A Shotgun Wedding with the Mafia Don-Chapter 45: Revelation

She stormed into the room, slammed her bag on the couch, and stomped her feet in a fit of rage before facing her mother, who had her eyes glued to some documents.

"What’s got you in a hissy fit, my darling?" Her mother said, her voice cold and nonchalant, not even bothering to look at her.

That was her mother, Linda Smith, always poised and proper. Heart made of stone. Cold and vicious. Nothing seemed to faze her. Not even when her father died. Not even when their company was in a crisis.

Her mother had always appeared to be in control, unlike her.

In truth, she was a fucking mess.

"I just lost another fucking contract." She just received a phone call from her manager, informing her that she would probably lose more if she didn’t return as soon as possible. "The longer I stay here, Mom, the worse it is for my career."

For years, she had struggled to build a career for herself in the entertainment business until an opportunity opened overseas.

Of course, she took it, left the country, and never looked back.

Besides, there was only one thing that held her back. Stopping her from leaving.

Oliver Morton. Her childhood friend and crush.

She loved him since the moment she understood what love meant. But he never gave her the time of day.

Eventually, she thought maybe her absence would make him think of her. Once she was successful, he would finally see her as an equal. Someone worthy of him.

But years passed without a word from him. She had almost lost hope until one day her mother called.

"I need you to drop everything, Hazel." Her mother ordered. "Maximus Morton wants to set up your engagement with his son, Oliver."

Hearing Oliver’s name, she never thought twice. She packed her things and booked the first flight home.

She loved him and would do anything to be with him, grabbing the first opportunity to become his wife.

"I know my parents set this engagement so that our two families could unite," Oliver said during dinner after he picked her up from the airport.

"Oh, yes. I think..." But before she could say more, he cut her off.

"I’m sorry, Hazel, but I can’t marry you." Oliver stared at her, not blinking, not apologetic, just plainly telling her the truth.

"Why?" She didn’t understand. She had waited for this moment for so long, just for him to shoot her dreams down.

"I’m in love with somebody else. And she’s the one I want to marry." Oliver’s blunt words crushed all her hope and her heart.

At that point, all she wanted to do was leave, go away as far away from him as possible.

But her parents stopped her. "Maximus promised that Oliver would never marry that woman." And she believed them.

In her desperation, she agreed to her parents’ plan. She didn’t leave but waited for the opportunity to be the next Mrs. Morton.

"When will you stop thinking about that crappy career of yours?" Her mother had never really supported her dream.

"Think of the big picture, Hazel. The Smith Group will not last long unless the Morton Group backs us up." Linda reminded her of the status of their business.

Honestly, she had never cared about the Hotel business. The only reason she agreed to this union was because of Oliver.

When Oliver broke it off with Amelia, she knew it was the moment she had been waiting for. But he still refused to marry her.

"You can’t just sit around and wait. You have to do something, Hazel." Her father impatiently said. "I heard Oliver is in this bar almost every night."

"Why don’t you accompany him tonight?" Linda suggested, pushing a small vial into her hand. "Don’t let this opportunity go to waste."

Of course, she knew exactly what her mother meant by that.

That night, she went to the club and sought out Oliver’s company. In truth, she didn’t even need to drug him, because he was already more than halfway drunk.

A few more glasses and he was ready to pass out. "Come on, I’ll drive you home." She offered when Oliver could hardly stand on his own.

With her driver’s assistance, she took Oliver to her hotel room. Unfortunately, he was too drunk. He passed out before anything could happen to them.

Without any choice, she just took off all their clothes and slept next to him.

"What happened?" Oliver asked, shocked to find that he was with her, naked in her bed, the following morning.

"Don’t you remember?" She asked, implying that something had happened between them.

"I’m sorry, Hazel. I was drunk. But I know it was not an excuse." He shook his head as if trying to clear his muddled brain. "Let me compensate you for what happened. What do you want?"

Taking it as her chance, she said. "Marry me." It was the only thing she wanted.

Although her family wanted the money, she wanted his heart more.

His love.

But he still said no. "I’m sorry, but Amelia is the only woman I will love and marry."

Again, that woman.

Despite everything, he still could not get over her. Amelia was still the only woman who owned his heart.

"Don’t worry, Hazel. Let us handle this." Her parents said, upon learning that Oliver still refused to let go of that woman and marry her.

Her parents sent her to one of their private villas to lie low. Then, in ten months, she returned with a baby in her arms.

Caleb, the son of Oliver and heir to the Morton Empire.

Eventually, marriage had become inevitable. Oliver was never given a choice.

But even after he had married her, he had never once shown that he loved her. At least, not the way she wanted to be loved.

For months, she felt like a caged bird, trapped in a one-sided marriage, caring for a child that wasn’t hers.

After their first anniversary, she couldn’t take his blatant disregard of her feelings anymore. "Can’t you at least pretend that you love me?" But his answer was once again a cold indifference.

"Damnit, you wouldn’t even touch me." She had had enough of Oliver’s coldness.

So, she left. Filed for a divorce and accepted a fat check for her parents’ silence. And then, she pursued her career again.

However, even after all these years, she had never found anyone to replace Oliver in her heart. She still wanted him.

Hearing that he got married again to some random nobody had forced her to return.

Why would he marry her? As far as she could remember, he could only love one woman in this lifetime.

Amelia.

So, who was that Sophia?

"Focus on what’s more important, Hazel." Linda reminded her, pulling her out of her reverie. "Are you ready to lose Oliver forever in exchange for your career?" Her mother knew exactly how to manipulate her.

When it came to Oliver, her mother knew that she would drop anything to be with him.

"It’s that Sophia." She blurted with anger and frustration, dropping her body to the soft cushion with a thud.

Watching that woman with Oliver really made her blood boil. Honestly, she had never seen Oliver be so attentive to another woman before.

"Oliver said that his heart only belonged to that bitch, Amelia." She recalled how her husband had fended off her touches and avoided intimacy. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

But last night, he was pulling out all the stops for that woman. Something he had never done for her.

"Mom, what am I going to do? That bitch had Oliver wrapped around her fingers." She whined, unable to accept that another woman had done what she had failed to do.

Seduce her husband.

"Well, I already had Sophia Maddison investigated," Linda informed her. "Once we have all her dirty secrets, we’re gonna use that against her."

Her mother finally put down the files in her hand and stared at her. "And you’ll do everything you can to win your husband and son back."

It was not just a suggestion but an order that left her with no room to make another mistake.

"But what if..."

"No, buts... No what ifs." Her mother abruptly interrupted her. "We need the Morton. Our company needs their investment. And do you want to lose Oliver forever?"

Of course, she wanted her husband back. She wanted Oliver to love her.

"But first, we need to get rid of that Sophia," Linda said. "Just like what we did to that Amelia."

Frankly, she was not surprised by her mother’s admission. She had long suspected that her parents had been involved with Amelia’s disappearance.

"Once Sophia’s gone, you can return to the Morton’s good graces," Linda told her.

Now that her father was gone, her mother shared her calculated plans with her.

"So, Caleb had always been Amelia’s son." She finally concluded.

Although she had already figured that one out, her mother had not verbally admitted where Caleb originally came from.

But from the moment that Caleb’s DNA matched Oliver’s, she knew her suspicion was right. Amelia was his mother.

So far, nobody else knew about their secret except her parents and her. Her parents had made sure to cover their tracks well.

But another voice joined them. And his revelation almost made her heart drop to the floor.

"And apparently, Sophia’s son as well."