The Obsessed Mafia Ex

Chapter 1 - Stunned

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Lia

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“What would you like to eat? We’ll make a stop on our way to the airport. I’m just going to sign these off, and then we can be on our way,” I tell Kiara, who’s busy on my computer as I finish up with the documents in front of me, but she tells me she’s not hungry and will have a milkshake. Just then, there’s a knock on the door, causing us to snap our heads to it, and my eyes widen in surprise, seeing the person I’m supposed to fetch walking inside my office. “You are here. What time is it? Did I get the times wrong?” I ask, now concerned, as I walk up to him before smiling at Kiara, who bolted out of the chair the moment her father walked in. He kneels, embracing her in a hug as she throws herself in his arms. “No, you didn’t get it wrong. I ended up finishing early and getting an earlier flight, so I asked Karson to fetch me,” he says, getting up and embracing me in a hug before connecting our lips in a tender kiss that has Kiara exclaiming ewww! We break the kiss, and he hands me a bouquet. “I could have come to get you. I had already rescheduled all my appointments.” I tell him, putting the flowers in a vase after helping him take off his suit jacket.

“I know, my love, but I knew you had a lot to do today,” he replies, taking a seat on the couch, and Kiara settles on his lap, running her hands through his hair while I get him something to drink. After that, I join him, and we start conversing, asking him how his last meeting went since we've already discussed the others this morning.

Ty has been away for three days, and we've been face timing every morning and evening, but it feels like I haven't seen him in three weeks. I've missed him. After he tells me about his day, he asks about mine, and I tell him, also letting him know what Kiara told me about a strange woman that’s been watching us for the past two days. I haven’t noticed, but Kiara tells me she was at the same spot again today, wearing a scarf and glasses as if to disguise herself by her description. I was going to take Karson with me tomorrow when fetching her, but Ty tells me he’ll fetch her. He only has one conference call with the board tomorrow, which will be early in the morning.

We think it might be a journalist. They sometimes do that, and if you’re lucky, you’re later contacted about some article they’re busy writing, or you’ll just see an article about yourself without even knowing about it. But I must admit, Ty and I have only had positive ones written about us after the whole Chris thing, that is. I have no words to express how grateful I was when it finally died down. They were even stalking my baby after some unknown person leaked the whole Rene saga. I suspected her because she was not remorseful one bit about what she did. She has, however, reached out to me a few months ago, saying she wants to talk, but I haven’t replied to her.

We are currently at New Eden, one of our hospitals. That’s what we decided to name them. Ty is the CEO of our company. He’s the face to the public as well as internally, the decision-maker, and, among his many responsibilities, oversees the duties of the other C-level executives. I hold the title of Managing Director, overseeing the function and performance of the different departments among my many responsibilities. Our positions come with many responsibilities, but even though we always have our hands full, we still jump in and assist our staff in all the branches when needed. We are, however, stationed in this one cos it’s the one closest to our home.

It’s challenging and sometimes impossible, especially with Ty having to travel a lot, but we always try and work alternating shifts, so to ensure that one of us is at home with the kids. We don't want to miss anything in their lives. I’m only starting my shift now, so Ty and Kiara bid me goodbye and head home to Cameron. He didn’t go to school today. He wasn’t feeling well this morning, but he’s fine now.

I walk inside my office after walking them out and pull back my chair to sit, but my phone rings, and I pick it up, still standing. I’m told I have a visitor in front, and I quickly head there, wondering if maybe one of my appointments didn’t get the messages I sent out to reschedule since I was going to fetch Ty. If that’s the case, I’ll just do the meeting now since I didn’t get to fetch him.

“Someone looking for-” I start to ask the receptionist, but the words die in my throat, looking at the face I never thought I’d ever see again. “Aiden?” My voice comes out softer than intended, shocked seeing him here. I haven’t seen Aiden since the day he left me at the altar, and that was what...seven years ago?

“Hi,” he says, advancing to me before initiating a hug, but it’s cold and awkward, and I reluctantly place my hand on his back, my body tensing up at his touch. “How are you?” he asks as we pull back. “I’m good, thank you… uhm… how are you? I heard about Briana; I’m sorry.” I offer my condolences to him about his wife, still not sure how to react to his presence here. “Thank you. I’m doing okay, I guess,” he tries to give me a smile, but it doesn’t reach his eyes, and my heart clenches at that.

