Substitute Wife for the Mafia King R18-Chapter 232: His Possession

“I know that it’s going to make things a little more complicated for us but I’m sure that I can manage it. I’ll limit the time that I spend with him so that it doesn’t affect my role as Diana,” I said with the hope to dissolve his concern.

He must have been worried that I wouldn’t be able to perform my role as Diana properly as per the deal that our families had made. Even I had to admit that it was going to be difficult; however, I was certain that I could make it all work out somehow. The easiest way was to limit the number of times that the prince could call on me to act as his girlfriend. Desmond isn’t going to be pleased about it but I wouldn’t give him any other choice but to accept my terms.

“This is precisely why I didn’t want you to meet him...” Bradon muttered darkly.

“I’m sorry, but there’s no other way. Desmond is going to be king very soon...” I replied softly.

“Desmond?” Bradon said as he stared and then frowned at me.

Bradon’s reaction made me realize all too late that I had just called the prince by his name. That must have been the point where I realized that there was no way that I could save this conversation anymore. To make matters even worse, I had no idea what I could say to explain my slip of tongue to him.

“Are you two close?” he asked in a low whisper.

“No. We’re not close,” I replied immediately.

“You called him by his name so casually. As if you’re friends...or something more,” he said observantly.

I felt a knot tie and then untied itself in the pit of my stomach as a sense of dread filled my mouth with bitterness. Once again, I wonder just how much Bradon knew or if he knew anything at all besides the news that went out during my time with the prince in the past. Even then, not all of those rumors were true in the first place.

“We’re not friends...” I denied as I tried to stay truthful.

As for if we’re ‘something more’, that’s a little hard for me to say...

Regardless, it felt like something of the past that should remain buried in the past. I tried to stop myself from frowning as I wondered for the countless time, if I was making the right decision in reenacting the past once again.

I don’t have a choice...

“Don’t worry. I’ll just attend some public events with him as a couple a few times. I’m sure that’s all that he wants and probably all that is needed to create enough rumors to ward off his potential matches. I think he’s just doing this because he needs some time to settle down after taking over as the next king...” I said as I tried to keep my tone light and reassuring at the same time.

“Was that all?” he asked coldly.

I could tell that he was referring to the past and not the future that was about to come at all. My mouth clamped shut as if even my body refuses to divulge this secret to anyone. My mind didn’t need to consider it, my mouth just refused to move.

“What do you mean?” I asked innocently.

“Was that all you did when you were with him?” he asked, more directly this time.

Why does it matter?

The past can’t be changed. What happened had happened. I had no idea why Bradon was suddenly interested in my past relationship with the prince. Was it just simple curiosity, or was it something more?

“Why? Are you scared that I’ll end up falling for him or something?” I asked before letting out a laugh in my best effort to conceal my discomfort.

The way the air about him seemed to darken along with the cold stare of his eyes told me that he didn’t find my teasing question amusing in the least. Falling for Desmond wasn’t something that I planned on doing and I didn’t perceive the possibility as a threat. If I was going to fall in love with the prince, it would have happened a long time ago. Bradon didn’t say a word and the silence that stretched on between us made me even more anxious.

“Hmm...I guess you don’t like sharing your woman with another man. Is that it?” I took a guess that I thought wasn’t at all that wild.

Simply because I couldn’t come up with another reason why he seemed to dislike the idea of me spending time with the prince, I figured that it must have something to do with how possessive he is of me. If I had to profile Bradon then I would say that he would be a boy that would never share his toy with anyone. He would rather play with his toy alone so that he could enjoy it alone. The thought of me sleeping with the prince while we were still under our contract marriage must have been unthinkable to him in that sense.

Then again, I was sure that he could give me up for the right price. My thoughts darkened a little when I recalled the deal that he made and the many things that he had gained from the prince almost as payment for him to have a chat with me.

“If that’s what you’re worried about, you don’t have to worry anymore. I won’t sleep with the prince. I promise,” I announced before flashing him a smile.

Bradon’s face had turned into an emotionless mask that felt like it was made of cold hard stone. I could tell that he was beyond furious. I knew that I should stop talking but the heat that rose up in my chest started to get to my head.

“If the prince wants to sleep with me, I’m sure that he’ll compensate you handsomely for it. That shouldn’t be a problem, right? You know, just like how you made a deal with him just so that he could talk to me in private for a bit...” I said before letting out a scoff.

–To be continued...