THE MAFIA KING'S NAUGHTY BRIDE

"No," Enzo tutted, placing his hand on the couch as he watched her. She nodded, her hands tied behind her back with his tie.

She had been trying for a minute now but he was yet to feel anything.

Enzo bit his bottom lip, finally feeling close, but she stopped at the same pace and he felt it subsiding.

She is really bad at this, he thought to himself.

Impatient, he stood on his feet. He grabbed her yanking it backward.

He pulled away, "Up," he ordered.

She stood up turning her back to him immediately; he untied his tie on her wrist.

She turned to face him, her lips curling up into a smile as she placed her hand on his shoulder.

Enzo grabbed it mid-air, "No touching," he warned, yanking her hand off his body. Touching isn't something he condoned, especially from a woman.

She nodded, understanding him. She watched him walk over to the bedside table.

She remained on the spot waiting for his next order. "Get on the couch," he ordered her.

He walked over to her and stood behind her. A smirk fell on his lips as he stared at her.

"Wider," he ordered, not wanting to have too much body contact with her. She obeyed. He stared at her for a second, and without warning he moved toward her.

A gasp escaped her lips and her body forward, her hand grabbing the couch and holding on for dear life.

He grabbed her by the waist holding her steady as he continued, his phone suddenly began to ring but he ignored the phone.

It soon went silent but it began to ring again and this time Enzo knew it was an emergency. His men knew well enough not to call him twice whenever he was busy. He quickly reached for the phone and pressed receive.

"What? Ale" He scoffed, still moving.

"I apologize for disturbing you, boss. The man in our custody is offering his daughter to us in exchange for his payment," Alejandro's voice came on.

"What did he say?" He questioned before dropping the phone down on the couch.

He exhaled deeply.

Trust isn't exactly something he gave easily. He remained still before grabbing his phone and placing it back on his ear.

"Wash off and get out," he ordered, while Alejandro waited in line, figuring out the current situation. "Speak," he yelled at Alejandro, irritated that he had to rush what he was doing because of him.

"He is offering his daughter in exchange," Alejandro said.

"His daughter? Why will he offer his daughter?" Enzo questioned, running his fingers through his hair. He had never seen anyone offer any of their family members in exchange for what they owed him, much less his daughter.

Is the man perhaps intoxicated and unaware of what he is offering? His daughter?

"I will be at the warehouse soon," Enzo said.

"Alright, Boss."

"Also, next time get me a girl who knows what she's doing, not a robot," he added between gritted teeth. The lady came out of the bathroom, even though she didn't say anything, Enzo could sense that she had overheard him and she couldn't deny that she was terrible at this.

The lady seemed too stiff, like she wanted to get this over and done with.

"Sorry about that, Boss. Tonight will be something better," Alejandro reassured Enzo.

Enzo extended his hand to the bundle of money on the table for her to go and get it. She walked over to the table and picked up the money before heading out of the room, silently raining curses on him, but Enzo was unbothered by her.

"I just sent a picture of the lady, the man's daughter," Alejandro informed him as his phone vibrated in his ear.

Enzo brought down his phone to his eye level to see the picture Alejandro had sent him. At first glance, he found himself biting his bottom lip as he stared at the picture of a woman by the beach side, smiling.

His hand traced the curve of her waist with a mischievous grin plastered on his face.

Is this his daughter? Enzo thought to himself.

Alright, the man's daughter was not so bad after all, but she wasn't useful to Enzo apart from his physical pleasure.

Looking at her, she looked too plain and not in his league. His money was far more important than this, but if he was offering his daughter, then he might as well have her and still have his money.

It was a win-win for Enzo and maybe for his men if she did well for him.

"Get her immediately, alive," he ordered, bringing the phone to his ear.

"On it, boss," Alejandro replied before disconnecting the call.

Enzo brought the phone back to his eyesight as he looked at the picture. He thought to himself: well, I guess tonight will be fun after all.

