Convicted: A Dark Ex-Con Romance

by Piper Sullivan

  A little while later the doctor asked Louis to join him and he couldn’t help but feel the immense sense of sadness as he looked down at Belinda where she lay staring out the window, her skin pale against the dark hair that framed her face.

  “How is she?” he asked tentatively, taking her hand in his, surprised that she didn’t pull away from him.

  “She does show some signs of stress but it’s very normal when a woman’s body undergoes such extreme changes during pregnancy…” the doctor started.

  “Scusami, pregnant?” he asked in disbelief.

  “Yes, that is correct. She’s about four weeks now,” the doctor said and turned his attention to Belinda, “Signora, you would need to visit my rooms as soon as you feel up to it so that we can make sure everything is in order, but your blood pressure seems fine.”

  Louis stood in shock as he looked down at Belinda. This was the last thing he expected, he had assumed she was on birth control like most women should be in this day and age. How could she possibly be pregnant?

  He walked the doctor to the door and let him find his own way out then came to sit beside her.

  “Did you know you were pregnant?” he asked trying not to sound accusing.

  “No, I didn’t,” she said without looking his way.

  “Belinda, look at me. Were you not on birth control?” he asked trying to control his impatience.

  She whipped her head around and glared at him, “No I was not. What seems to be the problem Louis, are you afraid that I might trick you into marrying me?” she bit out harshly.

  “You know it’s not like that,” he countered.

  “Do you think this is what I wanted, a baby born into the mafia!?” she said raising her voice.

  “Calmati,” he said and took a deep breath, “I’m sorry for upsetting you. I just didn’t expect this,” he said quietly.

  “Well neither did I, so here we are. Getting married in a few days, and I’m having your baby. Instant family isn’t that just brilliant,” she bit out sarcastically.

  “Bella, please don’t stress yourself out, we can hold off with the wedding…”

  “No, I will not walk down the aisle looking like a house or give anyone reason to think I am a promiscuous gold digger,” she said bitterly, “we will wed as planned.”

  She had a point, everyone will think he is marrying her because she is with child, and the gossipmongers will have a field day. He just wished she could show more compassion, he wanted her the way she was when he first met her.

  “As you will, mio cara, we will continue as planned.”

  “I’m tired,” she said quietly turning her back on him.

  “Get some rest, I’ll bring you some food later, and we can talk about the wedding then.”

  He stood looking at her for a brief moment and then quietly left her to rest, closing the door behind him.

  Although he didn’t expect this to happen he couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride knowing he was going to be a father. Maybe in time she would grow to love him and they would become a true family.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Four weeks later…

  With the passing of her father, the wedding was postponed but finally the inevitable day had arrived. She stood looking at herself in the mirror, the wedding dress was even more beautiful than she expected. Thankfully there were no signs of pregnancy as yet. Although her breasts were tender, she had gotten over most of her morning sickness which was a relief. To her surprise, Louis went out of his way to give her whatever her heart desired to make this day as perfect as it could possibly be. He even got Natalie to attend the wedding so that she could be the maid of honor.

  “You look amazing Bee,” Natalie said as she tucked some of the stray strands of hair back in place, “I still can’t believe this is all happening so fast.”

  “It was love at first sight,” she said quietly and stepped off the pedestal.

  “You’re so damn lucky.”

  You have no idea, she thought.

  A slight knock on the door drew her attention but before Natalie could inquire who it was, Louis stepped into the room.

  “Hey! You’re not allowed to see the bride before the wedding!” she cried and tried to shove him back out the door.

  “I have to see Belinda, it is of utmost importance.”

  Belinda looked at him and noticed the serious look on his face, then nodded at Natalie, “It’s okay Nat, will you give us a moment?”

  “Ugh, this is such bad luck,” her friend mumbled and walked out of the room.

  Louis could hardly take his eyes of Belinda, she was the most beautiful bride he had ever seen, and although he would want nothing more but to have her promise her entire life to him, he had a pressing matter to discuss. And this could very well be the end of this fairytale wedding.

  “I had some of my men investigate an issue that has been on my mind for some time now,” he started and walked to the window, “Remember when you mentioned the accountant?”

  “Yes?” she said curiously.

  “We’ll I never made that arrangement, my father did. So I had him investigated.”

  He turned to her and took both her hands in his.

  “It is true that our parents promised us to each other when we were just children, but my father had ulterior motives. You see, El Pescore has been a front for my father, it was the only way he could invest his money in the United States…” Louis started to explain. He told her how he found out about his father’s business, and how he used El Pescore’s Italian food supplier as a front to legitimize the movement of money from Italy to America.

  Belinda was shocked to the core. All this time her pride and joy was a sham. She slowly sat down on the bed with a hundred and one questions flooding her mind.

  “I want you to listen to me. I have already moved my father’s assets away from your restaurant, and signed the business over into my name,” Louis said as he stood on his haunches in front of her, “but my father will soon find out, and when he does all hell will break lose. The only way I can secure your safety is if you were my wife.”

