Ch. 86..90: Love Slave to the Mafia Boss's Passion Chapter 86-90

Chapter 86: Boss’s Orders

So basically, from what Hayden explained to me, the Torex Corporate was legal and worked just like any other giant conglomerate. The conglomerate is managed by hired professionals that were chosen by the Board of Directors, which were mostly Torex family members. On the other hand, there is the grey part of the business which deals with gang-related activities and business.

The building has over eighty floors with access restricted from the 71st floor.

What that means it that the legit part of the business happens in the lower floors while the restricted floors are where gang members gather and work on the grey part of the business. What amazes me is that a mafia gang actually needs a large group of people to do desk jobs such as accounting and the like.

Not that I was impressed or anything…

"Do you want to know the rest?" Hayden asked excitedly.

"You mean more about your gang’s activities?" I asked, making a disinterested face.

How about ’no, thank you,’?

"Of course. Isn’t that what everyone wants to know?" Hayden teased.

"And…?" I said, wondering if he would continue.

"I’ll tell you everything…when we get married," Hayden said with a grin.

Which means…never…

I couldn’t stop myself from laughing a little at this joke. Hayden laughed along with me, surprisingly.

Our conversation was interrupted when there were a few knocks on the door.

"Come in," Hayden said, loud enough for whoever it was on the other side of the door to hear.

The door opened and a man dressed in a black suit walked in. I have never seen this man before. The man bowed to Hayden and glanced a littler nervously at me.

"It’s ok. Just say what you have to say," Hayden said, noticing the man’s nervousness of having me in the room.

"The boss wants to see you…and the lady as well," the man said concisely.

The boss wants to see me? I wasn’t surprised about the boss wanting to see Hayden, but he also wanted to see me?

"Now?" Hayden asked.

"Yes, Master Hayden. Now…" the man said before bowing and taking his leave immediately.

Well, I guess we knew what was up next on our agenda now.

Hayden sighed, visibly extremely annoyed. For whatever reason, Hayden didn’t seem to get along well with his father, or perhaps, they shared a deep bond that I didn’t understand.

"As you can see, one of my jobs is to deal with my father…" Hayden said as he got up from his seat.

He motioned with his hand for me to follow him out of the room. Hayden led me along the long hallway and then to a private elevator. I knew it was supposed to be private because there were around six guards standing guard at the entrance.

We rode up the elevator together and when we got off, we were greeted with a long, silent and very empty hallway. Our destination was clear, there was only one door at the very far end of the hallway. That must be, the boss’s room. I’ve never met the boss here before…

"Nervous? There’s no need to be…" Hayden turned to say to me.

Before I could say anything in reply, he took my hand and began pulling me along with him. I wouldn’t say that I was very nervous, but I didn’t have a good feeling about this. Nothing good ever came out of meeting the boss, for me at least.

When we arrived in front of the door, I thought that Hayden would knock but I was dead wrong. Hayden opened the door suddenly and walked right in, pulling me behind him.

Umm…excuse us for our abrupt entry…?

"Hayden…oh…and Miss Malissa," the boss said as he glanced up from the report that he was holding in his hand.

I thought Hayden’s room was large but now that I saw the boss’s room…

Did his room take up the whole floor? Why would he need such a large room?

"Hi, dad…" Hayden said, sounding bored.

"Sit…both of you," the boss said as he glanced at the sofa set in the room.

We sat down and the boss joined us shortly after. I wondered what he wanted to talk to us about. How did he know that I was here too?

"The yearly gala is coming up. I want you to attend with Malissa," the boss stated, getting straight to the point.

What is the yearly gala? Is it like some charity event that I see on TV?

"The yearly gala is a party where leaders of prominent gangs will gather once a year…to talk…" the boss explained as if sensing my confusion and curiosity.

I glanced at Hayden, and he didn’t seem surprised. Don’t tell me that he brought me here with him today because he knew about this beforehand?

"You’re not going?" Hayden asked.

"It’s about time the next generation take over, I think. I’m sure the other families will be sending their prospective heir as well…" the boss replied cheerfully.

