Ch. 301..305: Love Slave to the Mafia Boss's Passion Chapter 301-305

Chapter 301: Truth from the Lies

"Explain," Hayden said passively.

He neither showed interest nor disinterest. Hayden’s face was as cold and as unreadable as ever. I wondered if Ethan could read Hayden and what he was thinking because I clearly couldn’t. Regardless, I was slightly surprised that Hayden was willing to listen.

"It’s simple. I want Torex and Silva to work together just like what Jack wanted," Ethan said casually.

Hayden’s expression was unreadable. If Ethan thought that the mention of Jack’s name would have an impact on Hayden, his guess seemed to be quite off the mark. On the contrary, Hayden didn’t seem impressed at Ethan’s reference of Jack’s name.

"Jack is dead. He’s been dead for a long time now. Unlike you, I don’t care much about the will of a dead man," Hayden replied.

His response was cold, and I felt a slight tightness in my chest at how heartless he seemed. After all, he was speaking about my late father just now. I glanced over at Hayden and the look on his face told me that he meant every word that he had just said.

"Is that so? Is that also the reason why you abandoned your life as a doctor and came back to the family business?" Ethan asked.

That’s right. My father wanted Hayden to become a doctor…

"My will is my own. What about you? Shouldn’t you start to think by yourself and for yourself already?" Hayden challenged.

"Don’t our past make us who we are today?" Ethan asked in wonder.

"That depends on you. Frankly, I don’t care what you think about Jack and what he wanted. I sit here as the representative of Torex, I won’t agree to anything that won’t benefit the group despite my own personal beliefs," Hayden stated flatly.

"Is that how it works? You are not Hayden…" Ethan said with a slight nod of his head.

"Correct, right now I am Hayden Torex…" Hayden replied with a clear stress on his last name.

"What about her? Will marrying her benefit the Torex too?" Ethan asked as his eyes shifted to land squarely on me.

I flinched slightly at his words as my mind feared Hayden’s response.

"As long as the heir has my blood, it doesn’t matter who brings it into the world. It can be her or anyone else. It doesn’t have to be her," Hayden replied matter-of-factly.

What is he saying?

I felt blood drain from my face at the emotionless way Hayden just said those words. Does he realize that I am also sitting in this room right next to him?

I was shocked into silence. Even if what he said was true, I didn’t expect that he would say something so uncaring right in front of me. Something like anyone would do for him…as if that could ever be true…

"A very Torex way of answering. I would have expected your old man to say the exact same thing…" Ethan said before grinning.

Ethan’s right. The boss would probably say the same thing. It was a very Torex way of putting it and Hayden was true to his words. He was acting flawlessly like the head of Torex. Is this what he would be like if he really took over? I couldn’t stop my eyes from straying to Hayden’s face as I wondered how he saw the world through those cold blue eyes of his.

If Hayden becomes the next head of Torex, will he be like this every day? Will he put the gang and the family business first before everything else. My mind recalled the dynamics that I had witnessed between the boss and Hayden, and I felt a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. The boss had his priorities clearly laid out and Hayden and his family did not come out on top of that list.

It was always the gang and the business first.

Hayden…will you end up being the same way?

"We were taught differently…" Ethan said with a hint of regret in his voice.

"Clearly. It’s quite unfortunate, considering that Jack was there for us both…" Hayden agreed openly.

If Hayden had any sentimental ties left towards my father, he did not show any signs of it in that moment. The atmosphere in the room only got tenser between the two men and suddenly I felt a chill run through my body. The room suddenly felt colder than when I stepped into it at the start of the meeting. I rubbed my hand up and down my bare arm to keep them from freezing over.

I would be lying if I said that the conversation between Hayden and Ethan wasn’t getting to my head. Even if I knew that there was a high possibility of Ethan wanting the conversation to play out this way to mess with my head and emotions, the way that Hayden was answering his questions made everything worst for me.

The worst part was that I couldn’t tell at all if Hayden meant any of the things that he was saying.

