Chapter 19


    Belle''s POV


    Sebastian the delivery guy is none other than Axel De Alba, the head of the Cabana Cartel. He looked


    in my direction a couple of times but I just hiss at him. I actually don''t like his guts anymore.


    I don''t get why he had to pretend to be someone else when he could have just introduced himself that


    time. I mean, how hard is it for a boss to be a normal human being for once?


    "You''ve met De Alba?" Niki asked, clenching his jaw while looking in Axel''s direction. And I can see


    that the Cartel Boss is enjoying every bit of reaction he''s getting from Niki. If looking at someone


    could kill, Axel would have been dead minutes ago.


    I ced my palm on top of Niki''s hand and squeezed it gently to get his attention. He''s holding the


    gold wolf head of the cane tightly, the veins in his hand are already showing.


    I told Niki how Axel and I met and it looks like it pissed him off even more. This is not a time for a


    jealous Niki. We are in a business gathering and he should be focused on business and not some


    petty jealousy.


    "What''s that fucker''s problem?" Alexei said with furrowed eyebrows, as he sits beside me while holding


    a ss of liquor.


    And this is definitely not a good time for a jealous Alexei. Two jealous Volkovs is not a good


    "Apparently, they''ve met." Niki responded to Alexei.


    I swallowed the lump in my throat. I feel like I did something wrong although I don''t see why this is


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    supposed to be my fault.


    "I did not intend to keep this from the two of you. I did not even know that the man who delivered food


    to me was--him." I answered and I''m so close to getting annoyed, mad even! "You two are making it


    sound like I enjoy being in this position. I don''t!"


    "What position exactly?" Niki asked. I don''t know if it''s just my pregnant hormones messing with my


    mood but his question left a bad taste in my mouth.


    I removed my palm from the back of his hand. In my mind, I''m already screaming my response to his


    question. The position of being used of being a whore! Oh wait-- let me be exact. The Russian


    Boss'' whore. The Albanian Boss'' whore. And now the Cartel Boss'' whore!


    I kept my mouth shut. I''m so mad at him right now. I squeezed my palm just to prevent myself from


    I attempted to stand up but Niki already caught me by my arm, pulling me back to my seat.


    "Let go of me at once or I swear to god Niki I''m going to leave and go back home tonight and I don''t


    mean New York." I say as calm as possible but deep inside, I want to transform into a full-blown


    hormonal bitch.


    "Do not let go brother." Alexei said, with a fake smirk on his face while raising his ss of scotch to


    someone in the crowd. He''s smiling but his demeanor is causing chills to run down my spine. "One


    more talk about leaving us and I will drag you myself back to New York and lock you in the fucking


    basement on a fucking leash wrapped around your neck. You know I will enjoy every second of it."


    Alexei rarely gets mad but when he does, he is dead serious and it''s scary.


    "You and your brother are sick in the head." I tried to remove myself from Niki''s tight grip but after


    several attempts, I gave up because it actually hurts.


    To make matters worse, Axel is approaching our direction together with his entourage. My goodness!


    What is this man''s problem? Boris remained standing blocking the way behind the velvet rope while


    Yuri and Dimitri await Niki''s signal.


    My husband drinks his scotch first before signaling the boys to let Axel De Alba''s entourage in. His men


    and Niki''s men squared off, face to face, looking so damn serious that they can actually snap each


    other''s necks. Axel''s men took one of the chairs and ced it to face right across Niki and when he


    was able tofortably sit down, the Cartel boss ordered one of the servers to give me something


    from the silver tter.


    It''s a tiny box with a royal blue ring studded with diamonds. The design is almost like the blood-red ring


    that Artan gave me, the female version of his ring. And now that I have noticed, it''s also simr to the


    dark green and diamond ring that I''m wearing right now that Niki made me wear among others. This


    must be some kind of a conglomerate symbol or something.


    Alexei snorted and he looked annoyed more than anything. He spoke in Russian which his brother also


    responded in the same sexynguage. The tension lingering in the air is undeniable. And it is also


    starting to get the attention of the people in the ballroom.