I was starting to get the impression that the gala was not something fun and no one really wanted to attend. The boss looked like he was happy to finally hand this responsibility over to Hayden.

"Count me out. If you’re too lazy to attend, just send Luka," Hayden said, brushing the whole thing off.

That made me remember that Hayden hasn’t really brought into the idea of him becoming the next boss after his father. I still had no idea how to change his mind in that regard and I wasn’t sure that it was my place to do so either.

"You should go with Malissa. I think there’s someone there that you may want to meet…" the boss said before smiling knowingly at Hayden.

"Who?" Hayden asked, immediately.

"Your old friend…" the boss said.

Hayden’s eyes narrowed and there was a change in the air about him. I was right, nothing good came out from seeing the boss.

"Let’s go," Hayden said to me as he got up from the sofa.

"I take it that you’re going then," the boss said, clearly satisfied.

"Just send me the details…" Hayden murmured.

I wondered who his old friend was. He or she must be someone important for Hayden to change his mind about attending the gala so suddenly.

 

Chapter 87: Do You Love Him?

"I’ll send Luka and a large group of men with you. Luka will tell you the details soon," the boss said, sounding relief.

"Let’s go," Hayden said once again to me as he took my hand.

"Have you slept with her?" the boss asked abruptly.

Err…what sort of question is that? That was when I realized that Hayden was holding my hand. Wrong move. Definitely, the wrong move.

"I have," Hayden said emotionlessly.

I gasped in shock at how straight forward he could admit this…and to his father of all people. It was like they were completely ignoring the fact that I was here, and they were talking about me too.

"I see…I like men who move fast," the boss said before he laughed joyously.

I felt heat rush to my face and new that I was blushing hard with embarrassment.

"Hayden, you leave. I want to talk to Malissa," the boss said.

Hayden glanced at me as if asking me if I would be alright. I didn’t know what the boss wanted to talk to me about, but I wanted to find out. The only way I would find out is if I stayed…so…

"It’s ok…" I whispered.

Hayden nodded and slowly let go of my hand.

"5 minutes," Hayden said to his father before walking out of the room.

"More than enough…" the boss muttered softly under his breath.

The door closed behind Hayden and the boss and I were now the only ones in the room. I gulped nervously. Now that Hayden was no longer by my side, I felt extremely anxious and uncomfortable. The boss’s presence is very intimidating.

"Don’t look so nervous. I’m not going to eat you," the boss said before laughing at his own joke.

"Ok…" I whispered, sounding very nervous.

"Sorry that I asked you to stay back. I just wanted to talk to you…you know, see how you’ve been," the boss said, and I could sense genuine care in his tone.

"I’m doing fine…" I said, summarizing my situation in short. I felt fine and I will somehow get through this.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, I didn’t know, but I was getting used to being around Hayden. I wouldn’t say that I understood what he was thinking completely but I have improved, and I was less shocked with his unexpected actions. Sex with him felt too good…I’m willing to admit that too.

I wasn’t sure if we’ve gotten closer but the initial animosity between us had somehow evaporated as time went by.

"I see. How many days are left in the contract?" the boss asked.

Good question. I remembered that I used to count down the days remaining until the 30 days would come to an end. However, I wasn’t quite sure how many days were left now, and I wasn’t sure when or why I had stopped counting.

"Umm…I think there’s 18 days left," I replied softly.

"So, we’re almost at the halfway mark already. Time really does fly. So, have you fallen in love with my son?" the boss asked as he leaned forward and watched me closely.

"No, I haven’t," I replied firmly.

The boss cocked his head slightly to the side as he continued to observed me. I wondered if that meant that he didn’t believe my words?

"Let me ask you another question then. Do you think that Hayden is in love with you?" the boss asked.

"No…he’s in love with Amelia…" I replied, wondering why the boss was asking me this because he should already know.

The boss smirked a little at me before he started laughing softly as if an entertaining thought had crossed his mind.

"Why are you laughing?" I asked, unable to control my curiosity at his reaction.

"When you’re old like me, sometimes, you see young people as fools," the boss replied.

