Ch. 96..100: Love Slave to the Mafia Boss's Passion Chapter 96-100

Chapter 96: Photographs & Memories

Once again, he began pulling me along with him. I cursed the fact that we were here on a weekday. Since there wasn’t a lot of people at the park, we were the only ones in the haunted house as far as I could tell. If we had entered as a larger group, maybe I’d feel less scared or there would be someone else who would also be scared like me. Then we could be friends.

The reality was that I was alone with Hayden, and he didn’t seem scared at all. I doubt Hayden would be scared of anything. He did invite me out at night to a graveyard after all…

I pressed myself close to his side as we slowly walked along the dark path in the haunted house. Looking around, I could tell that the decorations were made to portray a vampire theme. There were fake blood, coffins, skeletons and other haunting items scattered all around. Now and then, there would be a shrilled high-pitch scream in the distant and the howling of wolves.

While Hayden seemed to enjoy looking around, I spent the time to mentally prepare myself for when the ghost would come out and scare us.

"See? It’s not as scary as you think. These things are made for kids..." Hayden said, sounding bored.

"I’m just scared that something will pop out and…AHHHHH!" I said before screaming loudly in shock.

I think I saw a bloody ghost or something jump out at us and I just screamed at the top of my lungs and started hugging and hiding behind Hayden. Why am I here? I can’t wait to get out of here!

"Nooooo! Let’s get out of here! Out of here!" I continued screaming.

While I was quivering in panic and fear, Hayden was having the time of his life as he laughed at me. I could hear his loud laughter above all the spooky music that was playing.

"It’s gone. You’re so funny. I can’t stop laughing…" Hayden said in between his amused laughs.

"It’s not funny! I’m getting out of here…" I stated firmly.

"Don’t run! It’s dark…you’ll trip," Hayden warned.

Hayden quickly grabbed my hand and pulled me back to his side. I pouted at him to show my dissatisfaction. Together, we managed to walk to the end of the path leading to the exit of the haunting house. I swore to myself that I am never going into a haunted house again in my life!

"That was so fun! Your freaked out expression was priceless," Hayden exclaimed loudly.

"It’s not funny. I’m never going in there again…" I said definitely.

"Why don’t you pick our next destination then," Hayden suggested.

Hayden opened the map up again and I tried to locate where we were on the map. Let’s see, we’re in front of the haunted house, which is here. I checked out the other attractions nearby but didn’t find them interesting. Honestly, I wasn’t looking forward to any rides because they’re not exactly my thing to begin with. Worst, since I was with Hayden, if I got scared, he’ll probably just tease me again.

"I don’t know. Why don’t you pick? You wanted to come here, right?" I said, pushing the burden on him instead.

"Umm…what about this one?" Hayden said after some thought.

My gaze followed to where Hayden was pointing on the map.

"A photobooth? You want to take photos?" I asked with a mix of confusion and disbelief.

The photobooth wasn’t far from here but I had thought that Hayden would pick one of the rides or something more interesting. He didn’t really come across as someone who would enjoy taking photos at a photobooth…

"Yup, with you. Let’s take some photos together," Hayden said before smiling a little at me.

Honestly, I didn’t how what to say or how to respond to that smile of his. My chest felt tight, and my heart skipped more than a beat. He’s not playing fair, is he?

"Let’s go! It’s this way…" Hayden said cheerfully as he pushed my back softly, urging me forward in the direction of the photobooths.

…

The photobooth session with Hayden felt strange at first but I guess we both had fun posing randomly for our photos. I think I laughed a lot and had a good time. It really felt like we were a carefree couple on a date. Truthfully, I don’t remember the last time that I had such a carefree date. The latest date I had was a long time ago too and it didn’t end very well, to say the least.

"Here you go. You can keep a copy and I’ll keep a copy," Hayden said happily as he handed me a copy of our photos.

"Oh…thanks," I said as I took the photos from him.

I looked down at the photos that we had taken together. Hayden has such a cute smile in this photo, and he looks stunningly handsome in this one. We look like quite close in this one, although I think my face looks a little on the round side. I laughed a little to myself.

