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Question of the day:

Do you like sushi? 🍣

"Is that the twins?" I asked Costa, licking the ice cream clean off my little plastic spoon.

"Sì. You want to-"

"Give me that." I snatched the phone off him, ignoring his velvety smooth chuckle. "Hey!"

"Millie?" I recognised Giovanni's voice.

"Where's your idiot brother?" I seethed, taking another bite of my chocolate ice cream.

"Why am I an idiot?" The object of my fury laughed.

Laughed.

"You gave me the fucking flu, that's why." I ground out, picturing his smug little face in my head. "Just you wait, Aidan. When I get back to Sicily, I'll be practicing my knife skills on you."

"What? You got the flu? But...I didn't do it on purpose. Fuck, I feel so guilty." He sounded sad now. "I'm so sorry, Millie."

Now what?

"Oh...um...okay. That's fine, I guess. Don't be sad."

"Are you sure? Are you okay? I really didn't mean to make you sick."

Now I feel like a bitch.

"I'm okay." I sniffled. "It's fine, don't worry."

"Okay, good. That's good." His voice was peppier once that was all cleared up. "So, how's Dubai?"

I heard Giovanni choke on a laugh while Costa did exactly the same next to me.

"I wouldn't fucking know, I just got out the fucking bedroom." I growled. I can't believe I fell for his act.

This time the twins didn't bother to control their laughter and neither did my husband.

"I hate you all." I handed the phone back to Costa, giving my ice cream my full attention like it deserved.

My ice cream would never laugh at me.

Costa quickly wrapped up his conversation with the twins, just checking in to see how they were doing.

"You told him I was sick, didn't you?"

"He's my cousin. Of course I was going to warn him you were planning his murder." He chuckled.

"Costa, that's the only thing that got me through the last four days. You took that away from me." I shook my head, taking another bite of my ice cream. "I'll never forgive you for this."

"Come on, Millie. Last night I promised I'd take you out and I fulfilled my promise." He nodded towards the beach in the distance.

We were at a long beach strip full of cafes, bars and restaurants. We walked around for a while before stopping for ice cream.

It was the first time I left the hotel resort to go somewhere else in the last four days.

That morning, I still didn't feel great. But Costa forced me to drink another one of those gross green smoothies. It did give me some energy, but he didn't need to know that.

"We can do whatever else you want and then we can go for dinner. Maybe you can get an early night when we get back?"

"Sleep does sound good." I murmured, my mind drifting back to the comfy bed I'd spent the last four days in.

I miss that bed.

What do you think it's doing right now?

Costa cracked a smile, shaking his head. "Ah, ah. It's only midday.
Don't fall asleep on me yet, principessa."

He's got a nice smile.

After that unnecessary thought, I averted my eyes towards the beach while I finished my ice cream.

As promised, Costa let me decide what we did for the day.

We finished off at the beach and then we went to see the tallest building in the world. It probably wasn't a good idea since we had to travel really fucking high in the elevator which had me on the verge of throwing up my smoothie and ice cream.

Afterwards, I did some shopping at the mall while Costa complained next to me or took business phone calls.

Then we went for our first dinner alone as a couple.

It was the first time ever that Costa and I were sitting across from each other at dinner. We'd eaten together plenty of times, but never on purpose.

Going for dinner with someone is a purposeful act. You want to enjoy their company while you eat.

It just so happened that the private balcony of this Japanese restaurant had a dimly lit, intimate atmosphere. The candle on the table only made it more personal.

We'd been fine all day making conversation here and there while we were out. But the moment we were sat across from each other with no other distractions, it became awkward fast.

"Uh...do you know what you're getting?"

"I haven't opened the menu yet, Millie." Costa smiled, nodding towards the leather bound menus on the table.

When in doubt, play it cool.

"Well, I already know I'm getting sushi, so." I shrugged, hating the fact his gaze was permanently fixed on me.

"I know. That's why we came here in the first place." He chuckled, finally opening his menu.

I didn't grace him with a response, I was too busy reading the sushi list.

