Bargain Bride: The Billionaire’s Forced Wife

THE MARRIED COUPLE were holding each other’s hands as they walked towards the house that holds a special place in Ezio’s heart. The moment the house was in full view from their perspective, Chiara felt her husband’s hand tighten while gripping hers.

The house only has two floors with a rooftop. It has a modern style with a combination of black and cream in the interior, with some wood finishes. The gate is enormous. Chiara thought that it was almost three times of her height. She felt small while standing behind the gate.

“Is it locked?” she asked her husband when she realized that the gate is closed. She tried looking between the gaps of the rails in order to see what’s ahead.

“Yes, cara,” Ezio answered before a clanging sound of metals was heard. “But don’t worry. I still have the keys.”

He picked one of the keys, the grey one, and used it to open the gate from the outside. Ezio used one of his hands to push the gate open while the other one is intertwined with his wife’s hand. Their bodyguards, headed by Gabriel, were left on the gate to guard and make them safe.

“You still have your keys in this house?” Chiara wondered. “I thought you left many years ago.”

Ezio gave a small smile. He can still remember the day he left this house, just months are his father’s death. With a heavy heart, he left his mother and started again, until he was able to build his own name.

“I was looking forward for the day I will come back here,” he answered his wife. “That’s why I decided to keep the copy of the keys I have. It’s a good thing Mamma didn’t replace the locks.”

It’s been almost a decade since Ezio left, and the fact that his mother, Elisa, didn’t change the locks means that she is still waiting for her child to return. It just means that she is still welcoming her son on their first home.

The front yard of the house is well kept, and Chiara wondered if Elisa has workers to clean the inside and outside of the house every now and then. The flowers are still blooming and the plants have healthy leaves, as if there is still people living inside.

Chiara found out that Elisa left this house just a few months after Ezio left, on the exact one year anniversary of her husband’s death. She guessed that it must be hard for Elisa to stay in a place that will remind her of her late husband.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

Ezio opened the main door using another key in his hand. They were greeted by a minimalist interior. The whole area is spacious with only a few walls separating each part of the house.

From the main door, the first thing they saw is the living area. The cream and black couches were resting in the middle part, with a staircase towards the second floor on each side. On the left is the main kitchen and the dining area. While on the right is another living room, but with speakers and television.

“It’s so beautiful, tesoro,” Chiara spoke while admiring the place. She looked around, inspecting every designs that captured her interest.

Ezio slowly sat down on the open living area, with his eyes staring at the backyard with their own swimming pool. Chiara joined her husband and looked at the same direction.

“Babbo used to have a barbecue party every Sunday in our backyard, ” Ezio spoke, reminiscing the past moments with his father. “He will cook for us and Mamma will get me ready for swimming. It was a tradition of us every Sunday. It’s repetitive, but I enjoyed every moment of it.”

His eyes flickered a lot of emotions at the same time. Chiara couldn’t figure it out. It might be sadness, longing, regret, or other emotions that she cannot name.

“You are close to your father, right?” she asked while caressing his hand that’s resting on her leg.

Ezio nodded. “We were close. I’m close to both of my parents before, ” he responded. “Mamma and Babbo will always make time for me even if they are busy with business and work. They were never absent on the most important events of my life.”

“In this living room, Mamma used to teach me. This is the place where she complimented my intelligence, stating that I am a gifted gift, ” his smile became wider while speaking. “Babbo also used to play with me here. He also taught me about business in this place.”

He guided Chiara to stand up and they walked towards the main kitchen. They stopped on the dining table. It was a resin table, with forest design underneath. The chairs have detailed designs of trees and leaves. Above the table is a straight chandelier with five mini-bulbs, and on top of it are a few leaves and vines.

Ezio hugged his wife from the back before pointing towards the empty space of the wall in front of them.

“Mamma used to put tarpaulins on that part. Sometimes she would decorate it with balloons and colored foils. Whenever we celebrate something, usually about my academics, we would celebrate it in this part of the house.

His hand slowly touched the resin table and he slid it towards the edges. “Mamma will cook delicious foods for us. Before eating, they will give me their gifts before telling me that I am the best child in the world.”

