Chapter 4 The Man Beneath The Mask

The morning after their tense conversation felt strangely quiet.

The internet went wild about their marriage. The headlines and trending hashtags #THE MAFIA DON SECRET WIFE, #THE BILLIONAIRE WIFE, #THE CEO LOVER, #THE BUSINESSMAN LEGALLY MARRIED, etc. A pretensed marriage showing the fake pictures they took together.

Their topics are now on hot trends on the internet.

Mara sat on the edge of the large, fancy bed in her new room apparently, staring at her phone screen. She was shocked to see her and Damon's fake marriage had gone viral within 24 hours and even a hot search. It looked like a real, happy, and lovely relationship on the outside, but inside, the relationship was an act of protection. People are always interested in something like this and, of course, they will believe it. And they didn't even suspect why the sudden marriage. When it comes to billionaire businessmen, things are always sudden. She hadn't seen Adrian since the early hours of the morning when he'd returned to his office after their confrontation.

The door clicked open suddenly.

"Ma'am," said a soft voice. A young maid, barely in her twenties, entered with a tray. She placed it gently on the table. "Your breakfast."

Mara smiled politely. "Thank you...?"

The girl gave a shy nod. "I'm Isla, your personal maid now."

"I don't think I need a maid."

"It's not up to you," came a voice from behind Isla.

It was Damon.

Tall, poised, and wearing a dark blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up, no tie, he looked powerful.

"Good morning, wife," he said, his tone hard to read.

Mara frowned. "Don't say it like that."

"Like what?"

"Like it means nothing."

"It means everything." His eyes didn't flinch. "That's why you have a maid. And two personal guards. And a driver. You're not a civilian anymore."

"I didn't ask for a kingdom, Damon."

"No, but you married a king."

His words left her speechless.

But she regained her composure. "Our photos are on the internet; it's trending-

"I already know, like I have said to you. Something like that cannot bypass the internet. It is for my enemies to believe that I am married to you. We have to be careful now."

He stepped closer, pressing a tablet into her hands. "You need to see this."

Mara stared at the screen. A surveillance feed. Damon clicked on a clip.

A cold shiver ran down her spine.

The footage showed last night's kitchen hallway. Two shadows moved quickly. One of them slipped something into a wine bottle. A label Mara recognized-it was her favorite wine.

"They were trying to poison me?" she whispered, feeling a chill creep up her spine.

"No," Damon replied. "They were trying to poison me."

She looked up at him, her heart racing.

"I always take a glass before going to bed," he murmured. "That brand. Same time. Every night."

Mara's horror grew as she turned back to the screen.

"But the bottle was moved to your tray."

She stared at him, heart pounding. "If I hadn't skipped the wine-"

"You'd be dead by now."

She stood abruptly. "Who? Who would do that?"

"I'm looking into it. But it was someone from inside the house. Which means..." He gave her a heavy look. "This house isn't safe anymore."

Mara's world tilted.

She had thought that marrying him would ensure her safety. Surrounded by walls, guards, and weapons-but she hadn't realized that danger could come from people who seemed to be there to protect her.

"I want to leave," she said suddenly. "I want to go somewhere else. A hotel, maybe."

"No."

"I don't need your permission, Damon!"

He stepped forward, voice low and clipped. "If I can't protect you in my own house, what makes you think a hotel will be safer?"

"Because at least there, people won't be pretending to protect me while planning my murder!"

Silence filled the room. Damon's jaw tightened, but he spoke with restraint. "I will have to move you to the east wing. It's secured with three locks. I've changed the staff. I only trust two people now-Isla and Elias, your new head guard. No one else gets near you."

"You're not listening-"

"I am listening," he snapped. "I listen to everything. Because that's the only reason you're still alive, Mara."

Her lips parted, stunned by the fury in his voice.

Damon exhaled, rubbing his forehead. "I didn't mean to yell. But you have to understand-this world has harsh rules. And if you break those rules, they don't warn you. They eliminate you."

Mara's throat tightened. "So what, I'm just a prisoner wearing a ring now?"

"No." His voice softened. "You're my reason for burning it all down."

She stared at him, her heart racing. For a moment, he seemed almost... helpless. "Just give me some time," he pleaded. "I'll make this right. I swear."

Before she could reply, a firm knock echoed from the hallway.

Elias stepped in, tall and intimidating, with piercing eyes sharp as knives. "Sir, we've found the traitor."

Damon's expression turned cold, his voice like ice. "Who is it?"

"James, the kitchen staff. He's been with us for ten years."

Mara felt her jaw drop. "But-he helped me find my way around last week."

Damon's face was like stone. "Where is he?"

Elias hesitated. "He's dead. He took his own life-slit his throat before we could interrogate him."

A heavy silence filled the room.

Mara felt the walls tighten again. Like the whole world was shrinking.

"I want you out of the main house," Damon said suddenly.

"What do you mean?"

"You'll stay at my private villa by the coast. It's remote and protected. No staff will be there except for Elias, Isla, and me."

Mara's heart raced. "You want to isolate me?"

"No, I want to keep you safe."

She hesitated. Then nodded. "Fine. But I'm not running anymore."

Damon looked at her intently.

"I really mean it," she insisted. "If I'm going to be your wife-even if it's pretend-I want to understand your world. I want to see it."

He studied her for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Then I'll show you." His voice was almost a vow. And in that moment, she didn't know if that terrified her... or made her fall a little deeper into a war she never meant to fight.