A Shotgun Wedding with the Mafia Don-Chapter 48: The lady of the house

"It has been a long day, Sophia. You must be tired." Her mother-in-law patted her hand as they enjoyed a refreshing drink on the balcony of her mother-in-law’s bedroom. "I hope I didn’t overwhelm you." She added, seemingly concerned.

Since waking up that morning, she had been buzzing like a busy bee. Following Taylor around the house, tailing Dianne everywhere she went, and learning the ropes of running the estate and the entire household.

Who knew that being a housewife could be this demanding, both physically and mentally draining?

"It’s okay. I just wasn’t expecting this amount of responsibility." She admitted, not wanting to lie to the older woman. "But you must be more tired than I am, Dianne." Compared to her mother-in-law, she was young and still in the prime of her life.

Stressful situations like this were just part of her daily routine. The job description might be different from what she used to do, but to her, work was work.

"Just remember, if you need anything, just ask Taylor or call me." Dianne offered, providing her with a sincere smile that both comforted and encouraged her. The kind of smile that reminded her of her own mother.

Since losing her parents and child, she thought that her life was over. The day she buried them, she believed that she would never have a family again. But then, Ashley and Jenny came into her life. Her bestfriends. Her sisters.

Now, she had a husband, a son, and a new set of parents.

"Stop it, Sophia." She quickly shouted inside her head.

Although all of these seemed perfect, it was not real. This marriage was a sham. Oliver only married her because of a deal. She was nothing but an expensive nanny, paid to care for Caleb.

"From now on, you are the lady of this house," Dianne said as she placed something on her hand. "You run it the way you see fit."

"What’s this?" She asked, gazing at the box in her hand.

"It’s the Morton’s family heirloom." Dianne encouraged her to open the box. "It was passed to me by my mother-in-law when I married Max. Now, I’m giving it to you as the next Mrs. Morton."

Dianne took the necklace out of the box and helped her put it around her neck. Then, Dianne pulled her in front of a mirror so she could look at the gorgeous strings of diamonds that dangled around her neck.

"Once Caleb marries, you’ll pass this on to your daughter-in-law." Dianne graciously smiled at her through their reflections, showing her what a real lady of the house looked like.

"I couldn’t possibly accept this." Besides looking extremely priceless, she believed she deserved to have it since this marriage was just a contract. "It’s too much." She added when she saw the surprise in her mother-in-law’s eyes.

Moreover, she had no intention of staying as Oliver’s wife, nor did she plan to carry his next heir.

"Nonsense. You’re now my daughter. You’ll take it and keep it safe." Dianned insisted, not allowing her to take the necklace off her neck.

"Wait!" She debated for a second whether she should ask her mother-in-law about it, but her curiosity tore her silence.

"Why didn’t you give this to Hazel?" She asked. If it was passed down to the daughter-in-law, then why not to Oliver’s first wife?

"It’s a long story," Dianne said with a long sigh. "I initially intended to give that to her, after all, I was the one who insisted that Oliver marry Hazel."

For a while, Dianne stayed silent as if contemplating her next words. "But after Hazel married my son, I knew I had made a mistake."

Dianne told her about her own love story. How her parents arranged her marriage to the Mafia Don, Maximus Morton.

"Our marriage was far from a fairy tale. The union was for business, not love." Dianne narrated years of mutual companionship based only on respect.

But as she gave birth to their first child, she knew she had grown to love her husband. And when her husband picked up their child for the first time and looked at her, she had witnessed the change in him.

Their marriage wasn’t a mere business transaction anymore. Their relationship wasn’t just two strangers living under the same roof.

"From that point on, we built our family, loved each other as if we could never stand to be apart." Her mother-in-law told her one of the most beautiful love stories she had ever heard.

"I thought Oliver and Hazel could also have the same ending. After all, they already have a son. But I’ve seen how my son kept his distance. No matter what Hazel did, she could not win his heart." Dianne uttered with a hint of disappointment.

