Filed to story: Second Chance Mafia Bride Drama Novel
Nicholas noticed her discomfort and played along. “What are these?”
“My mom’s company shares-ones I just reclaimed!” she declared, beaming as she looked at him, waiting for his reaction.
Nicholas seemed to understand what she was hoping for. He paused, then nodded. “That’s impressive.”
The praise slipped out almost automatically, but hearing it made Serena’s ears burn again. She turned away, flustered. “It’s not that impressive. I used to be clueless-let people trick me out of everything…”
Nicholas watched her profile, his gaze gentle. “But you’re not clueless anymore. You’re smart now.”
The air in the car seemed to thicken, growing warm and heavy.
From the front seat, Logan thought, I shouldn’t be here. I should probably crawl under the car instead.
Serena, cheeks still burning from his praise, solemnly set the box in Nicholas’s lap. “Here for you.”
He looked surprised. “For me?”
She nodded, face pink. “Consider it my dowry. I wish I could give you something better, but right now, this is the most valuable thing I own.”
Her voice softened at the end, the words trailing off.
Seagate Innovations was a well-known company in its field. But compared to Nicholas’s wealth, this gift was barely a drop in the ocean. Something that would make others green with envy was, to him, hardly worth mentioning.
“For me…?” Nicholas was momentarily stunned.
He’d received countless gifts in his twenty-seven years, but none had ever moved him the way this stack of papers did. Because she was giving him everything she had and she didn’t hesitate for a second.
Seeing him fall silent, Serena patted her chest and promised, “When I get rich, I’ll give you something even better!”
If anyone else had said that to Nicholas Salerno, he would have laughed at the absurdity. Money was the one thing he’d never lacked.
But when he looked into her clear, earnest eyes, the words were anything but ridiculous. They left him quietly, deeply moved.
You could see straight into her eyes-clear, honest, with no shadow of deceit or empty flattery. She truly meant what she was saying. It was as if, no matter what she held in her hands now, she’d willingly give the very best to him without a second thought.
She watched him nervously, her gaze fixed as if every subtle movement of his could sway her mood. To her, he was everything.
Nicholas’s eyes were unreadable, deep as a midnight lake, locked on her.
Suddenly, Serena felt a ripple of danger wash over her, the hairs on the back of her neck prickling.
Then, unexpectedly, the man gave a low, quiet laugh. His voice was rough when he said, “Alright. I’ll accept it.”
Serena stood there, dumbstruck.
In two lifetimes, she could count on one hand the times she’d seen Nicholas smile. Caught off guard, she couldn’t help staring, mesmerized.
“What is it?” he asked, his tone gentler than before.
She snapped back to herself. “It’s nothing!”
Her cheeks flushed warm as she hurriedly looked away, embarrassed, ducking her head.
She couldn’t help but think-her husband was just too handsome…
Rosewood Manor.
“Why isn’t Mr. Salerno back yet?”
For what felt like the hundredth time, Alice peered anxiously out the window.
May, busy polishing a vase, replied, “Maybe something held him up…”
She hadn’t even finished the sentence when the sound of a car pulling up caught their attention.
Alice’s eyes lit up and she was about to rush out the door when she saw the car door open. To her surprise, the first one out was Serena!
She lifted her elaborate, beautiful dress, looking every bit the princess straight out of a storybook.
“So that’s where Mr. Salerno was he went to pick her up,” May remarked. “The hotel hosting her gala isn’t even on the way home. He must’ve gone out of his way just for her.”
“And that dress-Mr. Salerno had it custom-made for her. There’s not another one like it in the world…”
“Enough!” Alice snapped, her jaw clenched.
Her eyes darkened with spite. “Let her enjoy her little moment. In two days, I’ll make sure she’s out on the street and gone from Rosewood Manor for good.”
As Serena walked toward the house, she suddenly felt the sting of a hostile gaze. She turned, just in time to catch a glimpse of Alice’s silhouette disappearing around the corner. Narrowing her eyes, she made a mental note but set it aside for now. She rounded the car just as Logan was lowering the wheelchair from the trunk.
“Darling, let me help you out!” she called, hurrying over and pulling open the car door.
Nicholas’s tone softened, indulgent. “Alright.”
Logan, who’d been about to help himself, paused mid-step and silently withdrew. Serena carefully helped Nicholas into the wheelchair, then, as if it was second nature, took the handles and began to push him toward the house.
Logan could only watch in silence.
Was he about to be out of a job?
Inside the study, Nicholas said, “Go get some rest.”
“I’m not tired!” Serena chirped.
He gave her a helpless look. “Don’t your feet hurt?”
She stopped, caught off guard. She was still wearing high heels, and after such a long day, her feet really were aching. She hadn’t expected him to notice.
A wave of sweetness filled her chest. “Oh… I’ll go change right now!”
Her skirt swirled as she hurried out, leaving a faint trace of perfume in the air. The study grew quiet once she’d gone.
Nicholas withdrew his gaze and opened the box on his desk.
On the paperwork, Nora’s name was already signed as the transferor. The space for the recipient, however, was still blank. All he needed to do was sign his name, and these shares would be his.
Logan, seeing Mr. Salerno hesitate for so long, assumed he wasn’t planning to accept the gift. After all, for a man like Mr. Salerno, this sort of thing was hardly worth mentioning…
“Ruby,” Nicholas said suddenly, stretching out a long, elegant hand.
Logan was surprised, but didn’t hesitate for a second. He quickly grabbed Mr. Salerno’s favorite pen from the desk and handed it over with respect.
Nicholas took the pen, and with a calm, deliberate hand, signed his name at the bottom of the document. For a moment, he seemed almost solemn, as if he truly meant every word Serena had said though perhaps it was just her imagination.
Logan hesitated, wanting to say something about how young women these days were masterful at sweet-talking, spinning tales that could charm anyone, and how one shouldn’t take their words at face value so easily! But seeing the rare good mood on Mr. Salerno’s face, he thought better of it and kept quiet.
Upstairs in her room, Serena slipped off her shoes and changed out of her evening dress. She couldn’t help but smile, thinking about Nicholas’s unexpected concern for her. The corners of her lips lifted in a way she couldn’t hide.
Once she’d tidied herself up, she turned to the bouquet of flowers on her table- already wilting a little. Carefully, she took them out of the vase, planning to press them into bookmarks. After all, it was the very first bouquet Nicholas had ever given her; it meant something, and she wasn’t about to simply throw it away.
But her good mood didn’t last long.