Smiling a little to myself, I realized that these photos may be the only proof and reminder that I will have left once our contract was over that once I had spent time with Hayden like this.

While we were standing in front of the photobooth there seemed to be an incident, judging by the loud voices of the staff in the area. I cocked my head and tried to listen to what the staff was saying. Did something bad happen? The other people around us started having the same reactions as well.

"Excuse me! We have an emergency. Is there a doctor here?" a staff yelled loudly.

"If you’re a doctor or a medical personnel, please let us know!" another staff shouted.

Two staffs were rushing around shouting the same message repeatedly. I guess someone was very sick and they’re looking for a doctor to help out. Wasn’t the park supposed to have a medical team onsite? Suddenly, I felt very worried and started to squeeze Hayden’s hand tighter. I mean, what would happen if they couldn’t find a doctor? Have they called the ambulance?

 

Chapter 97: He’s a Mystery

Just when all those thoughts were running through my mind, I didn’t realize that the man standing close to me had raised his hand.

"I’m a doctor," Hayden stated as he raised his hand.

What?!

"What are you doing? This isn’t some joke! Someone really needs help," I hissed at him in shock as I tried to pull his raised arm down to his side.

What kind of bullshit is Hayden spouting now? Hayden…a doctor? Impossible. Hayden is a mafia gang leader.

"I’m offering help. Can’t you see?" Hayden replied bluntly.

"No…but you’re not…" I said, in shock and confusion.

"I’m a doctor," Hayden stated firmly.

"You’re a…doctor?" I repeated in disbelief.

"…What’s with the face?" Hayden asked mockingly.

"You’re kidding right?" I said, still unable to believe him.

"You’re a doctor, Sir?" a young man who was a member of the staff came running up to Hayden.

From the worried look on his face, I feared that the incident was an emergency. Hopefully, no one got badly hurt. Suddenly, I felt a little scared.

Hayden grabbed my hand and held it tightly before he presented his doctor license to the staff with his other hand. My eyes grew wide when I saw that he had a license. I still couldn’t wrap my mind around the fact that Hayden was a doctor. A bad doctor…my mind whispered…

"Is that fake?" I asked, suspiciously.

It’s fake, right? Like you know, those fake IDs and passports. That license is also fake…right?

Hayden just rolled his eyes at me in annoyance before he ignored me completely and turned to the park staff.

"What happened?" Hayden asked, getting straight to the point.

"Please come this way. A girl got lost and we’re still unable to locate her parents. She’s waiting with the staff, but I guess she got panic and scared. We’re not sure but we think she’s having an asthma attack or something…" the staff quickly explained the situation.

"I see. Let’s go," Hayden said as we hurriedly followed the staff to where the girl was.

The young man led us to the staff room where there was another staff and the girl in question. One look at her and I agreed with the man that she seemed to be having an attack of some sort. The girl looked scar and very panic. She had difficulty breathing and was panting hard while making weird noises.

"Does she have a bag? Where’s her bag?" Hayden asked immediately while he crouched down next to the girl.

"Her bag…yes, she has a bag," the staff said.

"Malissa, can you check if she’s got a breather in there?" Hayden instructed without looking at me. His eyes her on the girl.

"Huh? A what?" I asked, cluelessly.

"An asthma breather. Small device like a spray…" Hayden explained quickly.

The staff and I rummaged through her backpack. I was so panicked about all this that I began emptying the contents of her bag in my desperate attempt to find the breather. I’ve never seen a breather in real life, but I’ve seen it on television and on the internet before, so thankfully, I sort of knew what I was looking for.

"Found it!" I cried out in relief before I quickly took the breather over to Hayden.

Hayden spoke softly and encouragingly to the young girl as he began administering her medicine to her through the breather. I watched with worry and prayed silently that the girl will be alright. She’s got her medicine now so hopefully her attack will calm down. Hayden does look like a doctor now that he’s treating her. He seemed to know just what to do, and it seems like he really cares about her.

I bit my lower lip anxiously as I waited to see if her condition would improve. Hayden was by the girl’s side as he held her small hand. After a short while, the girl’s breathing started to stabilize, and it no longer seemed like she was going to run out of breath.