A few moments later Costa set his menu down. "Ready?"

"Not yet."

"I thought you knew what you were getting." He mused. "Do you not know anymore?"

"Don't you have someone to call and shout at?" I snapped, still scanning the menu. I hate being pressured to choose quickly.

"Oh, Millie. Didn't anyone ever teach that you taking a phone call at the table is impolite?" He grinned.

"You know, I'm this close to smacking that smirk off yo-"

"Are you ready to order?" A peppy blonde approached our table, pulling out a notebook.

"Ah, no. My wife is still deciding. She's not sure yet." Costa smiled mischievously, his green eyes never leaving mine.

"How about drinks?" She added, clicking her pen.

"Water, please." I answered, averting my eyes away from Costa's.

"Will that be a large bottle or a small bottle?"

"A large bottle." Costa answered for me. "I'll have a whiskey too."

"So one large bottle of water and one whiskey. How about starters?"

Do I look like I'm ready to order my fucking starter?

"Millie?" Costa prodded.

"I just told you I'm not ready yet." I ground out the words, feeling my irritation spike. My temper was shorter since I was still sick - a fact he knew very well. He was just trying to annoy me.

"She's not ready yet." Costa repeated to the waitress, that same stupid smirk still playing on his lips. "Come back in a minute."

Once we were alone, Costa turned his attention back to me. "You should be nicer to waiters, Millie. They're not getting paid to deal with your attitude."

"I want to stab you so bad right now." I gripped my menu tighter, scanning the delectable sushi options instead of stabbing him with my knife.

"Did you bring your knife?"

"Mhm." I nodded, still reading the menu.

"You sure?"

"Yeah." I frowned, now meeting his eyes.

"Check." He smirked, relaxing back in his chair.

"I strapped it to my leg." I used my right hand to feel my leg. "It's right-"

Nothing.

I frowned, lifting the hem of my dress to confirm the strap was empty with my own eyes.

"Missing something?" He smirked, lifting his hand to reveal my favourite knife. He could only flash the weapon around because we were alone on the balcony.

"What? But how did you..."

"I took it while you were choosing your ice cream flavour earlier." He laughed, spinning the knife between his hands. "It's taken you five hours to realise it's missing and even then, you needed help."

I'm never going to hear the end of this. Ever.

I knew what was coming as soon as he opened his stupid mouth.

"You should take your safety more seriously, Millie. Anyone could steal your knife while you're preoccupied - for example, while buying an ice cream."

"I'm sick, plus, my guard was down because you were there. It's never happened before and it won't happen again." I tried to defend myself, hating the fact he looked so smug.

"No, it's too risky. You need to be prepared in all scenarios. I think you need to start training with me."

"I'm sorry, did you just say-"

"Your drinks." This stupid waitress cut me off for the second time when she arrived with our drinks. She put his whiskey down and poured water in our glasses while Costa smirked across from me.

"Ready to order?"

"Five more minutes." I snapped at her, still glaring at my husband.

"Okay." She smiled, completely unaware of my plan to murder Costa tonight.

"I'm not training with you." I spoke as soon as she was back inside the restaurant.

"I'm in charge of your safety and this falls under that category. So, I think you'll find you will be training with me."

"I already know self defence. I know how to use a knife and shoot a gun. I don't need anymore lessons and especially not from you."

"Relax, Millie." Costa laughed, still completely at ease. He sipped on his whiskey, his green eyes sparkling in the dim light. "It's not a bad thing. If you're going to be on your own in New York without me, I need to know you can handle yourself."

Of course he had to remind me that he was letting me stay in New York without him.

"Fine." I sighed. "But you're not allowed to be mean to me."

"When am I ever mean to you, principessa?" He smiled when I narrowed my eyes at him.

Then he winked.

He fucking winked at me.

And I almost fell off the balcony.

It was so fucking sexy.

I couldn't do anything to stop the heat that quickly rose to my cheeks. I shifted my gaze to the menu, hoping the lighting was too dark for him to notice the blush on my cheeks.

