THE MAFIA’S MISTAKEN BRIDE

Xavier’s POV

Lying to Grandma about the accident was necessary.

Doing that meant her not finding out that this isn’t Andre and that meant finding out that Jasmine is forced to marry me because she looks just like the woman who left me at the altar.

That will make her go against my reason for still keeping Jasmine and for no reason, I still want her here. For as long as Andre is still missing, I want her here with me.

It might probably be for my ego but I don’t care. That is what I want and I will get it.

I know the yawn from Jasmine which comes right after the question about when Grandma would get a grandchild is either from her inability to continue with the pretense or because she is indeed sleepy.

I direct the maid to show her to our room while I sit back to have a conversation with Grandma.

“You never told me a thing about the accident”, she attacks me as soon as Jasmine and the head maid are out of sight.

I nod. I didn’t. I didn’t tell her a thing and now that I think of it, I’m glad I didn’t.

Grandma won’t hesitate to find the real Andre and have Jasmine released from my grip.

“I didn’t want to bother you, she is fine. She is a strong woman”, I smile at her, hoping she will get convinced.

She nods intermittently, looking towards the direction they took. “I could sense something different about her the moment I locked eyes with her. Are you sure she is fine?”

“Yes, Grandma”, I reply sharply, hoping this will end.

Her face lights up immediately as she repeats the question from earlier. “Is she already pregnant?”

I don’t say a word.

Jasmine and I haven’t even consummated our marriage and I don’t think we ever will so there is no way in the world she would be pregnant with my child.

Pregnant with my child.

That phrase. I haven’t thought of that. It never crossed my mind but now that she mentioned it, I wonder what it would feel like to have a child.

I never had the thought because of how dangerous it is to have an heir with this business.

“No, Grandma. She isn’t.”

“You said soon”, she reminds me, raising a suspicious brow at me.

This is it. This is why I don’t come home. She expects too much. Before I got married, she wanted me married and now that I am married, she wants a child.

I might love the idea of having a child but now is not the right time. I have a lot to do and I have a lot to lose to let that happen.

Wanting to let the topic slide, I rise from the chair as the nurse appears. “I should head to bed too, Grandma.”

She nods without a word. She knows when to insist on something and when not to. She knows how stubborn I can be but I am just like her.

I take a step forward and lean down to peck her two cheeks. “Good night, Grandma.”

“Goodnight, love”, she hugs me tightly before waving at me. I whirl around and begin to amble to our bedroom. The room where Jasmine and I will share tonight before heading to our mansion tomorrow.

I don’t bother to knock on the door before entering and I regret doing that as soon as I enter to see her undressing.

I find myself turning back sharply as she covers her body with a towel immediately. “Sorry.”Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

This has never happened. I have never apologized to her for bumping into the room without a knock or walking in on her naked. This isn’t even the first time I am seeing her naked but here I am apologizing.

I guess it’s because we are away from home and she must think she will have the room to herself. That is quite impossible because Grandma will raise a questioning brow and ask questions.

“Are you done?” I find myself asking her so I can turn back and get to take a shower too before going to the study to get to work.

This used to be the room where my parents stayed whenever they visited the villa. The villa belonged to Dad and they got married here before moving away.

“Yes”, she replies calmly and I turn to see her wearing silk nightwear. I stroll to the closet to see our clothes already arranged. Just before I can begin to peel off my clothes so I can take a shower, a knock comes to the door.

“Yes?” Jasmine answers the door, beating me to it.

“Xavier, can I come in?” Grandma’s voice sounds from outside the door making my eyes grow large in wonder at what she wants again.

Quickly, I walk to the bed where Jasmine is already sitting and slouch in beside her. “Can we act like real couples do?”

She furrows her brow in confusion. Instead of replying to her, clearing her confusion or offering more explanation as to what I mean, I drag her head carefully to my shoulder and she goes still.

“Come in”, I call out as the door is thrown open by the nurse behind the wheel. She wheels Grandma in.

Grandma has a mischievous smile on her face at the sight of Jasmine’s head on my shoulder. I guess she becomes shy because the next thing she does is to take her head away from my shoulder.

“Sorry to interrupt. I came to tell Andre that we would be having an outdoor dinner with the ladies tomorrow evening. I guess we should pick out a dress for you tomorrow during shopping.”

“Sure, Grandma”, she nods with confidence.

I know what having dinner with the ladies means. Literally, they aren’t ladies but old women of her age yet she calls them ladies as though they are youths and teenagers and that means having Jasmine questioned about me, our love life and how we met.

Jasmine doesn’t know. In fact, she seems excited about the outing already.

Grandma waves us goodnight and I watch the nurse wheel her out of our room. Jasmine rises as soon as the door is closed from outside but I grab her back in position, letting her head go back to my shoulder.

“You should get used to doing this around here or Grandma will ask questions you don’t want to answer”, I tell her, hoping she gets the message.

“Questions I don’t want to answer?” she demands without lifting her head from my shoulder like I am thinking she will.

“Yes. We need to act like a couple. Like real couples too. Not rigid and…” I trail off, not knowing exactly how to call this thing between us.

Is it awkward?

“Why?”

Do I need to tell her why again? Isn’t it obvious? It’s quite obvious that she isn’t fully convinced about the accident and also because she wants a grandchild soon.

When I don’t reply, she raises her head and I drag it back to my shoulder slowly, not wanting to feel the emptiness of her close contact with my body.

“Xavier”, I hear her call out in a soft voice, making me curious to know what she wants to talk about. “Why did you answer Grandma that way?”

“How?” I am confused. What is she talking about?

“About a child.”

Silence falls except for the loud pounding of her heart and her ragged breathing. I don’t have a reason for giving her that answer other than the fact that I thought of the distinct possibility of having a child indeed.

She sits upright and faces me squarely, waiting patiently for me to answer her questions without a word.

When it seems like the answer won’t come out of me again, I shrug indifferently and say. “It’s not a bad idea, is it?”

I know what I mean but I have no absolute idea how she is interpreting it because her jaws drop agape and her eyes go large in extreme surprise.