Ch. 376..380: Love Slave to the Mafia Boss's Passion Chapter 376-380

Chapter 376: Legally His

"All you have to do is sign here and that’s it. We’re done!" the boss announced loudly.

Hayden didn’t seem at all surprised at how his father seemed to be rushing and impatient about everything. Instead of bothering us to travel to the city hall, the boss had a representative from the city hall turn up to our mansion with our marriage registry ready for signing.

The thin and frail middle-aged man who had the misfortune to be selected for this task looked like he couldn’t wait to get this over and done with so that he could go home.

The ride to this mansion with a blindfold on must have been harsh on him psychologically if not physically as well considering his age. I fully sympathized with him, and I had to say that from my experience I could understand what it really felt like. The way the man trembled as he stood in front of us reminded me of the old and unfortunate priest that was supposed to wed us twice at the church.

I wished that our union wouldn’t need to involve any more unfortunate bystanders like this. Not knowing how else to comfort the poor man, I presented him one of my warmest smiles.

One of the men dressed in black handed a pen to Hayden and then another one to me. Although there was nothing ceremonious about us just signing our names at the line on the marriage registry, the weight of the pen in my hand felt like it weighed a ton. Signing my name here would marry me legally to Hayden and along with it came so many changes and responsibilities.

I wondered what thoughts ran through Hayden’s mind when he signed his name casually onto the paper in front of us. Unlike me, Hayden did not seem to hesitate at all and perhaps that was because to him, we were already as good as married since he slipped that large diamond ring onto my ring finger in the hospital.

"Your turn," Hayden turned to tell me in such an emotionless tone.

I glanced up to meet his calm blue eyes, and just like that, any hesitations that I may have had evaporated into thin air. Time seemed to travel slowly as I lifted my hand and placed the tip of the pen at the blank space on the page where I was supposed to sign my name.

Here goes…everything…

I could feel Hayden’s intense gaze on me and then on the still-blank space on the paper. After taking in a deep breath, my right hand moved and soon my full signature filled the empty space on the page.

"Thank you…" the man whispered in relief.

"Malissa…" Hayden called my name softly.

I felt his arms encircle my waist and he was pulling me in closer to him. His fingers captured my chin and tipped my head back, so I was forced to stare right up into his face and his intense blue gaze. His face came closer, and I instinctively closed my eyes as I awaited eagerly to feel the warmth and softness of his lips on mine.

Hayden kissed me very deeply in front of everyone who was present to witness our legal union. It was frankly extremely embarrassing for me to be kissed this passionately in front of everyone, but I felt like Hayden wasn’t doing this to show off to anyone or to complete the mini ceremony of our union. He was probably just doing it because he felt like it and that was just so like him.

Everyone around us clapped and cheered loudly.

After his tongue seemed to have had its fill of teasing and tasting me, he broke our kiss to my relief. His heated kiss left me panting and struggling for oxygen. I forgot the presence of everyone else around us when Hayden smiled happily down at me and pulled me against him in a rough hug.

I closed my eyes and relished in the joy and warmth of his embrace as everything and everyone else fainted into nothingness in my mind.

We’re now legally married. Although Hayden mentioned that he didn’t think that we needed a paper to bind us together as Man and Wife but having signed that paper with him, it truly felt like we had become man and wife in every sense of the word.

…

"You’re meeting Ethan today? Really?" I asked in pure surprise after Hayden had bothered to share the news of his meeting with Ethan to me.

It was early in the morning, and I had figured that something important must be happening for him at work because he usually never gets up to go to work this early. Hayden also seemed more energetic than normal. It might be too farfetched to say that he seemed to be looking forward to going to work but that was the vibe that I was feeling from him.

I watched as Hayden pulled on his white suit before he turned to flash me a charming smile. My heart immediately skipped a beat and I started to wonder when I would get used to seeing that smile of his. Probably not in this lifetime…

"Yup. He’s meeting the boss and they want me to be there as well. Things are looking up for Silva for sure this time around," Hayden replied casually.

"Let me do this…" I offered as I took his tie from him.

I stood up on my tiptoes to tie the tie around his neck for him. Hayden peered down at me, and I glanced up to smile at him briefly before my attention returned to knotting his tie. He looked so handsome like always.

Whoever helped him pick the outfits that lined his wardrobe must be a fashion genius of some sort because all his outfits complimented at least one of his features and made it standout flawlessly whether it was his blue eyes, his skin, or the muscles of his chest and arms. Sometimes, even the muscles of his ass looked adorably pleasing to the eyes through his pants.

