel the need to share that with me?" She teased as she diligently cleared the contents of her plate.

"It's too much one person," mumbled one of the men who appeared to be in his early twenties, his eyes staring fixedly at the steaming pots.

"Because it's not meant for one person. Everest asked me to cook for him."

They baulked, their eyes going impossibly wide and she hid her smile behind her wrist.

"Plus, I got a little distracted and made too much."

She set her fork down on her now empty plate and smiled, mischievously. "I'll tell you what. You're free to have some of the food under one condition..."

"You know we could just take it while you f**k off and cry about the injustice of it in a corner?" Said a heavily scarred man with a raised brow.

"And explain to Mr Stone why he has no dinner and his poor, innocent chef f****d off to cry in a corner?" She sang with a playful smile that made him frown in thought.

"What do you want?"

"Samson!"

"No!"

"Don't give her what she wants."

Came the cries of protests and Pearl smiled, feeling empowered that for once she was on the other end of desperation and helplessness.

"Will you shut up and listen first?" He growled, silencing them then nodded at her proceed.

"I want an apology from all of you."

Samson frowned, an adorably confused expression marring his face. "That's it? You want an apology?"

She nodded, mutely.

He relax, dramatically, the tense set of his shoulders softening and causing him to appear less like a hardened killer and more like a gentle giant.

"I am sorry for how I have acted towards you."

"And the rest of you?" She turned to the others who looked like they would rather choke to death on their blood than be polite to her.

Samson growled again and the reluctant and grumbled apologies began to flow.

They made a scene of dishing the food, each grumbling about how 'it better be good' but when they took their firsts bites and melted into pleasured sighs and moans, she knew she had gained a little bit of their favour, which was good enough for her.

At exactly 10:27 pm, a tired and apologetic Everest strolled into the kitchen and was greeted by the sight of a handful of his underlings cleaning up the kitchen with annoyed but resigned looks on their faces while Pearl oversaw it all.

"Welcome back," she greeted when she noticed his presence, her cheeks flushing when she realisid how the scene must have looked to him.

"I apologise for my lateness. Something came up, unexpectedly and I had to be there to sort everything out."

"It's cool," she lied with a small smile, feeling embarrassed by how hurt, angry and emotional she had felt when 8:30 had gone by and he had still not arrived.

He must have sensed her dishonesty because he frowned with a guilty purse of his lips. "I promise to make it up to you some..."

"Oh, don't worry about that," she waved, carelessly. "You have had a busy day and the last thing you need is me tearing you down for being late."

He smiled, softly, his eyes half-lidded from tiredness and she could not help but think it was a good look on him.

Pearl led him to take a seat and watched with pride when he took the first bit of his meal and his face melted into pure delight.

"This is incredible," he complimented as he happily dug in, his eyes growing livelier than they had been when he first walked in.

"How did you get so good at cooking?"

"I had a lot of practice growing up and working in a restaurant helped polish my skills." She explained her mood turning sour as she remembered what exactly had made her so good.

"How long do you think it will take for Dante to recover from his... affliction?" Everest asked Samson when he was finished with his meal.

Snickers broke out among the others, rousing Pearl's interest in the story behind the infamous chef.

Samson sent them a warning look before responding.

"We're not sure yet due to the nature and level of damage." He reported with an uncomfortable expression.

"Then it's settled," he turned to look at Pearl who perked up in attention, "I have a proposal for you and I think I speak for everyone here when I say you have to agree."

"What is it?" She questioned, knowing deep in her heart that as long as it was him asking, she would say yes.

"I want you to be our house's cook, until further notice." He proposed and continued when he saw her hesitate.

"Every person in the compound contributes in some way to the upkeep of it. And I have been pondering on where to assign you without overwhelming you or causing a stir and here you are," he waved at the kitchen, "presenting a perfect solution that kills two birds with one stone."

"I don't think it's the right job for me, considering how little people trust me." She reminded him, her eyes flitting over to their silent spectators who were pointedly looking away from her. "I mean, I enjoy cooking, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to cook for people who can barely stand to be around me."

"I understand your concerns, Pearl. But think about it. You'll get paid a weekly allowance to do something you love, and you won't have to worry about cooking for yourself anymore," Everest said, dangling the forbidden fruit in front of her.

"I do love cooking," she mumbled with thoughtful smile, "and I love money even more."

"So you'll do it?" Asked, Gabriel, whose name she had learned after some not-so-gentle prodding, with a nonchalant look kids his age have yet to master.

"Yes."

"Wonderful." Cheered Everest with an enthusiasm that made her belly grow warm. "It's far too late to be talking business so we'll meet before breakfast tomorrow to go over everything and come up with an agreement." He decided as he handed over his empty plates to one of his men to be cleaned.

"That sounds great," she agreed, easily as she stood with him.

They were now standing face to face and Pearl had to physically stop herself from leaning forward as one would do at the end of a real date.

Too many things had happened today and the amber-eyed woman knew her emotions were too out of control for her to act on them yet.

Someone coughed in the background and she reluctantly tore her eyes away from his arresting grey orbs.

"Thank you for the lovely meal," he said in parting then hesitated before reaching out and gently stroking her exposed arm.

Goosebumps covered the area as she watched him walk out of the kitchen, and she broke into a giddy smile, ignoring the looks she was receiving from the others.