MAFIA LOVE SCANDAL

Anne felt something soft touching her cheek. Opening her eyes, she found Kaivan, neatly dressed, sitting at the edge of the bed.

The man flashed a smile. He reached his right hand to gently stroke Anne’s freely flowing hair.

“Kai… where are you going?” Anne asked with a puzzled look. The woman wasn’t delirious; she clearly remembered it was a day off. So, where was her husband off to, all dressed up so early in the morning?

“I’m going shooting with my friends,” Kaivan answered with a smile. “Would you like to come?”

Anne immediately sat up from her sleep. She playfully stretched her arms toward him, as if asking for a hug.

Understanding his wife’s request, Kaivan readily embraced her, showering her with affection. He planted a kiss on the top of her head and spoke again.

“Heiii… I’m inviting you to come along,” the man teased. “Do you want to join? Or maybe…”

“Is it safe for me to come along?” Anne inquired, tilting her head. She realized she couldn’t just go out of the hotel freely anymore. There were undoubtedly others out there who might be after her life.

“Don’t worry. You’ll be just fine. This is London, not Italy. Besides, I’ll take good care of you. So, you don’t need to worry.”

Anne nodded with confidence. In reality, she didn’t need to be excessively afraid.

“Alright, I’ll go with you.”

“Great, you can freshen up and get ready. Meanwhile, I’ll prepare breakfast for you.”

After completing all her morning rituals and looking elegant and neat, Anne decided to catch up with Kaivan, who was already in the dining room. With slightly quick steps, Anne caught a whiff of the aroma of bread and strong coffee filling the room. Kaivan, noticing his wife’s presence, welcomed her. He pulled out a chair and guided Anne to sit. And once she was seated, without hesitation, he planted a gentle kiss on the top of her brown-haired head.

“Good morning, dear.”

This greeting actually startled Anne a bit. She truly didn’t expect the man who might have been calling her a troublemaker just last week to greet her with such warmth and even call her “dear.” The sharp, brusque Kaivan seemed to have transformed.

“I made you an American Sandwich and a glass of milk,” he said as he placed a plate of bread in front of Anne. “Would you like something else?”

Anne accepted the breakfast Kaivan offered. “This is more than enough, Kai. Actually, you don’t have to go through all this trouble. I should be the one serving you.”

Kaivan sat back in the chair facing Anne. He, too, began to enjoy the breakfast he had painstakingly prepared.

“I’m not troubled. Just so you know, I enjoy doing this for you.”

Anne’s hand reached out. She picked up her sandwich and started to savor it. She chewed the bread slowly, unconsciously breaking into a smile.

“It seems you’re quite skilled in cooking. I’m really impressed by all the abilities you have.”

Kaivan clearly smiled, pleased with such praise.

“I told you, if you want, I’ll keep cooking for you. Even forever, if necessary.”

Anne laughed heartily. Why was this guy suddenly so cheesy? Or maybe, was this a talent that Kaivan hadn’t shown for a long time?

“Such an exaggeration. But beyond that, I genuinely thank you for all the kindness you’ve shown me,” Anne said sincerely.

“No need to thank me. It’s only right that I do this. I should be the one apologizing for all the wrong things I’ve done to you before.” The man reached for one of Anne’s wrists. Gazing intently at his wife’s face, he spoke softly again. “I promise, starting from this moment, I’ll treat you as well as I can.”

Anne replied with a smile.

“Let’s just forget it. Besides, it’s not entirely your fault, right? So, there’s no need to apologize.”

Kaivan nodded slowly.

“In that case, finish your breakfast. After that, we’ll head out.”

After enjoying breakfast together, Kaivan immediately took Anne to one of the private shooting arenas where he and his friends often spent their time. Kenzi, who was there first, welcomed the couple. The oriental-faced man was taken aback when he saw an unusual sight. From the main entrance to entering the arena, he could see how Kaivan continued to affectionately hold Anne’s hand, not intending to let go.

“Has the fierce Siberian Wolf now turned into a cute Persian Cat?” Instead of Kenzi, it was Edward who threw the sarcastic remark. He felt the same way as his other friends did.