Which words did he honestly believe in, and which words were he just saying to handle Ethan. For the life of me, I couldn’t distinguish between the two and I had no idea what Hayden stood for at all. Was he truly acting like the head of Torex now? What about his personal beliefs and feelings? Were they the same or aligned with each other?

As Ethan continued asking Hayden more questions about the past that they shared, the sense of unease inside of me continued to grow until it became a suffocating load inside of my chest. I lifted a hand and placed it on my chest to try to calm myself down. When I wanted to join this meeting, I never thought that the words exchanged between the two men could have such a detrimental impact on me.

It wasn’t long before I started realizing that I didn’t know who to trust anymore.

I couldn’t tell the truth from the lies anymore and if that was the case, what is going to happen to me now?

My head ached and it soon felt like the room was slowly spinning around me. Am I getting sick? I closed my eyes as I concentrated on taking in deep breaths. This isn’t the time to be sick...

 

Chapter 302: Test of Trust

Hayden could sense Malissa’s discomfort even before he saw how pale her face was. He cursed Ethan inwardly for the things that he had intentionally said to trigger such a painful reaction from Malissa.

The discussion about the heir of Torex was uncalled for, although his response was truthful and factual. Then all those bullshit questions about Jack and what that dead man wanted. No matter how fond he was of Jack, he had been dead and gone for many years already. It was time that the living moved on with their lives and did what was best for the current times and the current situation.

He did not love or respect Jack any less than before, but things have clearly changed, and he was just trying to keep the fort together while fulfilling the promise that he made to his elder brother. Once again, he wondered why life was so bothersome. Here he was acting like the proper boss-to-be of Torex while Malissa looked like she was about to faint right next to him.

If this wasn’t what a disaster looked like, then he probably had misunderstood the meaning of the word his entire life.

Brining Malissa along wasn’t an error but it was a calculated challenge that his wicked elder brother had talked him into. While his mouth spat out cold and emotionless responses to Ethan’s irrelevant questions, his mind recalled what his brother had told him.

Ultimately, it was Malissa’s desire to join this meeting along with his brother’s somewhat wise words that made Hayden decide to let Malissa come along.

"I don’t want Malissa to be there. She has no reason to be there," Hayden said decisively.

"Have you asked her about it?" Harvey asked.

"No…" Hayden muttered in reply.

"It might be good for her to be there," Harvey suggested brightly.

"How so? She has nothing to gain from meeting him and we don’t have anything to gain either," Hayden replied without hesitation.

"I wouldn’t be so sure about that. Don’t people like to say that there’s an opportunity in every threat?" Harvey said before winking at his younger brother.

"You mean those overly optimistic people?" Hayden said before shaking his head.

Harvey burst out laughing at his younger brother’s retort. A part of him agreed with Hayden that sometimes people said things just to comfort each other and for the sake of remaining optimistic and encouraging. However, a part of him truly believed that there was something valuable that both Malissa and Hayden could learn from this encounter with Ethan. If only they are open to it…

"You’re right, but you do know that your dear brother here isn’t an overly optimistic person, right?" Harvey said half teasingly.

"I guess…" Hayden mumbled.

"I know that your time is valuable and all that, but can you please just hear me out. Of course, I’ll be happy to leave the final decision to you after you do…" Harvey pleaded for some time.

For some reason, Hayden doubt that his brother meant that. His brother, just like the boss, had a way of asserting their agenda onto other people and they wouldn’t truly back down until their goals were reached.

"Sure…" he replied in resignation.

"I know exactly what you’re thinking. Taking Malissa is like walking around with your weakness exposed at your side. It’s even worst when your weakness is someone that you want to protect and that someone isn’t a part of your own body," Harvey said sympathetically.

"Exactly, so…" Hayden said before Harvey jumped in and cut him off.

"I told you to listen and you agreed. I don’t think either of us could be like how dad was with mum. You were younger so maybe you don’t remember much of it, but I do. That man would give her up or let her go without a second thought if it meant that he could save the gang.