"I knew then that their marriage would never last. And eventually, Hazel filed for divorce and left." Concluding her story.

But it still didn’t answer her question.

Why did Dianne give the necklace to her, but not to Hazel?

"I know what you’re thinking." Suddenly, Dianne looked at her with a gentle smile, as if she could actually read her thoughts.

Truthfully, she had no idea what she was thinking. Her mind was in chaos as all these swirling questions kept rumbling in her ears.

Come to think of it, she didn’t have time to think about her husband or what had happened the previous night.

"This might sound crazy, ridiculous, even out of this world." Dianne pulled her away from the mirror and back to the balcony.

Downstairs, she pointed out two figures. Her husband and her son. Happily playing in the garden.

"But I can tell that you are different." Dianne also watched her son and grandson. "Hazel might have given my son a child, but you gave him a family."

What?

At first, she thought she might have incorrectly heard what the older woman had said. But when she turned to Dianne, she saw something that she didn’t expect to see in her expression.

Sincere gratitude.

"You’re special, Sophia. I knew it from the first time I saw you." This time, Dianne turned to her with eyes that had mist brimming around her lower lids. "Caleb felt it." Then, with trembling hands, she touched her shoulders. "I can see that my son also felt it too."

At that point, she was lost for words. What do you say to something like that?

"For years, I have watched Oliver bury himself in his work. But now, I see how he has changed since you came into his life." Then, her mother-in-law’s eyes searched hers, as if she were looking for something.

"I know somehow I forced the two of you into this marriage," Dianne admitted. "But now, I can see that I didn’t make the mistake this time."

Suddenly, Dianne’s eyes lit up, her lips curved into a big smile, and her entire expression brightened as if the sun had just shone on her face.

It immediately made her curious.

What did the older woman see in her eyes?

What did she mean by Oliver’s sudden change?

Again, she had more questions than answers.

"I don’t understand." She finally muttered, unable to keep her confusion to herself.

It was as if she had been staring into a large picture, but every piece was completely out of place.

She could make out the picture, but her mind refused to piece the puzzle together, afraid of what it would end up forming.

"Well, we can continue this chit-chat later. I still have something to do." Dianne abruptly ended their conversation.

"And I think it’s time that you join your family downstairs," Dianne said, patting her arms before guiding her toward the door.

As much as she wanted to continue, she had conceded and walked out of her mother-in-law’s room. Then, she returned to her bedroom to freshen up before proceeding downstairs.

But as she walked the long hallways of the mansion, she suddenly stopped outside one of the rooms.

As they said, curiosity killed the cat, but she was not a cat.

For whatever reason, her feet refused to move as she heard voices coming from the other side of the door.

Aware that it was the study, Maximus’s favorite place to rest and receive guests, she leaned closer to the door. Inside, she heard Maximus complaining to Dianne about the tea.

"What am I doing?" She whispered, reprimanding herself for being so nosy.

But sometimes, her body just didn’t want to listen.

Anyway, she immediately walked away, deciding to go to the kitchen to get some water. But as she returned and passed the room again, she immediately stopped.

"I thought you never liked Miss Sophia for Sir Oliver."

There was no mistake. That was Taylor’s voice.

"Are they talking about me?" She asked, moving closer to the room.

Surprisingly, she found the door was slightly ajar, giving her a clear view of the two figures inside the room. Dianne must have accidentally left it open when she left.

Silently, she leaned on the door jam, hoping nobody would notice her. Then, she flattened her face close to the opening, wanting to hear more of their conversation.

"You once asked me why I allowed Oliver to marry Sophia but not Amelia."

This time, it was her father-in-law’s voice that echoed in the tiny slit.

Definitely, there was no doubt that the two were talking about her. But what about Amelia?

Now, she knew she could not walk away.

For what seemed like a lifetime, she stood, glued outside that door, listening to their conversation.

Curious. Intrigued. Afraid of what she was about to hear. But she stood her ground, needing to hear everything.

Until.

"Caleb needs his mother," Maximus said.