 

Chapter 377: Partnership Meeting

I wondered if other people saw him this way as well or if it was just me because I was probably too obsessed and in love with my husband. That was a question that I kept to myself in amusing wonder.

"Do you want to come along?" Hayden asked suddenly when I finished with his tie.

"I can?" I exclaimed in shock.

"You can’t leave my side, if you’re fine with that then you can," Hayden replied with a smile.

"I’m fine with that. I need to get dressed…like right now…" I replied in a shocked whisper before quickly turning around to head to the dressing room.

I heard Hayden laughing behind me as I rushed off to get some presentable clothes on. After marrying Hayden it wasn’t made entire clear whether I could leave the house and go out as I liked like normal or not. Even with the improvement in the situation with Silva and the other small gangs after my kidnapping, Hayden was still cautious about taking me outside.

I did my best to be patient and understanding about all this. My not-so-pleasant experience of being kidnapped for the second time was still fresh in my mind although I tried not to think about it.

"Let’s go. Thank you for waiting," I said cheerfully when I had finished dressing.

Hayden’s blue eyes travelled down the entire length of my body before making its way up again. He cocked his head to the side slightly before he started frowning.

"I think your skirt is too short. Put some long pants on and while you’re at it, change the top to something that covers your neck and has long sleeves," Hayden instructed before he turned and strode out of the room.

I stood glued to the spot as I watched his back while he walked away from me. What has gotten into him?

My skirt wasn’t any shorter than it usually is, and this top isn’t revealing…

…

In the end, I changed into the clothes exactly as Hayden had prescribed. Compromising on this was way better than not being allowed to go outside. Since I was still quite scared of being alone, his condition that required me to stay by his side all the time truly worked in my favor as well.

We arrived at the head quarter of Torex after a while of driving. Since we left very early in the morning, the traffic wasn’t yet bad in the business district. After stepping my foot into the building, I immediately felt safer for no rational reason at all. Unlike the first time that I was here, I felt much less out of place and intimidated than before.

The place gave me comfort and a sense of security because I doubt any smaller gangs would attack the headquarters of Torex directly.

"Are you, ok?" Hayden asked closed to my ear as he wrapped his arm around my waist and leaned in close to me.

"I’m fine…don’t worry…" I replied as I tried my best to assure both Hayden and myself at the same time.

If I wanted to live a life normal outside once again, the first step was for me to get over my fear and paranoia. The first hurdle wasn’t getting Hayden’s permission anymore, the first leap had to be done from my side and I was determined to work on it.

"The boss is here today so security is very tight. Don’t worry. Ethan and many prominent members of Silva is supposed to be here too," Hayden whispered close to my ear.

I let him take me by the hand and lead me to the private elevator and led up to the upper zone where the meeting was to be held. Hayden never filled me in on all the details of the upcoming meeting, so I found myself feeling nervous and strangely excited at what was going to happen.

I prayed during the ride up in the elevator that the outcome of the meeting would be beneficial and satisfying to all parties.

The meeting room was very large and so was the long meeting table that was positioned in the center of the room. When we walked in, Ethan the boss and other prominent members of the two gangs were already present and seated. Are we late?

Hayden didn’t seem bothered about anything as he strode it and took his seat at the table after asking for one of the men to grab a chair for me. I thanked the man politely before taking my seat next to Hayden at the meeting table. Despite the fact that this was supposed to be a meeting for a partnership, the tension in the air was high and the atmosphere felt suffocating.

The old men seated at the table all had very stern looks on their faces.

I glanced over at Ethan who caught me looking at him and smiled a little my way. Just like Hayden, he didn’t seem at all bothered by the stifling atmosphere in the room. The boss cleared his throat, and everyone seemed to sit a little straighter than before and that marked the official beginning of the meeting.

"We are here today to discuss and to vote on the potential partnership between Torex and Silva regarding underground auctions. Please review the documents in front of you if you haven’t done so already. If anyone has clarifying questions, please ask them up front. If not, then we will proceed into the discussion.

As per standard protocols, everyone will be asked to cast a vote either for or against the partnership. No one is allowed to abstain from voting or voting for a neutral stance. That is all," a middle-aged man with a beard spoke through the microphone before sitting back down in his chair.

"That’s how it is. So, any questions before we start the discussion?" the boss asked, and he sounded quite annoyed.

Everyone seemed to pay attention to the document in front of them, but no one raised any questions. Hayden didn’t even bother to look at the paper in front of him. I wondered if Hayden would vote in favor for the partnership or not. If he’s here as well, that means that Hayden also has a vote to cast, right?

