The Mafia’s Wanted Desires

ASHLEY

“So, Duncan, huh?”

I sparked up a conversation, rinsing the knife in my hands in the sink. The girl beside me stiffened, her hands growing numb as she set the knife in her hands on the chopping board. I was bored out of my mind and my grump of a husband was in one of his asshole moods. He had been holed up in his study all day with his men and I knew that because Duncan was nowhere to be found. I didn’t want to think about what he might be up to in that study, so I decided to make dinner for us.

I knew I was going to have to play the boss card and that was what I did with Alberta when she tried to get me to give up on cooking dinner. I knew I had to get her out of the house and she couldn’t say no to me when I told her to go with the driver on grocery shopping. So, I was stuck with Zelda who insisted on helping out. I have been eating Alberta’s meals for a while now and I just wanted to do something different. It was tiring having someone make my meals. I wanted to eat something I made myself.

I paused, turning to Zelda who seemed pretty intent on not giving me an answer to my question. She had her unwavering focus on the spring onions that were on the chopping board. I could have sworn I heard her mutter strings of curse words under her breath.

I smirked, taking a paper towel and dabbing my hands with it.

“Zelda?” I called, cocking my head to the side. I knew she wasn’t going to answer me any moment now, so I got comfortable and dropped the knife holder, planting my hands on my hips while I waited for her response.

My unwavering gaze had her faltering and she dropped the knife, groaning softly. My eyes made a light sweep over her slim frame. She was clad in a cropped hoodie and a pair of matching shorts. She turned to me, tying her hair in a messy bun since it wouldn’t stop getting in the way of what she was doing.

“What about him?” She queried with a straight face and I chuckled, walking over to where she stood, and then I continued chopping the onions. I knew what she was doing. She was playing the dumb card. Well, she has to try harder than that because I saw her that day and I couldn’t shake off this feeling in me that her feelings seemed…unrequited.

“Z, come on!” I stopped short, throwing my hands in the air before allowing them to fall limp by my sides. She bit her lips and suddenly grew red in the face, eliciting a giggle from me. I was kind of amused and it had me wondering if that was what I always look like whenever I turn crimson.

Well, damn.

“There’s… nothing with Duncan,” She trailed off, lying through her teeth. She wouldn’t meet my gaze anymore, so she hopped on the kitchen counter, careful enough not to place her butt on the ingredients that were arranged on it.

“You know you can just tell me you don’t want to tell me, instead of lying to me.” My tone came out stern, followed by a questioning arch of my brows at her. She tugged at the ropes of her hoodie, avoiding my eyes. I chuckled dismissively and went to check the sauce that was on the cooker. I uncovered the lid and stirred it a little, pleased with the aroma I was perceiving, and then, I sealed it shut. I moved to the counter and grabbed the ingredients, alongside the chopped onions, adding them to the sauce before shutting the lid again.

She watched me, quietly and she wasn’t that subtle because I could feel her eyes on me. That could only mean one thing. She was debating whether she could trust me or not and that brought a smile to my face.

“Your secret is safe with me,” I blurted out as I cleaned the area surrounding the cooker with a cleaning cloth. She exhaled and I dropped the cloth, turning to her.

“I have liked him since I was in my senior year in high school. It was just a crush at first and I… I tried to keep it under control but it grew into something more intense.” Her voice came out so shaky and I furrowed my brows, walking to her side. She couldn’t look at me and was unable to stop the quivering of her lips.

“Crazy, right?” She faced me, chuckling bitterly. Her violet eyes were shimmering under the bright lights in the kitchen with pain evident in them.

I shook my head, countering her words.

“No, it’s not,” I answered quietly.

“I thought he would notice me someday, but have you seen Duncan?” She chuckled.

“Yeah, no offense. He is an ass.” I snickered and she nodded her head with tears in her eyes.

“None taken,”

“I have liked him since then. I wear my makeup, I invest in fragrances. I buy clothes. I just… want him to notice me but he never did, and fuck, it hurts that I have no control over the way I feel for him. Am I really that plain?” She choked out a sob and I sucked my teeth, cursing Duncan in my mind for doing this to her.

“Aw, honey, come here,” I coaxed, engulfing her in a warm hug. She wrapped her hands around me, sniffing. Zelda was such a beautiful young lady, she didn’t deserve this. Heck, Duncan, the asshole didn’t deserve her.

“I just want him to like me back!” She whined, crying in my arms. I pulled away from the hug, cupping her face and wiping her tear-stained cheeks.

“Listen to me, Zelda,” I said sternly.

“You are amazing. You are beautiful, strong, smart, let’s not forget, a total badass. There’s nothing wrong with you. You hear me, my girl? There’s absolutely nothing wrong with you and if he refuses to notice you, that’s his fault, not yours. I don’t want you thinking you are doing something wrong or you are the problem because you are not,”

“And I am so sure that the right guy who’s going to love you the way you deserve is going to cross paths with you, sooner than you think.” I consoled her, brushing my hands over her hair. She pouted and nodded her head, earning a giggle from me. I brought my hands to her face, wiping her tears, and then, I dropped a soft kiss on her forehead.

“Thank you, Ashley.” She said in a small voice. I wiggled my eyebrows at her and we burst into laughter. Zelda was warm and accommodating. I saw her more like a sister I never had. She had so much of her mother in her and the bond we had didn’t seem forced in any way.

The oven’s timer went off and I chuckled, letting her go before rushing over to the oven. I turned it off, wore my gloves, and brought out the grilled chicken that had me salivating at the sight of it. It was dripping with a dark red substance that was greased all over it. I knew I couldn’t wait to dig in.

“Where is that bastard that calls himself my brother?!” A disembodied voice yelled from the living room and my head snapped up from the chicken in my hands, my eyes meeting Zelda’s horrified ones.

“No bad words!” Another voice chided.

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