  For a moment her mind went blank, but clarity soon descended on her and she looked at Louis with both determination and admiration. She knew that what he had done was dangerous but the fact that he did this for her must mean that he cared.

  “Is El Pescore in danger of being closed down or destroyed?” she asked.

  “No, with El Pescore no longer the front, it will be meaningless for him to pursue it and I will ensure that nothing happens to your restaurant or to your staff.”

  “Good, then I will marry you,” she said quietly.

  Louis stood up and dragged his hands through his hair, “That’s just it. I don’t want you to just marry me. I want you to want to marry me. I want our child to know that his parents care for each other.”

  That took her for a loop, and she wasn’t quite sure she understood what he wanted. Over the past few weeks after her father’s death, Louis was compassionate and understanding and somewhere between, I hate you and I forgive you, she fell in love with him, not to mention that she now carried his child. But it was a realization she opted to bury forever. It took her weeks to come to terms with the fact her love for him would be unrequited.

  “You want me to want to marry you?” she asked tilting her head.

  “Si, marriage without love is nothing but a business transaction,” he said and kissed the palm of her hand. “I want our child to have a happy home.”

  When he did things like that she could not fault him. She wanted him and from his declaration he wanted her too. She sat for a moment and contemplated her future.

  “Do you love me?” she asked.

  “I didn’t believe this to be possible, but you’ve changed me somehow. And knowing that I might marry a woman who does not love me made me reconsider…” he started and then came to sit next to her, “I am in love with you, which is why I don’t want you to marry me if there is any doubt in your heart o
r mind.”

  She could feel the tears prick her eyes and she quickly blinked them away. For weeks she tried to be strong, harden her heart and show everyone that she was a force to be reckoned with. A woman who refused to let circumstance and tragedy weaken her, but now she could barely keep it together.

  “I am in love with you too,” she whispered.

  “Mio dolce amore, then we shall marry and take this world by storm. I will protect you and our child all of my days.”

  Suddenly her walls crumbled down and a sob ripped through her chest. All her pent up emotions like a raging river, broke the walls that she fought so hard to keep erected.

  “Once we are married, I will go with you to New York, and we will start afresh there,” he said as he cupped her face in his hands.

  “What will happen when your father finds out about El Pescore?” she asked searching his eyes.

  “Let me worry about that, mio caro, I’m his son, and you are now his daughter-in-law, he will find other ways to manage his business. I will help him set up a shelf company in the United States, one that will have no strings to El Pescore or the Benedetti’s,” he reassured her and then pressed his lips against her, kissing her softly.

  After the wedding, they both left for New York to start their own family. Belinda accepted the fact that her life will never be the same, but with Louis by her side and their child on the way, she knew she could face any circumstance. After her father passed away, she assumed the position as the Donna Benedetti in the largest Mafia Family in the United States.

  Louis earned his father’s respect, despite the fact that he created a shelf company for his family, withdrawing El Pescore as the front for the mafia.

  THE END

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  Royal Deal

  Chapter One

  The heat slams into me as I step down off the plane onto the private tarmac; oppressive and heavy. A far cry from the cool, crisp temperatures of the air-conditioned cabin of the corporate jet, the Washington humidity is relentless. Beads of sweat immediately form on the nape of my neck, causing my hair to curl. Desperate to escape the brutal heat of the July sun, I hastily made my way to the waiting limo.

  Sliding to the far side of the vehicle, I breathe a sigh of relief at once again being in the comforts of air conditioning. Pulling out my compact, I tried to comb my fingers through my hair willing it to straighten back out. With a sigh, I clamp the compact shut; resigned to the fact that the time spent meticulously straightening my naturally wavy locks, had been in vain. Thankfully, my father had deemed it pertinent that we arrive in D.C. a day early to prepare for the upcoming contract negotiations. I would have time tomorrow morning to re-tame the wild tendrils.

  The car door opened once more, letting in another blast of heat as my father and his Vice President of Defense Operations, Alistair Todwick, joined me. As the CEO of Aughton Securities and a royal descendent, Michael Sheffield was an imposing figure. A career military man, he spent a decade in the Royal Welsh Regiment before building his defense firm from the ground up. He carried himself with a certain poise. His dark eyes; keen with intelligence and scrutiny, could command your attention from across the room.

  Where my father was tall, dark, and formidable; Alistair Todwick was his polar opposite. With fair skin, blue eyes and light hair, Alistair literally paled in comparison to my father. Despite being of royal blood, my father came from humble beginnings. His great-grandmother had been the Countess of Essex and sixth in line to the throne, but she had fallen in love with a commoner. Bucking tradition, she had opted to marry her sheep farmer.

