Chapter 6

The ruthless mafia don had taken numerous lives in his life, but he had never felt that certain kind of shaking inside his chest which he felt for a split second the moment his maid's four years old little child grabbed his shirt and looked at him with her big, wide grey eyes.

What was this? Luka could not understand anything, and before he could even process anything further, he witnessed Esme immediately taking her daughter's hand back.

She hid her kid's face in her neck, away from his gaze, and he believed it was because she didn't want his corrupted presence closer to her innocent child for which he could never blame her.

He was a cruel monster, whose closeness felt like a curse and he was completely aware of this.

“Take them back,” he said to Calix, who passed him a nod. After that, Luka took a brief glance at Esme and her daughter where he noticed his maid was tightly holding her child in her embrace and was not even letting her kid look in his direction, while her own gaze was also away from his.

Sighing, he turned around and walked out of that room.

After he left, Esme gulped down hard. Those few seconds had shaken her completely because in that moment….she felt like he was going to recognise Elea but fortunately, he didn't….or did he?

“This way, Ms. Hadley,” Calix said to her.

Exhaling a heavy breath, she followed Calix out of the room, carrying Elea in her arms.

……………

“I am so grateful that you and Elea, you both are fine,” Maeve uttered to Esme, who was caressing the head of her sleeping child. Elea fell asleep in the car when they were returning back to this manor, which now felt like nothing but a deadly curse to Esme.

“I told you to not think about escaping, Esme…” Maeve's words made Esme clenched her jaw. She turned her head around and looked at Maeve.

“So what should I have been waiting for? For that murderer to take my or my child's life here?” tears stung Esme's eyes as she recalled his blood stained hands and his warning. She just couldn't forget this. How could she even be? 

She knew he took lives, so how could she deal with this thing with a rational mind? Just how?

“If Mr. Salvino would have wanted to harm you or your kid then he would not have given you another chance to live this life, Esme,” Maeve uttered. Her eyes were filled with somewhat hope but at the same time concern too.

“Like I had told you before, he doesn't believe in giving second chances but yet he has given it to you and I am sure, it's for the sake of your daughter, so please….” Maeve held Esme's hand.

“Don't do anything out of your fear. Mr. Salvino is not going to harm you or Elea, especially if you will obey his wishes,” Maeve pleaded. Esme looked at her, completely silently.

“And what if one day…his wish would grow toxic and more diabolic then?” And that question of Esme completely shut Maeve's mouth. The old lady was left with nothing to reply back now, and this thing brought an intense amount of fear to Esme because she knew….one day, he would definitely ask for something extremely unacceptable from her.

She could never trust that monster. If he could take lives so easily then he could do any kind of worst.

He didn't deserve to be called even a human.

Maeve's silence made Esme trail her eyes away from her. She looked at her sleeping daughter.

“Justifying and shielding a sin is no less than committing it,” Esme uttered and Maeve immediately understood what she meant.

Maeve sighed.

“You are absolutely right but not every sin is committed for the pleasure of the sinner, Esme,” hearing Maeve, Esme turned her gaze towards her again.

“Some sins are committed to shield the virtue of innocents,” Maeve said, peering into Esme's light beryl eyes which filled with confusion at her words because Esme could not comprehend the meaning what she was trying to tell her here, and before she could even ask Maeve anything further, Maeve's phone beeped.

Esme closed her mouth, seeing Maeve taking her phone out. She noticed Maeve’s facial expressions shifting a bit after she saw the message she had received. 

Maeve sighed and stood up on her feet.

“Now take some rest. You need to wake up early in the morning tomorrow for Mr. Salvino’s wedding,” Maeve revealed and this shocked Esme. He was getting married? Tomorrow?

“All the manor’s staff needs to be present in the wedding hall tomorrow sharp at 8’o clock, so take some rest now,” saying that Maeve left Esme’s room.

Slowly turning her head away from the door, Esme looked at Elea. 

Would his wedding bring some positivity in her and her kid’s life?

He was getting married tomorrow….. but to whom? 

Only if Esme knew tomorrow who was really going to be the bride of the mafia don.

……………

Next morning, Esme woke up early, just like Maeve had told her, but Elea also woke up with her and started crying when the kid found out that her mother was going somewhere.

“No, mumma. I want to go with you,” tiny drops of tears fell from the kid’s eyes, who wanted to go with her mumma wherever she was going.

“Lea….baby, mumma is going to work. You can’t come with me,” Esme attempted to calm her kid down but she aggressively shook her head in denial. 

“No…” Elea teared up more. The kid had barely ever stayed away from her mother, so she just wanted her mother to be with her.

“I want to go with you, mumma,” the kid started choking on her tears. Her face flushed red. Esme’s heart ached, seeing her child crying so much. She hugged her kid and caressed her back and head to calm her down.

“Lea…please don’t cry, my baby. Mumma will be back soon,” she uttered to her kid who continued to weep against her shoulder. 

Esme trailed her eyes towards Maeve, who was standing in front of her and was staring at Elea with a visibly worried look on her face as both the women knew they were not allowed to take the kid with them to the wedding hall, so Elea needed to stay here with some guards and other house staff. 

“Please, don’t cry, Elea,” Esme didn’t want to leave her kid alone, especially in this place but she was helpless here. She could not go against the words of the cruel owner of this place, who did not like kids and their presence around him. 

The kid's cries turned louder.

“Elea, please baby. Stop crying….we….”

“Good morning, Mr. Salvino,” Maeve spoke out suddenly. Esme looked at Maeve and saw her gazing behind her, so she also turned her head around only to find him standing at the door, behind her, along with Calix, who was standing behind him.

His piercing grey eyes were already on her and her kid. 

Esme swallowed. He hated kids, so she understood that Elea's cries might anger or annoy him.

What was he going to do now with them, especially with her kid?