THE BRIDE - By Shaxee
Chapter 28
You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win. -Zig Ziglar
Marco Orsini’s POV
I kissed the hand of this Sicilian princess and stared at her pretty emerald eyes. I smiled to myself when I saw the emotion swirl in their depth. She’s more beautiful than the average woman.
The first thing you are bound to notice was her striking green eyes. But…
“Patri,” The princess had said to her father, looking at him with such pain in her eyes. “Will you permit me to talk alone with—with…” She swallowed as if she couldn’t say the word. She glanced at me and continued. “…m-my fiancé?”
The tyrant father eyed us guardedly, probably weighing if he will allow his daughter’s small request. “Very well,” He said after awhile. “Show Signore Orsini our garden, Laila. While I take his secretary around our home.”
I looked at the woman beside me. I nearly laughed when I saw her stunned reaction. Serves you right, the evil voice inside my head had said darkly. I could almost imagine the internal debate she’s having right this moment.
But I will not end this preposterous scheme until you give in. I will play with your jealousy until you can’t take it and you will finally bare your heart’s content to me. Oh yes, I will do that even if I need to play dirty. So be it.
Francesca must have realized that I was starring at her when she glanced in my direction I cocked an eyebrow before settling my gaze on the Sicilian princess. You will fall for me, Francesca. Soon.
“Shall we, Signorina?” I asked the woman in front of me pleasantly. From the look on her face, she seemed unsure of her impromptu decision.
“Uh—yes,” She said almost in a whisper. “Let’s go, Signore.”
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I tucked her hand through my arms giving a show. My heart leaped with joy when I noticed Francesca’s eyes turn the coldest night of the winter season.
How I loved when she was jealous of other women. And that’s the leverage I will use against her. The princess and I exited the study room of her father.
The watchdog was still outside waiting for the command of the formidable Sicilian don. We passed the endless corridors before we arrived at the grand staircase.
The princess didn’t speak again until we were in their magnificent garden. “I don’t want to marry you.” She said without preamble once she was sure we were alone in the garden.
She removed her hand from my arms and stared at me with her infamous cold green eyes. I raised my eyebrows at her declaration.
“May I know why, princess?”
“Don’t get me wrong,” She said, a blush spread through her pale cheeks like wildfire. “You are quite handsome but I don’t want to enter a loveless marriage.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at her. I first thought that she’s just a puppet doing her father’s bidding. I didn’t realize that this obedient daughter will voice out her protest about our union. I thought that she will just do what her tyrant father asked her to do.
“Quite handsome.” I mused out loud, smiling at the thought. “I believe this is the first time that a woman ever called me just a ‘quite handsome’ man.”
“Pardon, Signore.” She said as the blush went a deeper shade of red. She avoided my gaze by looking at the perfectly trim lawn. The woman didn’t stare at a person’s face for a long time. “I didn’t mean to sound rude to you but—”
“Please call me Marco.” I interrupted her casually. “There is only one woman who can call me Signore as a way of her affection to me, princess.”
“Then you must call me Laila.” She murmured softly. She’s really like a princess of those Victorian novel books my stepmother used to read. Refined and well-mannered. “The title ‘princess’ is no longer signifying anything. Its now only an honorary title for our family’s gloried past.”
“All right, Laila.” I said, smiling in her direction. “But what is the reason you are against this marriage?”
She looked at me for a moment as if debating whether to tell the truth of not.
“You see, when my Mama was still alive she told me never to enter a loveless marriage as it will only bring heartache and misery.”
“What, it happened to her marriage?”
She gave a sad smile. “Sì. Besides, I cannot marry for the simple reason that I am already in love with someone else.”
I smiled mirthlessly. This thing gets better and better as the time goes by, I don’t have to worry about breaking her heart in the process. She seemed to be a very nice girl.
“Really?” I asked pleasantly. “Who is the lucky guy?”
She blushed again with a sweet smile playing on her lips. “His name is Rafaelle Moretti. My Patri’s favored godson.”
“Does your father know this?” I asked her.
