THE BRIDE CHAPTER 28

The Bride
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 swirled in their depth. She’s
beautiful more than the average woman. The first
thing you will 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 glance 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 travel around his
secretary in our home.”
I looked at the woman beside me. I nearly laughed
when I saw her stun reaction. Serves you right, the
evil voiced 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 realized that I am starring at her
when she glanced in my direction I cocked an
eyebrow before settling my gaze to 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 in her face she seemed unsure of her
impromptu decision. “Uh—yes,” She said almost
closed to a whisper. “Let’s go, Signore.”
I tucked her hand to my arms giving for a show. I
heart leaped with joy when I notice Francesca’s eyes
turned into the coldest night of the winter season.
How I loved when she was jealous with other
women. And that’s the leverage I will use against
her.
The princess and I exited in 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 spoke again until we were at their
magnificent garden.
“I don’t want to marry you.” She said without
preamble once she was sure we are alone in the
garden. She removed her hand to 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, 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 laughed at her. I first thought that
she’s just puppet to 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 believed that this is the first time that a
woman ever called me just a ‘quite handsome’
man.”
“Pardon, Signore.” She said as the blushed goes in a
deeper shade of red. She avoided my gaze by
looking at the perfectly trim lawn. The woman didn’t
stare to 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. Refine and well-
manner. “The title of a ‘princess’ is no longer
signifying anything. It just now only an honorary title
for our family it’s gloried past.”
“All right, Laila.” I said, smiling to her direction. “But
what is the reason why are you 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 it will only bring heartache and
misery.”
“What it happened to her marriage?”
She gave a sad smile. “Sì. Besides, I cannot marry
with the simple reason that I am already in love with
someone else.”
I smiled mirthlessly. This thing goes better and better
as the time pass now 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 while a sweet smile playing in 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 didn’t know
anything or else he will forbid Rafaelle to come here.
You see my Patri wants that he will be the one who
will choose the man who is suitable to be our
husband—for me and my twin sister, that is.”
Does Rafaelle is 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
to him. He was my closest confidant in this strict
world I breathe in.”
So this kind-hearted princess had this kind of tale in
her life here in this old town of Ragusa. An
unrequited love with her probably childhood friend.
I drew her a little further from the manor. For all I
know the tyrant Sicilian still have ears in the walls of
this house. “I will tell you a secret, Laila.”
She frowned in my direction but placed a ready
smile in 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 more than you are not
willing to marry me.”
“Then why—”
I smiled evilly in her direction. “Remember the
woman with me awhile ago?”
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 shocked in her face. “She’s Francesca
Marcolini a private teacher and I hire 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 and place it to my arms.
“Let’s walk. For all we know your father is spying
with us right now. Act like you enjoys our walk.”
Laila glanced discreetly in the forbidding manor as if
looking for her father in those countless windows.
“All right.”
*
We started to walk in the huge garden of the
Fiorenza. “The reason I seek for your hand in
marriage was because of her. “
“She did?” Laila’s green eyes widened considerably.
“But why?”
I sighed as I remember how my plan of wooing her
went straight down to hell. “You see, I asked her to
find me a suitable bride in disguised of courting 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 with 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 realize that she’s
starting to fall for me that’s why so got scared and
push you under my nose instantly. I know she’s
scared at the thought of marrying again. She was
badly hurt by her previous marriage.”
“You care for her.”
I eyed her in amusement. “You sound like you knew
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 grinned. 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 in marriage.”
“You really like her.” Laila said with smug smile on
her beautiful face.
“Princess…” I warned darkly.
She laughed loudly, her eyes sparks with energy.
She wasn’t the timid woman I thought her to be. “All
right, I’ll stop teasing you. What is the plan of
yours?”
“I want us to pretend that we are still engage 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 at her cool green eyes. “I
want to teach my grandparents a lesson.”
“Your grandparents?” She asked with a frowned.
“What did they do to you?”
I smirked, thinking about the machination they did to
me these past few months. “They’d been pushing
me towards Francesca. I didn’t stop them since that’s
the direction I want to take. But I just want to teach
them a lesson that I am more witty than them. I love
to see their faces when I introduce you as my
fiancée.”
“When do you plan to introduce me?” Laila asked
nervously.
“To 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 in
marrying me, Marco. I will help you with everything
I can.”

To be continued