    "For her protection, just in case." Axel said while looking at Niki. This time all of Niki''s and Axel''s


    men are surrounding us while facing the crowd. The Cartel Boss then stood up from his chair, took the


    box, and attempted to step in my direction.


    The audacity of this man is astonishing! It''s like he''s not even concerned by how Niki might react to


    his actions. I have never seen a man as unfazed as him towards the Russian Mafia Boss, towards


    Volkov. Maybe perhaps he''s a Boss in his own right as well. I mean, not just a Boss but someone who


    has equal footing in the Conglomerate as Niki.


    My husband, despite his wound, stood up from his chair. He has not spoken a single word to Axel and


    that''s what scares me the most. I know my husband too well. He does not mess around when ites


    to protecting me.


    Before anything happens, I decided to interrupt. "Niki, may I speak with you, Alexei and Sebast--- I


    mean Axel somewhere private?" I held on to Niki''s arm and ignored the Cartel Boss. I really wanted


    to dismiss Axel De Alba myself but then I remember that he is the host of this year''s Conglomerate


    Meeting and I know how pride is a big of a deal to a man, let alone to a crime Boss, so I decided to


    confront him without the whole Conglomerate witnessing, lest I unwittingly start a mob war.


    The nearest private ce that we could hideout is the kitchen. When we entered, especially when they


    saw Niki and Axel enter side by side, all the kitchen staff and the chefs froze like they saw the gods


    or something. Between the steam from the boiling pots and the sizzling sound of the mouthwatering


    food that they are cooking,plete and utter silence filled the room. And then with just one flick of


    Axel''s hand, they dropped whatever they are doing and left the kitchen just like that. The Cartel Boss


    and the Mafia Boss'' men waited outside while the four of us were left in the kitchen.


    Just to be perfectly sure, I took all the knives and dumped them all inside the drawer.


    "Baby, careful with the knives please!" Niki said and I can sense that he is already hanging by a


    thread.


    "Princess, don''t worry, I''m not gonna be using a knife if I have to kill De Alba, that''s for sure." Alexei


    inserted while looking at Axel. The Cartel Boss just drinks his scotch with a smile on his face.


    "Shush you two! I know what I''m doing." I too am running out of patience. I am still upset with what they


    did to me a while ago in the ballroom. I have always known that Niki and Alexei are control freaks.


    And I understand that they are being like that for my own protection but I also have a breaking point.


    And I swear I''m so close to that point.


    Axel is talking to Niki and Alexei while looking at me intently as I go back to my husband''s side. My


    hands are already itching to p him on his lying face.


    The time when he introduced himself as Sebastian was uneptable. He acts like we''ve known each


    other for so long. It''s weird.


    "Mi amorcita." Axel said without a single regard that he is literally just beside both my Niki and


    Alexei.


    "Fuck you De Alba." Niki interrupts. He then talked to Alexei in Russian, grabs me by my arm, and


    pushed me lightly towards his brother as if shooing me away from the scene.


    I fought my way to remove Alexei''s hands off of me. "You don''t get to just push me around Niki! Let


    go of me at once Alexei! And you Axel! How dare you! Stop calling me amorcita because we are not


    friends and I am not your Amor. Whatever it is that you are trying to do, the answer is no! I do not need


    your protection! I am Volkov''s wife and Niki''s ring is the only protection I need in the wives'' meeting.


    So thank you for your concern but I don''t need your protection. Did I make myself clear?"


    He just looks at me intently. His lips parted momentarily before a smirk is formed on his face. My


    goodness! What is wrong with this man?


    "Now will the three of you please, give me some space! My arm is about to bruise because, for the


    most part of this night, I have been dragged, pushed, and controlled and quite honestly, I feel


    suffocated and hungry! I need air, and this----bacon." I grabbed a handful of bacon strips from the te


    on the counter because, to be honest my stomach has been rumbling. "Also, don''t kill each other just


    yet, you have a Conglomerate to run. Excuse me." I attempted to leave but Niki was about to protest


    so I connected my pointer finger across his lips to prevent him from talking.


    "I''m going out, breathe some fresh air and eat my bacon in peace. Nobody touches me or I swear I''m


    going to lose my mind!"