He released a velvety chuckle, sipping on his whiskey while I read the menu.

"Okay. I'm ready." I put the menu down with a satisfied sigh. No more pressure.

"Sure?" He cocked an eyebrow at me, signalling for the waitress to come back out.

Once she came, I ordered soup for starters and a sushi platter for my main with dumplings on the side.

"What was in that letter?" I broke the short silence that fell between us once we placed our orders.

As soon as I brought it up, a dark looked passed through his eyes. His jaw clenched and he took a gulp of his whiskey to finish it.

"A message."

So ominous.

"A message from who?" I asked tentatively with a frown.

"Last night I met with a crime family based here in Dubai. Omar, the head of the family, didn't sign the contract. He wanted to get to know me better first."

"Why? It's just an arms deal, right? It's not like he needs to count on you for protection or anything."

From what I knew, you only need to be cautious when it comes to major alliances - like a marriage alliance, for example.

"I don't know. He said he wants to get to know me and see how I am around my family." He muttered, annoyance lighting up in his expression. "My father told him I'm married so now he wants to meet you. Tomorrow."

"Me?"

"Sì." His Italian is so sexy. "That's what the envelope was. It was the tickets to a fundraiser he's hosting tomorrow."

"So, if he's impressed with the way we behave together tomorrow then he'll sign your deal?"

That's just stupid.

The way Costa treats me has nothing to do with his ability to do business. As a businessman and a criminal, I couldn't fault him. He lives up to his reputation in every single way.

"Sì. That means for one night you have to try not to hate me."

"That's impossible." I shook my head with a laugh. "But, I do feel responsible for making you miss work for the last few days. So, I guess I'll pretend to like you for a couple of hours."

"Pretend, huh?" He smiled, revealing the dimples in his cheeks.

"Hm." I took a sip of my water when a thought occurred to me. "Wait, how did he know where we're staying?"

"That's what I meant when I said it was a message. He's got fucking eyes on me." So that's what was bothering him when I brought it up.

"Eyes on you? Why?" I looked at him quizzically.

"It's a tactic La Famiglia use. When any other organisations or crime families come into our territory for whatever reason, we have eyes on them. We always let them know they're being watched - just as a reminder."

"So he's using your own tactics against you?" I scoffed. "And he would have known I was at the villa alone. Just wait until he meets my knife, Costa."

For once my threat wasn't towards my husband but towards someone he also didn't particularly like.

Costa chuckled with a shake of his head. "You can't stab him. I need his business."

"He tried to intimidate me while I was alone and sick." That's not okay, at least not in my books.

"I know. Don't worry, I'll deal with it at some point. He won't get away with it." I could see it in his eyes - he meant every word he said. Not only were the intimidation tactics meant to get to me, but to Costa too. It really was a message. And he wasn't happy about it.

"You have a lot of enemies." I thought out loud, fiddling with the edge of my napkin. "Viktor Kozlov, Aco Petrovic and now this new guy."

"Most of it is business. Omar wouldn't do anything, he was just trying to make a point that we're in his city. But for Kozlov and Petrovic it's personal. Things turned sour and now they're lashing out."

Kozlov hated Costa for a very long time. I didn't know the history between the Sicilian Mafia and the Russian Bratva, but I knew it was a long one.

As for Petrovic, it all stemmed from that poker game.

"Can I...can I ask you a question?" I spoke hesitantly, unsure if it was a wise decision to bring it up. But I'd been dying to know since that night - I just never got the chance to ask.

"What is it?" He rose an eyebrow curiously.

"That night at the poker game. Aco tried to bait you into betting me but you folded."

He tried to goad Costa into making me part of the bet - if he wins then gets me for the rest of the night.

In the end Costa lost everything because he folded.

He lost everything Aco was offering but also all his own money and the three clubs he added to balance the deal.

If Costa had faith in his cards he could have taken the risk and bet me too. He's a brilliant poker player, after all.

But if his hand was too weak, maybe he didn't think it was worth the risk?