"What do you mean?" I asked, suspiciously.

"Young people, such as yourself, can’t seem to see the obvious thing that is in front of them. I asked you if you’re in love with my son and you said?" the boss said as his eyes widened at me.

"I said…that I’m not," I replied, simply.

"Exactly, which makes my old mind wonder why you looked so awfully sad when you told me that he’s in love with Amelia…" the boss said as if deep in thought.

I looked…awfully sad? Is that true?

It couldn’t be…

This old man is just playing tricks with me.

"I’m not sad…" I said.

"That’s all I wanted to ask you. You are dismissed for today. Do enjoy the gala…I’m sure that things will be interesting for both of you," the boss said before he sighed and got up from his seat.

"Goodbye," I said as I also got up.

The boss smiled at me and waved me off with his hand. I quickly left the room, glad to finally end the conversation with the old man.

"Hey,"

I turned in shock and saw Hayden leaning on the wall next to the door. I hadn’t expected to see him there waiting for me.

"Hey…" I replied back softly.

"What did dad say to you?" Hayden asked.

"Umm…nothing much," I replied vaguely. It’s not like I could repeat our conversation to Hayden.

"Did he ask you if I was good in bed?" Hayden asked, sounding genuinely curious.

Is that what he’s been worried about all this time? Oh…what am I dealing with…

"No, he didn’t…" I said as I began walking away from him.

I bet he’s just saying these things to irritate me, and it was working.

"Wait for me…" Hayden said with a small laugh as he came after me.

"What do you want?" I snapped.

"So, am I good in bed?" Hayden asked.

I couldn’t believe that he was asking me that. I rolled my eyes at him in annoyance. There’s no way that I’m going to answer that.

"What else did the old man say?" Hayden asked, after seeing that I won’t answer his previous question.

"Umm…he said that we should enjoy the gala…and that it’ll be interesting…" I replied as I recalled the boss’s words.

"Oh yes…it definitely will be interesting…" Hayden said with his eyes straight forward as if he was staring at something that I couldn’t see.

I wondered if there were some hidden or special meaning behind his words…

 

 

Chapter 88: A Talk

Just like Hayden had promised, he got off work early in the afternoon and drove me to the hospital to visit my grandmother. The hospital staff were gracious enough to keep me informed daily of my grandmother’s condition. Thankfully, she was stable. That said, it wasn’t like her condition had improved. At this point, I guessed that I should be thankful that her condition didn’t get worse.

"You want to get her something before we go up?" Hayden asked, catching me a little off guard.

Now that he mentioned it, maybe some fruits would be good?

"Maybe some fruits? I think there’s a store over there that has some," I replied, pointing a finger in the direction of the store.

"Let’s go," Hayden said before reaching for my hand.

He held my hand as we walked towards the store. I couldn’t help but feel conscious of his warm hand holding mine. Hayden’s been holding my hand most of the time if not all the time now when we were together and, surprisingly, I didn’t hate it.

I wondered if people thought that we were a real couple when they looked at us walking hand-in-hand this way. We purchased the fruits together and made our way up to my grandmother’s hospital room.

Coming to visit my grandmother reminded me that I need to make some solid progress on her painting. So many things have been going on that I haven’t had the time to concentrate on it. I’ll get to it first thing when we get back to the penthouse.

"Hi grandma!" I said cheerfully when we entered her room.

As always, my grandmother was laying on her hospital bed with a white blanket covering her body and there were multiple machines hooked to her body. She seemed excited and very happy to see me. However, her eyes widened in slight surprise when she saw that Hayden was with me.

I guess the last time that he was here, he gave her a little shock as well.

"It’s good for you two to visit," my grandmother said before smiling kindly at us.

"We got you some fruits," Hayden said as he held up the basket of fruits that we had purchased.

"Oh wow, how nice of you," my grandmother said before her smile widened.

It looked like my grandmother had taken a liking to Hayden and his gentlemanly acts and angelic face. Looks can be deceiving, grandma!

"How have you been feeling?" I asked, trying not to sound overly worried.

