In Love With The Mafia King

~The meet~

Ophelia let out an exasperated groan. “Do you hear yourself? You know, for someone whose mother used her child as collateral for her gambling debts, you’re too proud to ask for help. Miss Becky would have helped us if you were patient enough to listen to what she had to say.”

Ophelia narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest. Just thinking about how I acted towards Miss Becky annoyed her. She was most likely thinking of how we could have gotten the help we needed if I hadn’t shut Miss Becky up.

I sighed but ignored Ophelia and focused on driving. I was through with begging. It was my son in danger. If my being naive and soft wouldn’t save him, then I needed to adopt a tough attitude! One that would make people listen to me.

How I was going to make one of the most eligible bachelors, the one who was dancing in money and was involved in illicit acts, fear me, I had no idea, but one thing I was sure of. I was a mother who would do anything to protect her child.

I pulled my car onto the curb of Royal Casino and alighted. A valet came to meet me, but I brushed him off and ran into the building. I wasn’t sure if Ophelia followed after me and didn’t stop to check.

A security guard appeared in front of me and blocked my path. “Excuse me, ma’am. You can’t just run in here!”

“I need to speak to your boss!” I tried to push past him, but that was impossible as he was taller and much fitter than me.

“Do you have an appointment with the boss? If not, I advise that you leave now and return when you have an appointment, ma’am. The boss isn’t one you can see just like that,” he said, preventing me from passing by taking hold of me.

As I squirmed around and struggled to pull myself out of his arms, I knew I was fighting a losing battle. His arms alone were more than twice mine. My efforts didn’t cause so much as a budge to him.

“Arghhhhh!” I screamed and gave up trying. Already, a small gathering of people stopped to watch the raucous, and I received weird looks from all around me.

“Jake!”

Surprised at hearing Ophelia’s voice, I turned around and saw her coming toward us. She stopped in front of us and placed a flirtatious hand on his shoulder. “Don’t go blocking my girl’s path. You should know better than to manhandle a lady.” Ophelia leaned in closer to him and flashed him a smile.

Jake rolled his eyes at her, but there was a sparkle in them as he smiled at her. Watching their little interaction, I couldn’t help but think they knew each other on a personal level.

Tapping Ophelia on the shoulder, I lifted an eyebrow, silently questioning her. She shrugged and faced the security guard, Jake, back.

“I didn’t know she was a friend of yours,” he apologized and let me go. “Sorry about that,” he said to me.

I looked back and forth between Ophelia and the security guard, Jake, in total disbelief. The man who manhandled me just a few seconds had done a complete 180 on her.

“Peps, can you give us a minute? Let me talk to him.”

What was I going to do? Disagree? I moved to one side, staring down the few onlookers that remained. “Show’s over.” I made shooing gestures with my hands.

Even straining my ears, I couldn’t hear what Ophelia and Jake were telling each other, so I settled for reading their faces. Jake’s eyes rounded in anger from anger that only subsided as Ophelia placed an arm on his hand, then his expression transformed to pity. This all happened within a minute.

It left me wondering what they were talking about.

Ophelia thanked him loudly, then kissed him on his cheek before walking to where I stood.

“What? What did he say? What did you tell him?” I questioned eagerly, my eyes filled with a glimmer of hope.

Ophelia replied by pressing a finger to her lips. “Don’t say anything. Just come with me.”

She didn’t wait for me to reply and dragged me along to the elevator.

I was curious, so I asked, “What did you tell him?” as soon as we entered the empty elevator.

With a straight face, she answered, “I told him you were the boss’s cousin, and you had just lost both of your parents.”

“My who? And he believed you?” My eyes widened. “You remember that my parents are alive?”

She nodded. “Well, it’s not as if they’re any good being alive. Yesterday, you almost killed your mother, Peps, so cut the crap and start thinking of how to bypass Evander’s security details and get into his office.” Ophelia pressed the button for the top floor, the penthouse floor.

“Security details? Penthouse? Ophelia, I did not know he was this affluent.” As the elevated rose, I thought maybe my resolve wouldn’t be enough to protect my son, not to speak of getting Evander to care about my problem.

At my statement, Ophelia scoffed. “It’s too late to back out now. We’ve arrived.”

The elevator dinged, announcing our arrival, and the door opened. My heart fell to my stomach as I thought of what I would say when I came face-to-face with Evander.

Ophelia stepped out of the elevator into the hallway, and I followed behind slowly.

I stopped dead in my tracks as I noticed that we weren’t alone. At the end of the hallway, over a dozen men donning matching black suits and holding guns were guarding what was presumably Evander’s office.

Panicking, I whispered to Ophelia, “What do we do now?”

We stood there, thinking of a plan to approach the security guards when the elevator dinged the arrival of more company. Not one but three men walked out of the elevator. Wearing similar black polos, the two who stood in the front had matching tattoos and seemed to be guarding the one at the back wearing a pair of sunglasses. The one in sunglasses carried an air of authority about him.

He took a drag of the cigarette in his hands and flicked it on the floor before exhaling a breath of smoke. It was then they came out of the elevator, hands in their pockets as they sauntered down the hallway.

As they passed by me and Ophelia, it was as if we were invisible because they didn’t spare us a glance.

I rubbed my eyes. Did they just walk in slow motion? I had to be sure I was seeing clearly. “Hold on! That is Evander!” Realization hit me, and I ran after him.

“Stop! Who are you?” The lead guard roared and whipped his hun out at me. The rest followed suit, blocking me from getting closer to their boss.

“I need to speak to your boss! Mr. Evander! Evander, you bastard! You will stop walking and hear the cry of this mother who wants to save her child!” I screamed at the top of my lungs and shut my eyes. Although I didn’t know where the confidence came from, I couldn’t stop now.

Evander stopped in his tracks and turned around with a scowl to see who had the audacity to speak to him like that.

I didn’t dare open my eyes for fear of what I would see. Maybe a gun right in my face?

The hallway was clouded with silence as everyone stared in disbelief at the woman that dared to speak to the boss in such a manner. Even Ophelia was as shocked as them. She looked at me in a daze.

I could feel a pair of heavy eyes scanning me.

Who was she? He hadn’t seen this lady before. Does she belong to a rival family? He turned and looked at his right-hand men. They both knew what he was thinking without saying a word and shook their heads.

“Move,” Evander ordered his security detail and regally walked to where this unfamiliar lady stood, her eyes still shut.

“Hi, there,” he whispered.

Feeling his breath against my face, I prepared myself and slowly opened my eyes to meet his.

“How might this bastard be of help to you?” He asked with a calm voice and a welcoming smile, but I could sense a dangerous aura behind it.

I shivered from his piercing look and stumbled backward. Nobody would mistake the smile on his face as welcoming. I was terrified.