Gabriella rolled on the bed at the sound of a loud knock on her door, she groaned internally wondering who it could be this early in the morning. Grabbing her phone on the bed, she checked the time squinting her eyes as the screen brightness popped up.

8:00 AM.

The knocking got louder as she rolled on the bed grabbing her bathrobe and wearing it over her naked body, "Who is that?" She yelled making it to the living room.

As she approached the door, her mind raced with possibilities. Could it be her nosy neighbor? Her neighbor was fond of coming to complain about something Or maybe it was the delivery person with a package she had been eagerly awaiting.

She looked into the peephole just to be sure, she stared at a delivery man waiting patiently with a package. Taking a deep breath, she reached for the doorknob and opened the door.

"Good morning, ma'am," the delivery man greeted her courteously, his friendly demeanor putting her at ease.

"Good morning," she replied, returning his smile. He reached out to hand her the package but he suddenly grabbed her by the arm instead and twirled her around.

"What the hell is -" she struggled to protest but he placed a handkerchief over her nose trying to subdue her.

She thrashed and fought against the man's grip, desperately trying to pry his hand off her mouth and nose. But his hold was strong and his grip unyielding. As the world around her began to blur and fade, she felt panic rise within her.

Suddenly, a surge of adrenaline coursed through her veins, giving her renewed strength. With one last burst of energy, she managed to break free from his grasp, stumbling backward and gasping for air.

Her heart pounded in her chest, turning around, she kicked him in the groin, and the delivery man yelled jerking backward and falling to the ground.

Who the hell was he? Why was he trying to kill her? Gabriella thought as she placed her hand on her throat rushing out of the apartment to call for help, "Help!!!" She yelled running down the hallway but her legs began to wobble.

Fear and adrenaline surged through her, her vision blacking out, "Help!!!" She yelled again, and this time she fell to the ground face-first.

She heard a voice as she struggled to see who was approaching, was it the delivery man? He was going to kill her and no one was going to come to her rescue, she opened her mouth to yell for help again but she suddenly fell into an unconscious state.

"Seems the dose was too much," she heard a female voice in her head.

She groaned as she slowly regained consciousness, her head throbbing with pain. As she blinked opening her eyes slowly, she found herself in an unfamiliar room. Panic began to set in as she realized that she had been taken, but her body felt heavy, making it impossible for her to move or escape.

The female voice from before echoed through the room again, but this time she could see the source. A woman in a lab coat, her face adorned with a smile.

"You're awake," the woman said, "Thought I would need to administer some medication."

Confusion washed over Gabriella as she tried to comprehend the situation. "Who are you?" She managed to croak, her voice barely audible as she placed her hand over my head.

The memory of the delivery man attacking her flooded her mind, did she get rescued? Was she in the hospital? But this didn't look like the hospital ward, it looked like someone's room.

Where was she?

"Ah, yes. Allow me to introduce myself," the woman responded, "I am Dr. Abigail, you were overdosed."

Her heart raced as she tried to grasp the gravity of the situation. "Overdosed?"

The door to the room opened as another lady stepped in dressed in a maid dress, "Thank you, doctor, I will attend to her now," the lady said

"Of course," the doctor nodded. "Please make sure she eats something," the doctor instructed the lady before walking out of the room.

The maid closed the door behind her and walked toward Gabriella, her eyes filled with concern. She approached with a tray of food and gently placed it on the table beside her.

"I apologize for the confusion," she said softly. "You are currently in Saviano's estate. My name is Maria, and I am here to take care of your needs."

Gabriella stared at her in disbelief, trying to make sense of everything as she sat up on the bed. "Saviano's estate? How did I end up here?" Gabriella panicked rushing out of bed hoping it was not the SAVIANO family she was thinking about.

"What the hell did you do to me?" She yelled at the maid looking around the room for anything she could use to defend herself.

The maid raised her hand in the air showing she meant no harm, but Gabriella didn't trust her. "Relax, I mean no harm."

"When you say Saviano, do you mean Saviano?" Gabriella asked.

