Episode 2

This morning wasn't grey but by soothing lavender and brilliant amber. The colors merged into neon pink and peach. I wasn't an early bird and the shouting of Luciano wasn't a good alarm clock either.

"What the fuck do you want?" I hissed as the sleep was slowly fading away from my eyes. Irritated, I sat up in the bed and rubbed my eyes groggily.

"Why are you sleeping on my bed?"

My eyes widened as I looked at him. "What do you mean by your bed? It's mine too, I have married you yesterday, remember?"

"But we had this conversation, you are not my wife, " he groaned from the other side of the bed.

I turned my head towards the devil and saw him lying beside me with a frown on his face. His bed hair was sexy, and it was the truth but his personality seriously turned me off like geezer on a hot scorching day and it was the truth as well.

"I'm still legally married to you and I have the right over everything you own, " I smirked. Although I have no interest in his money and wealth, I had this sick satisfaction of watching him grunt before waking up completely himself.

"Fuck you, " he retorted as he threw the blanket which was magically placed over us and got up from the bed, ready to go to the bathroom but before he could I sprinted towards the bathroom and reached it before he could slam the door again.

"Oh, won't you like it?" I teased him and saw his face turned into red in anger as I slammed the door shut and let out a sigh in relief.

"Will you like some tea, sweetheart?" Mrs. Rossi asked kindly as soon as I entered the dining room of this huge mansion that they called home.

She was sitting in one of the chairs in the dining room while sipping her tea. She looked sophisticated but also very kind, a rare combination that was rare to witness nowadays.

I shook my head politely as I took a seat next to her. "No, Mrs. Rossi, though if you want something, I can make you something for breakfast."

Her face held a small frown as soon as I offered her breakfast. "When are you going to stop calling me Mrs. Rossi, Alice? You are now married to my son."

The son who was most likely fucking some other lady just after his wedding. I snickered internally.

I, of course, didn't say that out loud. Luciano was missing when I finished off my morning routines, and I didn't search for him because that would make me look desperate which would give him another chance to irritate me.

"I'm sorry, Ma, it's just out of habit." I apologized but she just smiled at me.

"Where is Luciano?" She asked as she looked for her son.

If only, she knew.

"He is most probably taking a shower, " I lied, she looked at me, concerned

"He is treating you right, right?"

The problem was, he was treating me right. He never did something to hurt me or offend me other than declaring how unimportant I was. And it was not offensive honestly, I knew my value in his life is negligible just like his value in mine.

"He is treating me perfectly fine Ma, " I assured her.

"Good, good. If not, I would give him a good spanking, " she announced and I found myself imagining the big old Luciano getting a spanking from her mother.

I chuckled. "Although he is treating me right, I won't mind you doing that."

She laughed. "I knew that I chose the right partner for my son."

The adoration in her eyes made me smile too but thinking about spending the rest of my life with that brute was not really convincing or appealing.

"What are you laughing about, Ma?" Luciano asked as soon as he entered the dining room. He was shirtless, again, and wearing a different pair of sweatpants which again hung loose on his hips.

I would have loved to hit that ass if he, himself, wasn't such an ass.

"Oh nothing, just how Ma is going to spank you if you don't treat me right, "I smirked, proud of myself for speaking with such level of confidence to the don of the Italian mafia.

"Ma, " he groaned. "I'm not a kid anymore, you can't spank me now."

Mrs. Rossi, Ma, waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, shush, I can spank you at any age."

He just rolled his eyes while I giggled, enjoying their interaction more than I could let on.

"Why the fuck are you giggling like a schoolgirl?" Luciano barked and my mood instantly went down with a flush.

"Stop screaming at her, she can do whatever she wants, Luciano." Mother scolded him and this time before I could do something stupid, I sprinted out of the door into the comfort of nature with my face red with embarrassment.

***

I was huffing by the time I reached the garden of this building. My cheeks were reddened from the embarrassment I just had and for the running I just did.

I leaned on the walls behind me and sighed. This was supposed to be a marriage of convenience, but I couldn't do it with a loving mother-in-law and cold-hearted mafia-like my husband.