"What were your cards?" My question lingered in the air while Costa watched me with his ironclad poker face in place.

He held my stare for a moment before breaking it to look at the view from the balcony instead.

"I had a straight flush." He finally admitted.

My lips parted in surprise while he now watched me closely.

"A straight flush?" That could have won him everything. A straight flush was one rank lower than the best hand in the game - a royal flush.

"You would have won, Costa!" I know I was kind of giving him permission to bet me, but I hated the fact Aco won when Costa could have easily beaten him.

My reaction had him chuckling with a nod. "I know. But it wasn't worth the risk, Millie. No matter how unlikely, there was still a chance Aco could have had a royal flush."

"But you lost so much." Three important clubs, the casinos Aco was offering and a tonne of cash.

"I did. But I promised you I'd never let anything happen to you." His voice softened as he spoke. "Did you really think I'd ever let Aco have you?"

"I...I don't know. I didn't know what you were thinking." It sounded bad to say it out loud, especially after he'd been so nice recently. But it was the truth. I didn't know what he was thinking. He was in business mode, he wasn't relaxed and casual like he was during our dinner.

"When he said it, I was actually thinking about food." Costa admitted with a smile.

His smile widened when I laughed at his unexpected revelation. "Food?"

"Sì. I was hungry." He shrugged. "The game was taking too long and I hadn't eaten all day."

So even with that tough exterior, he's still human after all.

"Our relationship might not be-" Costa continued speaking, but I cut him off. I decided to offer him some suggestions, just to be kind.

"Good? Real? Friendly? Norm-"

"Yeah, I got it." He cut me off, narrowing his eyes at me. So I guess he didn't appreciate my suggestions.

"As I was saying, I would never risk your safety in a game - even one I could possibly win. I promised to keep you safe and it doesn't set a good precedent."

"Because other people will think you're a shitty guy willing to bet your wife in a poker game?" That's not a good look, even for a mafioso.

"Exactly. Most people think this is a real marriage. They don't know you make me want to shoot myself in the head at least six times a day."

I narrowed my eyes at him, scoffing at his remark. "I make you want to shoot yourself in the head? Seriously?"

"Sì. You have a gift." He grinned, reaching into his pocket when his phone started buzzing.

He checked the caller ID, frowning at the name on the screen.

"Didn't anyone ever teach that you taking a phone call at the table is impolite?" I repeated his words from earlier back to him, earning a throaty chuckle as he hit answer.

"See, a gift." His eyes met mine as he lifted the phone to his ear. "What?"

He sat for a moment listening to whoever called him while I took the time to admire the view.

The restaurant was in downtown Dubai, among all the tall buildings. From the balcony I could see the beach off in the distance and so many glittering lights in the city.

It was the perfect night to sit outside - especially since it was nice and warm. I also didn't feel conscious about sniffling and sneezing in front of other patrons of the restaurant.

Our starters arrived while Costa continued his phone call, choosing to eat at the same time.

I didn't mind though, even if I did comment on his table manners. It gave me some time to relax and take in the view or just scroll through all the photos I took that day.

Technically, it was my first day in Dubai because the other four didn't count. This was the first day I actually put on some make up and got changed into a cute outfit.

And we got to see the city which was nice.

"Sorry." Costa sighed, finally ending his phone call. "Tristano said my father is throwing another tantrum."

"About what?"

"Some missing paperwork from a deal I closed in New York." He muttered, dialling another number. "Just give me two minutes."

It was kind of strange that he was even mildly concerned over taking a phone call during our dinner.

The Costa I knew at the start of our marriage wouldn't even bother to take me out, let alone try to give me his attention at dinner.

The next call was to the criminal who hadn't signed all the contracts like Costa had told him to.

He spoke calmly at first, digging for the information he needed. Luckily it was during that time that our main course was delivered.

After that, Costa's language became a lot less public-friendly. And I got to sit and listen to him curse away for five minutes straight while I happily ate my sushi.

It was entertaining to say the least.