The gang is that important to him and the most messed up thing about all of that is that mum understood and was completely fine with it. She just understood…" Harvey said, and his voice was heavy with emotion.

Hayden knew that it was rare for Harvey to talk about their deceased mother. From what he knew, Harvey was very close to their mother, and he probably had a lot more memories of her than he did. He decided to remain silent as he waited for Harvey to continue with what he wanted to say.

"I’m not saying that Malissa should be like our mother. In fact, I don’t think any woman should be like her or think like her. Not Amelia and not Malissa. However, what I truly respect about mother is the trust that she has in our dad. Hayden, this is a conveniently good opportunity to put your relationship with Malissa to the test.

If you two can’t get through this together, then it either won’t work between you two or…you have to let go of the gang…" Harvey said as he tried to make his brother understand his point of view.

Hayden’s eyes widened at his brother’s direct words. It wasn’t like he couldn’t see what Harvey was trying to get at. Admittingly, Harvey was probably right. If Malissa couldn’t withstand something like this, then she will forever be a weakness at his side.

"If Malissa can’t toughen up to handle something like this and if she can’t trust you enough, then she’ll always be a weakness to you. It may not matter to you…" Harvey said slowly and clearly.

"But she will get hurt because of it and then she’ll feel guilty about it. Then she will start believing that she isn’t good enough or that she isn’t strong enough…" Hayden completed the remaining part of his brother’s sentence with ease.

"Just like Amelia did…" Harvey whispered sadly.

"It’s still too risky…" Hayden said with a sigh.

"It’s better if she gets hurt now rather than later on. Trust goes both ways. Before she can trust you, you need to trust that she can somehow get through this. It will be hard because Ethan will probably use any weakness that he can sense against you two. Ethan will probably make you say things that will hurt Malissa or things that will make her doubt you.

If Malissa shows weakness, he will use it against you to bend you to his will. This cycle will never end until Malissa realizes that she has to trust you," Harvey pointed out.

Chapter 303: His Protection

"It’s too risky…" Hayden repeated softly.

"Well, as I just said, before that you have to trust her enough to let her join the meeting in the first place," Harvey said with a pleased smile as he summarized up his thoughts nicely.

Hayden was no where near pleased about what his brother had just suggested and that was mainly because he knew that his brother was spot on right. He clicked his tongue in annoyance as he frowned.

"Thank about it. Although, if I’m not wrong, you’ve already made up your mind," Harvey said with a knowing smile.

…

It became increasingly more challenging for me to listen closely to the conversation while handling my headache that was quickly making me feel nauseous. I could feel Hayden glancing over at me and I forced a smile to my lips to let him know that I was fine. It would be a problem if I got sick and distracted him from the meeting.

I was more than aware that my presence was already an inconvenience to Hayden without having him worry more about me.

Ethan was good at manipulating people with his words and actions as always and I realized that he wasn’t going easy on me. The questions that he asked were probably meant to provoke me and somehow use me against Hayden. Even though I knew that I couldn’t steel my mind and resolve enough to completely ignore his words and their implications.

Instead, my mind started forming trains of thoughts based on his words that led me to even more confusion and doubt than before. At this rate, I would become even more of a burden to Hayden and that thought scared me more than anything else.

"Malissa, are you curious to hear more about the partnership between Torex and Silva?" Ethan asked, his attention suddenly turning to me.

It took me a while for me to realize that he had directed a question at me.

While I was struggling about what to do, I felt a nudge on my ankle. I realized without looking down that it must have been Hayden. Instead, I glanced over at his face. I then gasped in surprise at the calm smile and reassuring smile that he gave me.

Slowly, Hayden shook his head at me a little and I was reminded that I didn’t have to do anything or respond in anyway to Ethan’s questions or provocations. After all, I didn’t have the permission to speak.

"Relax…" Hayden whispered so softly that I had to partially read his lips to understand fully what he had just said.