"Good…quite well. I think I’m getting used to the medicine. I feel less sleepy than before…" grandma said followed by a relieved laugh.

"That’s great. Maybe if you get better, the doctors will allow you to go outside…for a walk or something," I said, encouragingly.

"That would be nice, it’s sort of boring being stuck in here…" grandma said, and I could see her eyes straying towards the window where she could see a glimpse of the world outside.

"Do you like flowers, grandma?" Hayden asked.

I didn’t miss the fact that he had just called her ’grandma’ either. This guy is sucking up so much to my grandma, seriously…

"I love them, yes," my grandma said.

"If that’s the case, I can arrange for the florist here to bring a bouquet for you everyday to decorate your room. It might help you to freshen up," Hayden suggested.

"If it’s not too much trouble, that would be great…" my grandma said happily.

"Great. Let me go and arrange it now. Malissa, I’ll be back to pick you up in a bit…" Hayden said as he excused himself.

I knew that Hayden probably wanted to give us some privacy to be alone so that we could talk, and I appreciated his considerate gesture. We watched as Hayden silently headed for the door and left the room.

"How’s Hayden? Is he…a good guy?" my grandmother asked once the door to the room had closed.

Ok…does she think that we’re dating because of what Hayden told her last time?

"Umm…I guess he’s got his rough points but…I think he’s ok…" I replied honestly.

I had decided to let it slide and go with the flow. It wasn’t true that I was dating Hayden but if I tried to correct what he said then I would have to tell her that I’m still with Ethan and that wasn’t true either. Lies will just lead to more lies.

"I see. Well, that’s a relief," she said before sighing loudly.

I hated to see her so worried for me when there wasn’t much that I could do for her. I’ve probably been a burden to her my whole life since I moved to live with her in the countryside.

"As I keep telling you, there’s nothing for you to be worried about," I told her, plastering my best smile on my face.

I wasn’t sure if I could fool her though.

"I’m a little scared, you know…" she said softly.

"What are you scared of?" I asked.

For a moment, I thought that she was going to tell me that she was scared of dying. I would have absolutely no response for that.

"I’m scared…that you will be all alone when I’m gone…" she confessed softly.

"Can you please stop saying things like that?" I said with a sigh.

"It’s no point trying to fool me or anyone at this point. Malissa, I just want you to find happiness and live life for yourself. Many things happened, but I don’t want you to suffer," she said as she looked me deep in the eyes.

"Grandma…" I whispered.

"When I’m gone, I will no longer be a burden to you. You can focus on yourself more without having to worry about me," she said.

"I have never thought of you as being a burden. You helped me so much and you took me in when I had nowhere left to go…" I said passionately.

"Do you like Hayden?" she asked abruptly.

 

Chapter 89: Secret Visits

"Why are you asking that? I can take care of myself, you know. You don’t need to start pairing me with guys now" I said, trying to keep the mood light.

"I hope that that’s true. Hayden…he’s not a bad guy, you know," my grandma said.

"Why do you think that?" I asked, unable to contain my curiosity.

Looks can definitely be deceiving and I think she’s being deceived by his looks for sure. I mean, she’s probably met him like three times.

"He didn’t want me to tell you this and he even told me to act like I don’t know him, but the truth is…he’s been here to visit me and keep me company many times before," she said before she smiled at me.

"Oh…I didn’t know that…" I mumbled. Honestly, that was very unexpected.

"I think he’s a kind person," she said with conviction.

"I…guess…" I mumbled, not entirely convinced.

"Let me tell you a secret, Malissa," she whispered.

My grandma beckoned me closer to her with a few waves of her hand. I got out of my seat and leaned down towards her so that my face was close to her. As if she was seriously telling me a secret, my grandmother began whispering close to my ear.

"No man would visit a sick and old woman like me almost everyday if he doesn’t care for my granddaughter, dear," she whispered before grinning at me.

"I think you’re reading too much into this…" I said before smiling a little at her.

Hayden cares for me? That just sounds very unlikely or just too good to be true. I smiled down at my grandmother.