"I'm doing you a favour by giving you a fucking discount. I don't need your business, you need me." I got to see him in action and he didn't disappoint. He was every bit the cold, ruthless and arrogant mafioso I'd heard about before we met.

"Did you really think you could pull some pages from the contract and we wouldn't notice? Fucking sign them before I send some men to teach you what happens when you try to cheat the Accardi family. You won't like what happens, I promise."

He hung up the phone, releasing a string of profanities I don't care to repeat. But, I don't blame him for being so angry.

He went to New York to get that deal signed and the guy decides to try and cheat him after he leaves the city. That's not to mention his scary-ass father who would probably just blame Costa for the situation.

He tossed his phone down on the table, running a hand over his face.
He looked exhausted and royally pissed off.

"Sushi?" I chewed on my own piece of sashimi, watching him crumble across from me. He moved his hands away from his face, now watching me take another piece with my chopsticks. I gave him a sheepish smile, sliding the platter towards him.

At first he still seemed annoyed, possibly thinking to himself 'Is this bitch really offering me sushi right now?' But then his anger slowly morphed into a neutral expression.

"Sure." He sighed, reaching over to snatch my chopsticks from my hand.

"Hey!"

"What? You offered." He grinned, taking a California roll from the plate.

"Not with my chopsticks! Costa, you better not put them in your mouth. Don't get them wet." I grimaced, watching him take another piece of sushi.

"Do you mean like this?" I think it was inevitable he'd purposely put the tips of the chopsticks in his mouth after I said it.

I glared at him as he slowly slid them out of his mouth, his plump lips stretching into a smirk.

"Here." He then tried to hand them back to me like a weirdo.

"I hate you." I muttered, opening up a fresh pair of chopsticks.

"No, you don't." He smiled, taking a bite of his own food.

Of course I hate him.

Don't I?

We finished off the rest of our main course while Costa explained the situation that had arisen with this paperwork and his father.

"Your father is really hard on you."

"He has to be." That was his simple response.

"I don't know about that anymore. I thought my own father was just preparing Julius and I for this life when he was tough on us. But after this whole marriage thing, I'm starting to see a side to him that I can't justify."

My father was going crazy for the power. The more he got, the more it was driving him to become hungrier for it. He sacrificed me for the power and Julius was also suffering behind the scenes.

"He didn't have to do the things he's done." I continued speaking. "There's always another choice. If we ever have children, I'd never let anyone force them into the things he's forced me into."

My eyes definitely met Costa's at the wrong moment.

He was staring at me with some kind of emotion I couldn't decipher. Most likely it was because I mentioned us ever having children together.

That word had the power to open Pandora's box.

The day we signed the contracts, he said I'm the last person he'd ever want to have a baby with. I seriously doubt that's changed.

Luckily for both of us, the waitress decided that was the right moment to make a reappearance. She was annoying, but she definitely saved us an awkward few moments.

"Are you finished? Would you like to see the dessert menu?" She smiled as she began to clear our plates.

"No." I answered for both of us, still avoiding Costa's eyes. "We'll just take the bill, please."

"Sure." She nodded, heading off with a pile of empty dishes. As soon as we were alone, Costa spoke up.

"Millie, I-"

"I'm just going to use the bathroom." I cut him off, pushing my chair back from the table. I didn't wait to see or hear his reaction, I just rushed inside the restaurant in search of the bathroom I really didn't need to use.

I took my time to use the bathroom unnecessarily and then fix my hair and make up in the mirror.

Anything to avoid being alone with him on that balcony again.

By the time I returned to the balcony, Costa was still sat there. He now had a fresh glass of whiskey and he was lighting up a cigar.

On my side of the table there was a tall pink milkshake with a strawberry on the rim of the glass.

"You got me a milkshake?" I sat back down across from him just as he took the first drag of his cigar.

Smoking has never been sexier.

He put his lips to the cigar, relaxing back into his chair. His legs were spread open in that classic manspread position. His green eyes followed my movements as I took a sip of my milkshake. Then he released the cloud of smoke through his plump lips.