My face and my lips felt numb from the nervousness that I was feeling but I did manage to nod my head slowly at him. I didn’t want to burden him, but he must have realized that I wasn’t taking all of this too well. The fact that he seemed to care about me brought some warmth to my heart and relief to my mind. Hayden’s hand searched for mine under the table until he held my hand in his.

The heat of his hand in contrast to the coldness of mine made me even more aware that my hands were freezing. Hayden must have realized this as well.

"The aircon is too cold. Malissa’s hands are freezing. If you don’t mind, I’m going to ask the staff to adjust it," Hayden said over to Ethan.

"Sure. I’m fine with that," Ethan replied casually.

Hayden gave my hand a few reassuring squeezes which also worked to stimulate my circulation. Slowly, I started to relax while Hayden reached over to a button on the microphone located closer to him on the table.

"It’s too cold in here. Adjust the temperature," he spoke into the microphone before he switched it off again.

Hayden turned towards me before giving me a firm nod that told me that everything was going to be ok. I tried my best to smile back but I could tell that my smile was shaky at best. Hayden continued to hold my hand in his and that made me feel volumes better than before. I wasn’t sure what was going on with the whole deal just yet, but I knew that I had to try my best to trust Hayden.

I have to try harder.

"Malissa, I asked you this before the last time we met. What do you think about helping me unite Torex and Silva? Peace is supposed to be a great thing, right?" Ethan asked again and I could tell that he wasn’t willing to back down.

My attention returned to Ethan, and I could feel his eyes staring at me. I started feeling anxious once again from the pressure but that didn’t last for long. My eyes returned to Hayden immediately when I felt the pad of his thumb gently stroking the back of my hand. That’s right, I didn’t have to answer to anything. It was fine even if I didn’t have a response.

"What orders did you give her this time? Why isn’t she answering any of my questions?" Ethan asked as he finally realized that my lack of response must have been because of some agreement that I had with Hayden.

"You haven’t figured it out yet? She won’t answer any of your questions unless I allow her to," Hayden replied casually.

"And you’re fine with that? That he’s keeping you on a leash? I never did anything this cruel to you when we were together…" Ethan asked as his eyes settled on my face.

The truth was, when Hayden suggested the rule, I had thought that he was doing it for his own sake and for the sake of the negotiation. I knew that it could be disadvantageous to us if I said the wrong things or spoke out of turn. However, since the meeting had started, I slowly began to understand that the rule was put in place more for my sake than for anything or anyone else.

Hayden made those rules to protect me. I understood that now with certainty. The rules were designed to protect me from Ethan as much as possible.

 

Chapter 304: Disastrous Negotiations

"You still don’t get it, do you? You can continue asking her whatever that you want but she won’t reply to you. It’s useless, Ethan. Malissa isn’t going to say anything unless she has my permission, so I suggest that you quickly explain your business proposal," Hayden said monotonously.

"I see. Well, I don’t mind doing this the strictly business way. You do remind me of your older brother now…" Ethan said after having laughed for a little while.

Hayden did not say anything as he waited to hear more details about the proposal which Ethan had in mind. My attention was also focused on Ethan. This was the moment that I had been waiting for, I’m finally going to learn something about what was going on. If this proposal works out, there could be peace between the gang and perhaps that would mean that Hayden’s life would be a little easier.

"For the partnership, I want Torex to consider allowing Silva to conduct some businesses inside selected territories that are currently under Torex’s control. This would put a stop to the ongoing disputes between us right now.

If you are open to it, I will send over some documents and proposals on other businesses that I would like Silva and Torex to work on together, for example, the black-market auction business. Being a duopoly is good but since there are no laws limiting us, we might as well partner up and run it as a monopoly…" Ethan began explaining.

"And in exchange? What will Torex gain from this?" Hayden asked pointedly.

Ethan paused before he smiled as if he had already anticipated this question.

"Peace. As simple as that. Our gangs have been at each other’s throats for a long time now and even I’m getting sick and tired of it. With this partnership we can put the conflicts between the gang aside and focus more on business," Ethan said calmly.

