Smitten: A Mafia Romance — Chapter 80

The slap landed across his face and before he could react several other slaps and punches followed. She tried so hard to make them hurt, to make sure he was inflicted with pain but he just stood there unfazed staring at her.

"Stop it Korina." Jace gritted using his uninjured hand to hold hers, "Fucking stop it."

"That bullet shouldn't have gone in your arm!" She screamed, "It should have gone in your head." She screamed, "It should have gone in your head, asshole!"

"In my head?" Jace smirked, "Can you bear to see me die?"

"Of course, I can." She scoffed, "I don't think I love you anymore."

"So you actually loved me before or you still in love with huh?" He smirked releasing her hands.

She walked away from him with a frustrated sigh and went over to the bed to sit, Jace followed joining her.

"You don't know how sorry I am." He said, "I am sorry for every thing."

"Why?" She asked, "Why did you lie to me and stalk me for all that time? Why did you do all these?"

"Cause I was scared Korina." He told her, "We can start afresh."

"No!" She said standing up, "You are a murderer and a criminal, I just can't."

Jace was hurt, her words drilling in his heart, "I don't kill unless necessary or in self defence." He explained.

"Jeffrey?" She asked, "Why did you kill Jeffrey?"

"He tried to kill you." He gritted, "He deserved to die."

Korina stopped to think for sometime and figured that maybe Jeffrey really deserved to die.

"You push drugs?" She asked her next question.

"Yes." He nodded, "I push drugs."

"You do illegal arms?"

"Of course."

"You traffic girls?"

"Nope, Korina." He sad eyes widening, "The fuck!"

"You use your legit business to cover up your tracks?" She asked.

"I don't really make an effort in covering up my tracks." Jace smirked, "I am untouchable."

Korina shook her head and looked away from him with a sigh.

"You are never gonna let me out of here are you?" She asked.

"Nope." He said and moved to her towards him, he placed his hands on her shoulder and faced her to him, "Till you promise never to leave me."

She looked into his eyes and felt bad.

"Jace, I can't be in something built with lies." She removed his hands from her shoulder.

"We would start over." He told her taking her hand in his, "I would make things right I swear."

She pulled away from him giving him a disgusted look, "It's not that easy Jace." She said, "You played me."

"It wasn't easy for me too okay?" Jace began to wonder why he ever lied to her, "I was too damn intoxicated and smitten by you, I wanted to do everything to keep you."

"And you thought me never knowing the truth would set things right?"

Jace had no answer, he was guilty as hell.

"You thought I would never find out?" She was near tears now, "You thought me for a fool. You knew everything about me, how I have been hurt before and yet you are doing the damn same thing."

"I am not doing the same thing Korina." Jace said, "I am not leaving you like they did. I admit I was wrong, I admit I did a lot of terrible things to you but I deserve a chance to clear my name and repair my actions."

"It's not that easy Jace." She said again, "It is not."

"Korina please." He pleaded, "you have got to hear me out."

"I can't." She stood up, "I want to leave."

"Please Korina don't." He pleaded, "I love you, you can't leave."

She stood up and began scrambling for her things.

"I can't stay with someone like you."

"But you love me."

She didn't reply, telling him the truth that she loved him would give him more reasons to push on his pleading.

"I have to go Jace." She told him again, "I can't stay with you."

"I said you are fucking going no where." He screamed and punched the wall causing her to fear.

Korina refused to accept Jace's apology for screaming at her.

"So let me get this straight." Jace said, "You are gonna eat the ice cream I bought you but still stay mad at me?"

"Yes, of course." She nodded scooping a spoon of cream in her mouth, "I am mad at you and not the ice cream."

"You have got to be fucking kidding me." He stared at her unbelievably.

"Jace." She called, "When I am done with the ice cream, we would talk."

"Okay." He sighed.

She was done later and they both sat on the bed with Jace talking to her.

"I was scared." He said, "So scared that you wouldn't want or love me, that's why I didn't approach you and I resulted to stalking but when I finally got the courage to approach you, I put of a facade." He argued, "That was a dumb move."

"Hmmm." She looked her him, "Continue your story please, I wanna know all about it."

"Well, I met Ade when I was 14, he was trading drugs on the street then. He came into the country illegally, sold against his will, from there we became friends and he helped me over throw my father." He told her, "I forgot to mention, I am only American by birth, but my parents are Italians so I am Italian also."

"Ohh." She gazed at him wide eyed, "How did you manage to over throw him tho?"

"When my dad became unbearably ruthless, I brought Ade into the training camp with me, my dad didn't object, he needed more men after all. He already planned Russo to be his successor but still had me training endlessly even hurting and killing people. Eventually I rebelled against him at 18 and killed him. I already got some of his men on my side making it easier to carry out my mission."

Korina listened with rapt attention saying no word.

"During this time." Jace continued, "I never had a love life or even had time for girls I have never been involved with anyone before, that's why I said you are my very first everything."

Korina smiled, her heart warming.

"After I took over the organization, Russo tried to take me down but couldn't and so he became very bitter and he broke off to form his own mafia. Since then, he had always been in my way and tried to make my life miserable.

"He's an asshole." She said.

"So, you see Korina, I have been broke and damaged all my life, that's why..."

"Shhh." She sad putting a hand over his lips, "It's okay Jace."

"Really?" He asked.

"I can't leave you." She said, "I ain't going no where, no matter who you are or what you have done or still do."

Jace's eyes widened in shock, she's forgiving me?

Korina smiled at him, "I love you Jace lander."