The Mafia & The Billionaire

Serene’s POV

Patt stayed in the hospital for a few days before being discharged. I was so angry at him, and I knew he would distance himself from me if he didn’t want to hear me nagging. During those days, we conducted our meeting in his hospital room. Alex visits him, and I don’t know what to think about him. He was very supportive of me, and I believe he will do his husband’s duty even if I don’t ask him to.

Because of the incident, we must delay the board meeting we want to conduct at Serendipity. I want and need him in his full strength and wit when that happens, so I think I will have to relax while Enzo prioritizes finding out about the man who attempted to kill me.

“Let’s have a date,” Alex said. We were in the living room, and I don’t know why he had to tell me that. I was busy thinking about my next move regarding Lorenzo, and here he was, trying to disrupt my thinking. With a creased forehead, I asked,

“Are you serious?”

“Do I look like I’m not? I know that date is not your cup of tea”

“If you already know that, why would you ask me out now?”

“Let me finish first before you react.”

“Fine, go ahead.”

“As I said, I know it isn’t your cup of tea, but we have to do it since we are married and need to know more about each other.”

“Why can’t you just hire an investigator? I am your wife. Am I not worth spending on?”

“As you said, you are my wife, so I don’t need to ask or pay someone to look into you. I want to know everything about you in a natural way.”

“I know a few things about you. Patt and Enzo did all the digging.” I replied,

“You can ask me, and I will try to answer them.”

“No need; we had a lot of time for that. We’re just starting, so let’s be content with what we have right now.”

“Let’s date,” he insisted. I sighed and replied with annoyance.

“Fine, where do you want to go?” I inquired, and he stood up before helping me to my feet.

“Get dressed; let’s dine at a restaurant,” he said. So I got ready and wore something casual. He only said he would take me to a restaurant but didn’t tell me if it was fine dining.

“I didn’t like people looking at me whenever I was with someone. Our marriage is not like a circus that everyone can watch.” He said as he pulled a chair for me in the restaurant.

“It’s fine with me, and I didn’t want someone looking at me either. You, being a well-known businessman, being spotted with someone unknown will be a piece of big news for others.” I replied. Another is that I was afraid to bump into that mother-and-daughter duo and ruin my day again. Then, after a little while, a waiter knocked and came in. He handed us the menu and started to choose what we wanted. Though I am not a picky eater, I still want to eat delicious food.

“The restaurant values their customers’ privacy, so as much as possible, they don’t allow anyone to take photos. They can ask the manager if they want, and she will do that for you.” He replied, “Another reason I wanted a private room is so that I can ask you anything and you can answer comfortably because no one can hear us here.” What does he want to know about me? He seems very eager to get familiar with me.

“What is it that you want to know?” I asked.

“Now that we are married, what do you plan to do when you get your share?” Alex asked.

“I will let Patt handle it. He’s good at business, and his dad helped mom when she was starting the business,” she replied.

“Your father, what did he do during that time?”

“I don’t know; maybe he’s fucking his mistress.”

“Your language. You have to watch your tongue all the time.”

“It’s just us, and you must get used to how I talk. I am trying to fit into your world, so at least try to understand me when it’s just us.”Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“You don’t need to fit in. Just be yourself. You will be eaten whole when you do that.”

“I am not saying that I am going to be a pushover; all I want to say is that I am going to try to be a little gentle to people around you, but they shouldn’t force me to be me.”

“Point taken. I’m sorry if you feel I am forcing you to become someone you’re not.”

“Apology accepted,” I replied, and after a few more minutes, our food came, and we started eating. We continued having casual conversations during our meal and tried to get to know each other better. “So, are you planning to continue this dating thing? Where are we going next? How about a gym?” I asked continuously.

“Gym it is,” he replied, and we scheduled our training two days later. We went home, and, just like the previous night, we slept together.

After two days….

Healthy Fitness is the gym where Alex usually goes. It is also exclusive to wealthy individuals, whereas Alex is a VVIP. One of his friends, who is very health-conscious, owns the gym. “You’re wearing that?” he asked when he saw me getting out of the gym’s changing room. I was wearing black leggings and a sweatshirt.

“Is there a problem with my clothes?” I asked, confused.

“No, nothing. It’s just that every female who goes here usually wears a sports bra and cycling shorts,” he replied.

“I don’t show my body to just anyone,” I said. I walked to a bench and started to warm up. I needed to do that before I worked out because I usually go overboard, especially with training.

“Then why the hell did you wear that see-through gown at the anniversary party?” he asked,

“Because I feel like it. It’s not as though everyone will be looking at me.” I answered.

“Everyone looked at you!” he exclaimed. I didn’t reply to him anymore because it would be a never-ending discussion. He followed and watched me until I went to a treadmill and started running, which he did, too. “Do you fight?” He asked after we were done on the treadmill. I looked at him and nodded.

“Just know some self-defense,” I replied, and he grinned.

“Care to have sparring?” he asked.

“I think it’s a good idea.” Alex led me to a room. Healthy Fitness Gym was also a place for actors and actresses to go when they needed to train for a fight scene. There were many small rooms that they could use, so they could still have their privacy.

“Is it OK here?”

“Yes, it’s very private.” All the establishments we visited used keycards, which amazed me.

“How do you want to spar?” he asked.

“Anything goes?” I replied, unsure.

“What’s the bet?” My brows rose after I heard it. I didn’t know what Alex was doing, but they could fight.

“What do you want?”

“After every win, the winner can ask the loser to do one thing for the winner.”

“Such as?”

“Taking off the shirt?!” Alex replied, grinning.

“Do you want to see my body?” I asked straightforwardly, but deep inside, I felt startled.

“Don’t you want to see mine?” he asked instead. He was wearing a T-shirt, and I tried not to stare at him from the beginning. I didn’t know why he looked handsome and sexy when other men there wore muscle shirts showing their manly physique, but they never attracted me.

“I always see it at home. You walked around our room with only a towel wrapped around your waist as if parading your body before me.”

He chuckled and said, while he approached me, “And you are so stingy to wear robes and pajamas, not allowing my eyes to feast when I let yours.” I didn’t move much, but I started to feel uncomfortable. We are the only ones in the room. We are married, so there’s nothing wrong with that. However, the feelings I was experiencing at that moment were unfamiliar.

When he took my hand, I felt a tingling sensation. “Come and let’s start,” he whispered into my ear, pulling me to the middle of the mat. “Relax, Serene. I will not bite you,” he added when he noticed I was staring at him.

Fuck,’ what’s going on with me? I have enjoyed that he has made me feel like an idiot since we first met. What am I going to do? I shouldn’t let my feelings and emotions overtake me. He snapped his fingers before my face, jolting me out of my reverie. “I’m sorry, I just remembered something,” I said, positioning myself. Alex did the same, and we started sparring.

At first, we did some boxing stances and gave each other a few blows, which we both dodged and avoided. Thirty minutes had passed, and we could not make a hit with all the punches we threw, so Alex started to change his fighting style, but I could quickly adapt to it.

We were now fighting like MMA fighters and were very close to each other. Because of a wrong move, Alex managed to pin me on the floor. I struggled and didn’t want to give up. Alex was on top of me when I suddenly felt something poking in my stomach. My eyes widened after I realized what it was when I saw him grinning. “You look beautiful and damn sexy, even when you’re all sweaty,” he said as we looked at each other. Fuck!