"Have you found her parents yet?" Hayden asked, worriedly.

"Yes, we have. Just now another staff found them. They’re headed here right now," one of the staff informed us of the good news.

I breathed a sigh of relief and realized that Hayden did the same thing. Soon after the girl relaxed, and her condition seemed to have stabilized. Hayden let her lay down to rest before patting her head comfortingly.

"Will she be ok?" I whispered as Hayden came to stand by my side.

We both had our eyes on the girl who seemed to have fallen asleep. She must have been scared and exhausted.

"Yes. You don’t have to worry," Hayden replied as he put an arm around my shoulders.

Soon after the girl’s parents arrived, and Hayden summarized for them their daughter’s condition. Hayden told the worried parents that the girl probably just had one of her usual asthma attacks and that he had given her medicine. Then he suggested that they should take their daughter for a checkup at the hospital just in case.

"Thank you so much for helping our daughter," the girl’s mother said with tears in her eyes.

"It’s not a problem. It was a good thing that she was carrying her breather with her," Hayden replied kindly.

…

"I still can’t believe that you’re actually a doctor. I mean, the heir of the mafia gang is a doctor…?" I said incredulously as we stood side by side outside.

"There are plenty of merits of being a doctor in the mafia. For example, I could dissect you and sell your body parts," Hayden stated proudly.

"Are you serious?" I asked, not sure whether I should believe him or not.

"Are you referring to the doctor part or the selling your organs part?" Hayden asked, teasingly.

"I don’t know…" I replied honestly. I felt so confused that I didn’t know what to believe or think anymore.

"Let’s leave it at that. Where should we go next?" Hayden said, suddenly changing the topic.

That was that. After that Hayden dragged me to a couple of rides with him. He thoroughly enjoyed himself and I guess that I enjoyed seeing Hayden enjoy himself.

 

Chapter 98: To the Gala

"Next…" Hayden said emotionlessly.

I sighed, trying to hide my frustration from him.

"Next…" Hayden said after a single glance at me. His eyes immediately returning to his phone’s screen.

I heaved another sigh. When is this going to end? Personally, I don’t even know what he’s expecting or what he’s looking for…

"Next…" Hayden said without hesitation.

"Can we stop this now? I’m getting tired..." I started to complain.

"No. Next," Hayden said, sounding dead bored.

I wanted to shout at him. How long does he expect me to keep doing this? We’ve been at it for almost an hour now…

As to what we were doing, well, we were trying to find the right dress for me to wear to the gala. More accurately, he was trying to find me a dress that I could wear to the gala with him. I was merely trying on countless dresses that the boutique had prepared for me based on his orders. So far, we were roughly an hour in and none of the dresses that I tried on impressed Hayden…at all.

I felt tired just from trying on one dress after another. Each time he rejected a dress, I felt a little more depressed inside. Truthfully, for me, all the dresses looked amazing, and they also look super pricey, and they probably were. I had no idea what was so wrong about all these dresses. Do they look ugly when I wear them? Was it because of me and not the dresses?

Honestly, I think they all look good on me when I looked at my reflection in the full-length mirror. Not saying that I have a good figure or anything, but the dresses were truly beautiful; they would look good on anyone. Any of the dresses should be fine for the gala. It’s not like I’m going to be the superstar of the event or anything like that.

I’m just accompanying Hayden because his father had ordered me to do so.

I walked out of the dressing room again with a new dress on as I silently prayed that Hayden would give this one the ok. After some hesitation, I decided to try on this dress. The reason being that it was a little bit bolder and revealing than the others. It was bright red with sparkly red sequins sewn all over the dress in a swirly pattern.

It had a strapless corset-like top with a long skirt with a slit running up to my upper thigh and a flowy mermaid skirt that trailed a little after me on the floor.

One glance at the dress and Hayden nodded silently. He really wants to go with this one?

"Are you sure? Isn’t it a bit too…eye-catching?" I asked, not completely convinced of his choice. I had thought that the other paler cream dress looked more passable.