What Ethan said seemed to make sense to my untrained ears. Peace was supposed to be a good thing and the business proposal didn’t sound bad. However, I wasn’t sure if Hayden felt the same way.

"Peace? Interesting…" Hayden said, but contrary to his words, it was clear that he wasn’t anywhere near convinced.

"Jack wanted peace and so did dear Amelia…" Ethan said softly.

"And look where they ended up…" Hayden said before he chuckled as if the idea amused him beyond measure.

Jack was dead. Amelia is as close to dead as can be. I recalled the sight of Amelia in a comatose state in her bed with multiple machines beeping around her as they kept her ’alive’.

"I don’t mind if you need time to think about it. I understand that this isn’t a decision that you can make on a whim. You can also consult your father about it…" Ethan suggested with a smile.

"I once believed in peace and perhaps the fool deep inside of me still does. Time has gone by, and I’ve learnt and came to appreciate many harsh realities of this world that we live in. Unfortunately, I see more men driven and motivated by greed rather than the idea of peace…" Hayden said calmly before he smiled regretfully at his old friend.

Ethan’s eyes narrowed dangerously and the air around him darkened evidently. I could feel it even though I was seated far away and that meant that Hayden could probably sense it as well. Regardless, Hayden still continued on with what he wanted to say.

"If we form a partnership and it goes well, Silva will get richer and then what? If I concede a part of our business to Silva today, won’t you ask me for even more in the future? Isn’t Silva’s greed endless?" Hayden asked rhetorically.

"Hayden…" Ethan hissed in between his clenched teeth.

"I do not agree to your proposal. I don’t believe in peace, and even if I did, I don’t believe that it can ever be achieved through a partnership driven by greed. Silva will never be satisfied and will continue asking for more in the future. There is no need to consult my old man about this.

Honestly, he isn’t a big fan of writing apology letters and so he’d not been in the best of moods…" Hayden said passively.

"Are you serious?" Ethan asked with a small laugh as if he couldn’t understand the rejection that he’s facing.

I had to say that I was also surprised. Hayden seemed too rush to make his decision on this. Won’t there be negative repercussions from his decision to turn down the partnership? Won’t the situation between the gang just get worst from here on out?

"Of course. As the representative of Torex, I’m always serious. If that is all, then we’ll be taking our leave. Send my regards to your dead father," Hayden said as he got up from his seat and pulled me up along wit him.

Still stunned from Hayden’s decision, I almost lost my balance when my arm and body was suddenly pulled up. The chair made a loud sound as it scrapped against the floor when I hastily got up from my seat. The stressful meeting was quickly coming to an end, and I had yet to learn very much about the situation.

However, it was clear that any peace talks between the two gang was already over and that made the future seem more unstable than ever.

"Do you fully understand the implications of your decision?" Ethan asked, his tone cold.

"Of course. I am a Torex while you will always be a Silva. That’s all there is to it. You can do whatever you want, and I’ll do the same," Hayden replied as he stared back at Ethan.

This is a disaster as far as I could tell. It was like the two are declaring war on each other. Why did Hayden choose to end the conversation like this. Couldn’t he just turn the deal down politely and then perhaps we could all move on with our lives like everything was normal?

"I see. It’s unfortunate but I hope you see that I’ve tried my best," Ethan said, sounding truly regretful.

 

Chapter 305: The Only Answerable Question

I stared at Hayden, and he didn’t seem to share any of Ethan’s regret at all. My heart felt heavy knowing that it was probably impossible now for the two gangs to come to arrive at peace. I agreed with Ethan that it was unfortunate but there wasn’t anything that I could do about it. What will happen between the two gangs now?

If things remain unsafe outside, will I be stuck locked up in the mansion forever?

"We’re leaving," Hayden muttered as he pulled me behind him.

I could sense Ethan’s eyes on us, but I didn’t have the courage to turn around to take a look at him. This may very well be the last time that I see Ethan and I didn’t even get to say my farewells.