“What do you mean?” Kaivan squinted. He was well aware that his friend and playing rival was mocking him.

“The last time we played, I didn’t see any affection between you two. Did I and the others miss a moment?” Once again, Edward spoke sarcastically. Edward was the master of banter.

“Is there a rule against a husband being affectionate with his own wife?”

Edward shook his head.

“Of course not. It’s just that…”

“Just that we’re glad to see this change,” Kenzi interrupted, cutting off Edward. “Ken…” Edward sighed irritably. “Who told you to interrupt me? You also surely noticed the change in Kaivan, right?”

Kenzi nodded.

“Every man can change when he finds the right woman.”

“Not applicable to me,” the man retorted. “Even if I do meet a woman, I don’t want to become infatuated, let alone do things that make me look foolish.”

Richard, who had been silent all this time, immediately clicked his tongue. He was ready to respond to his eternal rival’s words.

“Don’t talk too much, Ed. We’ll see when you find a woman you consider right. Whether your words just now still apply to you.”

Seeing his two friends bickering, Kenzi immediately intervened. He asked everyone to get ready and choose their weapons.

“Do you want to join in shooting too?” Kaivan asked Anne, who had been faithfully standing by his side.

“No, you go ahead. I’m embarrassed by your friends,” Anne replied.

At that moment, while Kaivan was choosing his weapon, he grabbed a SIG SAUER pistol and handed it to Anne, speaking as he did so.

“No need to be embarrassed. They also need to see your firearm skills.”

Anne finally couldn’t refuse anymore. Along with the others, she entered the arena. Kaivan even allowed her to take the first shot at the provided target.

Edward, who seemed very enthusiastic, immediately stood up and approached, his eyes sharp as he watched the show his friend’s wife was about to put on.

Before starting, Anne first put on special shooting glasses. The next moment, she aimed the pistol she was holding at the target displayed in front of her.

Taking a deep breath, Anne calculated her every move. Counting down in her mind, precisely on the count of one, she fired. And voila, the bullet hit the target right on the mark.

“Woahh,” Edward exclaimed. “Are you kidding me? Turns out you’re skilled too.” He continued speaking excitedly. “Oh my God, Kaivan, why did you bring your wife only now? If I had known, I could have challenged her.”

Kaivan, in his standing position, burst into laughter.

“Do you want to try competing with my wife?”

Edward immediately nodded confidently.

“Why not. This seems interesting.”

The next thing they did was to compete in skill. Anne even happily demonstrated all her abilities. They all seemed to be enjoying the game so much that time passed by unnoticed.

****

Kaivan Maximilian was a man trained from childhood to read all situations. His instincts were finely honed, allowing him to quickly sense danger that might be lurking around him.

From the moment he decided to leave the hotel premises, Kaivan had felt a looming threat. The peak of it was when he had just exited the shooting range. It was evident that two jeeps were tailing the sports car he was driving. Even when Kaivan intentionally entered a rough road, the jeeps continued to follow closely behind.

Anne, who initially appeared unaffected, started to feel uneasy. Kaivan, who usually spoke a lot, was unusually quiet, completely focused on driving. Several times, Anne noticed him glancing at the rearview mirror to check on something behind their car.

“What’s actually happening?” Anne asked anxiously.

Instead of answering right away, Kaivan opened the dashboard compartment beside him. He pulled out a handgun and handed it to Anne.

“Hold this gun,” Kaivan instructed.

Confused, Anne naturally had many questions. Why was her husband giving her a pistol? Were they about to face enemies?

“Kai… you haven’t answered my question. What’s really going on?”

Kaivan glanced at the rearview mirror hanging above the car’s dashboard. His blue irises looked sharp and vigilant as they observed the vehicle behind them.

“Anne, I’m sorry,” he said softly. “But it seems like we’ve been followed for a while now. And I’m quite certain that they’re Luca’s men following us right now.”