"Yes. We’ll get this one. Can you hold the waist in by around two inches for me now?" Hayden said to the shop attendance.

"Yes, Sir," the woman replied and quickly did as he had asked.

She stepped behind me and pinched and pulled the fabric of the dress behind my waist to tighten the fabric around my waist. Too tight. Seriously, too tight.

"Adjust the dress. Make the waist around two inches smaller. That would be all," Hayden said passionlessly.

"Yes, Sir. We’ll get it delivered to you right away when the adjustments have been made," the woman said before bowing politely to Hayden.

Hayden gave her his credit card and that was it. I’m going to wear this bold and shiny red dress with a two-inch-too-small waist to the gala.

"The waist is going to be too small. I can hardly breathe when she held the dress in," I complained after Hayden had dragged me out of the boutique. Once again, I had no idea where he was going to take me.

"Then slim down," Hayden said like it was the obvious thing to do.

"What?! The gala is already next week!" I exclaimed.

"You don’t want to look like you’re in your fourth of fifth month of your pregnancy, do you?" Hayden asked, pointedly.

"Huh?! How can you say something like that? Are you saying that I look pregnant?" I asked in pure disbelief.

"It’s up to you which way you want to take my comment. It would cause misunderstandings and trouble for me if the lady standing next to me looks pregnant, no?" Hayden stated with a shrug.

My mouth fell open at his ridiculous and insensitive comment.

"That’s…" I whispered in pure shock. How can he say something like that with a straight face?

I was so shocked and offended by what he just said that I didn’t know how to respond. I mean, if the dress made me look pregnant, then why did he have to choose it? There were so many others that showed-off less of my figure…

How the hell am I supposed to lose weight that fast? Seriously…

…

Finally, the day that everyone had been anxiously waiting for had arrived. Not surprisingly, Hayden never bothered to tell me anything about the gala. I didn’t know where it was going to be held or who would be coming with us. I just didn’t know anything at all. Hayden did not offer to tell me and acted like the gala wasn’t a big deal.

However, I knew that the gala was indeed a big deal. After all, it was a large annual event where leaders and top tier members of big mafia gangs would gather. It probably had the same significance as the UN meeting for leaders of nations to attend, I guessed. Ironically, I would be attending the event with Hayden.

Recalling the meeting at his office that I had witnessed; I also knew that the meeting was important in dictating the next steps for how the gang would deal with the Silva gang over disputes in their territories. I was sure that Hayden knew this as well; there were many important things riding on this gala gathering.

"I’ve packed and arranged everything that I think you may need," Auntie said politely as she gestured to a large pile of luggage.

My eyes widened in disbelief at the amount of baggage that was prepared. I mean, all this for one evening? I mean, we’re not even staying over. It’s just an evening event and then we were going to come back, right?

 

Chapter 99: Don’t Die

"Isn’t this a bit much for one evening?" I asked, in confusion.

"One evening? Oh no, Miss Malissa. The gala is held on a cruise and will last for three days and three nights," Auntie quickly corrected me.

"What?" I exclaimed before turning to stare at Hayden accusingly.

Why…didn’t he tell me these things?

"I guess Master Hayden…forgot to tell you about this…" Auntie mumbled. I couldn’t believe how she was still coming up with excuses to protect Hayden.

How can he possibly forget to tell me something as important as this? Instead of just an evening event, I will be stuck on a cruise with him for three days and there nights…along with many other mafia bosses and members…

What is happening to my life again?

"You have to come along anyways. What’s the point of knowing and panicking?" Hayden said flatly before shrugging like he couldn’t care less.

"You could have at least told me…" I said in exasperation.

"Let’s go. Your complaints will give me a needless headache…" Hayden said, implying that it was my fault.

Unlike other days when Hayden and I travelled alone, today, there were many gang members accompanying us in their cars. We travelled in what was like a small parade of cars. Thankfully, I still rode alone with Hayden in his car. Hayden had refused to have anyone else drive for him and that helped me calm down about everything that was going on, somewhat.