  Giving up the life of luxury that the palace provided, she and her husband tended the sheep, worked the farm, and raised their family away from the spotlight. It was the kind of romance that fairytales were made of. They ended up having five children and 14 great-grandchildren, one of those being my father.

  As a sheep farmer’s son, my father had worked his way through college mucking stalls, and working the family farm before setting out to build his dream. Aughton Securities was one of the most prominent defense firms in the U.K. and he also held a position as a member of the Welsh Parliament. He carried himself with an innate hardness and determination.

  Whereas Alistair’s family had money, tons of it, and he grew up the pampered prep-school boy with a silver spoon. Attending Eton and later Cambridge, Alistair was brilliant, but he was weak and soft, and carried himself with an air of entitlement. I didn’t understand what my father saw in him, but father continued to praise his work and requested that he accompany us on this trip.

  Alistair made every effort to look like the devoted employee in my father’s presence, but behind his back, he scoffed at having to take orders from a ‘hired hand.’ Alistair couldn’t get past the scandal of my father’s great-grandmother not marrying royalty. He could only dream of having the lineage that my father had. He felt that the success of the company was due to his endeavors and efforts rather than my father’s hard work. He also took his sense of entitlement too far, making inappropriate comments and requests to his staff, particularly to the females. He had very strong opinions about a woman’s place; their time better spent on their backs than in the office. Having been on the receiving end of his unwanted advances, I couldn’t stand to be in the same car with him let alone be spending an entire weekend working with him. He made my skin crawl.

  Already having a natural disdain toward women, he took particular exception with me and my position as Chief Legal Counsel, despite my qualifications. I had worked my way up through the firm, never accepting a helping hand from my father. Not that it was offered. My father didn’t believe in handouts. No daughter of his was going to be given a free-ride, regardless of bloodline or royal heritage. Nor did I want one.

  I was proud of my lineage, but I didn’t want any favors. Technically, my father was the Viscount of Essex, which made me the Baroness of Essex but I never used the title. I wanted to earn my way, rather than have it be handed it to me because of a title. I started as a legal intern in the corporate office at Aughton Securities as I studied contract law at Oxford. Graduating in the top ten of my class, I was offered lucrative partnerships in prestigious law firms across the U.K. and abroad. Instead, I chose to stay and accept a junior associate position in my father’s company.

  I still remember the gleam of pride in his eye when I formally announced that I would be following in his footsteps at the company. He had never once engaged me as to what path I should choose upon graduation. I was his only child, his baby, yet he stepped back and let me decide for myself. I respected him so much more for that. In the end, it was an easy decision for me. I wanted to continue the legacy of what he had built. But, I was determined to make a name for myself on my own merit, out from under the shadow of my father.

  Over the years, I had worked my way up from junior associate to partner, and now to Chief Legal Counsel. Alistair resented my rise in the company, especially now that my title and position was above his own. Deciding that the only way to gain true control of the company was to be Michael’s son-in-law, Alistair launched a ridiculous campaign to court me. Recognizing him for the lecherous snake that he was, I quite publicly stymied his advances. Letting it be known in no uncertain terms that I was not, nor would I ever be, interested in any kind of involvement with him.

  When his efforts to win control of the company through marriage failed, his animosity and cruelty only continued to grow. In the company of my father, he portrayed the perfect touch of admiration, respect, and willingness to collaborate. But behind closed doors and out of my father’s earshot, he looked for any opportunity to sabotage or belittle my accomplishments.

  Scooting over to make room for them in the limo, I thought about how quiet things had been of late. It could only mean one thing. He was planning something, something big.

  Chapter T
wo

  The ride to the hotel was relatively uneventful. That is if you exclude Alistair’s repeated attempts to invade my personal space. Upon climbing into the limousine, rather than take a seat opposite me, he proceeded to slide all the way over to my side so we were touching. Bile rose in the back of my throat as he pressed his thigh firmly against mine. Aware of my discomfort he simply sneered, offering a trite apology.

  “Pardon me, Angelique.” But he made no attempts to slide back over.

  Refusing to be baited, I simply smiled and said, “Oh, it’s no problem Alistair. I’ll just move over to this side to make room for Father.” Before he could think of a retort, I quickly added, “I know you mentioned wanting to go back over the contract negotiation strategy for tomorrow, and this will give me the space to pull those documents.”

  Consciously aware of the length of my skirt, I maneuvered over to the opposite bench seat, careful to keep my posterior away from Alistair’s lecherous gaze. Other than the slight clenching of his jaw, he gave away no indication of his feelings over being thwarted yet again.

  Before he could have an opportunity to play musical chairs, I quickly hoisted my briefcase and laptop onto the seat next to me. Continuing the pretense of wanting to peruse the contracts, I pulled out several copies of the draft proposal.

  “That’s an excellent idea,” my father said as he climbed in next to Alistair. “I want to make sure that we are well prepared for tomorrow. Ingenix is known for being shrewd negotiators, and I want to make sure that we are all on the same page.”