The Mafia King's Bride

Untouchable Enemies And A Gift

The next morning, when Pearl woke up in her large, cloudlike bed, the consequences of running for her life in heels and being manhandled presented themselves in the worst way.

Her bruises had become large pools of purple that covered her fair skin. The blood vessels in her legs had popped, leaving the long limbs covered in red spots. And her body ached and throbbed when she moved, her left breast protesting louder than any other part.

She desperately wanted to continue lying in bed until all the pain, ugliness and discomfort went away but she had made an agreement with Everest to meet before breakfast and she did not want to disappoint.

With a pained moaned and a string of small whimpers, she rolled out of bed and got up on shaky legs.

Her room was large and tastefully decorated, something she had been excited about yesterday, but its size created a chore for Pearl as she travelled to the bathroom, worthy of a king, for a relaxing soak in the large bath and then to the large walk-in closet filled to the brim with women's clothes for all occasions.

"That's concerning," she mumbled as her hands ran over a dress she had once admired through the window of a store but had been forced to look away from, her waitress paycheque considered.

She checked the inside of the dress for its size and her guess was correct, it was a perfect fit.

A knock on her bedroom door pulled her out of the conspiracy theories' pit she had dived into and she let the topic be for the moment.

"Yes?" She asked as she peeked her head through the small gap in the door and brightened up at the sight of the blond man.

"Predator!" She squealed in delight and let the tattooed man in without hesitation.

"Morning sleeping beauty," he greeted with a charming smile then frowned when he caught sight of her.

"Oh my," he whispered and she tightened her towel around her frame, self-consciously.

"Is it that bad?" She asked with a strained smile causing his expression to soften.

"You look like you're one step away from dropping dead. Are you sure you're up for cooking today?"

"I already promised Mr Stone I would..."

"And?" He asked with a raised brow that made her uncomfortable for an inexplainable reason.

"It's wrong to back out of things when you've already committed to it." She preached, weakly, a wave of fatigue washing over her and causing her to doubt her argument.

He eyed her with a half frown on his lips and she smiled back with all teeth on display, while holding back a wince.

"Alright," he conceded with an exasperated sigh. "Get dressed, quickly, so we won't keep the boss waiting for too long."