"When are you two getting married? You are going to marry him right, Malissa?" Ethan called quite loudly after us.

It was impossible for us not to hear him at the volume that he spoke. Hayden stopped in his tracks and my body froze at Ethan’s direct question. I wish I knew the answer to that. Once again, I felt extremely thankful for the rules that Hayden had put in place because that meant that I wasn’t allowed to answer Ethan’s question. This question, in particular, I wanted to avoid at all costs.

"You are allowed to answer his question, Malissa," Hayden said as he turned to face me.

See, I’m not allowed to answer it.

Huh?! What did he just say?

I can answer that question? Of all the questions that Ethan had asked me, Hayden wanted me to answer this one?

Why? Why? Why?!

How am I supposed to answer?

"Interesting…" Ethan murmured as I could sense his excitement as his full attention zoomed in on me.

Hayden’s blue eyes focused on mine, and I just wanted to disappear. Why was he putting me on the spot like this? We never discussed marriage before and although I had been thinking about it, I haven’t really reached a conclusion, and neither was I ready to share my opinion with Hayden. Not to mention the fact that I didn’t want to share my thoughts on this matter right in front of Ethan.

If I had to choose now, then I would be more inclined to say that I wanted to marry Hayden. However, the tense atmosphere around me wasn’t exactly what I had pictured as the perfect setting for me to share this information with Hayden. On the other hand, it wasn’t like I could say that I didn’t want to marry him, right?

I mean, apart from the fact that it wasn’t what I truly felt, it would also just look extremely bad, right? I shouldn’t reject Hayden outright in front of Ethan. So, that pretty much left me with only one option. Suddenly, a huge lump formed in my throat and my head started spinning again. I could sense the intense gaze of the two men on me as they waited impatiently for my answer.

"Umm…yes…we’ll get married…sometime in the future," I replied hesitantly.

That was the best answer that I could come up with. I said that before adding a little ’I guess’ silently to myself in my mind. Then, as if on second thought, I also added ’if only Hayden wants to marry me too’.

"I see. Congratulations in advance. I’ll be looking forward to the invitation card," Ethan said, and I could tell that he was more than slightly amused.

Without another word, Hayden yanked on my arm and pulled me after him out of the room. Just like the man had told us before, the door opened smoothly from the inside and soon we were out in the hallway where we were before.

The meeting was now officially over, and I managed to miraculously survive it.

…

Everything flew by in a blur after the meeting ended. The fact that the meeting didn’t end on a positive note didn’t seem to surprise the men who were there with Hayden. The anxious face of the men got the message from their boss immediately and all that was required was a small shake of Hayden’s head.

The only person who expressed any thought or emotion over the outcome was Luka and that was probably because he was the only one senior enough to say anything.

"Well…Shit…" Luka cursed loudly before walking away.

After that, everyone was on high alert as they guarded Hayden and me back towards the airport where we had landed. It was clear that we were not going to spend a peaceful night on the island. Vacation wasn’t something that came along with this meeting, unfortunately.

Hayden hadn’t said a word to me after the meeting had ended and I knew better than to disturb him. The tension in the air was high and security and safety was the first priority right now for the men who escorted us. Hayden seemed calm and the fact that he held my hand in his told me that things weren’t too bad between us.

Hopefully, he found the answer I gave to Ethan’s earlier question satisfactory.

Luka showed great relief when Hayden and I managed to enter back into the private jet without incident. I guessed that just like the journey over here, I would be flying alone with Hayden with the other men flying in the other jets.

"See you when we’re back on the ground," Luka said as he waved us off.

Hayden just nodded solemnly before dragging me into the plane along with him. The pilot was probably impatient to leave as well. The plane took off soon after and we were in the air. I stared out of the window to see the island getting smaller as we flew higher up into the sky. With everything that was going on, I wasn’t sure what time it was.

The stress and tension were getting to my body, and I suddenly felt a wave of fatigue hit me hard.

"I guess the meeting didn’t go so well…" I spoke up softly before glancing over at Hayden to see his reaction.