I never wanted to get married in the first place, I have watched my mother suffered financially and emotionally after my father died before I was even born. She heard numerous things, bad and offensive about her life, herself, her daughter. And yet she stood there, confidently like the strong woman I knew.

"Who are you?" A deep voice asked. I quickly stood up straight and saw a man almost as tall as Luciano glaring down at me. He crossed his arms around his chest.

"Uh, I'm Alice De'Amelio, " I replied nervously. His gaze was cold like ice which was making it impossible for me to stay in my usual confident self.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" He hissed.

My thoughts were scrambled and before I could say anything in my defense, another voice spoke out.

"She is my wife, Matteo, no need to scare her away, " Luciano ordered.

Disappointment rushed on me as I noticed that he was wearing a grey shirt. The muscles in his arms were restrained by the shirt resulting in a bulge that I would happily lick.

Stop you pervert.

I quickly averted my eyes before he could see me checking him out. His ego was big enough to feed the entire population of Asia, there was no need to make it bigger.

Matteo nodded his head before smiling at me apologetically before marching out of the garden and to the main house.

"Thanks, for-"

He gripped my chin tightly in his long, thick finger making me gasp at his gesture. "Next time introduce yourself as Alice Rossi if you don't want yourself to be killed."

He jerked away from me and followed where Matteo just went, leaving me hot and confused.

-

It was mid-afternoon when my stomach grumbled in protest for the lack of food.

Mrs. Ro- I meant Ma and I were talking and gossiping all day long and I was relieved that this fragile woman was stronger than any man I had come across in the past.

Luciano was missing for the whole day leaving Ma and me enough time to make fun of him behind his back. He was a C-section baby and there were some complications during her pregnancy due to which they never had another child.

Who was Luciano's father was still a mystery but I didn't dare to ask her as she was enjoying the conversation. The childhood photos of Luciano were another interesting part, he was a child with many hidden talents.

"So he shot the bird?" I asked bewildered by the fact that a six-year-old child shooting a bird just because it was irritating his resting mother.

"He did get spanked from me at the end, " she laughed lightly. The light in her eyes when she spoke about her devil-like child amazed me.

"But was the bird okay though?" I asked, concerned about a bird who was not even alive right now.

"Oh, yes, we took care of the bird until she could fly again."

"Gossiping again?" I knew it was Luciano by the deep dark voice he had but it still didn't stop the goosebumps appearing in my neck.

Luciano either didn't notice it or simply decided to ignore it as he plopped down on the sofa beside me and rubbed his face tiredly.

"Are you tired?" I asked gently even surprising myself that I somewhat cared for this devil.

But I was astonished when he nodded and put his arm around the backside of the sofa behind me.

"Aw, aren't you guys cute?" Ma mused as she watched us playing house suddenly.

"Stop it Ma, we don't want the princess to be angry now, " Luciano said tiredly but a small smile was prominent on his lips.

"Who the fu-heck are you calling princess?" I asked, pissed off.

"You, darling, now shut up, and let's eat dinner." His voice was tired hoarse and it was sure that it was irritating him.

I wouldn't admit the fact that my insides were gushing as he called me 'darling' but the fact was equally terrifying and I was just one at away from running for the hills.

"You have to wait, my lord, we haven't made the dinner yet, " I smirked.

He just groaned in reply before resting his head on the sofa.

-

"Where is your father?" I asked as I rested my head on the soft pillow.

We were laying in the bed, facing each other, and talking in some silent whispers that even we didn't know.

"I never said you could sleep here, " he grumbled but I knew it was just his trick to evade my question.

"You don't need to. You love me, so I am going to sleep here, " I half shrugged.

"I don't love you, I don't even like you. And what kind of logic is that?"

I wouldn't lie, it hurt to hear your supposed husband say that he doesn't like you. "Then know me." I regretted the words as soon as they left my lips. I did not want to have any sort of relationship with this brute but my ego was already bruised.

"You are just a waste of time, I can't risk my shit getting to know you, " he said as he turned around and faced his side of the bed.

"One day, Mr. Rossi, you are going to know my real value."

"We will see, " he remarked.

But at the end of the night, the question remained unanswered.

Who was his father?