"Don’t worry about anything. The contract that I’ve entered into with Hayden’s father will end in around two weeks. Then, everything will go back to how they were," I replied, reassuringly.

My grandmother looked like she was about to say something but then decided against it. It was also at that moment that Hayden tapped on the door before stepping into the room with a large bouquet of pink flowers.

"Thank you, Hayden," grandma said cheerfully.

"Let me put it over there so you can see it with the view," Hayden said as he brought the bouquet over to the windowsill.

"We should get going now, I need to get back and work on my painting of you so that I’ll have something cool to show you on my next visit," I said, trying to sound energetic.

The truth was that what my grandmother had told me started to bother me. Now that I looked at how Hayden and my grandmother interreacted with each other, it made me think that perhaps it was true that he had visited her many times before.

Perhaps, my grandmother wasn’t the type to fall for his angelic looks after all…

…

I decided to start working on my painting right away when we got back to the penthouse. Hayden seemed to be in a good mood now despite the encounter with his father earlier in the day. It felt weird coming back to the penthouse together with Hayden like this. Glancing down at his hand holding mine, I didn’t quite know what to make of it or what to make of my own feelings…

"I…I’m going to my room…" I said blankly before I headed straight for my room.

"Ok…" I heard Hayden say softly.

I stared at the painting on the aisled and sighed loudly. It wasn’t like me to be so behind schedule with work. Now that I think of it, I haven’t gotten back to Jenny about the art exhibition yet either. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel excited and wasn’t looking forward to the exhibition at all.

I stood in front of the panting and stared at it, but my mind was really elsewhere. The more I thought about it, the more I can understand why my grandmother was worried about my future. I mean, I honestly don’t even know what I’m going to do after I graduate. It wasn’t easy to make a living out of art and so far, I had no solid plans on how to make a living.

At least, I would be debt free by then…

Thinking of job hunting and how to put food on the table for myself in the future didn’t improve my mood at all. Perhaps, I should just focus on the work at hand, which was the painting that was in front of me. Just when I had come to that thought, the door burst open loudly.

I turned towards the door so fast that I thought that I might have snapped my neck.

Who else could it be besides Hayden…

"Don’t just barge in here without knocking!" I snapped.

"Well, the door wasn’t locked…" Hayden said innocently.

"Why are you making this out to be my fault?" I asked, feeling a little irritated.

"What are you doing?" Hayden asked curiously without answering my question.

"I’m…painting…" I stated flatly.

Hayden came to stand very close to me as he peered over my shoulder to take a look at my painting. It was weird for him to show such interest in what I was doing. I glanced over at his face and saw that he had an intense look of concentration as he stared at my painting. I wondered what he saw…

"Don’t you think that her smile looks a little sad here?" Hayden asked, as he cocked his head to the side, his eyes focused on my painting of my grandmother.

I turned my head back and stared at my grandmother’s lips in the painting.

"You think?" I asked, feeling uncertain.

Now I was also staring at the painting from various angles, trying to see if her smile looked a little sad just like Hayden had pointed out.

"I don’t know…it just makes me feel that way…" Hayden replied, his eyes lingering on the painting.

Well, I painted this painting with the facial details based on my grandmother when I visited her in the hospital and asked her to pose for me. If Hayden thought that her smile looked a little sad then perhaps, my grandmother is actually feeling a little sad?

 

Chapter 90: Thinking of the Future

That thought entered my mind and wouldn’t go away. It just made me recall the conversation that we had and how her face seemed to be filled with worry. Unfortunately, I knew that I was the cause of her distress. Even though, she’s supposed to be focusing on recovering, she’s still so worried about me.

"I’m just going to leave it the way it is. It’s probably best to show her smile as it is…" I replied.

"You’re probably right," Hayden agreed.

"I think her smile is a bit sad because she’s always so worried…" I said softly.

"About you?" Hayden asked softly.

"Huh?" I made a surprised sound. I didn’t realized that I had said that out loud.

"I guess she’s worried about you," Hayden said, sounding worried too.

"Umm…yeah…" I said hesitantly.

