His Tesoro: An Arranged Marriage Age Gap Mafia Romance (Empire of Royals Book 1)

It took me three attempts to tie my tie this morning. And it was definitely not because my thoughts were consumed by my new bride.

She was way too young.

And way too fucking beautiful.

After my meeting with the arms dealer, I’d stayed in my office, drinking alone until three in the morning. When I’d returned to my apartment, the door to the guest room was shut and the lights were out. Even in the stillness, I swore I could feel her presence.

I might be a bastard for leaving her alone right after we arrived, but she wasn’t anything to me, really. Just a stranger. A roommate.

But that didn’t explain the urgency I felt to get out of my room and find her.

Looking in the mirror at my still-crooked tie, I rolled my eyes as I ran my hand through my hair. I was Matteo fucking Rossi. Head of the Mafia. A twenty-one-year-old girl wasn’t going to disrupt my life.

I strode out of my bedroom while adjusting my cufflinks but came to an abrupt stop when I saw Sofiya standing at the kitchen island.

Fucking standing.

Was this some kind of a joke? My brain whirled as I tried to understand why she had lied about being in a wheelchair. Was it to get some kind of advantage over me? Was it her idea or her family’s?

The morning light streamed through the window, making her hair shine as she tucked a strand behind her ear. She was writing something down on a piece of paper, completely oblivious to me. That didn’t sit well with me, either. Why wasn’t she more aware of her surroundings?

I walked into the kitchen, my anger driving every step.

“What the fuck do you think you’re playing at?” I growled.

Sofiya gasped with a jolt, her eyes flying to mine. “Oh! Sorry, I didn’t see you.” Her round cheeks grew pink as I stared at her, unblinking. “Umm, good morning?” Her words came out as a question.

No, I refused to be swayed by her innocent act.

“You didn’t answer my question,” I seethed.

She chewed her lip, her cheeks growing redder. “I didn’t catch it. Sorry.”

Why was she playing dumb? I rounded the kitchen island and that was when I saw it. The walker in front of her. How she was leaning all her weight on the counter.

Shit.

My insistence that I didn’t need to know anything about my bride before our marriage seemed idiotic now. I had to check with Romeo to see if he’d gotten her medical records yet.

“Is something wrong?” Sofiya asked. She had to tilt her head up to meet my gaze.

“You’re in the way,” I snapped, my anger at her quickly transforming into embarrassed irritation towards myself. “You might live here now, but that doesn’t mean it’s your home to do with as you please.”

Her lips parted and she quickly looked around the massive penthouse apartment, as if trying to figure out whose way she was in.

“Do you… should I…” Her voice was a whisper as she stumbled over her words.

“Spit it out.” I didn’t want to have to look at her big, sad, blue eyes anymore.

“You want me to stay in my room?” she finally got out.

“Yes, fine,” I said, needing this conversation to be over.

She averted her gaze and gave me a little nod before moving her hands to her walker. It was on the tip of my tongue to ask her about her disability, but that would mean staying in her presence. And every second I spent with my little wife, the more I got drawn in. I had made the mistake of trusting people in the past, and it had cost me everything. I wouldn’t do it again.

Sofiya walked slowly back to her room, leaning heavily on the walker. I caught a hint of her scent as she walked past me—something sweet and floral. I looked down at the paper she’d been writing on. At the top of the page, it said “Sofiya’s Famous Cinnamon Rolls,” and it looked like she had been checking off the ingredients she needed.

Something stirred in my chest. A sharp pain that felt almost like… regret. I adjusted my sleeves and pushed the feeling away. I needed to get to the office. I found myself hoping that the Albanians would cause some shit today. Getting my hands dirty would get my mind off my wife.

I left the apartment, jerking my head at Angelo. “Make sure she doesn’t leave.”

He nodded, keeping his position by the door.