“I was full of love growing up,” he kissed her cheek. “But it all went down when my father died.”

She felt his fingers tremble on her skin. Chiara touched him gently, a message that she is right there with him. She looked at his troubled face with worry.

“In just a few moments, our perfect lives were ruined by an outsider. My mother hated me for being the reason why my father died,” he continued. “I was blaming myself that I cannot bare to live with Mamma anymore. I thought that seeing me brought pain and harmful memories to her, so I decided fo leave and make her life peaceful.”

“I always look at her from afar. I thought she was doing good since Mamma always looked radiant outside. I always made sure Mamma is safe, because I don’t want to lose another parent.”

As they hugged each other, Chiara’s eyes landed on the refrigerator. It was a huge one that the stocks can last for months for a small family, but it was not as huge as their fridge in the mansion.

On the doors of the refrigerator were papers with magnets on top that kept them in place. She doesn’t even need to come closer because she can already see that the papers were drawings.

The papers looked old, and Chiara has a hunch that those were Ezio’s drawings when he was a child. A photo of him in elementary school graduation was also on the refrigerator.

“Tesoro, where’s your room?” Chiara suddenly asked when she remembered the rooms upstairs.

Ezio showed a playful smile at her. “Why, cara? Do you want to do something?” he asked as his eyebrows moved up and down.

Chiara pinched his arm, realizing his flirtatious movements and nasty mind. “Stop being so green-minded. I’m just curious about your room. ”

He just chuckled at her before pulling his wife towards the second floor. On the right, she saw the only door with stickers and decorations outside.

“Ezio,” Chiara read the big letters fixed on the door. The door has stickers, mostly heroic characters and some male cartoon heroes.

Ezio opened the door and they were greeted with several books inside. Almost all sides of the room has books. A queen side bed is resting on the middle part. On the right side are his computers and other gadgets. Just by looking at the room, Chiara knew that his parents really gave him everything he wanted and needed.

She walked towards the only part of the wall with no books. Rather, that part is filled with medals, trophies, and plaques.

“You are an overachiever, ” Chiara commented while reading the contents of each award.

She heard him chuckle behind her before she felt his body touching hers. Ezio’s finger touched the grandest trophy sitting in the middle of the wall.

“I always won in every competition. These awards are the proofs of it,” he stated, looking loud and proud.

When Chiara was finished reading every award, she walked towards the bulletim board near his computer, just above the study area.

Cut outs from newspapers were pinned on the board, and folded colored papers were beside those things. Curious Chiara took a good look at the contents.

She noticed that all news were about Ezio, but those news were about his achievements as a businessman. The latest news on the bulletin board is about Ezio securing a partnership with one of the largest business in France, which just a few months ago.

Chiara knew that Ezio couldn’t be the one to design this bulletin board. The only person who can do this Elisa.

She opened one of the folded colored papers, and her eyes suddenly went teary. Sniffing, Chiara pulled her husband closer.

“I thonk you should read this,” she spoke before patting his back gently.

Ezio moved closer to the paper, reading it’s contents.

“I’m so happy when I read this news. My son is really talented and genuis. Imagine, he wasn’t even in his thirties, yet he managed to secure such a large deal! My son will be the biggest, wealthiest, and most successful businessman man not just in Italy, but in whole Europe. I’m sure his father is so proud of him. I just hope my son will visit me again.”

He opened more of the colored papers, reading each of the messages his mother wrote for him throughout these years.

“My son…”

“He is the best…”

“I know he can do it…”

“I missed him…”

“I want to apologize…”

“Please visit Mamma…”

“I love you, my child…”

Turns out, Ezio wasn’t only the one looking after his mother. Elisa is also updated on what’s happening in his life, celebrating his successes silently.

With teary eyes and a smile, he pulled out a bond paper with borders, the same paper he used to write on for letters for his parents before, and some colored pencils and ballpen.

He poured his heart out on the paper. Each sliding movement of the pens and pencils showed his emotions and words that he kept to himself for several years.

After finishing it, he gently pinned the paper on the middle part of bulletin board, hoping that his mother will read his message for him: a message of love and longing for a mother’s affection.