"Yes, Enzo Saviano, he had his men bring you here when you wouldn't wake up. You have been out for the whole day."

"E-Enzo S-Saviano, the mobster?" Gabriella stuttered, running her fingers through her hair. She needed to get the hell out of here, they kidnapped her, it was all making sense now but why? Why did they kidnap her? She had never gotten involved in any of their dealings.

Maria sighed, her eyes filled with sympathy. "I understand your fear, but you need to be rest assured that you are safe here."

"Safe? Did you just say safe? How can you be so calm? Didn't they kidnap you as well? I need to get the hell out of here."

"You are safe here Miss Gabriella, they -"

"How can you tell me I am safe when you all kidnapped me and brought me here against my will? But of course, you will defend him, he is your boss after all."

"Mr. Saviano is not as bad as you think, he is actually -"

"He is a mobster, is there anything good about being a mobster?" Gabriella asked, angry that the maid was trying hard to defend him. "He is a womanizer, he is involved in illegal dealings and he is a murderer, everyone in town knows this so don't give me that crap about him being a -"

"Good morning Sir," Maria suddenly interrupted Gabriella, fear evident in her voice as she bowed her head. Gabriella turned around wondering who the maid was talking to and she found herself staggering back.

Standing by the adjoining door was Enzo Saviano.

Gabriella swallowed, frightened by the sight of him. She watched him fold his arm over his chest with a mean glare plastered on his face.

"You should have let her finish Maria," he said staring at Maria before meeting Gabriella's gaze. "Please go on, what else do you know about me," he asked.

She took a step back clearly frightened by the sight of him and Enzo was not surprised. This was a natural occurrence whenever he came in contact with someone for the first time, his men said he exuded a terrifying aura or maybe it was just the scar that ran down his left eyebrow nearly touching his eyes.

"I..I..." she stuttered.

"You...You..." he took the word from her mouth chuckling.

The tension in the room was palpable, thick enough to cut through with a knife. She stood there, her body tense, fear, and defiance mixing in her eyes as she stared at him.

Enzo knew that look in her eyes, probably trying to piece together her next move, perhaps even contemplating if she could make a run for it.

He remained unmoved, his arms still folded across his chest. It was not often that someone dared to voice their opinions about him so openly, especially within the walls of his estate.

Yet, here she was spitting fire and brimstone, her words laced with accusations and misconceptions.

"I would be lying if I said I wasn't surprised," he mused aloud, allowing a small smirk to play on his lips. "You seem to have quite the opinion about me, Gabriella. Formed from whispers and rumors, I presume?"

Her stance hardened, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Your reputation precedes you, Mr. Saviano. I don't need rumors to form an opinion about a man whose name is synonymous with danger."

He chuckled lightly, taking a step towards her. He could see her body tense even further, ready to flee or fight at a moment's notice. "And yet, here you are, in my home, alive and well. If I were the monster you paint me to be, wouldn't you be in a far worse situation?"

She didn't flinch, though he saw the briefest moment of confusion flicker in her eyes. It was clear she was struggling to understand what was going on here.

"I'm not here to harm you, Gabriella. You were brought here as a gift," Enzo explained, his tone softening slightly. "Your father is quite a generous man. If I knew what he was willing to offer I would have done business with him a long time ago."

She seemed to consider his words for a moment before responding, he watched her eyes flicker in confusion, "W-What the hell are you talking about?"

He stared at Maria and she nodded taking the hint that she needed to leave.

"Don't," Gabriella yelled at her noticing the eye contact between Enzo and her, her words made Enzo chuckle. Is she going to trust a mere maid to protect her from me? Enzo thought to himself.

"S-Sir," Maria stuttered waiting for his order but Enzo didn't respond to her. She gulped and gave Gabriella one glance before leaving the room. Enzo watched Gabriella's eyes trail his maid until she was out of the room closing the door behind her.

"If I wanted to harm you, I would have done that while you were knocked out, don't you think?" He asked raising an eyebrow at her.