Chapter 378: His Vote is for Sale

"Well, if there are no questions. Let’s start the discussion. Ethan, why don’t you try to tell everyone why this is such a great idea…" the boss said as he waved his hand at Ethan to stand up.

Ethan’s face clearly showed that he didn’t expect that he had to make a speech of any kind. Regardless, he stood up and smiled around at everyone at the room. When he started speaking, I was awestruck by how mature he sounded and looked.

Had he always been like this? Probably not.

He’s changed so much from the time that we were together and probably in a way that was better for him and the gang that he now leads and controls. I didn’t focus on what he was saying at all because I was too busy admiring the man that he had become. Sure, he turned out very differently from what I imagined he would be like in our future together during the time that we were together.

However, I doubt that I turned out the way that he had imagined me either.

"Stop gawking at him or I’m going to make sure that this partnership never sees the light of day…" Hayden hissed threateningly from next to me.

His words shocked me, and I glanced over at him to see his blue eyes narrowing at me dangerously. I plastered an apologetic smile on my face.

"I wasn’t gawking at him…" I muttered softly in denial.

"Really…" Hayden said, sounding unconvinced.

Suddenly, I felt extremely worried, and my entire attention was on Hayden rather than anything that Ethan was saying in his little speech. Hayden isn’t really mad, is he? He’s not going to completely destroy the partnership, right?

Hayden’s cold blue eyes shifted from my face down to the papers in front of him before he pushed the paper away from him as if in disgust. I bit on my lower lip and closed my eyes as I dreamt up the worst scenario possible. The Torex managers shifted their gaze towards Hayden, and I felt like I could see the world start to crumble.

Why does Hayden have to be so difficult to deal with and so unpredictable?

Should I say something to him to correct this misunderstanding before it leads to bigger issues?

"Hayden…it’s not like that. I was just thinking that it’s good that things are over between Ethan and me…" I mumbled softly so that my words would be for his ears only.

"Is that so…" Hayden muttered with completely disinterest.

He probably thought that my words were nothing but excuses. We’re married now so what more does he want?

My thoughts were so focused on Hayden that I didn’t realize that Ethan had ended his speech until the boss’s booming voice called for the start of the vote. This was the first time that I attended a meeting that had a voting in place. I wondered how the voting will be done.

"The voting mechanism is simple and completely transparent. I will call for those who are for the proposal to raise their hands and there would be a count. Then I will call for those who are against to raise their hands. We will take a 5-minute break for everyone to decide before proceeding with the voting," the man from before announced.

My eyes widened at the simple voting process that the man just described. So, people just had to raise their hands? That’s it?

It did not occur to me at that time how political this whole thing was made to be because of the way the voting procedure was structured.

"Should I raise my hand to vote for or against?" Hayden asked me with a smirk on his lips.

Why do I feel like I have to wager something for him to vote in support of the proposal?

Hayden probably knew well by now that I wished for this partnership to go ahead. I mean, if it doesn’t, how else are we supposed to experience any peace between the two gangs?

"What do you want to vote for?" I asked as my eyes met his.

"What do you want me to vote for?" Hayden asked in return before he smiled teasing at me.

Is he trying to test me or something? What does he want?

"I want you to vote in favor of the proposal," I replied honestly.

"Hmm…what will you give me if I do?" he asked bluntly.

Has he ever heard of the concept that votes should not be bought and sold? I guess not…

"Selling you vote?" I asked with a wry grin.

"I will…at the right price," he replied without any hint of guilt.

"There’re so many voters here in the room. I doubt your vote will make much of a difference…" I mumbled as I looked around the room at the various older men who seemed busy doing so many random things that had nothing to do with discussion the proposal.

"Hmm…is that what you really think?" Hayden said before he chuckled.

His tone of voice told me that I was gravely wrong. What trick is he going to pull now?

"What do you mean by that?" I asked as I tried to search his face for some clues.

Obviously, I found none at all. Hayden was outwardly very amused, and it was clear that he was enjoying messing with my head. His eyes scanned the room before they returned to rest on my face again.

"Why do you think the voting process is structured this way?" he asked as if prompting me to think.

"Because…it’s fair?" I took a guess, although I didn’t see the point that he was getting at all.

"It’s transparent…too transparent. However, it is anything but fair," Hayden whispered before he chuckled with an evil glint in his blue eyes.

"It’s…not fair?" I asked, confused.

Everyone had one vote. So how was that not fair?

"The boss doesn’t vote by the way; in case you didn’t know that. Everyone else in the room has one vote regardless of position," Hayden began to explain.

Chapter 379: Lovers’ Political Negotiation

"So, why isn’t that fair?" I asked, still not getting his point.

