Too Late for You

Five years after we broke up, my ex-fiancé Bruce, yes the mafia one, suddenly called me out of the blue to announce our wedding date.

I was speechless. Shocked, I blurted out,

"Wait… didn't we break up five years ago?"

He replied with his usual arrogance,

"Break up? I never agreed to that. You left in a fit of anger.

"And let me guess. You came back to the country only because you heard I was getting married. Out of jealousy, hoping to reclaim our engagement?"

He even had the nerve to tell me to be magnanimous and accept Bella, the so-called 'perfect girl' who had spent the last five years by his side.

I let out an icy laugh and hung up immediately.

I had long been married to the most powerful Don of the strongest mafia family and had two adorable sons to show for it.

Honestly, I had no idea what Bruce was thinking. Now, who even cares about him?

Five years passed since I last heard from him, but out of the blue, my ex-boyfriend's voice crackled through the phone, demanding we get hitched in five days. The catch? My hubby was the top dog of the Mafia world, and we had two little rascals calling me mom.

"Villa d'Oro, five days. We're tying the knot," Bruce Laurent's voice was as commanding as ever, a blast from the past I could not shake.

Clutching the phone, I gazed out the villa's massive windows into the night, my mind racing. "Bruce, we ended things."

"Cut the kid stuff," he cut me off, a hint of a chuckle in his voice. "Eleanor, isn't this why you're back?"

I inhaled sharply. "We called off our engagement ages ago."

"Called off?" Bruce's laugh was light, but his words were heavy. "I don't remember agreeing to that. You stormed off, and now you're back. Time to keep our promise."

He shifted gears, his voice hardening. "And there's the matter of Bella. She's been my rock for five years. I expect you to be gracious. Without her, I'd have been alone."

I nearly snorted. "What are you saying?"

"Grow a big heart, Eleanor. Bella's had it rough, losing her brother. I'm all she's got. As my wife, you'd do well to treat her like a sister."

I ended the call, my heart pounding.

Bruce Laurent was the underboss of the Laurent family.

We grew up together, our families intertwined, with an engagement that seemed destined from childhood.

Five years ago, I dreamed of a fairytale wedding at Villa d'Oro with Bruce.

However, that was a lifetime ago. We moved on, and the engagement was nothing more than a whisper in the wind; even our parents knew it.

In the dead of night, a frantic pounding at the door shattered the silence of the villa.

"Eleanor! Open up!"

Bruce's voice, laced with impatience, echoed from outside.

I shuffled to the door in my comfy, if slightly outdated, gray pajamas.

The moment I cracked