"Sì."

Now he's speaking Italian with such a husky voice and I'm ready to throw myself off the balcony because I shouldn't find it hot.

"Thanks." I played it cool, directing my gaze towards the view when he went in for another hit of his cigar.

I could feel his eyes burning into me but I refused to look at him.

How could I be so stupid to bring up children? I mean, I was talking about my own life but it just slipped out. We might be acting civil towards one another, but we're never going to be close enough to discuss children.

That one mistake ruined everything.

We didn't take long to finish off our drinks and then Costa paid the bill. We were actually pretty quiet all the way back to the bedroom in our villa.

"Did you have a good day?" Costa broke the awkward silence that had lingered between us ever since I made that grave mistake.

"Yes. Thank you." I forced a small smile while I removed my jewellery.

I could see him watching me from the corner of my eye, but I continued to pretend he wasn't even there.

That plan was going fine until he took my hand, forcing me to stop. "Are you upset about something?"

"Upset? Why would I be upset?"

"I don't know, Millie. We were fine until you suddenly weren't anymore. I don't..." He sighed. "Tell me what's wrong."

"Why do you care?" I removed my hand from his, taking a short step away. "I think you're getting confused, Costa."

"Confused?" He spat the word out with a frown.

"Yes, confused. You haven't been around your family for a while and you're forgetting what this is. Or, what it isn't."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" His frustration was quickly beginning to show in both his choice of words and his body language.

"We're not friends like that, Costa. I don't know what's been going on with you lately, but you need to remember what this is."

"Yeah? And what's that?" He goaded me, annoyance lighting up in his features.

"A contract. A forced marriage."

"Forced?" He scoffed. "You seem pretty fucking happy for a woman trapped in a forced marriage."

"I'm not!" My voice raised as I stepped closer to him. "I'm not happy! Why can't you see that? How can you not tell that underneath all these smiles and occasional laughter, I'm just empty inside."

I had no clue where it was coming from, but it just all slipped out - words I'd never even thought about before.

"Being here with you...it's not where I want to be. I don't know where I want to be, exactly. But I just...I don't know."

It didn't make any sense out loud or in my head. I didn't necessarily want to be with Costa, I had to be because we were married.

I didn't want to be with his family and I didn't really want to be with mine either. Perhaps Damian and Julius, but even then, things weren't really the same anymore.

I was in limbo. Just lost somewhere between the Darmos family and the Accardi family.

"Do you want to go home? If you're not happy." Despite the tension quickly rising between us, his question was genuine.

He was trying to be nice, again. But all it did was make my reality clearer for me.

"Home? I don't have a home, Costa. Not anymore."

"Sicily." He murmured tentatively, his anger now simmering down. "Do you want to go back to Sicily?"

"No." I eventually answered with a shake of my head. "I don't."

"Okay." He nodded, stepping closer to me. Keeping his eyes on mine, he removed my rings and then unclasped the bracelet on my wrist.

I stayed quiet, my body falling terribly still when he turned me around so he could unclasp my necklace. My breath caught in my throat when he moved my long brown hair aside so he could undo the clasp.

"Finish getting ready for bed. I have to make a couple of phone calls downstairs." He murmured, putting my necklace down with the rest of my jewellery.

I stayed rooted in my spot, watching as he left the bedroom without another word.

It was only then that I became aware of the way my heart was beating in my chest. My cheeks were hotter than normal and my stomach felt...odd.

I couldn't understand my reaction. It completely contradicted what I thought or even how I felt.

My body was betraying my mind.

After he left, I was worried about the awkwardness we would face when he returned. But it didn't matter because that was the last I saw of him that night.

He didn't come back upstairs even after I got into bed. I spent some time on my phone, scrolling through my social media until I felt sleepy.

But even during that time, he never came back.

I didn't know what time he finally came upstairs, but I was fast asleep by the time he did.

I love how their dynamics are shifting 🥹 It's slow, but it's sooo satisfying.

What did you think of their dinner conversation?