I didn’t know any of the gang members that came along with us, apart from Luka. It was a long drive, but we finally arrived at the port where we would board the cruise ship for the three-day gala event. When we got to the port, I could already see the massive ship that was going to be used for the event. It was so big that no one could miss seeing it.

"Be careful and don’t die," Hayden whispered close to my ear as he stood at my side.

We watched as the gang members loaded our various baggage onto the cruise. I turned to face Hayden, shocked at his words. Please tell me that he’s just joking around with me.

"Huh?" I said, completely taken aback by his words.

"They’ll just throw you off deck and feed you to the sharks," Hayden said followed by a loud laugh.

I just couldn’t tell whether he was serious or if he was just joking.

"You’re joking, right?" I asked for confirmation.

"No. People go missing every year at the gala. So, always stay close to me," Hayden replied emotionlessly but his hand tightened briefly around mine, making me realize that there must be at least some truth behind his warning.

We boarded the cruise together and was immediately led to our rooms along with our entourage. Luka seemed very alert and was constantly by our side. The Torex gang had an entire floor of rooms to themselves, and I suspect that other gangs had similar arrangements. Security was tight for the cruise itself and so was the Torex’s own security measures.

I didn’t want to realize this, but everyone was heavily armed.

Suddenly, this whole gala seemed more like going to a three-day war instead of a celebration or gathering. Everyone was on edge and very alert to any sense of danger. However, everyone seemed used to it besides me, obviously.

I recalled Hayden’s words of warning again as the reality of what was happening seemed to sink in. Perhaps, there is no where that is safe on this entire ship. I pray that I make it through this whole ordeal. Furthermore, I prayed that no one from our gang goes ’missing’ on this cruise.

"Rest up. You seem so on edge and there’s no need to be," Hayden said to me when we were alone in our room.

If that’s supposed to comfort me, I wasn’t sure if it was working. As we are speaking there are around five men standing guard, fully armed, in front of our door. How am I supposed to be at ease like this?

Hayden, on the other hand, seemed completely relaxed as he lazed around on the red leather sofa that was in the room. Our room was like a suite of rooms. It had a bathroom, a working room, a sitting and dining room, and a bedroom. One bedroom.

I guess apart from being careful of the dangers outside, I also had to deal with the monster next to me as well…

"I’ll try…" I mumbled my response.

"Don’t worry. You should be safe enough. There’s a truce amongst the gangs regarding the safety of women and children. Kidnapping women for ransom like in the movies shouldn’t happen. That being said, stick to my side…always," Hayden said firmly.

"Ok…" I said as I nodded.

I was quite scared and ironically, being close to Hayden made me feel safe. Even if he didn’t want me by his side, I’ll stick by his side like glue for sure.

…

The day was uneventful with the gang members and Hayden having their meeting in the meeting room that was on the same floor as our room. As ordered by Hayden, I stuck by his side and sat next to him through the whole meeting. The meeting was more like a debrief, where Luka explained and went over the details and roles for all members once again.

It wasn’t long until we had to prepare for the first night of the gala. Officially, the first night of the gala was known as the ’Grand Opening Welcome’. As the name implies, it is the first evening event of the gala.

"Nothing happens much on the first night. We just meet, greet and network with people. That’s it," Hayden explained briefly.

"I see…" I said in a whisper.

"In reality, it’s just like testing the waters for the more serious conversations that will take place on the second and third day. It’s also the perfect opportunity for representative from each gang to lobby the other representatives to support whatever they may want to propose in the meetings on the following days," Hayden explained like it as the most boring thing in the world.

 

Chapter 100: First Night

It was clear that Hayden shared my sentiment of not wanting to be part of this. However, I could tell that Hayden was paying enough attention and seemed to be committed to playing his part as the representative of the Torex gang. I guess they call that a sense of responsibility.

"I don’t have to do anything, right?" I asked just to make sure.

"You do. Look pretty and smile. No matter what anyone says, just smile. Do not answer any questions. I’ll do all the talking. Even if someone directs a question at you, just smile," Hayden instructed.

Those were some pretty harsh instructions. I nodded in acknowledgement. Not quite understanding what was going on, I would rather not say anything wrong either.