She shook her dark head. “No. He doesn’t know anything or else he would forbid Rafaelle to come here. You see my Patri wants to be the one to choose the man who is suitable to be a husband—for me and my twin sister, that is.”
"Is Rafaelle aware of your feeling?”
Laila stared at me in horror and gave an awkward smile. “Oh, no…my goodness, he doesn’t have any idea. I will be mortified if he knew about my feelings for him. He is my closest confidant in this strict world I dwell in.”
So this kind-hearted princess had this kind of tale in her life here in this old town of Ragusa. An unrequited love for her probably childhood friend. I drew her a little further from the manor. For all I know the tyrant Sicilian still had ears in the walls of this house.
“I will tell you a secret, Laila.”
She frowned in my direction but placed a ready smile on her aristocratic face. “Okay…”
When we were in the middle of the garden and no housekeeper around I told her my plan.
“The truth is I don’t want to marry you any more than you are willing to marry me.”
“Then why—”
I smiled evilly in her direction. “Remember the woman with me back there?”
She nodded. Clearly, not following the turn of events here. “Yes…”
“She’s not really my secretary.” I told her the truth. I could see the shock on her face. “She’s Francesca Marcolini a private teacher and I hired her to look for my bride as my grandfather gave me an ultimatum.”
“I still don’t understand…”
“It’s quite simple, actually.” I informed her kindly, talking her hand once again to place it on my arms. “Let’s walk. For all we know your father is spying on us right now. Act like you are enjoying our walk.”
Laila glanced discreetly at the forbidding manor as if looking for her father in those countless windows. “All right.”
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We started to walk in the huge garden of the Fiorenza. “The reason I sought for your hand in marriage was because of her. “
“You did?” Laila’s green eyes widened considerably. “But why?”
I sighed as I remembered how my plan of wooing her went straight down to hell. “You see, I asked her to find me a suitable bride in disguise to court her privately without her suspecting it.” I smiled warily. “She is my choice of bride.”
The woman in my arms grinned. “Do you love her, Marco?”
I was caught off guard by her question. “I —I will not answer that.” Not now.
“What went wrong?” Laila asked innocently.
I took a deep breath and stared at the endless scenery before us. “I think she realized that she’s starting to fall for me that’s why she got scared and pushed you under my nose instantly. I know she’s scared at the thought of marrying again. She was badly hurt in her previous marriage.”
“You care for her.”
I eyed her in amusement. “You sound like you know a lot when it comes to love, princess.” She glared at me. I laughed heartily. “I was just teasing you, Laila.”
The princess scoffed haughtily. “So what’s the plan? Do you still plan to continue this engagement to make her jealous?”
“Exactly.” I said with a grin. I will need this woman’s help if I want Francesca’s admission that she has feelings for me. “I want to teach her to have faith and overcome her fear of marriage.”
“You really like her.” Laila said with smug smile on her beautiful face.
“Princess…” I warned darkly.
She laughed loudly, her eyes sparkling with energy. She wasn’t the timid woman I thought her to be. “All right, I’ll stop teasing you. What is this plan of yours?”
“I want us to pretend that we are still engaged in public.” I told her wickedly. The plan is already set in my mind. By the end of this year I will have Francesca as my wife. “The goal is to make Francesca jealous over our pretend relationship.”
Laila raised her delicate eyebrow. “You are quite evil.”
“There’s more.”
“More?”
I grinned at her as I stared in her cool green eyes. “I want to teach my grandparents a lesson.”
“Your grandparents?” She asked with a frown. “What did they do to you?”
I smirked, thinking about the machination they put me through these past few months. “They’ve been pushing me towards Francesca. I didn’t stop them since that’s the direction I wanted to take. But I just want to teach them a lesson that I am more witty than them. I'd love to see their faces when I introduce you as my fiancée.” “When do you plan to introduce me?” Laila asked nervously.
“At my Nonno’s birthday next week.” I looked at her pointedly. “Are you willing to help me get the woman I want?”
A grateful smile flashed on her face. “Of course. I will be happy to help as long as you don’t really intend marrying me, Marco. I will help you with everything I can.”
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