I can’t imagine what he went through. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost Tyler. “Have the police managed to find the people who did it?” I ask even though I would have probably heard if they did since it’s public news, but maybe I missed it, plus I don’t know what else to say. I often used to wonder how I’d react if I ever saw him again, and I never could come up with the answer, and right now, standing here looking at him, I still don’t know how I feel. I don’t know how to react to his presence here right now. The only thing I know for sure is that I have moved on. All the unresolved feelings I thought I had for him are no longer there. I love Tyler now, and only him.

“It was ruled as a burglary gone wrong a month ago after the two bastards who did it were apprehended about a month earlier, and they were finally sentenced last week to life in prison,” he tells me. I’m glad they have found them and that justice was served, even though it won’t bring her back. At least now he can know the killers are paying for their crime, and his name is cleared. Briana and Aiden's relationship was allegedly rocky during the months leading up to her death, and Aiden became the main suspect.

I haven’t been following their lives, so I only saw the articles when I read about her death. They were earlier articles, and I must say I was shocked. I also never knew him to be a violent person. In the many years that I knew and dated him, he never so much as raised his voice at me. He was always gentle, except, of course, when he wasn't needed to be. Aiden couldn’t hurt a fly.

I tell him I’m glad the perpetrators were brought to book and decide to finally ask him the question I’ve wanted to ask since I walked out here and saw him.

“What brings you to this side of the world?”

“I recently invested in a company with a branch here, so I’ve decided to come and check it out. Plus, I needed a little break from everything, you know... it’s... it’s been quite difficult,” I see a sad look in his eyes as he says the last part, but it quickly disappears just as it came. He tells me it was good seeing me and congratulates Ty and me on our marriage and accomplishments. He also tells me he understands that I’m busy and doesn’t want to keep me but would like to sit down with Ty and me and maybe catch up a bit for coffee before he leaves, and I tell him I will speak to Ty and let him know. After that, he hands me his card and bids me goodbye. I watch him as he walks away, unable to help the sad feeling in my heart as he disappears from view after looking back at me one last time and nodding with a sad smile.

He broke my heart, but I never hated him for it. I was hurt but never hateful. I couldn’t hate him, not after loving him the way I did for so long, and now being through everything that he has, I can’t help but feel sorry for him; and a part of me I don’t want to listen to even wants to be there for him. The receptionist speaks to me, snapping me out of my thoughts, and I turn my attention to her.

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Tyler

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After leaving the hospital, Kiara and I stopped to get milkshakes for her, Cam, Merlot, and Abigail, their babysitter, on our way home, but Kiara drops the ice cream she was eating, clutching onto my leg as I open the car door for her to get in. “What’s wrong?” I ask, alarmed by her grip, looking at her spooked expression, and she points to our right, saying 'there she is'. I follow her finger to see a woman fitting the description of the woman she told Lia about, but she walks away the moment she realizes Kiara’s pointing at her. She’s wearing the big scarf and sunglasses as described and has a phone in her hand, like she is making a video of us. We were right; she must be a journalist, but she’s scaring my daughter, and that's pissing me off, so I get Kiara inside the car, locking the doors before sprinting in the direction she went in. I won’t have someone traumatizing my family. I see her standing, looking at the phone the moment I turn the corner like she's watching the video she's just made, but she takes off, walking away the moment she sees me. She didn’t expect me to follow her.

She heads inside the mall, and there are lots of people, making it difficult for me to follow her, but I don’t stop. I keep my eye on her the whole time, and the more I follow behind her, the more I start to have this bad feeling. What if she’s not a reporter? What if she’s a bad person and means my family harm? She enters a door I know leads to the parking area after looking back and not seeing me as I ducked behind three guys. Her car’s probably parked out back, and I know a short cut and I take it.

I see her and quietly follow behind her, but she isn’t going to the cars. She enters the women's bathrooms, and I decide to wait for her across the street so as not to freak out people coming out.

This parking lot is always very quiet. I take out my phone to tell Kiara I’m coming, but the door opens, causing me to slide the phone back into my pocket and look across. A woman comes out, and I start following behind her, knowing it’s her cos she’s wearing the same set of clothes but doesn't have the scarf or glasses on.

I sneak up behind her, and she freezes in her spot when I speak, asking her who the hell she is and what the hell she thinks she’s doing, but it’s my turn to freeze when she turns around, and I finally see her face. What the hell?

“Kim?”