We were silent for a moment as we continued to look at the painting. If only time would stop, then perhaps, I’ll be able to keep her with me for a while longer…

"Well then, I’ll leave you to work on it," Hayden said.

Just when I thought that he was going to leave the room, I heard a small creaking sound from my bed. Looking around, I saw that Hayden had made himself at home on my bed instead of leaving.

"Don’t just randomly crawl into my bed!" I cried out.

"Why not? You always end up in mine…" Hayden said with a teasing laugh.

That’s because you always carry me there…

Is this what he meant when he told me that he’ll leave me to concentrate on the painting? How am I supposed to focus when he’s laying there on my bed and staring at me?

"That’s…not true. Can you just leave?" I said, not bothering to hide my annoyance.

"No…your bed is comfortable. I’ll be here for a while…" Hayden said stubbornly.

"Don’t you have any work to do?" I asked.

"Oh right. We need to get you an outfit for the gala…" Hayden said lazily.

Hayden was extremely good at changing the subject of the discussion when the current topic didn’t suit him. I just sighed loudly as I gave up on trying to get rid of him. I knew that I wouldn’t be successful anyways.

Turning my back on him, I turned to face the painting and tried my best to continue working on it. I could feel his eyes on my back the whole time and it made me feel so nervous.

"Are you going to join the art exhibition with your friends?" Hayden asked suddenly.

Oh right, he was listening in on the conversation…while we were…

The exhibition didn’t completely slip my mind, but I honestly didn’t feel like I wanted to participate anymore. There was just too many things going on and I wasn’t confident that I could paint anything display-worthy. Hayden probably doesn’t know this but there are also costs involved in joining an exhibition even though the hosts may cover the event costs; artists still have their own costs.

"About that…I don’t think I’ll join in after all," I replied without turning to face him.

"Oh…why not?" Hayden asked, for a moment I thought that he sounded a little disappointed.

"I just don’t feel like it…I guess…" I replied. It was true, I didn’t feel like it anymore…

"When is it?" Hayden asked.

Based on the text that Jenny sent later that day, the exhibition was scheduled for around three months from now. That didn’t leave me a lot of time to produce any work, unfortunately.

"In around three months…" I replied.

I wasn’t sure what my life would be like in three months, but I wouldn’t be having conversations like these with Hayden anymore. By that time, our contract would be long over and so would my life living here with him.

Silence filled the room as we probably both realized that the exhibition wasn’t something that we should discuss any further. After all, it wouldn’t happen in the timeframe where our lives overlapped.

…

The next day, I got decently dressed and applied some make up before I heard a few loud knocks on my bedroom door. Hayden wanted me to join him for work again today and to avoid his harsh 15-minute prep time, I had woken up extra early to sort myself out before then.

I smiled a little to myself, now that I knew that I made it right on time. Feeling a little proud of my achievement, I walked towards the door and opened it. Hayden was already dressed in a smart grey suit, and he greeted me with a bright smile.

"Wow…someone’s ready to go," Hayden said before pulling me out the door.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" I asked, curiously.

It wasn’t that he was in such a hurry, but it seemed like he was in a very good mood as well.

"I only have one meeting today and old man won’t be there in the office. Let’s skip out and go somewhere fun together, ok?" Hayden said before winking at me.

I guess that wasn’t really a question.

"Aha…" I replied vaguely.

So, he’s in a good mood because he can drag me off to some random place again today. Before I could say anything more, Hayden grabbed my hand and began dragging me out of the penthouse.

It was a perfect day with perfect weather and light traffic. We arrived at Hayden’s office in almost no time at all. I sat on the sofa in Hayden’s office while I waited for him to go off to his meeting. Maybe I should take a nap while I wait for him to return from his meeting.

"It’s time for the meeting. Let’s go," Hayden said as he got up from his seat behind his worktable.

"Umm…I have to go to?" I asked, a little stunned.

It never crossed my mind that I had to attend the meeting with him. I mean, I had no idea what the meeting was about, and I didn’t want to get involved in any of his businesses. I had assumed that he would just let me wait here for him.