"I don't care what your intentions are here, let me go now. You must be mistaken, I am not one of your girls," she snapped.

"One of my girls?" He raised his eyebrows, feigning innocence. "Now, Gabriella, that's a serious accusation. I assure you, I don't deal with such matters. You've got me all wrong."

Her stance softened just a tad, the defiance in her eyes dimming. It was clear she was trying to process the situation, her mind racing to make sense of her predicament.

"Then why am I here?" she demanded, her voice a mix of curiosity and lingering fear.

Enzo unfolded his arms and took another step towards her, ensuring his movements were slow and non-threatening but she took a step back. "You're here because of your father's debts. He owes a significant amount to me, and he offered you as a... temporary collateral, shall we say."

Her face drained of color, disbelief, and horror mingling in her expression. "That's impossible. My father would never-"

He cut her off with a gentle, yet firm tone. "Unfortunately, Gabriella, it is very much possible. Your father has made many mistakes, and this was his solution to protect the rest of your family. You are not a prisoner here; think of yourself more as a guest."

"A guest?" she repeated, the word sounding foreign on her lips. "Guests can leave whenever they want, can't they?"

He nodded, acknowledging her point. She was outspoken, he would give her that. "True. And in time, you may. But for now, your presence here is necessary. Not as a pawn, but as a guarantee of your father's cooperation."

He could see the gears turning in her head as she tried to come to terms with her new reality. She looked around the room slowly, he had no doubt she was still looking for an escape route but sorry to break her heart, no one could leave Saviano's estate without his approval including his workers.

"And if I refuse to be part of this... arrangement?"

He let out a sigh, "I'd rather it not come to that. I believe in finding mutually beneficial solutions. Your stay here could be comfortable, even enjoyable, if you allow it."

The word 'enjoyable' seemed to catch her off guard, and for a brief moment, her anger spiked up in her eyes, "Who finds being kidnapped enjoyable?"

He smiled, this time taking another step, she took another and he did the same until her back came crashing into the wall without a space to escape.

He stood in front of her shaking his head, "You will be a handful no doubt, but since you came in more beautiful than your picture I will give you your first gift," he extended his hand to touch her cheek but she slapped his hand off, her head moving to the side avoiding his gaze as she clicked her tongue.

"You will have access to the entire estate, minus a few private areas. There are gardens, a library, and art to admire. And, of course, you'll be under my protection."

Silence followed his words for a second and then her lips curled up into a smile as she burst into laughter. "Protection?"

"You find that amusing?" He asked, genuinely curious about her sudden shift in demeanor. It was interesting to find a woman laughing in front of him, he did say the rest preferred to pretend to be composed around him.

She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, still chuckling. "Oh, Mr. Saviano, you live in your own world, don't you? Protection from what? The world outside, or the monster inside this mansion?"

Her boldness surprised him, a rare trait in people who found themselves in her situation. Yet, it was refreshing. "Both," he replied simply. "The world is not a kind place, especially not for people associated with me. And as for the 'monster' inside this mansion, I can assure you, you'll find none scarier than the one standing in front of you."

Her laughter faded, and she looked up at him, her gaze sharp. "And should I feel safe or terrified by that statement?"

"Terrified," he answered without hesitation.

She pushed herself off the wall, standing her ground but with a less confrontational stance. "I am not scared of you, Mr. Saviano."

"We will see about that, Gabriella," he said, offering her a slight nod. "For now, I'll have Maria show you to your room. You'll find everything you need there. Rest, and when you're ready, we can talk more about how things will proceed from here."

He took a step back and snapped his fingers signaling Maria, who had been waiting just outside, to enter. Gabriella gave him one last look-still wary, but with a hint of curiosity-before following Maria out of the room.

As the door closed behind them, Enzo couldn't help but feel that this encounter had shifted something in him. Gabriella was not like the others before her.

For the first time in a long while, he found himself genuinely looking forward to her stay here.