Hayden grinned at me and gave me a look that seemed to pity me and my stupidity. I glared back at him as I silently demanded for an answer.

"Think about it, Malissa. People are asked the put up their hands. Nothing in the rules states that they have to put their hands up at the same time. So, say…who will put their hand up first?" Hayden prompted me to think.

"Huh?" I murmured in confusion.

"Even worst…let’s say that I don’t put my hand up when they ask who is in favor. What do you think those old Torex folks are going to do?" Hayden asked with an innocent smile on his lips.

They won’t put their hands up. If the next heir doesn’t put his hand up, they probably won’t put their hand up to vote in favor. This is all because they can see what the other people are choosing to do, and they can react to it.

Everyone will be watching everyone else. Why didn’t I realize this before?

I thought of the eyes of the Torex managers on Hayden when he pushed the paper further away from him on the table. They were all watching him.

"Alternatively, what will happen if I were to put my hand up first?" Hayden asked with a calculated smile.

All or almost all of the Torex managers will probably put up their hands up to follow what Hayden was doing. I let out a sigh when I finally realized that this voting process was never designed to be fair in the first place.

"So, tell me, do you still think that I have only one vote?" Hayden asked before he smirked at me when he realized that I seemed to have understood what was going on behind this twisted voting mechanism.

The reason why Hayden had seemed so carefree up until now was probably because knew all of this already. The truth was that there was no such thing as voting for or against the proposal. In reality, there was only one vote and one person who would truly decide whether this proposal went through or not, and unfortunately, that man happened to be my dear and wonderful husband here.

"What do you want?" I asked, getting right to the point.

Judging from how he was acting, I could guess that Hayden already had something in mind that he wanted from me. That was probably why he suggested to bring me here in the first place. It just seemed like I was waltzing deeper and deeper into the maze that he had created with every step that I took forward.

Hayden smiled so sweetly at me that my chest felt tight and uncomfortable. How cunning can this man be?

"Ethan gave you something, right?" Hayden asked but it wasn’t truly a question.

He knows…

"Yes, he did," I replied truthfully because there was no point in evading it.

"I take it that you haven’t read the letter that he gave you. Is that correct?" he asked.

I just nodded. I knew that he already knew. How he knew, I had no idea.

"I want to read it with you when you decide to read it," Hayden stated his demand as he stared right into my face.

He wants to read the letter with me? The letter from Ethan?

"That’s…" I mumbled in hesitation.

Isn’t that like a direct violation of privacy or something? What if Ethan wrote some very personal and inappropriate things in there?

"Voting will start in around two minutes time. We’re waiting for some members to return from the restroom," the man announced.

Suddenly, on top of all the pressure that I was under, I was also pressed for time.

"Time is running out, Malissa. What do you want to do?" Hayden asked before flashing me an innocent smile.

I had a bittersweet relationship with that smile of his. It didn’t seem like I had much of a choice. If that was what he wanted, then it was probably worth it to make sure that this partnership goes through. We came such a long way to get to this day, I can’t just let it go to waste. My freedom to roam around outside may just be around the corner.

"Fine. We’ll read it together. So please, vote in favor of this proposal," I replied decisively.

"Very well," Hayden replied with clear satisfaction.

I had no ideas why he wanted to read that letter so much or how he found out about it, but if that was what he wanted then…

"Hayden…" I whispered his name when he suddenly pulled me closer to him.

"Shhh…" he hushed me up by placing a finger against my lips.

My eyes widened in surprise before his warm lips replaced his finger on my lips. He kissed me right there while my body froze in shock. Thankfully, the kiss did not last long but it was long enough to make me feel embarrassed and funny inside.

"Done. Sealed with a kiss," Hayden whispered teasingly into my ear.

"We will now proceed to voting. Everyone please take your seat," the man announced loudly to call the meeting back to order.

I glanced over at Hayden nervously although I knew that he would undoubtedly keep his word. Hopefully, the other Torex leaders will vote in favor of the proposal as well just like Hayden was going to. My hands clenched tightly on my lap as I waited to see what would happen next. My eyes strayed to Ethan who seemed as relaxed and composed as always.

Why does it seem like I’m the only one that is nervous about all this?

"Now may I ask everyone who is in favor of the proposal to please raise your hand," the man announced loud and clear.

I looked around at the silent room, where absolutely no hands went up. This was exactly what Hayden had anticipated. The result of this voting would probably be swayed by whoever was brave enough to raise his hand first.

Hayden laughed softly to himself before he slowly raised his hand up firmly into the air.