When it was time, the few maids that came along helped me dress while the make-up artist made up my face and the hair stylist styled my hair. They also helped make up and style Hayden’s hair. When we were both dressed, the whole event started to feel real. Well, at least the annoying feeling of wearing high heels that were too high felt very real to me.

Hayden looked like a movie star straight out of a spy action movie. He’s so hot in his immaculate white suit and new hair style. I couldn’t help but stare and prayed that he wouldn’t realize. However, knowing that it was Hayden, he probably realized straight away. Although, he was too focused on thinking about something that he didn’t comment on it.

"Let’s go," Hayden said as he offered me his arm when we were ready to go.

I placed my hand on his arm and nodded obediently. Just like Hayden had said to me earlier ’be careful and don’t die’. I intended to do just that tonight.

…

The bright red dress that I had on felt too tight around the waist just as I had expected. Although my reflection looked very pleasing to the eye in the mirror, the price for that was my lack of comfort. Hayden led me to where the evening gala was being held for the night along with Luka and a few other men who were supposed to be acting as our bodyguards.

The atmosphere seemed festive enough, but I could feel an underlying sense of tension in the air. There were a lot more people that I had anticipated. Of course, I didn’t know who was who at all. Surprisingly, there were more women there on the scene. I was far from being the only one. It seemed that it was common for men to bring an escort or two to the event with them.

Perhaps that was why the boss wanted me to accompany Hayden in the first place.

"Torex…" a low voice said from behind us.

I could sense Luka and the men stiffen around us as they became very alert. Hayden on the other hand seemed so relaxed and at ease. We turned towards the voice that had just called out to us. It was an old man dressed in a very expensive-looking grey suit. All of his hair was white, and he had a very serious look in his grey eyes.

"Mr. Antonio, it is an honor to meet you," Hayden said smoothly.

I felt the old man’s eyes on me, and I quickly smiled just like Hayden had ordered. Smile and don’t say anything.

"Your old man decided to send you, huh? I’m not surprise…" Mr. Antonio said. He seemed to be on friendly terms with Hayden’s father, so I guess that was good, right?

"He got lazy. You want to send a message to him?" Hayden said with a small laugh.

"No need. We should talk later over some good wine. I just wanted to let you know that I prefer that you’re here…and not your old man…or your brother…" the old man said and his eyes were as sharp as knives.

I felt Hayden stiffen a little at the mention of his elder brother and I didn’t have a good feeling about this.

"Sure. Let’s do that," Hayden replied, the smile never slipping from his façade.

"You’re really not going to introduce this beautiful lady to me?" the old man said to Hayden, but his eyes were already on me.

"Excuse my poor manners. This is my fiancée, Malissa," Hayden replied smoothly.

What the hell is he saying now? Suddenly, I’m his fiancée now? Now I was starting to understand why Hayden had told me to shut up and let him do the talking; it was so he could spew whatever bullshit that he wanted. Just like he had instructed before the event took place, I plastered a smile onto my lips and looked straight at the old man.

"Wow…you’ve really grown up into a fine man. I look forward to working with the next generation of the Torex family," the old man said with a laugh before he winked meaningfully at me.

"Take care, Mr. Antonio. We look forward to doing more business with you this year," Hayden said warmly.

"Of course," the old man said and that was the end of their conversation.

With that, the conversation ended, and Mr. Antonio walked away along with his large entourage of men. It was clear that that old man was the head of some gang who was engaged in business with the Torex. At least, the conversation ended well without any issues. I heaved a sigh of relief when he was out of earshot and realized that I had been so nervous all this time.

"Antonio is a good friend of my dad. He’s been rooting for me to take over all this time because he thinks business will go more in his favor if I take over compared to my brother. Well, it’s not like my elder brother is a viable option anymore…" Hayden explained softly as he whispered in my ear.

I was beginning to see that the mafia world had a lot of politics of its own. The conclusion that I arrived to very quickly was that it was best if I just shut up and smiled. Now’s not the time to worry about gender equality and women’s rights. I need to survive this cruise!