Upon hearing this news, Anne took a deep breath. Instantly, a sense of anxiety spread through her entire body. It wasn’t fear of death but rather worry that these people might try to harm Kaivan again. She wouldn’t forgive herself if her husband got hurt again. Because of her, Kaivan was now entangled in this dangerous situation.

As her thoughts swirled around in her mind, Anne was startled when the car following them deliberately bumped into the rear bumper of Kaivan’s vehicle. And as they started crossing the bridge connecting Southwark and the city of London, the two jeeps deliberately flanked the car Kaivan was driving once again.

“Argh!!!” Anne reflexively turned her head to the left. She could clearly see the black car continuously flanking their vehicle.

“Anne, are you okay?” Kaivan glanced briefly at his wife, making sure of her condition beside him.

“I’m fine,” Anne answered quickly. At the same time, she could feel Kaivan accelerating the car, trying to evade any potential follow-up attacks.

“You can drive, right?” Kaivan asked again, his eyes still focused on the road.

“Of course, I can,” Anne replied. “Why? Do you want us to switch places?”

Kaivan nodded, maintaining the car’s speed. Slowly, he unfastened the seatbelt around him. Meanwhile, Anne, understanding what needed to be done, quickly moved to change positions.

Right after they swapped positions, a shot rang out from behind, hitting the right-side mirror. Startled, Anne immediately adopted a vigilant stance.

With all the courage he could muster, Kaivan opened the car’s sunroof located on the roof. Carefully, he positioned a quarter of his body outside and attempted to aim the Glock Meyer pistol he held at the enemies’ car’s tires.

Calculating his shots carefully, Kaivan fired. Unfortunately, out of the three shots he fired, none hit their mark.

With lightning-like speed, the pursuing car caught up again, trying to align itself with their position. In the next moment, a violent collision was unavoidable for Anne and Kaivan.

“Kai…” In his driving position, Anne made sure of Kaivan’s condition as he stood.

“It’s okay,” Kaivan replied. “Just keep focusing on driving,” he ordered.

Those words slightly calmed Anne’s heart. She believed that her husband could handle the chaos unfolding.

Before Anne’s worries could dissipate, the following jeep continued to cause trouble. The car once again aligned itself and repeatedly collided with the side of the vehicle Anne was driving. Feeling threatened, Kaivan retaliated by firing a few shots, while Anne worked to keep the car stable.

Fortunately, this time, Kaivan’s bullets hit the front wheel of the black car that had attacked them earlier. Then, with precision and calculation, Anne retaliated by ramming the enemy’s jeep, forcing it off the road and eventually crashing it into a road barrier.

Anne thought it was over, forgetting that there was one more jeep still targeting them. This time, the jeep was more aggressive than before. Just as they exited the bridge, the jeep successfully blocked the path of the car Anne was driving. Four large men emerged from the jeep, approaching with purpose. They attempted to open the car Anne and Kaivan were in.

“Anne… are you ready to face them?” Kaivan asked once again.

“Whatever it is, as long as I’m with you, I’ll always be ready.”

Without any countdown or signal, Kaivan and Anne simultaneously opened the car doors. Afterward, each of them put up resistance.

Physical contact was inevitable. When Anne felt her hand grabbed by someone, she countered with a swift kick. A few well-aimed blows to the chest and neck of their opponents rendered one of them incapacitated.

Seeing her husband being ganged up on by three people, Anne rushed over to provide assistance. She tried to lend a hand. She pulled one of the attackers and delivered a powerful punch to his face, causing blood to flow from the man’s eyebrow.

When Kaivan noticed one of the criminals aiming a weapon at Anne while she was busy defending herself, he acted swiftly. At the same time, he fired a shot. Luckily, the bullet hit its mark accurately. Another man fell, possibly killed on the spot.

Leaving one incapacitated criminal, Kaivan immediately approached. He first struck the man’s face before whispering a special message.

“Tell your leader. If you dare play with my life, don’t expect me to spare yours.”Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

Kaivan then stood up, grabbing Anne’s wrist. He led her back to the car. Once they were both inside, he quickly accelerated the vehicle to return to the hotel.