 

Chapter 380: Finally, a Partnership and a Wedding

All eyes were on Hayden’s raised hand including my own. The silence that dominated the room made it feel like time had stopped. Suddenly, many more hands shot up into the air at the same time and it was like time had resumed itself again. Although Hayden had told me that something of this effect would take place, I still found myself a little stunned at the almost comical scene in front of me.

This whole thing was pretty much rigged for sure from the start. It was like the managers didn’t even put any thought in the partnership and was just blindly following Hayden and his choice.

That being said, not every manager of Torex hand their hands up in the air. It was just like before, not all managers seemed to be on Hayden’s side or in favor of him taking over. Although that was the case, I could tell that there were more than enough hands in the air for this proposal to pass.

"Thank you. If there is no one else, then we will proceed forward. May I ask everyone who votes against his proposal to please raise your hand. Also, may I remind you that abstaining from voting is not an option. Everyone must vote," the man announced again.

Fewer hands rose in the air, and it could be quickly concluded that the partnership had passed. I breathe a long sigh of relief before I began smiling a little to myself. This partnership has finally gone through, and it is finally going to happen. Of course, I didn’t know the real business details of the deal, but I was glad enough that it would bring some peace between the two gangs.

I also doubt that Hayden would vote to support it if he thought that it didn’t make sense business-wise regardless of how much he wanted to read that letter that Ethan gave to me.

"Thank you for your votes and your patience. Based on the results, the partnership between Torex and Silva in joining hands in the underground auction business will go ahead," the man announced before concluding the meeting.

The men seated around the table clapped their hands politely at the announcement while I couldn’t keep myself from smiling. Hayden only turned and smirked at me. He was probably satisfied that he got something that he wanted along with a business deal with Silva. Ethan looked quite satisfied as well. It seemed like everything was coming to a happy ending for everybody.

"Well, that concludes the meeting for today. Off to do whatever you need to do!" the boss commanded quite loudly to officially end the meeting.

Many mangers started filing out of the room until only the boss, Ethan, Hayden and I remained in the room. Since Hayden did not move from his seat, I stayed seated next to him like before.

"Thank you for supporting this, Hayden," Ethan spoke up.

"You can thank Malissa. Actually, I’ll give her your thanks," Hayden replied passionlessly.

His cold response made Ethan laugh out pretty loudly.

"Congratulations again on your wedding. Are you going to give the ceremony another shot?" Ethan asked teasingly.

The boss who had been observing their exchange and decided to jump in enthusiastically.

"Actually, we plan to host wedding next Saturday. Are you free? You’re welcomed to join in," the boss chimed in loudly.

My mouth dropped opened in my shock at the sudden turn of events. This was the first time that I heard anything about us having our wedding next weekend. I turned to glare at Hayden, and he just shrugged at me like he also didn’t have any clue at all.

"I’m happy to attend. Maybe I should be put in charge of security this time around for…additional safety…" Ethan suggested before glaring at Hayden accusingly.

"Good. I look forward to seeing you," the boss said before laughing loudly.

Just like that, we were having our wedding ceremony and celebration again…for the third time.

…

Seeing Ethan reminded me that I haven’t gotten around to opening the letter that he gave to me as my wedding present. The deal that I made with Hayden also brought that letter back to the top of my mind again. Honestly, I didn’t expect that letter to contain much more than simple well wishes and blessings from Ethan and maybe something that would suit his sardonic humor.

After the meeting ended, Hayden took me back to the mansion. The news of our wedding did not excite me at all like it did before. We were already married and so it felt very funny to be having a ceremony and celebration. However, I knew better than to complain about it. Just like Hayden, I was starting to learn to let things slide just so that we didn’t need to deal with the boss.

"For the wedding, we can use the same things that we chose before, right? We probably just need to find a new organizer…or maybe we can cut out the whole decoration thing…" I mumbled thoughtfully while in the car with Hayden.

"At this point, I can’t wait to get this over and done with. You can decide. The less trouble, the better…" Hayden growled in annoyance.

I felt the same way. All the excitement was gone now, so the only upside that I could think about was that I would finally get to wear the wedding dress that Hayden had designed and gotten tailored for me. After all, it would be such a waste to let such a wonderful dress go unworn.

We arrived at the mansion just in time for dinner. Although I wasn’t hungry, I knew that Hayden would nag for us to eat on time so I didn’t hesitate to follow him straight to the dining room where we knew that dinner would be waiting for us.

"Where is the letter?" Hayden asked the moment that we took our seats at the dining table.

Wow, clearly the price of his vote had not escaped his mind at all. The letter was safely stored in my closet.