The Don's Chosen Wife

"Do you, Lyla Augustine Lane, take, Zeno Alaister Leander Valentini for your lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do you part?" The priest asked the bride, speaking the words of consent. He looked at the bride, waiting. The dramatic pause made the ceremony feel heavy.

In front of hundreds of guests, the bride stood frozen. In a sea of unknown people, the bride couldn't move an inch. The question was hard to digest in her brain and heart.

A hard squeeze on her hands brought her back to reality. Her light brown eyes met those grayish, dark blue eyes, looking sharp. On the other end, she could feel her parents' staring eyes too. She was squared.

"I do," she said, like a whisper, soft and light.

Once the groom said "I do" too, he smirked at her. A smirk with preying eyes that made her feel scared. What had she gotten herself into?

"Mine," he growled lowly before crashing his lips on hers.

It tasted minty yet so sweet, making the bride lose her mind for a moment, so that she forgot the man standing in front of her was a total stranger to her.

A week had passed since that day when she tied a knot with Zeno Alaister Leander Valentini. She successfully escaped the first night as a married couple with an old-fashioned excuse, "I'm on my period".

She slept in the master bedroom where they should be sleeping together. Out of the seven days, she never once felt his presence on the bed. She couldn't confirm it as she had a habit of early bedtime. She always sleeps at ten, the latest was at 11. She never goes to bed after midnight without a reason. When it was just a normal day, she slept at 10.

Waking up today felt groggy. Lyla washed her face, brushed her teeth as usual before getting out of the bedroom and went downstairs.

A steaming hot coffee was left on top of a dining table which made her confused. She never saw a cup of coffee placed on the table. First, because she didn't drink coffee, and second, it was supposed to be her only one in this house. Whose that cup of coffee belong to?

"Good morning." Lyla jumped in her spot when she heard his deep and throaty voice. She quickly turned around and found him walking towards her. Lyla immediately scooted back as he kept striding. His presence overwhelmed her. Because she hadn't seen him after he brought her here. "Sleep well?"

"Ye—yes, mor—ning," she replied groggily and stammeredly.

He stopped walking when he noticed Lyla had bumped into a chair. He quickly grabbed her waist, preventing her from falling over. Even though she tried to hold onto the chair, her feet stumbled her over.

"Careful, cicci." His face was so close to hers, felt like the tip of their nose touched. Lyla could smell his minty breath, which let her know how close they were. Her breath hitched when he casually placed his lips on hers. He pressed it lightly, enough to make her feel his thick and smooth lips.

He pulled back, straightened up his posture which also brought her to stand up. "Can you make breakfast? Toast some bread," he said, and sat down on the chair where his cup of coffee was placed.

Lyla breathed out, didn't know she was holding it in until he sat down.

"Cicci?" Lyla's head snapped towards him automatically. She didn't even know the meaning of that word. But he called her by that word earlier. She was supposed to acknowledge it as a name for her, called by him.

"I let the maids off for the day. There's only us here right now. Won't you serve me breakfast, wife?" He raised an eyebrow, questioning her stillness.

"Okay." She nodded and quickly made her way to the kitchen. She knew the maids would always stock some white, wheat, and gluten-free bread in the house because Zeno liked something light for breakfast. On some days, there would be some other pastries too, like croissants.

Today should be that kind of day, but the table was empty and so was the house.

Lyla toasted some of each type of bread because she didn't know what he liked, so she played her luck by toasting them all. Then, she placed them on the plate coordinately, clean and neat. She also brought along all the jams kept on the kitchen counter. She grabbed the tray and carried it to the dining table where Zeno was waiting.

"Where are you going? Sit down and have some." Zeno grabbed her wrist when she turned back after putting the plate and jams down on the table. He gestured to the chair on his right, which made her take the head of the seat. The head seat was supposed to be his, and he alone could take it. Since there were only the couple in the house, he didn't mind; he told her to instead.

"Did you turn off your phone?" he asked, but his hands were busy spreading some peanut butter on top of the toasted bread, and his eyes were trained on it.

"Yes," she replied shortly. She watched as his hand smoothly glided the knife to spread some peanut butter on the toast. Lyla gulped nervously, she had every reason to be nervous. This moment was the first time she ever got close to him after the wedding, and this was the first time he talked to him. She was still adjusting her new life around him.

"Why?" He looked up, trying to see what she would answer. Then, he handed the toast to her with his other hand still holding the knife. There was no plate to put it on, so he thrust it directly at her.

Lyla's eyes shifted to the toast, then back to him. Was he trying to test her? Lyla had an allergy to tree nuts, and she didn't like peanut butter. Those things were her sister's favorite. He must have studied her beforehand.

"Here, eat up," Zeno said, thrusting the toast towards her again. He didn't get tired waiting for her to accept the toast, his hand was.

Reluctantly, she accepted the toast and just held it in her hands. She put her hands down on the table and watched him make another one, probably for himself, because he made the same thing she had just given her. She waited as she didn't want to be rude to eat first, when clearly, her husband was still making his toast. That word felt strange and weird to her, yet she still needed to learn to embrace the reality.

"Eat," he told her, pointing at the toast with his. He took a bite, but his eyes never left hers. He made it obvious that he was watching her. So, she had no choice but to take a bite of the toast. She took the smallest bite and barely touched the peanut butter.

While Zeno looked like he was enjoying the toast, Lyla looked obviously forced to eat. But, she munched it with no problem.

Zeno sighed and looked away while continue eating his toast. What was he expecting?