Mafia Billionaire’s Forlorn Wife
Chapter 41

“Thank you so much for tonight, I’m truly grateful to have you as my friend, Rhys.” Amelia says as she turns her head towards me from where she is sitting beside me in her car.

While leaving the gala, we took her car and hence, she is now dropping me back home. It is well past midnight and the guilt of not following my wife home is now worse than ever.

I give her a tight lipped smile, “that’s not a problem. I’m only happy that you’re now feeling better than before. And remember what I told you, you are a lot bigger than your demons. You can easily defeat them and come out stronger in the end.”

Amelia really has suffered quite a lot in her life and her mental state has always been a little fragile. It is the reason why I placed the world’s greatest psychological specialists at her beck and call for whenever she feels like she needs counselling or help from the professionals.

“Your presence in my life is enough to give me the strength and courage to go on, Rhys.” She says as she reaches out and gives my hand two squeezes. The intensity of her eyes makes me a little fidgety because she has only ever looked at me this way during the time that we were together.

But dismissing it as her being slightly tipsy, I smile at her, “that’s not something that you have to worry about. I’ll always be here for you.” I tell her, genuinely meaning every word.

Amelia has been my friend since I could first start to make memories. We went to the same boarding school and we always had each other’s back. She has stood by my side through thick and thin. And even during the two years that we were together, we were mostly friends throughout the relationship.

Especially considering the fact that the relationship only started as a publicity strategy and slowly Amelia started liking the limelight it brought us. No doubt being in a committed relationship in the public eye also did wonders for my reputation in front of potential clients at the time. It was a mutually beneficial deal and even though it came as a shock when I found her cheating on me, but I wasn’t really hurt because I always knew that we don’t belong together.

That is the whole reason why we could bounce back as friends quicker than most other couples.

It was like both of us decided that our respective brands had reaped the benefits of our public relationship and then it was time to go back to being friends.

And besides, I know for a fact that after Arabella, there is no other woman in this world for me. No matter the fact that I try to deny myself of her presence, and I hate her for what her motives were when she married me, I still know that she is my wife for a reason.

There is no other woman I would rather be connected to.

Not even my childhood best friend who claims to know me the best.

I smile at Amelia, “go home and rest. I’ll see you soon,” I tell her, placing her hand back on the seat and turning slightly to open the door.

That is when Amelia dives towards me and wraps me in an embrace, pressing her cheek against my shoulder while her arms wound around my neck.

“Thank you, Rhys, I don’t know what I would do without you.” She says and her voice cracks slightly towards the end.

I furrow my brows in confusion as I gently pat the back of her head as one would do to a broken child, “hey, are you crying? I told you I’m here for you, right? It’ll all be okay.”

“What if I slip back into my old habits again? I’m scared Rhys…” she cries out.

I sigh, “nothing of the sort will happen. You have your army of doctors and you have me, I promise you that I won’t let anything happen to you.” I vow.

Amelia nods before she pulls back and her eyes are filled with tears as her breath fans over my face, “you’re so nice, Rhys…” she states, her voice slurring slightly as her eyes develop a glazed over look.

I tense up, placing my hands on her arms, I start to slowly and gently push her away, “you’re drunk, Amelia.” I remind her, knowing exactly what is going on in her mind at the moment as she refuses to pull back from me.

“Why can’t we be together again? We were so good together…” she pouts in that bratty manner she always does when she isn’t getting something she wants.

Even the feeling of another woman being in such close proximity is sickening for me and I realise at a blinding speed that the only woman I want to hold this close to myself is Arabella.

“You know we were terrible.” I remind her with scoff, keeping my voice friendly because I know how quickly she starts to feel as if she is being attacked. Especially in a situation like this one. “And I am married now, Amelia. Please get back.” I say tightening my grip slightly on her arms.

I can push her back with force but Amelia is in a fragile state of mind right now and she has severe issues with rejection. I don’t wish to bring in any unwelcome memories to her mind because of my actions.

Amelia’s eyes flash with anger, “you’re seriously pushing me away because of that wench?”

That is when my own anger rises to the surface, “careful, Amelia.” I warn her, feeling the last thread of my patience barely holding me together.