"I'll be ready in five minutes," she declared with giddy excitement as she hurried over to her closet. "Time me!"

~~~~

Ten minutes later, both the blond and redhead made their way down one of the hallways in the main house of the Stone compound, as Pearl recounted the events that had occurred yesterday when they had gone their separate ways.

"...then she tripped and fell and I was able to get away." She finished with a smile, looking back on it with the amusement of having escaped alive.

"You're lucky you got away. Knowing Sofia, she would have followed through on her threat, consequences be damned." He informed her with eyebrows furrowed in worry and a tense set to his shoulders.

"But I'm under Mr Stone's protection, she would have to be crazy to hurt me or... kill me," she whispered the words like it was taboo.

He glanced at her and then away like he was contemplating something before speaking. "Sofia has always been demented, twisted and above all, obsessed with Everest. She possesses a sort of childlike cruelty that seems silly and comical in tge beginning until you see what she is capable of." He revealed, ominously.

"Wh..." She cleared her throat when her voice cracked in a way she refused to accept as a fear. "And what is she capable of?"

"A lot," he responded, vaguely while staring ahead which only worsened her growing anxiety.

"That's not an answer, Predator," She infromed him, her voice edging on a whine due to frustration.

He remained silent and in an impulsive yet desperate move, she grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop walking. "May I remind you that she tried to kill me less than twenty-four hours ago, so if there's anything you think I should know, now is the best time to say it."

Blue eyes scanned the empty hallway and when he was satisfied, he turned to give her his full attention, his voice in a whisper. "Mr Stone despises gossip and is impressed by Sofia's family, the Redhill's, loyalty to him which is why you can't go around asking questions about them."

"I understand..."

"I don't think you do, Pearl, which is what worries me!" He interrupted, sharply, looking around again after his loud exclamation then back to her. "Everest isn't just your saviour, he is the leader of the Stone clan, the most powerful group in Aurora and one of the most powerful in the world. You don't get that big and powerful very easily and when you do, you hold on to those who are loyal to you, like the Redhill family. You are a stranger who has yet to prove herself to him and if Sofia were to kill you..." He trailed off and she did not need him to continue as the grim reality dawned on her.

"Oh my god," she mumbled as tears gathered in her eyes and threatened to spill down her cheeks.

"It's alright," he comforted, placing his hands on her shoulders and she shrugged it off.

"No, it isn't! I got away from Leonard only to die at the hands of some batshit crazy lovergirl who sees me as her rival!"

"You're not dying anytime soon, Pearl. I swear it on my life so perish the thought."

She sniffed, wetly and reluctantly nodded in agreement.

"Mr Stone holds some affection for you so you're going to use that to your advantage."

"Like manipulation and seduction," she guessed, having read it in one of the books she hid in her closet back at her apartment because she was too shy to let anyone see it.

He chuckled and nodded, softly. "Eh. Sort of, but not exactly. You just have to enhance your finer qualities when you're around him to encourage his want to keep you around and in turn, protect you more than he already does."

"Okay," she nodded, encouraged and filled with renewed hope. "And how do I do that."

He erupted into full-blown laughter and she pouted, semi-offended.

"I can't beleive I'm having this conversation! Just keep doing whatever it is you are doing and look pretty while you're at it." He advised with a gentle ruffle of her dark red locks and they continued their journey in thoughtful silence.

"What took you two so long?" Everest asked and Pearl paused at the sight of him.

He was dressed, casually in a large hoodie and sleeping bottoms, and seated on a stool by the kitchen island with a bowl of cereal perched in front of him and a tablet in his right hand.

Sleep lines and creases covered his face and, combined with his ruffled, fluffy hair, it gave him a soft look that made Pearl imagine what it would be like to wake up beside him.

"Sorry about the delay," Predator apologised in place of a dumbstruck Pearl who was still staring wide-eyed at Everest. "Pearl had trouble finding her... bra."

That gained her attention. "My bra?!" She questioned with an affronted scrunch of her nose.

"Are there no undergarments in your closet?" Everest asked with a small frown. "I had instructed them to purchase everything you would need..."

"It's fine, I found my bra," she glared at Predator who had a peculiar look on his face, "it just took me some time to locate it."

"Of course," he hummed as he picked up his empty bowl and placed it in the sink. "As you can see, breakfast is done and dusted so all you have to worry about is dinner for today."

"I'm sorry about that, by the way," she apologised as he returned and he examined her with sleepy grey eyes.

"What for? You had a long day yesterday and it is obvious from the bruising on you that you are in serious need of rest. Which reminds me," he turned to Predator who was rifling through the cupboards and fishing out more than five different boxes of cereals, "schedule an appointment with Doctor Smith for Pearl."

"I already did that, boss, though I wouldn't be expecting old Smith any time soon," he reported, dutifully as he went about his business. "McCarthy and his pack of beasts really f****d the boys up and some of them are a little worse for wear."

Pearl watched as Everest aged a decade, his softness quickly being replaced by the hardened crime boss that had saved her yesterday.

"Any news about the him?"

"Ho ho," Predator chuckled with a big, malicious smile, his eyes trailing over to Pearl who had not moved from her position. "Rumour has it, he threw a huge tantrom when he found out we took her and shot four of his men, killing three."

"Ohmy," Pearl whispered, her face twisting into the picture of horror, sadness and disgust.

"Better them than you," Comforted Predator as he devoured his eldritch breakfast.

Pearl pursed her lips at the careless remark, unable to shake the guilt and remorse that came with knowing she had a hand in the death of three people.

"By the way, I have something for you," said Everest and the young woman perked up, excited by the prospect of a gift.

"A present?" She asked with sparkling eyes as he approached her.

"Yes, but I'm not sure you'll like what the gift implies." He pursed his lips and glanced over at the exit in a move that was almost bashful. "It had slipped my mind to bring it with me so it is currently in my bedroom."

"Oh."

"Oh~"

Pearl and Predator said at the same time and the dark-haired man turned around to glare at his righthand man.

"Shall we," he gestured at the door and she nodded, allowing him to lead her out.

"Talk to him about the thing," Predator said in a weird cough-whisper that left Everest narrowing his eyes in suspicion and Pearl nervous as she dodged his questions and planned her execution, all the way to his room.