Filed to story: Second Chance Mafia Bride Drama Novel
Once upon a time, she’d fallen for this exact routine-trusting, even moved by Rubina’s empty words.
In the end, she’d barely made it a day after running away before her family dragged her back and threw her at Nicholas’s feet.
And Rubina? She’d rushed to volunteer herself to Nicholas. She hadn’t managed to become Mrs. Salerno, but she’d certainly won Elder Mrs.
Salerno’s favor, and with it, plenty of rewards.
“Serena, why aren’t you saying anything?”
Rubina’s patience was wearing thin with Serena’s silence.
Hiding her bitterness behind a cool smile, Serena replied lightly, “No need. You should go.”
“What?” Rubina blinked, her voice rising. “Are you really going to let Mr. Salerno down? You-“
“How would I be letting him down?” Serena cut her off. “We’re not even together. Besides, Mr. Nicholas Salerno and I have been engaged since we were kids. Isn’t it only natural for me to marry him?”
Looking back, her stepmother had kept her so sheltered and foolish. Damien had approached her with nothing but an agenda, and she’d been too blind to see it.
He’d never once agreed to be her boyfriend, but Serena hadn’t even realized he was stringing her along. Instead, she’d actually believed that the jerk had some kind of tragic reason for keeping his distance.
When Rubina heard her response, she was utterly dumbfounded.
Wait-wasn’t Serena supposed to be madly in love with Damien? What on earth was going on?
She was about to keep pushing, but Serena shot her a suspicious look. “Rubina, weren’t you just saying that my happiness is all that matters? Well, what I want right now is to marry Mr. Nicholas Salerno. So why are you trying to talk me into running away with someone else?”
Rubina faltered. “I just thought you liked Mr. Damien Salerno…”
“Who said I liked him? What does he have that Mr. Nicholas Salerno doesn’t?” Serena scoffed, clearly annoyed. “He’s the one who’s been chasing after me-l just didn’t have the heart to turn him down.”
Rubina stared at her. “So you’re saying Mr. Damien Salerno isn’t good enough for you?”
Serena let out a cold, dismissive laugh.
The name Mr. Salerno sounded impressive. He was part of the well-known Salerno family, and people said he called Nicholas “Uncle Nicholas”-everyone was eager to curry favor with him. But in reality, Damien’s father was nothing more than an illegitimate son the Salernos refused to acknowledge.
With such a questionable background, he’d only be considered a catch in a place like Fairhaven, far from the scrutiny of Riverton’s high society.
“Good enough for me?” she shot back. “Even if the Grecos have been in decline since my mother passed away, I’m hardly desperate enough to marry the son of a man who wasn’t even accepted by his own family.”
Rubina fell silent, unable to think of a retort.
As she left Rosewood Manor, Rubina was still reeling. When had Serena- the naive fool-become so hard to handle?
With Rubina out of the way, Serena knew she still had to deal with Nicholas. She worried he might believe whatever Rubina had said and start to distrust her.
She was just about to explain herself when Mary’s sharp voice cut in. “Ma’am, did you go into Mr. Salerno’s room?”
Serena froze.
Nicholas had let the whole bathrobe incident slide, but sneaking into his bedroom without permission was a much bigger offense.
She blinked, putting on her most innocent expression. “I just went in to take a shower…”
“And you couldn’t shower anywhere else? Why did it have to be Mr. Salerno’s room?” Mary’s voice was clipped, her brow furrowed in disapproval.
Serena shot her a glance. “My room didn’t have hot water. Something must’ve been wrong with the plumbing.”
“Mary?” Nicholas’s voice was calm but carried an unmistakable authority. He lifted his gaze, clearly expecting an explanation as to why the room Mary herself had arranged for Serena didn’t even have hot water.
Mary’s face tightened. Other women before Serena had dealt with these petty inconveniences, but Nicholas had never cared enough to intervene. She hadn’t expected him to speak up for this particular Ms. Greco.
“I’ll have someone check it right away. It must have been an oversight on my part,” Mary replied quickly, though she wasn’t about to let Serena off so easily. “But even if there was no hot water in that room, there are plenty of other guest rooms. Why did you have to use Mr. Salerno’s?”
“Someone took me there,” Serena answered, her gaze flicking to one of the maids.
She had only just returned to this life and hadn’t caught on right away, but surely May-who’d served at Rosewood Manor for years-would know all about Nicholas’s rules. And then, when she’d asked for clothes, nothing had been brought; she’d been forced to rummage through Nicholas’s closet herself. The whole thing felt orchestrated.
May’s face turned ashen; tears welled in her eyes and she dropped to her knees. “Mr. Salerno, I swear I didn’t! I meant to show her to the guest room next door- I don’t know how she ended up in yours!”
Mary jumped in to defend the maid. “Mr. Salerno, May is the most honest girl we have. She would never lie.”
Hearing Mary speak up for May, Serena realized there was no way she’d be able to get the girl punished-not with Mary’s backing. Mary’s word carried a lot of weight with Nicholas.
So she let it go and turned to the impossibly handsome man before her, her tone soft and a little plaintive. “I’m your wife now-am I really not even allowed in your room?”
The air in the room went suddenly still.
Logan nearly choked on his own spit.
Was Ms. Serena Greco always this unpredictable? The way she stood her ground, even dragging Mary and May into the fray, he’d have bet money she’d keep pushing yet here she was, switching tactics entirely. He shot Serena a sidelong glance, eyebrows raised in surprise.
Among everyone in the house, only Ms. Serena Greco would dare breeze in and call Mr. Salerno “Hubby” right to his face, especially when he looked as cold and unapproachable as he did now. All the previous Mrs. Salernos had trembled just trying to speak to him.
Serena, meanwhile, thought to herself: With a man like Nicholas on her side, why waste breath arguing with Mary?
She fluttered her eyelashes, her eyes bright and sweet as she tilted her head. “Hubby?”
Nicholas’s gaze landed on her. His chiseled face was drawn tight, the lines of his jaw sharp, his whole presence radiating icy composure.
As the silence stretched, Serena started to fidget, nerves creeping in. Maybe she’d pushed too far. Well, it made sense-this wasn’t her last life after all.
Across the room, May couldn’t help but let a smirk slip.
Mr. Salerno had been tolerant before, sure, but did Serena really think she was special? Given Mr. Salerno’s temperament-
“You may come in.”
May’s face froze mid-smirk.
Serena’s eyes lit up. She broke into a dazzling smile, her voice bubbling with hope. “Does that mean I can come in anytime?”
“You’re my wife. You’re always welcome.”
The staff stared, stunned into silence.
Logan blinked. Was this for real? None of the previous wives had ever gotten that kind of privilege. Was this what double standards looked like in real life?
“Thank you, Hubby!” Serena practically skipped over and gave Nicholas’s arm a quick, impulsive hug.
His body went rigid as a board. Misreading his reaction, Serena blushed and hurriedly let go.
“I’ll go upstairs and change,” she said softly.
Nicholas glanced at her bathrobe, his tone cool as he turned to Mary. “You didn’t prepare clothes for my wife?”
After showing Serena special favor twice, Mary didn’t dare protest. She nodded quickly. “They’re ready, sir.”
He gave a curt nod, then added, “Prepare the guest room next to my bedroom for her.”