I am anyways irritated by the events of the night and I have no intentions of doing anything except for going to my room and sleeping. My mind is already occupied by the whys and the hows of Arabella leaving me alone at the gala, and now, with Amelia talking about things that she doesn’t know, I am getting closer to losing my cool.

She pouts as she pulls back finally and then sits in her own side, “you’re seriously getting too wound up about her, Rhys. She’s not even that good.” She states obnoxiously.

I roll my eyes. I do not have time to explain to her that even though she is my friend, my wife will always be better than her.

“Alright, good night then.” I say opening the car door and stepping out before she can stop me again, “text me when you reach home. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Amelia looks like she’s about to say something but I shut the door before she can.

And without looking back at her, I walk into the foyer of my house and climb up the stairs with the intention of going to my room and resting. I have to still find out who ordered the attack on Arabella’s car that night, and for that, I have an early morning meeting at Tartarus.

However, the moment I reach the top of the stairs, my feet take me towards the right hand side, instead of the left where my room actually is.

I run my hand through my hair as I shake my head, I am seriously screwed in my head if I am going to Arabella’s room right now.

Gods, what has this woman done to me?

And just as I stop in front of her room, the closed door greets me and listening closely, I hear no sounds from inside either.

Clearly she is sleeping right now and my heart is screaming at me to open the door and just take one look at her.

I shake my head, scolding my own self for being so stupid as I turn around and start towards my own room.

I would look so foolish if I sneak into her room after she left me at the gala tonight.

Could you be more desperate?

Reprimanding myself for my own thoughts, I finally make it to my room and turn in for the night.

⚜️⚜️⚜️

|The Next Morning|

I am currently sitting in the massive library inside Tartarus with a vintage copy of Les Miserables in my hand, open to the page I often reread to keep my mind sane.

At the moment, I am waiting for Victor— the man who can sniff out anyone on this globe and bring them to justice at my single command.

Victor is a spy, a sniper, a closer, and literally a thousand many things, all depending on his mission and convenience. He is a few years older than I am and he joined my father’s empire when he was merely a teen. He is one of the rare people that my father actually trusted and now that I have found myself unable to find the person behind the attack, Victor is the one that I am going to be sending in.

“Don’t tell me you’re still reading that.” I hear his gravelly voice and that makes me raise my head towards him as he stands by the entrance of the library and I smirk at him, turning around to fully face the bald headed man with a daunting scar marring one side of his face.

His lean frame may trick his opponents into believing that he isn’t strong enough but Victor is one of my strongest and most agile soldiers currently working for me.

“And so what if I am?” I ask him, putting the book back on the shelf as he approaches me and we shake each other’s hands. “It’s at least something better than going to underground orgies.”

Victor gives me a playful look, “first of all, they are extremely elite clubs that only invited guests may attend.” He points out, “and secondly, I was never much of a reader like you, Mikhailov.”

I chuckle, nodding my head before his eyes turn serious.

“What do you have for me?” He asks intently.

Now his business mode is on.

And respecting that, I pick up a black folder with all the information that I have on the attackers, “find the missing piece. And do it quick.” I tell him.

I cannot live another day knowing that one of the men who attacked Arabella are still out there somewhere.

Every day that passes, is another day that someone could attack my wife again. And I would not have that.

“Anything else?” He asks without opening the file. He is confident that he can pull it off and I am more than sure in his self assurance.

I nod my head, “I need access to all of the cameras on Dominico’s property here in Seattle. And his warehouses.”

It’s time for me to up my game. It’s time for me to act because Dominico needs to go down, now more than ever.

Victor nods his head, “48 hours for both.” And he is then walking out of the library after dipping his head towards me in regards.

I take in a deep breath, letting time do it’s work.

And that is when the thought of Arabella flashes through my head again and I finally swipe out my phone from my suit pocket with the intention of asking her if we can have lunch together.

I do wish to discuss why she left the gala so abruptly.

But before I can call her, my phone starts blowing up and I find news articles with my name popping up on my screen just as Jeremiah’s call appears in front of me.

Now what the f**k has happened?